Tag: JCC Indy
From Jackson to Indianapolis, We Are One Community
Growing up Jewish in the Deep South teaches you something that never really leaves you: nothing is far away. This week, I read about the arson at Beth Israel in Jackson, Mississippi — a synagogue set on fire, Torah scrolls destroyed — and I felt it in my body. Not because Jackson is close to […]
Generosity, Multiplied
As we all settle into the rhythm of a new year, I’ve been reflecting on how generosity has a way of multiplying — how one act of caring so often inspires another.Several weeks ago, I wrote about an incredible mother-daughter duo who gave a collective $150,000 gift to provide access to JCC childcare services for […]
2026 Predictions: A Year of Clarity, Community, and Confidence
It is 4:00 p.m. on December 31, 2026, one year from now, and I am sitting at my desk. The JCC has quieted in that familiar end-of-year way — the hum of the fitness floor fading, a few last goodbyes exchanged at the front desk, staff slipping out into the cold to begin their New Year’s […]
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, […]
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, […]
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 — […]
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, […]
Shabbat Shalom from Sam: What the JCC Shares with a 90s Boy Band
It was at a Backstreet Boys concert that I realized just how much in common the JCC community has with a 90s pop boy band fanbase. Stay with me. I promise I’ll connect the dots.This past weekend, I saw the Backstreet Boys in concert. The five-member boy band, who really broke onto the scene in […]
Women on Weights
L–R: Erin E., Susan M., Sanna C., instructor Heather S., and Barbara F. in JFIT Lift: Women on WeightsNot pictured: Mary Beth T., Carol C. JFIT Lift: Women on Weights participants Barbara, Susan, Sanna and Erin have been JCC members for vastly different amounts of time: Barbara and family have been part of the J […]
Ms. Claudia and Ms. Emely
L-R: Ms. Emely, Erick, and Ms. Claudia Claudia Velasquez, a long-standing JCC Early Childhood Education (ECE) teacher, first heard about the JCC through a previous coworker who had nothing but positive remarks about the center. She followed this colleague and was eager to enter this new chapter of her life. Claudia could never have predicted […]