by Elaine Durbach
NJJN Bureau Chief/Central

May 15, 2008

Reinvigorated and reassured, a delegation from the Jewish Community Center of Central New Jersey returned last week from their movement’s biennial conference ready to forge ahead with their plans to improve the center.

The JCC Association of North America’s conference was held in Miami from Sunday, May 4, to Wednesday, May 7. Seven local JCC staffers and lay leaders attended: JCC president Mindy Goldberger, executive director Barak Hermann, and five board members, Debra Feldman, Scott Lazar, Debra Rosenberg, Suzanne Tucker, and Peter Weissbrod.

The biennial offered a chance to share ideas with about 1,000 lay and professional counterparts from across the continent.

“It’s always inspiring and reinvigorating to be with a lot of people like that,” Goldberger said. “The good news for us was that all the cutting-edge trends that were discussed, we’re already engaged in. We’re really hitting the mark. It was very reassuring.”

In talks and “best practices” presentations and — perhaps most of all — in informal discussions, those present talked about changing demographics. Goldberger said they discussed the importance of being broadly welcoming to the community as a whole, and the potential for attracting more inter-married families.

“They were optimistic [about] increasing membership,” she said.

They talked too of resource development, and the need — as federation campaign totals have dipped across the country — for JCCs to develop “our own culture of giving and asking,” as Goldberger put it.

Inevitably, “green” goals came up for discussion. The convention set an environmentally conscious tone itself — for example, providing reusable bags for the printed material and meeting paraphernalia. For the first time, to Goldberger’s approval, they also asked participants to give back the plastic binders provided to hold notes.

She was particularly delighted that two members of their group, JCC vice presidents Rosenberg and Tucker, were able to take part in the Esther Leah Ritz Next Generation Leadership Program. It was a first for participants from the Central JCC.

The program focused on how individual leaders can inspire others with what they bring to the table — precisely the approach Goldberger says the Scotch Plains JCC has been applying.

She pointed out that even before hearing the Miami discussions, the Central JCC leaders had posted a mission statement at the entrance of the building. In meetings, participants have been learning to clarify what attracted them to the organization, and to describe skills and interests they feel they can contribute.

Goldberger and Hermann have drawn inspiration from management consultant Jim Collins, author of the Good to Great books, who offers a vision for creating momentum within institutions.

Goldberger said people have been coming out of the woodwork. “Every day, people call me out of the blue, saying, ‘What’s happening feels so exciting, I want to be part of it. I want to bring you my skills.’ They’re stepping forward and giving of themselves. Past board members have called up and said, ‘I want in!’ I’m loving it.”

The Central NJ JCC received eight awards [see sidebar]. Hermann described it as an affirmation of the agency’s creativity. “And there will be more of those in future years,” he said.

Like Goldberger, what he heard in Miami made him all the more confident about the direction the JCC’s leadership is taking. He came back, he said, with fresh ideas about marketing, and the need to use different strategies to show different groups just why they should be members. “You need different strategies for every segment of the market,” he said.

Longtime JCC activist Lazar described the Miami get-together as “invigorating and an experience that energized and recharged our group.” He said it didn’t change his views but it did help crystallize ideas and point the way to some alternative approaches. “There were specific programs that nicely dovetailed with projects we are undertaking,” he said. “The seminars were staffed by people with a very high level of expertise. We are a JCC awash in new ideas and perched on the precipice of great growth. Our board and director are very much in sync.”

Feldman, a fellow delegation member, was just as enthusiastic. “We had a great time and learned so much,” she said. “The JCC is really on the move.”

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JCC awards

The Jewish Community Center of Central New Jersey received the following awards at the 2008 Biennial Conference of the JCC Association of North America, held in Miami from May 4 to 7:

Achievement Awards

• 20th Anniversary Celebration
Category: Financial Resource Development
Subcategory: Special Events

• L’Dor V’dor
Category: Programs and Services
Subcategory: Early Childhood

• Professional Sharing for Little People
Category: Professional Development
Subcategory: Programs that Inspire Jewish Journeys for Staff

• Rockin’ Shabbat at Camp Yachad
Category: Jewish Living and Learning
Subcategory: Programs that enhance the Jewish Ambiance and Environment of the JCC

Recognition Awards

• Camp Staff Advisory Board
Category: Programs & Services
Subcategory: Camping

• Hiddur Mitzvah at Camp Yachad
Category: Programs and Services
Subcategory: Community Service Programs/Social Action Projects

• Senior Adult Literary Exploration
Category: Programs and Services
Subcategory: Adults and Older Adults

• Learning Kitchen
Category: Jewish Living and Learning
Subcategory: Programs and Activities that Enhance Jewish Knowledge and Commitment to Jewish Life

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