JCC stories

If you think mastering today's technology is just for the young, think again. In the 20+ years since nearly 1,000 classes in personal technology have been offered to seniors at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, close to 2,000 have learned skills ranging from computer, tablet, and cell phone basics to photo editing and streaming by tech-savvy peers like Muriel Mandell.

When the seventh graders enrolled in the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan’s Jewish Journeys B-Mitzvah class began their final year in the program in September 2019, they, like everyone else, had no idea the turns 2020 would take.

When opportunities to travel locally closed up this year for participants in the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan's Connections group, they didn’t let it slow them down. Instead, they embarked on a global adventure.

Even if she hadn’t been working remotely when she was hired as chief program officer (CPO) at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan this fall, Megan Whitman wasn’t likely to have encountered the same issues people taking a new position often do.

Written by Cynthia Ceilan

"The fellowship of women from around the world who are making truly impactful change is not to be underestimated," says Meg Sullivan, director of JCC Harlem. "For someone like me, who is still in the early stages of my career, it's a particular honor to be among such giants."

For some, it was finding food for Passover. For others, it was finding a way to obtain needed medications. For some, it was the desire to find a substitute for their weekly bridge game. And for many, it was just the need to know that they had not been forgotten in isolation. Times are uncertain. Community is not.

Adaptations, a group for those in their 20s and 30s that was one of the earliest innovations out of The Jack and Shirley Silver Center for Special Needs, played a key role in enhancing the life of Judy Fettman over the past 12 years. All those who know her would agree that she did the same for Adaptations.

Empowering children to be their strongest, most confident selves is undeniably important. Just as crucial is the role families and other adults play in that endeavor. But as kids—especially girls—reach school-age and beyond, providing that support becomes more challenging.

For women living with breast or ovarian cancer, the JCC’s Shirley Kohn Spa Day--now in its 13th year--serves as a much-needed respite from the daily stress and worry that having a devastating illness can bring. But they aren’t the only ones who benefit.

Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Joanne Edgar, and Ellen Sweet are former editors of Ms. magazine, the publication that symbolized the “second wave” of feminism in the 1970s and 80s; they’re also members of the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan community.