U.S. senators Kirk and Gillibrand decry Argentina-Iran commission

Published on March 13, 2013

Two U.S. senators asked the president of Argentina to end her country’s agreement with Iran to establish a “truth commission” on the 1994 bombing of the Buenos Aires Jewish community center.

Left without a JCC, Valley Jews look to start anew

Published on March 6, 2013

For Amanda Prosin, Valley Cities Jewish Community Center in Sherman Oaks was her Jewish home when she was growing up. She went there for summer camp, learned about Jewish holidays and made lasting relationships. For her, it made Judaism, well, fun.

Israel summons Argentina’s envoy over deal with Iran

Published on January 29, 2013

Israel's Foreign Ministry summoned the Argentinian ambassador over his country's agreement with Iran to jointly investigate the 1994 bombing of the Buenos Aires JCC.

No suspects in Malmö JCC attack, police say

Published on November 16, 2012

Police in Malmö, Sweden have no suspects in September’s attack on the city’s Jewish community center.

Milken JCC to close in June

By JewishJournal
Published on February 3, 2012

The JCC at Milken in West Hills announced this week that it will shut its doors permanently as of June 30. The 42-year-old center will also close its Early Childhood Center, which has 80 preschoolers, on June 15.

Kobe practices at the JCC

Published on November 29, 2011

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant reportedly held a private training session at a Jewish Community Center in Irvine, Ca.

LeBron James gets slammed at Ohio Jewish Community Center

By Lauren Bottner
Published on November 14, 2011

JCC opens in Kharkov, Ukraine

Published on April 5, 2011

A new Jewish Community Center opened in Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkov. Donors, volunteers and staff of World Jewish Relief, which raised the funds for and oversaw construction of the building, were among those on hand for the official opening March 30 in the northeastern Ukraine community.

Rockland JCC to open on Shabbat

Published on March 7, 2011

A Jewish community center in New York State has decided to open its fitness center and gym on Friday evenings and Saturdays. The 36-member board of the Rockland JCC in West Nyack voted overwhelmingly to remain open on Shabbat, the Journal-News reported.

Resurrected Westside JCC gets a major facelift

By Anita K. Kantrowitz
Published on September 24, 2008

The Westside Jewish Community Center (JCC) has announced plans for an Oct. 29 groundbreaking on its Harriet and Jeanette Weinberg Aquatic Center, a $4 million renovation of the center's pools and related areas.

Milken JCC bustling despite pool uncertainty

By Jane Ulman
Published on September 13, 2007

It's a typical bustling weekday at this Jewish center in West Hills, and it's a sharp contrast to the situation only a few months ago when the center was facing a deficit of $250,000, an uncertain future and a loss of nearly one-third of its members, following the abrupt closure of the pool on April 25 by The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.

Does New JCC at Milken mean more trouble for other JCCs?

By Jane Ulman
Published on June 28, 2007

While the JCC and The Federation argue over what brought the two Jewish institutions to this impasse, larger issues are at stake. Are JCCs, in fact, viable and desirable in Los Angeles? Can they ultimately survive here?

Valley Cities JCC property deal falls through

By Adam Wills
Published on May 3, 2007

So members were stunned last Thursday, when it was announced that a $2.7 million offer from a private philanthropist to buy the Burbank Boulevard property and turn it over to the center was rejected by the building's current owner, the Jewish Community Centers Development Corp. (JCCDC) -- formerly the JCC parent organization Jewish Community Centers of Greater Los Angeles.

Huizar Proposal Would Close Razing Loophole

By Tom Tugend
Published on March 22, 2006

An order to investigate the demolition of a historic Jewish Community Center (JCC) building in Boyle Heights is now on the agenda of the Los Angeles City Council.

Tentative Deal to Save Valley Cities JCC

By Marc Ballon
Published on June 30, 2005

The Valley Cities Jewish Community Center received a new lease on life this week when its parent organization agreed in principle to sell the center property to a local partnership that will keep the JCC going. Without the agreement, the center could have shut down at the end of June, probably for good.

The parent organization, which is called the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Los Angeles, said it would accept a $2.7 million bid for the Sherman Oaks property. The condition for this "discounted" price was that any developer must also agree to renovate the JCC building or construct a new facility, insiders said. Four developers are believed to have expressed interest in putting senior housing and a state-of-the-art JCC on the land. A formal purchase offer could materialize by the end of July.

Jews of the Midnight Sun

By Rabbi Arnold Rachlis
Published on January 6, 2005

Each year, our congregation visits a different corner of the Jewish world. This year we traveled to Scandinavia and our first stop was Stockholm, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Sweden is green and vibrant and its capital city is surrounded by water. Many of us took a 10-minute ferry to Old Town each day and sat in cafes that have been in continuous use since the 1700s.

Paris Jewish Center Destroyed by Arson

By Carole Raphaelle Davis
Published on August 26, 2004

A Jewish community center in Paris that serves kosher meals to the poor was set on fire early Sunday morning. The soup kitchen, a converted synagogue on the ground floor of a five-story residential building on the Rue Popincourt in Paris' 11th District was partially destroyed. Anti-Semitic graffiti, Nazi symbols and references to Islam were found on the center's walls.

The Circuit

By Gaby Wenig
Published on April 1, 2004

The Circuit

Closed Chapter

By Gary Rosenblatt
Published on November 7, 2002

"One People, Two Worlds" (Schocken Books, $26) the title of the current book by a Reform rabbi and an Orthodox rabbi exploring the issues that divide them, proved to be all too accurate this month when the Orthodox author, Yosef Reinman -- under pressure from religious leaders in his Charedi community -- canceled a 17-day, 17-city book tour that was to begin Sunday with co-author Ammiel Hirsch.

Invest in Your Community

By Michael J. Kaminsky
Published on October 31, 2002

It has been one year since a financial crisis engulfed the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Los Angeles (JCCGLA). In response to this crisis, JCCGLA was forced to close facilities, cut services and lay off scores of staff. Programs that served more than 1,000 people were discontinued. It was a very difficult year -- but we survived.

Land of a Thousand Titles

By Andrea Adelson
Published on October 31, 2002

Jonathan Foer's award-winning book, "Everything Is Illuminated," is a fictionalized road trip to a Ukrainian shtetl, mirroring the young author's own family history quest. Crime fiction writer Rochelle Krich, the Orthodox daughter of Holocaust survivors, is starting a new series with the release of "Blues in the Night." Howard Blum, a former New York Times reporter, chronicles the clandestine World War II exploits of the British army's Jewish Brigade Group in "The Brigade."

This trio, along with five other visiting authors and several nationally known speakers, will share their stories and sign books in a series of O.C. events Nov. 7-24. Hundreds of autograph-hungry readers are expected at the fourth annual Jewish book festival, organized by Orange County's Jewish Community Center.

The Way of No Way

By Andrea Adelson
Published on August 1, 2002

Drawn in part by the recent movie, "Enough," in which actress Jennifer Lopez uses Krav Maga to even the score against an abusive husband, a long-established Orange County class in self-defense is seeing a jump in popularity.

Bad Feelings, Big Questions

By Michael Aushenker
Published on December 13, 2001

As Jewish Community Center (JCC) supporters seek answers to troubling questions regarding the current crisis and the future of Jewish Community Centers of Greater Los Angeles (JCCGLA), Jewish Federation officials say they are working "day and night" to address the current crisis.

Can the JCCs Be Saved?

By Michael Aushenker
Published on December 13, 2001

About 160 members turned up at Westside Jewish Community Center's Birch Auditorium last Sunday in an effort to keep their center from closing down.

Resource Round-up

By Andrea Adelson
Published on November 1, 2001

To foster a sense of community among Jewish youth in the far corners of Orange County is a difficult task, given that most resources are available exclusively at the county's Jewish Community Center in Costa Mesa.

Move Over, Los Angeles

By Karen Alexander
Published on August 30, 2001

Within a few miles of where she buys lamb chops for her family, ambitious building projects worth at least $30 million are under way -- or recently completed -- at five different synagogues and three Jewish day schools. Meanwhile, community leaders secretly put the finishing touches on their soon-to-be announced plans for a cutting-edge Jewish Community Center and mega-campus for Jewish agencies.

Welcome to Orange County, where the Jewish community is in the midst of a growth spurt unlike anything in its history.

Building Better Relationships

By Julie G Fax
Published on August 10, 2000

In the weeks immediately following the North Valley JCC shooting, one of the most incendiary articles to come out was headlined, "Where Were the Rabbis?"

All in the Family

By Michael Aushenker
Published on December 2, 1999

August's North Valley Jewish Community Center shooting is still on the minds of parents and educators.

Festival Becomes Eclectic

By Wendy J. Madnick
Published on November 4, 1999

Violence Strikes Home

Published on August 12, 1999

Whether you live in Colorado, Georgia or California, one thing is certain about life in America today: The violence that seems to be forever happening somewhere else will eventually strike home. You might have thought the shootings and bombings and beatings were always, thankfully, taking place elsewhere. But what they have really been doing is circling closer.

6505: Home for the Next Generation

By Michael Aushenker
Published on February 4, 1999

For Federation executives and board members, 6505 Wilshire is more than just another building. It is a monument to years of memories; an edifice awash in nostalgic value.

A Jewish New Wave

By Harry Medved
Published on February 12, 1998

Jewish filmmakers descended on this snowy townlast month for their annual 11-day-long holiday ritual of schmoozing,skiing and screenings, better known as the Sundance FilmFestival.