Stoughton JCC closing, becoming YMCA

This is kind of sad - I've been a member of the Striar JCC for 19 years. Not sure if I'll stick with it as a YMCA.

Perhaps they will upgrade the Health Spa. I've been a Health Spa member for 13 years and it has always looked like a high school locker room.

Is the lack of membership at the JCC in any influenced by their controversial decision to start opening on Saturdays? I feel that a lot of people canceled their memberships in response to this action. Serves them right that it closes now. They sacrificed their Jewish identity when they made that decision.

Would have been nice if they notified the members and parents before reading it in the Globe! Wow!

the YMCA is an excellant choice. I'll check it out

does Mark Sokol really believe that he has put the same time and energy into Striar as he has in Greater Boston? Why did they put in a pool?
What is Jewish about the JCC
What about all of us with pre schoolers who do not know where our children will go to school

Sad to see this happen. The Jewish identity will no longer exist at the Striar. At least there was one location where Jewish holidays were recognized and celebrated. We have been members since it opened and have seen many great programs that we attended and could be proud of. I think to state that "opening on Saturdays" as a basic reason for the closing is too simple a statement. The Newton Sidman-Leventhal JCC also is open on Saturday and it doesn't look like they're in any position of closing or being taken over by a non-Jewish organization. Health clubs in general are very competitive.

Will be pulling my children from the programs because of the complete lack of communication and lack of management by the center. Why do I have to hear about this in the paper first and not from the management or staff from the center? I can see why they have to close the center....

Our family has enjoyed membership at the JCC since it opened and even prior to its' construction. It is disappointing to learn about this in this manner. We would have appreciated notification of this news prior to this newspaper report. Did the CEO and other organizational members consider this? It would have been much more respectful.

I have been a member for 17 years, it always seems busy, even at 6 am. However, I have heard complaints in the locker room about the facility being closed on Friday nights and Saturdays when people are off from work. I still doubt that that is the problem. I love the place. My daughter has attended classes there as a child and as a teen. I didn't mind learning not to send meat in with her lunches. I have enjoyed becoming more familiar with jewish customs and holiday than some of my jewish friends!

I think it is opportune timing they have, or create a Mormon community center. However, seeing as though Mormons are persecuted and ridiculed, it is highly unlikely we will ever see this come to fruition.

Loved the preschool. Was looking forward to sending my child to the after school program. Wish we had been given more of a heads up. Very sad . . .

how does this happen I'd be fine if it was bought by the golds gym but not the ymca. The JCC is supposed to be a meeting center for jews but not to be owned by the young mens christian association thats rediculous. I feel bad for anyone who already has a membership and is now supporting the YMCA without notification. we should of heard about plans before it was bought so it could be stopped I am certainly not reneiwing my memebership.

so the message to the JCC is that communication was disrespectrul of the loyalty that the preschool parents and other members had for the insitution over the years. keeping this a secret might have seemed right, but it was wrong and damaging. it will be hard to trust the jccs after this. i know i cannot send my child to a jcc preschool even once they announce a new sight because i will be afraid of something like this happening behind the scenes.

i don't think it matters who bought it. it matters that it is no longer a jcc. it matters that we were not told. it matters that the south area is not cared about. it matters that marc sokoll thinks it is ok to do this to the preschool parents who need a place for their children. it matters that there are preschool employees who know nothing and that is not the way a religious place should treat its employees. it matters that money was raised and poured into a building not so long ago. it matters that a great man named Lester Gilson dedicated himself to making this happen.

love the comment that the JCC intended to tell its membership in advance. how long have they worked in the jewish community. the rumors have been out for weeks. duh
i am a pre school parent and i am going to go look at alternatives. DOes anyone know of good programs for older fours?

Selling the JCC is obviously a cost cutting measure, but has anyone seen or heard of any cost cutting taking place at JCCGB? Salaries frozen or cut? Anyone let go? Not that I heard of. After closing Striar the organization will now be even more top heavy. Is that why membership was always so expensive? The only cuts being made are to close an important part of the South Area Jewish Community. I think managment blew it and should be held accountable.

I think it was horrible that the JCC saw fit to take our money and not let us know of their plans. They really thought it was best to talk with the press before addressing the poor schmucks handing them money? If their building is being acquired in March, you an bet negotiations began months and months ago. You can bet your bippy I'll kick up a fuss if they expect me to pay to belong to the Y if I want to continue my daughter's year at preschool.

Still, for the exceptional quality of their preschool, I'll be sad to see the JCC go. Unfortunately, their fitness facilities were cramped and out-dated. With $900 for base membersip, there's no way they could have competed with any of the other local gyms, but they went the extra mile and nickeled and dimed you for lockers, clean towels, outdoor pool membership, etc.

I'm very sad this has happened. Although I have noticed the Jewish component of the JCC was diminishing over the past few years, I have still related to it as a Jewish institution. I do mainly use it for fitness activities but identify to the JCC as a Jewish institution. I'm not sure if I will continue to belong. I'll have to see what happens.

I will give the YMCA a chance...they have a great reputaion in the Brockton/Easton area and I know that they have many other locations. They are a great community organization and I wish them well.

It saddens me greatly that a central Jewish community venue that served persons of all ages has been pulled out from under the feet of the members. It is a disrespectful way to treat a Jewish community. CJP is known for its open town meetings put in place when they seek 'community backing' for a fait accomplice project. The Jewish communities of the South Shore were not even given that opportunity for discussion.
I have been a member of the YMCA for many years. It is a welcoming place for people of all faiths, and deals justly with its members.

i am sick over this- i feel like this is so wasteful. I think that Mark Sokoll owes the Jewish community a huge apology for the lack of process. It would be one thing if he was a rookie. At this point, he should know the blood sweat and tears that went into creating a JCC here and how sad it will be that those who put those blood sweat and tears into it were not a part of any process. I hope the preschoolers are ok because they deserve the best and this is not their fault. i hope the employees can find work in this economy. i also hope that Mark Sokol will take a pay cut since his responsibility has diminished. i wonder- do we reallystill need the overhead the is a part of the process right now or can the jewish community put its resources into other thngs, like education. i wish the Y well. this is not about them. They are an upstanding organization .

i think it is really important that we recognize that our anger and upset is not at the old colony y- we wish them well and know they are a good organization. this is about an organization that did videos about how we are community with thei director rapping the community piece into our heads so that we became believers and then made sure that his community was just about the community in which he lives.

It is shameful that there was no transparency to the process. There was no advance communication to the JCC members of a potential closing, and absolutely no opportunity for a discussion of options and the impact on the South Area community. The leadership is attempting to blame demograhics rather than taking any responsibility for any management failures. Will the professional leadership of the Jewish Community Center take ownership of the end of this important symbol, and take a commensurate cut in pay?

For parents who are looking for quality preschools, consider - Academy of Gymnastics in Stoughton, Camp Maplewood in Easton. Any others? Has anyone heard where the JCC will end up next year?

COMMUNITY. I think I once even heard a rap song by Rabbi Sokol about community. Shame on the Boston-Newton leadership to treat our community with such little repsect! Who is going to watch out kids in Jewish Day school during Passover vacation and other Jewish Chugim? Do you think the YMCA Community will? Did anyone at the helm of our community who made this decision even think about these type of sceneriois? Perhaps "Community" to some meant..."their" community, not OUR COMMUNITY". A Sad time for our South Area Jewish Communties; most sad for our seniors.

this is what i would like to see- a response by mark sokoll on this blog to the anger that the community is feeling. i am not asking him to drive to the south area (God forbid) to have that conversation- just to join this one on line. there is anger, betrayal, waste, lack of communication, and sadness......for the seniors who sat in the chairs in the lobby as they went to discussion groups and exercise classes, and felt a Jewish connection, what do we have for them.

i honestly had not even thought of the seniors. i can go to canton club but it is not what they need.
this is in tribute to some of the best people our kids have ever met- like laura ball...

In my opinion, the JCC has been very, very poorly managed for nearly a decade now. The organization's priorities and ludicrous decisions as to where money should be spent, etc., has caused the JCC financial strife and that is the REAL story, not the movement of the Jewish community on the South Shore!!! Please don't take us all for fools, although come to think of it, you've done a GREAT job at doing so already!!! I wish the Old Colony YMCA the best of luck, and I hope that Mark Sokoll and his comrades in Newton pay for this decision in the long run.

I would like to know how the Y will be able to do a better job running the place - I am assuming that they will replace all the long time (i,e, expensive) people working there with college kids? Will the place be as cleanly maintained? People, you get what you pay for and you get what you deserve. Maybe the JCC (clean, well maintained and well staffed) was more than what people wanted...

A time for change, isn’t that what we hear now, these buzzwords of today.? Our change is that our Striar Jewish Community Center has “transitioned” to the Old Colony YMCA. The South Area Jewish Community deserves better. This process was a methodical and surgical one that has been ongoing for some time now, without the communication and openness that builds community.

Back in the spring of 2005, The JCCs of Greater Boston proposed massive governance changes, which included the dismantling of the Striar Board of Directors, its Executive Committee and all of the working committees. The success of this governance change removed all authority and responsibility from the local volunteers who were engaged as leaders of the community. At the general membership meeting to vote for these changes, all of the employees of the Striar JCC were told to attend that meeting and vote for the approval of the changes. They were interpreted to be “voting” members of the center, an unheard of change of policy. While the point was vehemently opposed, they were still allowed to vote. The changes were passed with the assistance of these “voting” employees. That was the beginning of the end of the Striar JCC. Shame on us for allowing this to happen.

Yes, the JCC will talk about several committees that were formed to discuss the needs of the Jewish Community, and yes, demographics and needs are changing, but that happens all the time. Reality is that the JCC leadership no longer wanted to financially support our community, a business decision that some agree with and others will not.

The visionaries and leaders who built this center, Lester and Connie Gilson, Edward Berger, Richard and Myrna Shultz, George Rodman, and many others, have been abandoned by the JCCs of Greater Boston. The philanthropists who contributed to make this dream a reality have been mislead. The South Area Jewish Community has been abandoned by the JCCs of Greater Boston. Make no mistake; this has been their plan. We deserved better!

So now we must move on. It is great that CJP and the YMCA have reached an agreement. Thanks to all of the volunteers and professionals who worked hard to make his happen. I wish the best for the Old Colony YMCA. With the right leadership and financial support, the community center should do well.

The question now is how will the South Area Jewish Community be served? Who will provide the services? CJP is committed to continue to fund programs and agencies that will deliver services to our community. Their 2009 Strategic Plan calls for “Engaging the next generation in Jewish Life, creating new connections that strengthen Israel and deepening networks of caring and justice.”

There should be competition for that funding. The JCCs of Greater Boston will tell you that they want to continue to provide services to our community. How are they going to that? I find it hard to imagine that the South Area Jewish community is going to “trust” them. This is the time for our local synagogues and local educational institutions to be thinking about providing the needed services for adult learning, teen services, senior adult services, early childhood education, Israel Advocacy programming, kosher meal programs for seniors, the list is endless.

Let us learn from the past and be smart about the future. It is time to be proactive about what our community needs. I urge the leaders in the South Area to think about this, and reach out for the professionals at CJP who are in charge of community services. The South Area has the infrastructure to make this happen. By working together, we can better serve the needs of our Jewish community.

It is an end of an era in our local Jewish community, as the JCCs of Greater Boston celebrate their 25 years at the Leventhal-Sidman JCC at their Lights and Spice Event on Saturday evening, December 6th. The South Area Jewish Community can light a candle, but it will in memory of the Striar Community Center.

DD

LET"S START SOME PR ON THIS: BIG TIME. LET"S BE RESPECTFUL BUT CREATIVE AND LET THE PRESS KNOW THAT JCC NEWTON WAS "THE FAVORITE CHILD". THE TRUTH IS, THE BIG BOYS HATED COMING DOWN HERE, ALL THAT TRAFFIC NOW THAT DEMOGRAPHICS HAVE CHANGED! OF COURSE DEMOGRAPHS HAVE CHANGED, HENCE THE OPPENING OF JORDANS FURN

i am so confused about how the leadership of the JCC has been allowed to let this happen-
this sounds like they have been unethical throughout the last years and need to be removed from their positions. i am glad that the old colony y has such a good reputation for how it is run and how it is managed. it will be a welcome relief.
i call for mark sokoll to resign as head of the jcc of greater boston and then apply to be the director of the newton jcc- which is what he really is. just because he speaks well, which he does, and has passion, does not mean that he has his passion in the right place or his heart in the right place. i am disgusted.

I am curious whether the leadership ever shared with the community the poor financial condition and asked the community for assistance. My sense is not. Funny how Rashi is moving south with the new Senior center, Dedham and Westood and Mansfield keep building malls, Sharon is building new retail, and Patriot place is booming with South Area Jewish investors. Yet "the consultants" tell us the demographics are changing, and the Jews are now in Weymouth and Hingam. The best paid consultants tell those who hire them what they want to hear. I wonder if we put those same resources to help rebuild, what could we accomplish.

what can we do besides write. i see a call for a community meeting with CJP- how do we get that to happen. I see a call for Mark sokoll to resign. how do we get that to happen> i am wondering if we know if theJCC people areevenseeing these posts- is therea way to forward themall to them and to barry shrage
by the way, i am calling about an ad in the sharon advocate for a young kindergarten at shecter. i hear they have a great program.

once upon a time, my daughter came home from whitwell, tennessee where children collected paperclips in memory of the 6 million. on her way home, she found out about swastikas on the walls of the jcc. mark sokoll gathered all kinds of people for a ceremony and my daughter went straight from the airport. she was incensed that such a thing could happen but she felt the community all around her. she called her friends in whitwell,tennesee and they said that she did not worry because she was a part of the community. i wonder what they would say now.

When the Striar Board of Directors was dissolved, the JCCGB executive staff told the Striar staff to show up at the meeting, and they were told how to vote. They were (illegally) declared voting members at the meeting. In their trust and ignorance they did as they were told. There was a group there trying to fight, but between the mailing that went out asking for a proxy and the Striar staff, the board was dissolved. THIS WAS TO ENSURE THAT THE SOUTH AREA LEADERS WOULD NOT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BREAK AWAY AND BECOME A FREE STANDING GROUP!! Mark Sokoll should resign for this disception of our community. CJP funds to JCCGB should be reduced and instead invested in programming in our community here.

if all that is written here is true, then Mark Sokoll should resign immediately. if all that is written here is true, the Jewish Advocate should let the whole Jewish community know. if all that is written here is true, i am sick to my stomach.

i have heard that the Striar staff is blaming Schechter for not moving htere. i was on the board of Schechter at the time. Schechter planned to move there and invested in architectual drawings and hours and hours of work when the JCC backed out. it was only when schechter had another alternative that the JCC came back with its tail between its legs. but at that point, it was too late. no one trusted the jcc would stick to what they promised. don't let the staff tell you it is Schechter's fault. this is jccgb's fault. through and through.

Schechter got lucky that Mark Sokoll backed out. He only returned to Schechter when CJP got wind of it. It is CJP that owns the building. By then it was too late. They had already found another site. Obviously the JCCGB would not have been a trustworthy partner in the transaction.

What happens to the funds that people have donated through the years, not to mention the sweat equity. Too bad the local Striar leadership played along with JCCGB and did not give the community the chance to take over.

I value structuring my day in a Jewish milieu. I spend six mornings a week at the Striar JCC. I appreciate the following Jewish elements that I find there and that reflect Jewish values: attending to the Jewish imperative of regularly taking care of our bodies and health, learning the Hebrew quotations on the walls of the track and workout area, seeing the aesthetic and novel holiday decorations in the lobby and inner/outer windows, reading the bulletin board with timely articles about Israel, enjoying seeing the succah in the courtyard, eating in the kosher cafe, delighting in seeing the young children parading in holiday costumes through the building, knowing that attention and comradeship is being provided to the more marginalized Jewish groups like the seniors and Jewish children with learning disabilities, meeting and mingling with diverse Jews from various South Shore communities, lending a welcoming attitude to non-Jews, listening to the Israeli/Hebrew/Jewish music on the PA system, perusing the annual book fair and the gallery with Jewish exhibits, gathering place for the community in times of stress, and the list goes on and on.

The Striar JCC was built with the immense effort of the Jewish community of the South Shore. People donated their precious time, substantial funds, detailed oversight during the building of the various stages of the construction, and prayerful hopes that the Striar JCC would serve as a strengthening and unifying force for the Jewish community of the South Shore.

The ill-considered decision to fritter all of this away, and the high-handed manner in which it was done, will impoverish the Jewish atmosphere of the South Shore and produce disappointment and cynicism in the JCCGB and the CJP. It is unconscionable that the membership and staff of Striar were left out of this far reaching decision and that the Boston Globe became our source of information.

Striar should continue to be an important Jewish institution on the South Shore and not be transformed into a YMCA.

SSBL should post this well written blog in the Jewish Advocate. Kol Hakavod!

For an ironic insight, see Page 8 of the Striar JCC appointment calendar given as a New Year gift to members just a few months ago: "Combined Jewish Philanthropies congratulates the Striar JCC for the important role you play in our lives. As you reach out to the community, you serve as a portal to Jewish life for individuals and families throughout the South Shore. May you go from strength to strength." The half-page ad is signed by CJP President Barry Shrage and Board Chair Myra Kraft. I wonder if this message was written on the same day that the sale agreement was signed between CJP/JCC and the Old Colony Y? I'm certain the transition will go smoothly -- and that the Y leadership will bring improved management and that they'll treat their members with the honesty and respect they deserve.

the truth should be promoted but i am wondering how we know if the JCC and CJP people are actually seeing some amazingly powerful stuff on this blog.this is the true voice right now, ironically enough a blog where we cannot look each other in the eye as a community would. I am 72 years old. I count on the Jewishness of the JCC as a gathering place for my buddies. i feel a little like i have nothing to look forward to, which might sound like it is ridiculous, but it is how i spend my days, what motivates me to wake up in the morning, where i take my grandchildren when they visit. it is my sense that these are all the reasons that the jcc was first built. i do not have a lot of money so maybe i do not have a voice. Maybe i will have to hope that someone reads this blog and hears me cry.

i just read all these entries. i was at the jcc yesterday and a staff member told me that it is Schechter's fault that the JCC is closing. that is so unbelievably unethical. i understand that this is what they are being told by the leadership of the JCC. who are you blaming for your own inadequacies as an institution? please take responsibilty for your own actions. leave Schechter alone. you had your chance with Schechter. it says so right in this blog and i have heard that that is true. i cannot believe how sad i am reading from the seniors.

To all of you, thank you so much for posting your thoughts and feelings about this terrible situation for the South Area Jewish Community. It really hurts that the JCC is closing and especially that the members of this community had no warning or chance to rescue it. The JCC is a very important institution for the South Area Jewish community. I think those of us who care about having a Jewish Community Center need to organize to make our voices heard and to figure out what our options might be going forward. Please share your opinions with your Jewish leaders in your individual communities and synagogues and to CJP and JCCGB.

My son is a student at Tulane University. The President of Tulane, Scott Cowen, frequently talks about being so proud of the University and New Orleans Jewish Community; those brave and faithful individuals who stayed committed and perservered to re-build their city post Katrina. Many bailed out, but it was key Jewish philanthropy, engineers, doctors, professors, volunteers , etc who stayed committed. Throughout history, the Jewish Communities are the masters of ReBUIDLING Community.
Maybe we could have restructured creatively with CJP-JCC, or reorganize with private investors. The possibilites could have been numerous. That's the most tragic piece of
all this; there was no way to work together! Walls have now been created to divide when we should be pulling together. It's the holiday of great miracles soon. Maybe we can salvage the JCC and buy it back. Maybe a miracle can happen HERE!

I am deeply saddened by this development. I remember when I moved to this area almost 15 years ago, the JCC was the first institution I joined. and it continues to bring a smile to my face every time I enter its doors. The way this sale was conducted was unprofessional, disrespectful, and irresponsible. Moving forward, JCCGB shouldn't be responsible for making decisions relative to services provided in the community. Many years ago, the JCC in Brighton was closed and a community group was given access to annual CJP funds that were distributed via a grant process controlled by a lay group. If nothing else, we should harness CJP in a similar fashion so that they are responsibly spent moving forward.

It's now been "leaked" that Striar lost annually between 500k -900k. I wonder how they handled their accounting. Were Newton JCC management salaries amertized into the Strair Budget? Other "shared expenses"? I wonder how the income was accounted for on both sides. The numbers are hard to believe. I would love to call for an audit from an independent source.

I am the parent of preschool children. We use the JCC on a daily basis. I feel for all those who have written here. I too am wearing my heart on my sleeve. The lose of the building and all it stood for is a devastating blow.

I am conflicted - do I sit back and watch my community fall apart? or do I attempt to rally all those who care? I am not in the position to organize – I am from out of state, don't have family contacts in the area, money or political influences. I feel helpless. This is so unfair.

As the days go by I get more angered by the actions of the JCCGB. It was handled so poorly.
I find it interesting that this year in the preschool our payment schedule changed and for the first time ever, our payments were structured so that we were all paid in full by the end of February. Just in time for our March 1, 2009 seamless transition.

I daydream about the community coming together and protesting the sale - or putting pressure on the YMCA so they back out of the deal. Absurd I know. I heard about a Camp Menorah in the North Shore. It is my understanding that JCCGB/CJP ran this camp into the ground with the intention of selling it. The community found out, somehow rallied and purchased this camp. I checked our the web site and it is a thriving camp now. Is it too late? Can we do anything to save the Striar JCC?

I attended the preschool information session and was on site after Mark Sokoll met with the seniors to discuss their transition. In this acquisition, it is clear that all the effort by JCCGB/CJP went into the terms of the sale of the building and not the needs of the community and members.
Ok, so you say the numbers didn't work. Being a former business person I understand this, if JCCGB/CJP really wanted to... they could have constructed financial scenarios to allocate money to rather than away from the Striar.

Is there anything we can do?

it has been clear that they have money to invest in a preschool in Sharon and that theya re going to do that... i am not supposed to say where... any one know the full story? the people about to get into bed with them should be VERY careful.

Good thing Schechter did not do business with them. We were upset at the time that Sokoll refused to take the proposal to his board, after SASSDS board voted for it and CJP paid for some architectural work.
As the Jewish programming diminished, staff was laid off, Striar board was marginalized, it did raise alarm bells! When he came back saying they had changed their minds, the school had found property and the working relationship had been damaged.

New business partners beware!!

i am so sick about this- they have moeny to invest in a preschool in SHaron? are you kidding me?
did they ask the community what the community wanted or needed? we already have 2 Jewish preschools in Sharon SHAS and Hertz
Please, Mark SOkoll, no more secrets. let the information flow and be talked about. you are getting yourself in trouble by double talking and not being straight forward. you are getting yourself in trouble by blaming other people. you are getting yourself in trouble because you are refusing to admit that this was the plan all along. you are getting yourself in trouble because you are not respecting the memory of Lester Gilson. You are getting yourself in trouble because seniors like me are going to miss the JCC so much and feel abandoned - completely abandoned.

Dear Barry Shrage,
is the man described in these entries truly a leader that you want in the Jewish community?
is the method of communication one that you support?
what is the future of the Jewish people when we cannot be open and honest and respectful of each other-
you are a wise man- you know the answers to these questions.

what about this idea
let's call a meeting of the community
let's have the past presidents of Striar
let's have the communal leaders
let's make a plan
let's create our own community

The JCC of GB says it is committed to providing excellent services to the South Area. However, the way the sale of the Striar building was handled raises serious questions about how they can succeed. There is now a huge breach of trust between JCCGB/CJP and the South Area Jewish Community. It appears from this side of Route 128 that the best interests of our community was less of a priority to the JCCGB/CJP than the financial stability of JCC as a whole. Paradoxically, I am concerned that a "JCC without walls" will divide the South Area Jewish community rather than unite us, JCCGB/CJP will have to convince us that a set of separate programs without walls has any merit. in the first place. Having a Jewish physical meeting place was uniting - it brought together seniors, young professionals, young families, secular and religious Jews from different denominations, interfaith families, and nonJews who are sympathetic to Jews. It has been a home for the South Area Jewish Community. If we had known in advance of a possible sale, we would have worked with JCCGB/CJP to keep the building in Jewish hands. There are tremendous resources in the South Area that could have been tapped, if the business problems were transparent to us. Remember how the community rallied when the Swastika's were painted on the building? We also didn't realize the implications of closing the local board of directors and giving up our membership rights that prevented us from having a voice in this current decision. Because of the above changes, the South Area Jewish Community was blocked from exercising their right to self determination of our Jewish future. I am also wondering about the fairness to the many people who generously made donations for the establishment and continuity of the Striar JCC. Did the current bylaws allow such a situation to occur? If so, those bylaws did not protect the South Area Jewish Community's interests. As a community, we need to figure out how to take charge and plan together to meet our needs.

I understand the need to sell it, but why to a Christian organization? We'll miss the family days on Christian Holidays where we could have SOMEWHERE to put our kids. I'm also curious if there have been any cuts in Newton, and from what I can tell in the locker room, there are a lot of people who feel betrayed. We're unlikely to renew our membership.

The Striar JCC in Stoughton was doomed long before the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston (JCCGB) dismantled Striar’s Board of Directors. Before its doors opened 20 years ago, the location of the Fireman Campus was too far from the hub of an already vibrant Sharon Jewish community. Furthermore, the decision not to relocate the Schechter School onto the Fireman campus directly led to the JCC’s demise. Mark Sokoll, CEO of the JCCGB, said many years ago that without Schechter on campus, the Striar JCC would not survive. Therefore, why did he and the JCC/CJP suddenly turn on Schechter? Who were the players on both sides that ruined the deal?

Since the building and campus are owned by the Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) and rented to the JCC, it is hard to understand how and why negotiations broke down between the Boston-based federation/JCC and the new Schechter School, which was housed in a building only blocks away from the Striar JCC. In fact, the JCC bent over backwards to accommodate Schechter’s needs, such as for gym space. There were Schechter leaders invited onto the Striar JCC board, and many became members of the Executive Committee.

Why did the Schechter School choose not to relocate to the JCC campus after years of volunteering, fundraising and negotiations? Perhaps the Schechter board of directors was presented with a final offer which they had no choice but to refuse for financial reasons. Perhaps they realized that Norwood was a better location for attracting young families in Sharon and environs interested in a day school education. It’s a shame that the CJP leadership did not have the vision to choose a more viable location 20 years ago. It's also not a surprise that nobody is taking responsibility or being held accountable.

The Hertz Nursery School at Temple Israel has space for new families and families who would rather not return to the JCC preschool, regardless of its new location. The JCC should be ashamed of itself for how they have treated the Striar members and preschool families. The south area has a STRONG, VIBRANT caring Jewish community. We'll be fine after the shock wears off.

I was a member of the JCC for 20 years, from the day it opened. I have used it frequently. My kids went to the excellent daycare there. My kids went to JCC camps. My son was a cub scout at the JCC Cub Scout Pack. My daughter was on the swim team. I played in the basketball league and swam thousands of laps in the pool. I and my family attended many events in the beautiful courtyard. Until reading about this in the newspaper (because of course we weren't told by the management), driving up to the building made me smile and happy.

No more.

Although my kids did not go to Schecter, I helped out as a volunteer member for planning the new building. We planned a building at the JCC campus. I can still picture how the building was to fit, the challenges of access, the connections to the gym, etc. That this didn't happen was 100% the fault of the JCC. Absolutely everyone involved with Schecter wanted the school at the Fireman campus. But in dealing with the JCC, the frustration mounted to the point where it was time to move on.

Life will go on. Perhaps the utter, complete failure of the JCC management is a relatively small problem in the bigger scheme of things. Iran may nuke the world and then we won't have to worry about JCC's. But still, I will miss the facility and place that brought much happiness and meaning to my family.

Interested in the most recently posted IRS Form 990 (the tax return filed by non-profit organizations) for the Striar JCC? Looks like a $1.18 million loss in FY 2006. This is public record, posted on Guidestar, a site for evaluating non-profits. It's at this link: http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2006/042/606/2006-042606962-032e48b7-9.pdf

My heart goes out to the seniors at Striar who over the years have so looked forward to weekly or daily events and just being with their friends. Always haring in each other's joys and sadness . How they looked forward to socializing and attending all of the programs offered to them. What will happen to the Yiddish group, Book Club, dancing to the Olde Kids on the Block, etc? Many were widows or widowers or couples just enjoying being with each other. They did wake up in the morning looking forward to savoring friendships made over the many years at the JCC. How sad for them. I hope they will not be abandoned now.

AFTER READING ALMOST ALL THESE BLOGS, I CAN ONLY SAY THIS:

ON YOM KIPPUR 5970 THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR FORGETTING THE CONCEPT OF DOR L'DOR, BECAUSE ABOVE ALL WE NEED TO INSURE THE HANDING DOWN FROM EACH GENERATION TO THE NEXT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A JEW AND FEEL THE SENSE OF COMMUNITY, (AND THE JCC WAS ONE OF THE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TOOLS FOR ACCOMPLISHING THAT GOAL [BUT, THANK GOD NOT THE ONLY ONE], WILL SOME INTENSE BEATING OF THEIR CHESTS TO MAKE TESHUVA FOR SUCH A HURTFUL ACTION AIMED AT ALL OF ON THE SOUTH SHORE WHO WANT TO SUPPORT JEWISH COMMUNAL LIFE! I WILL FORGIVE THEM, BECAUSE HALACHA REQUIRES ME TO DO SO, BUT THE FEELINGS OF INSULT MANY ARE EXPRESSING HERE NO DOUBT WILL LINGER FOR A VERY LONG TIME!

I JUST HOPE THAT ANGER WILL NOT EXTEND TO BADMOUTHING ANYONE IN FRONT OF OR DIRECTLY TO THE AFFECTED CHILDREN. THAT, IN MY OPINION, WOULD BE WORSE.

KEEP THE FAITH, THINGS WILL GET BETTER IF WE DO!

JCC preschool is moving to Temple Sinai in Sharon. There is no additional market for another Jewish preschool in Sharon. There are already at least 3 in current synagogues!!

30% of the current JCC preschool is not Jewish. WHY WOULD THE JEWISH COMMUNITY SUBSIDIZE A PRESCHOOL THAT SERVES THAT HIGH A PERCENTAGE OF NONJEWS, ESPECIALLY TO THE DEMISE OF THE CURRENT SYNAGOGUE BASED PRESCHOOLS??? There won't even be an even playing field to compete!! Stay i n your own community Mark Sokoll and leave us alone already. HAven't you done enough damage???

It is only a few miles from the Striar. Didn't Mark tell us that the changing demographics show more Jews in Mansfield and Franklin. Why don't you go there??? Could it be that you were selling us yet another bill of goods??

how much money is the JCC investing in Temple Sinai? where is that money coming from?is this now a feeder for Rashi?

For families who are looking for a quality preschool program, Striar Hebrew Academy has some space for next year, toddler-age through kindergarten. Working parents will be glad to know they will have newly expanded drop-off (7:30 am) and pick-up (6 pm). SHAS Summer Camp is also opening for children ages 2-6 for this coming summer. Very warm and nurturing environment, with caring, professional teachers. Check it out.

The secretive way in which JCCGB has orchestrated this event, clearly planned over the last several years. is shameful. I joined the board around 2003, and it quickly became apparent to me that while my annual donation was welcomed, my opinion was not. Board meetings were useless and agonizing - despite many substantive issues that needed to be address, the Striar board was subjected to various and sundry dog-and-pony shows. When plans were allegedly "in the works" to develop the Striar land, adding senior housing and accomodating the Schechter school, the board was kept entirely in the dark, and I learned more as a Schechter parent than I did as a Striar board member. I now believe that JCCGB had no intention of developing the site, and were planning even then to sell out.

When we voted to open on Shabbos morning and on most of the Jewish holidays, most of thought that we were doing it to "save the JCC". The Hours of Operation Task Force, and the Striar Board stressed to Rabbi Sokoll the need for *increased* Jewish programming - instead, what little Jewish programming virtually disappeared in the following months. I now believe that all of this was orchestrated to increase membership, particularly non-Jewish membership, in order to make the Striar more attractive to a prospective buyer.

The JCCGB took off its collective mask when they secretively orchestrated the dissolution of the Striar board. On that day, I was ashamed that I had ever been part of that organization.

I am heartsick over the sale of the Striar. For many Jews, it was their primary way to self-identify Jewishly, and their sole link to other South Area Jews. It was a place where Jews of all types - Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, secular - felt comfortable and unthreatened, exercising elbow to elbow, having a shvitz together, whatever. At the Striar, I learned a lot from my more Jewishly observant friends, and no doubt taught some of my less observant ones. And for non-Jewish members, it has always been a place where they see Jews as "just folks", rather than as people who won't eat their food, dress funny, and pray in a foreign language that uses a weird alphabet. All that will gone - and it feels as though we're retreating to the ghettos.

Needless to say, I will never donate another cent to JCCGB - the Jews of the South Area don't matter to them. And I have no illusion that proceeds from the Striar's sale will be spent south of Boston. No doubt the JCCGB will make a halfhearted attempt to find "partners" to supply services, particularly those to Jewish seniors, and then take credit for those programs.

Nor will I ever donate to the CJP. There are many Jewish organizations that I support, and more than ever, they need our donations - but make those donations directly to the organizations that you value. You don't need the CJP to serve as your middleman, and when you donate to the CJP, you run the risk that your donation will be used to fund a JCC that has turned its back on you.

I too will never donate another cent to CJP or JCC! I might however start supporting the YMCA like the Kraft Family.

To all our former JCC members, Lets' remember : .....

Young man - there's no need to feel down
I said - young man, pick yourself off the ground
I said - young man, 'cause your in a new town
There's no need to be unhappy

Young man - there's a place you can go
I said - young man, when you're short on your dough
You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time.

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
They have everything for young men to enjoy.
You can hang out with all the boys.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
You can get yourself clean
You can have a good meal
You can do whatever you feel.

Young man - are you listening to me
I said - young man, what do you want to be
I said - young man, you can make real your dreams,
but you've got to know this one thing.

No man, does it all by himself
I said, young man, put your pride on the shelf
And just go there, to the Y.M.C.A.
I'm sure they can help you today

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
They have everything for young men to enjoy.
You can hang out with all the boys.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
You can get yourself clean
You can have a good meal
You can do whatever you feel.

Young Man, I was once in your shoes,
I said, I was down and out with the blues
I felt - No man cared if I were alive
I felt the whole world was so jive

That's when someone came up to me
and said young man take a walk up the street
There's a place there called the Y.M.C.A.
They can start you back on your way.

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
They have everything For young men to enjoy.
You can hang out with all the boys.
Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
Young man, Young man, there's no need to feel down
Young man, Young man, pick yourself off the ground

Y.M.C.A.
just go to the Y.M.C.A.
Y.M.C.A.

We now know that JCCGB secretly orchestrated the closing of the Striar JCC without bothering to have any advance communications with its members, and without considering the impact on the Stoughton community. It is an insult to the intelligence of the South Area community to suggest that the closing is all about changing demographics, and about a new model for service delivery. Contrary to Mark Sokoll's rap song of a few years ago, the middle name in JCC is no longer "community."

There are preschools in Sharon at the Hertz and at Striar Hebrew Academy of Sharon. There is also the preschool at Shaloh House in Stoughton. Why would JCCGB want to spend money to build a preschool at Temple Sinai in Sharon? It makes no economic sense, and is not good for the community.

Song/comment 69 is childish and basically an insult to the serious matters that we are discussing on this blog.

ssbl

I havw been a member for 20 years and am very disappointed that the JCC waited till after the enrollment to tell the members though they (the JCC0 HAS obviusly been working on this deal for ceveral years (I have been told at least 3-5 years). Today I visited Elite and was very impressed.Sokol at times contradicts himself when he states that less Jews are living in the area. Yet there are 7 synagogus in Sharon - 2/3 in Canton, 2 in Stoughton.I was also a member of the health spa for 14 of my 20 years and left because it was filthy. Maybe the CJP needs new leadership.

I AM SADDENED AT THIS TURN OF EVENTS. I DO HOPE SOMETHING CAN BE DONE TO REVERSE THE DECISION THAT WAS SECRETLY AND UNDERHANDEDLY MADE.

I just wanted to add that after attending yesterday's "Maccabee Mania" at Forekicks in Norfolk, I can tell you that Mark Sokoll's plan to "bring the JCC to where the community is" is a load of garbage.

After driving nearly half an hour from Stoughton and paying a cover charge of $10, we were treated to an indoor playspace with one toy basketball hoop, some soccer balls and cones, beanbags, foam and cardboard building blocks, a ratty old parachute that was missing half its loops, a bunch of plastic dreidels and some free books from the PJ library, THAT'S IT! Professional staff? Fuhgeddaboutit! The games were run by teenage volunteers. At one point, the boy who was leading us with the parachute had to leave to ask if anyone knew any parachute games!! And remember, this is the program he had hyped in the wake of the closing, promising not to desert the South Shore community.

Make no mistake. This is not about a better model of service delivery to the dispersed Jewish communities. This is about Mark Sokoll selling us out to the YMCA so he can line his own pockets and build up his own precious JCC in his community.

It's year end and while reviewing my paperwork, I realized I have made generous provisions for both the JCC of South Area and CJP, in the event something should happen to me or my family. These plans were made years ago and they no longer match my wishes, based on these recent tragic CJP driven decisons to close the doors on us. I will make the changes and encourage everyone else, particulairly the senior community, to check their affairs as well.

1- The first action Mark Sokoll must take is IMMEDIATELY to schedule several assemblies to face the whole JCC South Shore community, not just a few us. He has not done this. Sending a printed letter to members is no substitute for meeting us face to face. Anything less is maneuvering on his part. He must face the heat and give satisfying answers—or resign and be replaced by someone who can generate trust and solutions.

2- Here are some questions I would like Mark Sokoll and CJP to answer:
- Why didn’t you announce a crisis and invite the members of this JCC to attend a meeting in which we discuss problems and solutions 5 years ago? 1 year ago?
- Why did you dissolve the Board of Directors of Striar?
- Why did you reject the opportunity to merge Schechter School with Striar?
- Why did you tear down the South Area Israel Action Bulletin Board without any prior discussion?
- Why has Jewish programming in Striar been so weak?
- What do you GUARANTEE for the future of South Shore’s Jewish community?
- Do you expect to build a community when you ignore it and shut it out of your decision-making?
- How can we trust you for our future if you have shut us out in the past?

3- I demand an immediate poll of JCC members in South Shore to answer this simple question: do you trust the following statement of Mark Sokoll (from the above article)?...

Mark Sokoll, President and CEO of JCCGB said,
- “Change often brings opportunity, and our future plans are exciting and build upon successes we have already had in other communities.
- As we look to the future, the JCC is creating innovative new services and compelling programming for the next generations of Greater Boston Jews, in whatever communities they may live and however they wish to participate.
- We remain committed to providing exceptional Jewish programming, through partnerships with other local venues, which will allow us to be more convenient to emerging Jewish communities, more responsive to the changing needs of Jewish families, and more collaborative with Jewish communal partners.”

4- If Mark Sokoll and Barry Shrage cannot be trusted then they must resign. For they have failed in the responsibility our community entrusted them with.

i do not trust the statement by Mark Sokoll

I don't TRUST ANY STATEMENT of this man!

this was sent out in some mass email just to give you a sense of how much money they are taking in

You're receiving this email because of your relationship with Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center. Please confirm your continued interest in receiving email from us.

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Thank you!

The JCCs of Greater Boston
2008 Lights & Spice Ball

Fifth Edition December 2008/Kislev 5769

Thanks to our friends...

Boston Magazine
Catering By Andrew
Fiji Water
Gordon's Liquors
Harpoon Brewery
Indulge
Rafanelli Events
Rentals Unlimited
Siagel Productions

we were able to accomplish our goals. We thank our corporate sponsors who made the 2008 Lights & Spice Ball such a thrilling success.

Dear Friend,

We share our heartfelt thanks to all those who embraced the JCCs of Greater Boston through their support of the 2008 Lights & Spice Ball. Your generosity and caring helped raise $700,000 for the programs and services of the JCC, which will touch the lives of thousands of people in our community who need us more than ever this year.

Our evening together exemplified the best of our community. We shared reflections of what we achieved over the past twenty-five years and toasted the future of the JCC movement in Boston.

We have been overwhelmed by your outpouring of support. Thank you and we wish all those connected with the JCCs of Greater Boston all the very best for a festive Chanukah.

Sincerely,

The Leventhal Sidman Family

There was a very special feeling in the MacDowell Auditorium this past Saturday evening.

Our celebration was a microcosm of everything that is extraordinary about the JCC. We had three generations of JCC supporters come together with the Leventhal and Sidman family; Ken Wexler, the original builder of our facility and longtime member, spoke about his heartfelt connection to the JCC; and Barbara & Mike Franklyn shared with us how important the JCC Senior Programs are to them and their friends.

In a word, this year's event was all about community. We are moved by your generosity and your commitment. Together with you, we know that the next 25 years will build on the strength of our first quarter century of service to the Jewish community.

We wish you and your family a truly Happy Chanukah and a New Year full of peace, good health and love.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Savit
Chair, JCCGB Board

Mark Sokoll
President & CEO, JCCGB

Lights & Spice Photos

To view and purchase photos of the Lights & Spice Ball, please visit www.jccgb.org and click on Lights & Spice link .

You Can Still Make a Difference in the Lives of a Senior

At the Lights & Spice Ball, we raised more than $70,000 to help fund JCC programs for seniors, including our hot lunch program in Newton, Brookline and Stoughton, which provides nearly 15,000 meals each year.

We still need your help!

For many elderly, the loss of social and community connections pushes them into isolation and decline. The JCC is committed to serving our seniors by providing them with opportunities to socialize, keep fit, learn and eat while in a caring Jewish environment.

Please support our efforts for the elderly by clicking here and selecting "senior programs" as your preferred area of support.

Thank you.

Wow, that hurts. Notice how there weren't any letters to the Jewish Advocate this week about the JCC? Do you really think that no one wrote in? No one really wants the voices heard do they?

How much will the JCCGB president earn to oversee one year round facility, the Newton JCC?  I assume that he will offer to take a pay cut since there will be only one jewish community center.   If other people will lose their jobs over the closure,  it is only fair that he takes a pay cut commensurate with the reduction in responsibility.

Does anyone know what the current enrollment numbers are for the Striar JCC and what percentage are Jewish or interfaith? I am curious how many people in the South Area will be impacted by the closing.

The Striar JCC has a very loyal group of people who care deeply about its survival and its staying within the Jewish community. It seems that the people who made this decision to sell to a nonJewish venture didn't understand that the JCC was more than just a health and fitness facility to us (like the letter above regarding the Newton JCC). I believe that the Striar JCC was not given a chance to reach its full potential as a vibrant center for Jewish culture, recreation. The South Area has dedicated, sophisticated and well connected people that IF ASKED might have contributed ideas that would have helped the JCC to be stronger. Even if it failed, at least we would have felt less betrayed and sold out. I am not in favor of JCC programming being implemented in other Jewish venues, like synagogues, or secular sites. This will work against the community center part of the JCC.

I hope that CJP and JCCGB will do a much better job in the future of communicating and collaborating with the South Area Jews.

the fact that no one has posted for a few days is very concerning to me. that means this issue might be dying and we cannot let it. let's help the JCCGB see what we really have in the south area- strong, dedicated, community minded Jews who want to work together to make a difference.

I am still wondering why, if what Mark Sokol is correct, JCCGB has chosen Temple Sinai in Sharon as the relocated home for the preschool when the Jewish population is moving away from that area, and that Sharon already has two thriving Jewish preschools. Why not bring the preschool to a community where it is needed more?

Or is the Sharon population receiving preferential treatment even though less and less Jews are moving there?

I urge everyone to read the truth of why this occurred. It was NOT "Jewish flight". it was CJP greed.

Check out this story:

http://www.wickedlocal.com/stoughton/homepage/x1720688137/Snyders-Stoughton-Selling-out-the-areas-Jewish-population

Seniors:
we have heard that the seniors are the ones who are being left without a homebase- the SOuth Area Solomon Schechter is going to start some senior programming. The first is:
FITNESS CLASS
at the South Area Solomon Schechter
Day School, Norwood Campus
One Commerce Avenue, off of Route One
Includes: 20 minute warm-up, with Susan Flashner Fineman
Monday and Thursday mornings from 9-10 with a shmooze time afterwards
Contact the school for more info
20 minute aerobics, and 20 minute weights

In todays Boston Sunday Globe, 1/4/09 new article re: JCC
you may find very interesting.

in the Globe South section page #3

Link is BOSTON.COM/REGION
Is it true that the preschool will be reassigned to Hingham after June?

i heard there was a meeting today with Mark Sokoll and some local residents. could someone report on that meeting

C,
No, the existing Preschool in the JCC, also known as the ELC (Early Learning Center), is being moved to the basement of Temple Sinai of Sharon (reform). JCC's of Greater Boston are also opening up a new preschool in a reform synagogue in Hingham (as that's where Mark believes the Jews are now).

This post is not meant to have an anti-Reform bias, but to point out that
- since both preschools will be located in Reform Synagogues, the preschools will inevitably be influenced by the Reform movement, especially if the rabbis of the respective synagogues become active in the school. The children will become isolated from other movements of Judaism.
- Interfaith and non-Jewish enrollment may drop off, as non-Jewish parents may be reluctant to place their children in a house of worship, as opposed to a neutral community center.
- Tensions already exist between the members of the temple and the preschool families, and will intensify as the buildings are renovated to host preschools.

I'm posting at the behest of Kayla, my 4-year-old daughter. She wanted to let everyone know how diappointed she was by the Striar JCC's Family Fun day on December 25. For those of you who are not famliar, it has been something of a tradition for the JCC to open on Christmas Day and provide amusements for the children. In previous years, there have been fun and games in the gym, a bouncy castle, arts and crafts, and even face-painting.

This year, there was a breakfast buffet. That's it. Really. My four-year-old was in tears. She kept asking "Mommy, where's all the fun?" Finally, we found the dance studio. We turned the strobe light on, and both my girls started dancing happily--until we were shooed out by some employees who brusquely informed us that the room was off-limits. Then the cries escalated to screams.

What would you have done? Where can you take a kid for fun on Christmas Day when you have no holiday to celebrate, and everything is closed? We finally took her to the house of our Christian friends who shared their Christmas presents with my kids. It was lovely, but NOT the message that I wanted to teach my kids (That happiness can exist without Christmas).

that story from Kayla is so sad. It is awful for her to be disappointed by the Jewish community by the age of 4.
You should send a letter to Mark Sokol-

Mark Sokol doesn't care. Very few at Striar care at this point. Apathy is abundant and the tension at the preschool can be cut with a knife. The children can feel it, and the mood has entirely changed. They are unhappy, and so are most of the teachers. Some kids are crying as they enter school, and some of the teachers are no where near as nurturing and comforting to the children as they were before this nonsense started. Our children are receiving the brunt of all of this greed, and I am so ashamed that this is a lesson that she has had to learn.

Thanks JCC, CJP and Mark Sokol... not

Has Mark Sokoll offered to take a pay cut following the closing of the Striar JCC? He is responsible for engineering the demise of the Striar JCC is a totally underhanded manner. Transparency and accountability are not in his vocabulary. Does he have no shame? The concept of a JCC Without Walls is a sad joke.

pretty ironic..there was an article in last week's Jewish Advocate promoting how local JCC's are strong competitors with newer health clubs and offer more value for the dollar!

Over the past 20 years, each time I entered the Striar JCC's lobby, I admired the Jerusalem Courtyard and its golden stones quarried from the same places where King Solomon mined the rock to build Jerusalem and the first temple. I recall that the JCC and CJP even brought skilled Arab stonemasons to carve the stone, to ensure that the walls would authentically replicate the look of the Old City.

The walls of this Courtyard aren't the Western Wall. But perhaps prayers scribbled on notes inserted between these stones will also be answered.

A Community Havdalah Service and Open House will be held at the Striar JCC on the Fireman Campus in Stoughton from 6:30 - 8:00 on February 28, 2009. This is the last night of the building as the JCC.Just as Havdalah serves to transition between Shabbat and the work week, so too will it serve to usher in the building's next adventure. The event is intended to honor and celebrate the past 20 years of vision, support, and community building at the Striar JCC and to open the doors to the future. Several rabbis from our community will lead the short 15-minute service followed by dessert and the open house. All are welcome to attend.

STRIAR JCC SPIRIT COMMITTEE-HMHMHMHM
Wouldn't it be nice if this spirit committe did some cretaive outrech to build ruach and stability when it was needed, just not known. Havdalah also seperates the holy from the mundane. Now that The JCC will move it's preshool to Sharon and compete with HERTZ and other CJP supported Jewish Sharon communities, and ultimately take away and weaken Temple Israel, it seems to me the holiness left the JCC a while ago when these underground plans were in the work.

The JCC of Greater Boston long ago eliminated any substantive Jewish programming at the Striar JCC as part of its plan to weaken and eventually close the facility. When was the last time the JCC of Greater Boston ever conducted a Havdalah service at the Striar JCC or did anything to promote Jewish life at the facility? It is ironic that they are holding a Community Havdalah service FOR THE FIRST TIME IN RECENT HISTORY on the night they are shutting the house down. That is what I call chutzpah!!! Mark Sokoll should issue a public apology at the event, but don't count on it.

How about a Yizkor service instead?

did nayone go to the JCC Sat night for closing ceremony?

i heard that it was not well intended. The Old COlony Y is very nice looking and parve. nothing is their fault and i wish them well. i certainly hope that the community will not let Mark S get away with this, even though we have done our havdalah

Was at the Striar YMCA today. In recent weeks they brought in lots of new exercise equipment. They opened a brand new cafe. An old pothole was fixed in the parking lot. I even saw a new maintenance man fixing a railing that had been loose for a long time. Every day they bring prospective new members on tours.

It's nice to see what happens when true professionals take over an operation from a bunch of comfortable bureaucrats..