Tag: JCC Indianapolis
Sharing the Light of Chanukah at the JCC
As we prepare to begin Chanukah — a holiday that celebrates the power of small lights to push back great darkness — I’ve been thinking a lot about where light shows up in our community. Not only in the menorah we light in Celebration Plaza on campus, but in the daily acts of dedication, kindness, […]
2025 JCC Hand in Hand Annual Campaign
At the JCC Indianapolis, Hand in Hand isn’t just the name of our annual campaign. It’s how we move forward as a community. Membership dues and program fees only cover part of what it takes to keep our doors open, our programs thriving, and our mission alive. Your gift bridges that gap and ensure that […]
Your Generosity, Our Gratitude: A Thanksgiving Message
Dear JCC Indianapolis Members and Friends: As we approached Thanksgiving — grounding ourselves in gratitude, reflection, and the simple act of gathering — I thought about what it means to pause and truly take stock of our blessings. During the month of November, those blessings showed up at our JCC in ways I didn’t expect, […]
What a Fitness Class Taught Me About Gratitude
My first job at a JCC was as a group fitness instructor. More specifically, I taught cycling classes. While I hung up my clip-in cycling shoes several years ago, I am often reminded of the power of group fitness classes. Just last week, Hand in Hand Co-Chair Katy Cantor and I attended the Aqua Aerobics group’s […]
Roll Tide Meets Go Hoosiers: Send Help
The truth is I didn’t know what to expect. I thought — and confidentially, I hoped — that college football was behind me. Ever since I was growing up in Birmingham, AL, I was the oddball among my friends and family — the girl who had no interest in college football, never greeted people with […]
A Week Filled with Meaning, Connection, and Heart
On Thursday evening, I slipped into the back of the Laikin Auditorium just before one of our Ann Katz Festival of Books & Arts authors began to speak. As people found their seats, I noticed two members — one who has been part of our JCC for decades and another who just joined this year — […]
The Power of Return
Dear JCC Indianapolis Members and Friends, In recent days, we have witnessed images of hostages returning home — scenes that have gripped the Jewish world and stirred something deep within all of us. The faces of those coming back to their families after two years of living in hellish captivity remind us that return is […]
Celebrating a Year of Growth, Together
Exactly one year ago today, I walked into our JCC for my second day as CEO. One year later, I am just as energized — though a little less nervous — as I was then. What excites me most isn’t just the work we do, but the way our JCC continues to be shaped, strengthened, […]
A Sweet New Year, A Renewed Purpose
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, a time when tradition teaches us that the world itself is renewed, begins this evening. Ten days from now we will gather again for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The days that connect the two are known as the Days of Teshuvah, which literally translates to “return.” Teshuvah […]
Shabbat Shalom from Sam: The Weight We Didn’t Know We Carried
Do you know that feeling of relief when a weight lifts off your shoulders — a weight you didn’t even realize you were carrying? That’s exactly how I felt last night at dinner with Jewish community leaders Beth and Steve Klapper and two of their daughters. JCC Board Chair David Katz, our spouses, and me […]