From Recreation to Renewal: JCCs as Centers for Belonging

What happens when Jewish Community Centers move beyond recreation and become spaces of renewal, belonging, and identity?

In a new article on eJewishPhilanthropy, Dr. Ezra Kopelowitz and Rabbi Amitai A. Fraiman share how Z3 is working with JCCs across North America to reimagine their role in Jewish life. No longer “just” preschools, gyms, or summer camps, JCCs are stepping into the vital work of cultivating community and peoplehood.

What’s striking is how local creativity is driving this shift. From Tucson to Austin to Miami, JCC leaders are adapting the Z3 framework to their own communities, building new ways for Jews to connect to one another and to Jewish life.

At CJPE, we see this as part of a larger movement: institutions of Jewish life asking how they can strengthen not only programming, but also the deeper sense of belonging that sustains Jewish identity. The story of JCCs embracing Z3’s work reminds us that the Jewish future depends not just on what we do together, but on how we see ourselves as part of a shared people.

The evolution of JCCs is a hopeful sign: our communal institutions can be both practical and profound—serving everyday needs while also renewing Jewish spirit and connection.