Jewish Community Center

A Jewish Community Center (JCC) is a general recreational, social and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities.

As a rule, today JCCs are open to other ethnic groups as well, with possible exception of strictly traditional Jewish activities. In fact, many JCCs sponsor local events.

Their programs and activities vary by location. Particularly noteworthy is the Holocaust Memorial that is part of the JCC in West Bloomfield, Michigan, which attracts many visitors to its programs and exhibits.

History

The YMHA (Young Men's Hebrew Association) was first set up in 1854 in Baltimore to provide help for Jewish immigrants. A YWHA (Young Women's Hebrew Association) was first established as an annex to the YMHA in New York in 1888. The New York YMHA and YWHA now operate together as the 92nd Street Y. The first independent YWHA was set up in 1902. In 1917 these organizations were combined into a Jewish Welfare Board, and were later renamed Jewish Community Centers (or JCCs), though some retain the YWHA or YMHA designation.

History of the JCC in San Francisco

San Francisco’s Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA) was formed in 1877, and the city’s Young Women’s Hebrew Association (YWHA) was formed in 1914. The two organizations combined in 1924. In 1933, the YM-YWHA became the city’s Jewish Community Center (JCC). In 1960, San Francisco’s JCC joined the United Jewish Community Centers (UJCC) of San Francisco, Marin County, and the Peninsula. Since its founding, the city’s JCC has helped immigrants adjust to their new surroundings and assimilate. In addition, it has provided resources for individuals and families to express themselves culturally and physically, and it has changed its activities, directions, and locations to help meet the needs of the community. The JCC has also sponsored many activities for those people who are serving in the military during wartime and many holiday observances.

The Judah L. Magnes Museum's Western Jewish History Center, located in Berkeley, California, has a large collection of original records, correspondence, reports, memorandums, and photographs that document the history of San Francisco's Jewish Community Center, from its very beginning to the present day.

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History

History of the JCC in San Francisco

See also