by Debra Rubin
NJJN Bureau Chief/Middlesex

February 3, 2009

The name may be different but the goals are the same. The entity that was the YM-YWHA of Raritan Valley officially entered a new chapter in its almost century of existence with a name change, a new board, and lofty goals to develop a Jewish community campus in East Brunswick.

Planners also hope to make the campus the “greenest” JCC in the nation and to establish on the site a residential facility for special-needs adults.

Ground breaking on the proposed 60,000-square-foot campus, planned for an 11.5-acre site at 75 Dutch Road in East Brunswick, was delayed by the economic crisis but is expected in about 18 months, according to Amanda Shechter, president of the newly renamed Campus for Jewish Life.

The CJL is currently using office space in the United Way building in Milltown.

On Jan. 27, the CJL installed its new board at a ceremony at the East Brunswick Jewish Center.

“I can’t tell you how exciting it is to be leading the board,” said Shechter, an attorney from East Brunswick who had served as a Y vice president and chair of the JCC steering committee. She told board members, “It is so overwhelming to see you all come out and connecting. This is for all the naysayers who said there was no need for a JCC in East Brunswick.”

The Y, which began in New Brunswick in 1911 and moved to Highland Park in 1955, closed its facility there almost three years ago. That building — which included the historic 150-year-old Meyer Rice Mansion — was beyond repair, Y officials said.

The Highland Park site was sold to a developer. Proceeds from that sale were dedicated to the Dutch Road site, which has been used for eight years for the Y’s summer day camp and swim club.

In addition to the day camp and swim club, the CJL has continued operating senior programs, at Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple in New Brunswick, and child-care programs, at the Parker House assisted-living facility in Piscataway.

Shechter said a committee is actively engaged in researching what it would take to make the special-needs facility a reality.

Transformative period

CJL has reached out to other Jewish agencies in Middlesex County in an effort to have them establish offices on the new site, with the aim of turning the new facility into a true community campus.

“Through the CJL, we will build bridges to all agencies in the Jewish community,” said Robin Kessler, who took over July 1 as executive director of the campus following the retirement of Arje Shaw, who served for close to 25 years. Kessler had worked for the Y for 28 years and was its associate director for 10.

One of the leaders’ goals is to achieve a platinum rating for the campus from the U.S. Green Building Council, which certifies environmentally friendly construction.

Shechter said such a goal would be in line with the traditional Jewish concepts of tikun olam, repairing the world, and bal tash’hit, not wasting resources, and sets an example for the community, particularly children.

Sol Hecht, a new vice president in charge of the “green” drive, said the JCC is investigating the use of solar panels, water conservation systems, and environmentally friendly architectural designs, among other initiatives.

Much of the new board and many of those attending the Jan. 27 meeting are East Brunswick residents, although longtime members from Highland Park are also involved in the new venture.

Outgoing Y president Jeffrey Urbach said he stayed on in the position four years, beyond his term, to smooth the transition between the two sites.

“This is quite strange for me because frankly when I look out, I see a lot of faces I don’t know,” acknowledged Urbach. “This is an incredibly transformative period of time.”

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