SEPTEMBER 2018 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 31
PRESS BUSINESS
SID JACOBSON JCC
A CENTER THAT INSPIRES
BY RUTH BASHINSKY
The Sid Jacobson Jewish Community
Center in East Hills epitomizes
what community is all about.
The center founded in 1960 to offer
early childhood and adult programs
has grown to become a thriving
multipurpose programming facility
answering the needs of every age and
population.
“We are not a religious institution,”
says Executive Director David Black.
“we operate out of Jewish values and
are open to the entire community.
Our function is to enable life to flourish.
We are connecting, giving back
and creating connections.”
The center has a program for
young people on the autism spectrum,
those recovering from opioid
addiction, people with Alzheimer’s,
those with young-onset dementia, an
early childhood center, and a cancer
wellness program that is part of a
consortium of hospitals treating
patients with cancer and staffed with
certified trainers and social workers.
“The hospitals know that their
patients don’t want to recover in a
hospital setting but, want to recover
in a life-affirming setting and this is
what we are providing,” says Black.
The center that Black describes
as “exploding with activities and
members” is already growing out of
its 100,000-square-foot space and is in
the midst of a new capital campaign to
expand its space and modernize the
campus at the Bernice Jacobson Day
School and Camp.
“We went from a JCC without walls
at the beginning in 1960 to a JCC with
walls in 1988 to a JCC beyond walls in
2018,” says Black.
The Sid Jacobson JCC has a community
theater program, a cultural
center that features prominent
speakers and authors, and an annual
film festival. There is also an aquatic
and health and wellness center.
“On Sundays there is something
called Shooting Stars,” he says.
“Volunteers teach teens who are on
the spectrum basketball, and the
teens get community service. Our
4-year-olds will go sing to the seniors
on Shabbat. Our teens will take the
music of the ’40s and ’50s and put the
tunes on iPods because people with
dementia relate to the music they had
in their era.”
Black adds enthusiastically, “My
program guide alone is close to 60
pages.”
The center also has a vibrant volunteer
community with more than
400 people volunteering through
35 partners across Long Island. It
has a center for Israel, the only one
that exists on Long Island, according
to Black, with a staff of Israelis who
work in different area synagogues,
day schools, and JCCs. The five camps
available include a special needs
camp which gives those young people
who might not survive in an inclusive
environment an exclusive environment
and a chance to thrive, explains
Black, adding, “It is a beautiful thing
to see.”
For more information on the Sid
Jacobson JCC visit sjjcc.org
The 2017 Sid Jacobson JCC’s
annual Stronger Than Cancer
5K benefiting their Nancy Marx
Cancer Wellness Center. This
year’s race is Oct. 7.
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