JCC
Association Forms Strategic Alliance with GesherCity to Serve
Young Jewish Adults
In an effort to better serve thousands of young Jewish adults
moving to a new town or trying to make the connection from
campus to community, JCC Association has formed a strategic
alliance with GesherCity, an initiative successfully connecting
young Jewish adults to the Jewish community in Boston, Washington,
D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago, New Jersey, and Baltimore. Together,
GesherCity and JCC Association will network JCC young adult
programs throughout North America, using GesherCity’s
proven methodologies, brand, and technology (www.geshercity.org).
JCC Association recognizes that Jewish young adults are one
of the most challenging demographic groups to engage, given
their mobility and changing lifestyles. By bringing together
JCC young adult programs under a common brand and website,
JCC Association will enable JCCs to reach out to the young
adult Jewish population more effectively. Through GesherCity’s
local “bridges,” young adults can find out about
community organizations, events, resources, apartments, and
roommates. More importantly, they can connect with other young
adults with similar interests through theme-based clusters,
and make new friends online as well as at cluster get-togethers,
newcomer information sessions, and community events.
“From the first time I heard about GesherCity, I was
wowed by the approach and concept,” said Patricia Cipora
Harte, assistant vice-president of program services at JCC
Association, “I’m excited to be able to offer
this to JCCs as a young-adult programming option.” Ronald
S. Kasner, GesherCity's president, said, "We recognize
that in order for us to achieve our full potential and reach
thousands of additional young Jewish adults, we must have
professional leadership and become part of a dynamic, established
continental organization like JCC Association of North America."
JCC Association will provide continental coordination and
communication among existing and newly developed local GesherCity
programs, organize staff training opportunities, manage continental
marketing initiatives of the brand, and enhance the existing
technology. A continental coordinator, supervised by Harte,
will be based in the JCC Association offices in New York City.
A new continental young adult task force of JCC Association,
led by Kasner, will provide lay oversight. Kasner and Ben
Gordon, founder of GesherCity, have also joined the JCC Association
Board of Directors.
To support the strategic alliance or help start a GesherCity
in your local community contact Patricia Cipora Harte at 212-786-5130.
JCC Association is the leadership network of,
and central agency for the Jewish Community Center Movement,
which is comprised of more than 275 JCCs, YM-YWHAs and camps
in the U. S. and Canada. JCC Association offers a wide range
of services and resources to strengthen the capacity of its
affiliates to provide educational, cultural, social, Jewish
identity-building, and recreational programs to enhance the
lives of North American Jews of all ages and backgrounds.
Additionally, the movement fosters and strengthens connections
between North American Jews and Israel as well as with world
Jewry. JCC Association is also the only U.S. government accredited
agency for serving the religious and social needs of Jewish
military personnel, their families, and patients in VA hospitals
through JWB Jewish Chaplains Council.
Miriam
Rinn
Communications Manager
JCC Association
15 E. 26 St., NY, NY 10010
212-786-5092
fax: 212-481-4174
send an e-mail
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