YESTERDAY: A century old story of building community
1913: Our community came together in a shared vision that resulted in a Jewish Community Center to provide social and recreation programs not otherwise available. Programming soon expanded to include education, arts and culture.
1923: Our first building was located at the heart of the Jewish community to serve as a regional “Center” for Jewish life.
1969: As our community’s needs changed, so did the Center. The vision of Charles E. Smith led to the community’s bold decision to move the center from the city to our current Rockville campus location.
TODAY: Accomplishments and realities
We continue to thrive as “Center” for Jewish life for our community thanks to thoughtful and creative leaders whose guidance have enabled us to be stronger for each generation. One hundred years later, though, the needs of our community are different as we have grown, changed, and dispersed. Yet, through it all, our mission has essentially remained the same.
TOMORROW: A vision for the next 100 years
In order for us to meet the needs of a changing community and enrich the quality of Jewish life for tomorrow, we must transform our facilities, programs and operations. Heavy, daily use of our 45-year old building for our own programming, as well as our community partners’ programming, finds us in need of significant upgrades and renovations to become a state-of-the-art community center. Our planned building improvements will dramatically enhance the look, function and sustainability of our facility in order to attract a community that deserves excellent programming delivered in high-quality, modern surroundings.
We will be the heart of our Jewish community playing a central role in reaching out to build a welcoming, diverse and thriving community that enriches life for each generation.
The essence of the JCCGW as a Center for Jewish Life is so much greater than simply a fitness center, preschool and camp. The Center is the only Jewish communal organization that touches every part of the lives of the families in our community – from newborns to children to teens to adults; from our active seniors to our frail older seniors; from children with disabilities to adults with disabilities. We do this through our own programs and in partnership with others.
Already a “home away from home” for so many in our community, our renovated building will be a 21st century Center for Jewish life that is warm, welcoming and vibrant community destination enabling us to engage significantly more of our Jewish community in Jewish life.
It will not only serve as a hub for program outreach, it will also be the center of expanded programming to provide education for life, healthy bodies for life, and Jewish connections for life.
