| Original Message |
Ari Trachtenberg (no login)
Posted Nov 6, 2006 4:25 PM
In my opinion, the JCC is losing membership not because it is open on Shabbat but rather because it is not attractive to the Jewish community as a whole (to me it has the feel of a stuffy suburban country club). Its prices appear to be very high relative to similar services from the secular community (case in point: the outdoor pool), and there is not sufficient Jewish content in the center to warrant the added cost.
As such, families who are willing to shell out ~$15,000 per year per child for Jewish day school education, are reluctant to pay the $1,000 family membership fees for the JCC (even if, as in my case, it's practically in their back yard). In its current direction, the JCC has to start competing with similar secular institutions in its neighborhood, both for price and availability, if it wants to survive financially.
On the other hand, if it wants to remain a Jewish community center, it has to strive to become an appealing Jewish scene ... which means, for example, becoming the most logical choice for a broad spectrum of major Jewish events (Jewish lectures, Jewish shows, Israeli folk-dancing, Jewish dating, Jewish text study, Jewish basketball tournaments, etc.), and not just left-wing causes du jour. It has to be a center of Jewish social interaction, learning, and strengthening of the principles that have maintained us as Jews throughout the years. For that, I'd consider becoming a member. |
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