JCC Blog

Beyond Baltimore: Learning Across the Globe

Bringing Lessons Home from JCC International Conference

By Barak Hermann, CEO and Randi Buergenthal, Board Chair

What can we learn from a JCC in Istanbul, Turkey? How can we connect to Jewish communities in India, countries in the Former Soviet Union (FSU), and Krakow, Poland? As it turns out, there are countless benefits to connecting to JCCs and Jewish communities from around the globe. 

This December, we traveled to Israel to attend JCC Global: 10th Annual World Conference of JCCs. We were joined by professional and volunteer leaders from 30 JCCs worldwide. Together, we shared stories of our communities, Jewish identity, and new endeavors at our JCCs. In many...

In the Zone

Maccabi Basketball Coach Has High Hopes for Baltimore Delegation

If Danny Hoffman has his way, Baltimore’s JCC Maccabi Games basketball team will one day become a national powerhouse, on par with some of the biggest teams in Atlanta, Miami, and Philadelphia. Until then, believes Hoffman, Baltimore is primed to continue growing its reputation and standings in the sport. 

Entering his third year as a Baltimore JCC Maccabi Games coach, Hoffman brings serious basketball pedigree to his ambitious goals. As a teenager, Hoffman, a Pittsburgh native, competed in basketball at the JCC Maccabi Games as a member of team Pittsburgh. “The Pittsburgh Maccabi team had the best Jewish athletes. I was thrilled to get the call that I made it,”...

Sukkot

This Sunday evening we usher in the holiday of Sukkot, a week long harvest festival, in which we remember the exodus from Egypt and the 40 years of wondering in desert. Traditionally, each household will build a Sukkah – a ritual booth. This holiday has both historical and agricultural significance. A holiday with many names, it is known as the “Festival of Booths,” the “Festival of the Ingathering,” and the “Season of our Joy.” Sukkot starts this Sunday night October 13 and runs through October 20th. The temporary huts we build during this time remind us both of the abundance of nature, and the precariousness and preciousness of life on earth. We celebrate Jewish peoplehood and shared history and welcome ancestors and friends, dwelling in our Sukkot, eating festive meals, singing and reveling in the autumn sounds and smells. If you don’t have a Sukkah, please join us in ours!! Both the Park Heights and the Owings...

Meet Randi Buergenthal, JCC Chair of the Board 2019-21

Designing a J for the 21st century

As a longtime board member of the JCC, Randi Buergenthal is used to fielding questions. Usually, she knows the right professional to ask or where to find information.

But there’s one question that made her stop and think.

"Why should I belong to the JCC? What’s in it for me?"

Today, as the new chair of the JCC board, Randi partners with a board of directors and JCC staff to answer these questions. They recognize the JCC of today and tomorrow must reimagine the JCC experience. Fortunately, the group has done their homework. For several years, Randi worked with other board members and J professionals to take a hard look at what happens when someone participates in the J’s programs, whether at the Weinberg Park Heights JCC, Rosenbloom Owings Mills JCC,...