High Holidays Traditions with Ally Weiss and Eric Ratner
(Published Aug 25, 2021) It’s the High Holidays, do you know where your Jewish friends are? For JCC board members and 2021 Hand in Hand Campaign co-chairs Ally Weiss and Eric Ratner, while their exact locations are different, the ways in which they observe Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day […]
Mr Mills Says Goodbye
(Published Aug 5, 2021) By: Elliott Mills Dear JCC family, The Jewish Community Center at 6701 Hoover Rd. has been my home for over forty years. It was my first introduction to what a school setting was as I attended its Early Childhood Center in the early 80’s. The JCC was where I, along with […]
Todah Rabah (Thank You), Indy!
(Published July 27, 2021) By: Enav Elhaiany Perez and Maya Hirshberg It’s safe to say that our shnat sherut, or year of service as Shinshinim/young Israeli emissaries between graduating high school and joining the army, did not quite begin as anyone expected it would. Because we arrived in Indianapolis in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, […]
Meet Steve Harms, the J’s New Board Chair!
(Published June 15, 2021) Steve Harms fell in love with the J immediately when he first toured the facility seven years ago. An avid cyclist since riding in the Little 500 while in college at IU, in 2014 Steve suffered a bad accident and shattered his femur (why he now walks with a limp), for […]
Hello to the Hos!
(Published June 1, 2021) Returning to Indy in January 2021 after nearly 12 years abroad, during a pandemic, was almost a blessing in disguise for the Ho family (parents Darren and Steffanie and kids Lauren, Colson and Raegan). “We’re able to take the repatriation at our own pace,” Steffanie said. “Everything’s from home, we’re not […]
The Erdel Family’s Decade at the J
(Published April 26, 2021) To understand just how at home the Erdel kids feel at the J, one only had to watch them as they arrived at the Sablosky Pavilion, the location for the (masked and socially distanced) interview and photo shoot to prep this piece. Audrey (9) and Evan (7) immediately ran over to […]
Filiberto Learns to Swim
(Published March 25, 2021) Growing up in Mexico, Filiberto Cruz Mancera loved sports. Basketball, volleyball, almost anything athletic – except swimming. When Filiberto was about six years old, his younger brother fell into and was swept away in the strong current of a creek where Filiberto, his brother and an older sister were playing. Filiberto […]
Cathy Kravitz, Renaissance Woman
(Published Feb 22, 2021) Having been a member for over 30 years, Cathy Kravitz is something of a JCC celebrity. As a daily lap swimmer who has also participated in dance aerobics and tennis programs, taught art to the kids in the Early Childhood Education program and even exhibited in the JCC’s art gallery, she […]
Joe Johnson is All Heart
(Published Jan 25, 2021) To look at Joe Johnson, you might not guess that he had a heart transplant just over 11 years ago. The way he tells it, his exercise routine hasn’t even changed that much from before the transplant: “It’s just that I can do more reps now. I got stronger.” Making sure […]
George Heslin, Firefighter-in-Training
(Published Dec 28, 2020) George Heslin has enjoyed the J’s facilities recreationally for years — at summer camp as a child and more recently utilizing the gym and the pool as he tried on teaching and culinary careers before realizing they were not what he wanted. But as he embarks upon his journey to becoming […]