Five Towns’ Best Kept Secret

What is the best kept secret in this neighborhood? Where can you learn, create, and experience something special six days a week? How can one benefit from a broad range of support services from early childhood to senior citizen age? Which organization benefits 16,000 individuals at 18 locations in the Greater Five Towns and beyond?

The answer is the Jewish Community Center (JCC), which resides in a modest house on Grove Street abutting the Long Island Railroad’s train tracks. Although so many enjoy its programs, some Five Towners still don’t even know it exists! I’ve been teaching yoga there since March and have gained a “fly on the wall” insight into the goings on there and can verify that it’s one of the most precious resources we have.

In 1992, I signed up our son Rafi to attend nursery at a house with a bright red door on Grove Street. My two year old called it Tempo Bef-O; Temple Beth El nursery was a warm personal program run by the JCC. In the years since then, my family has participated in cooking classes, book groups and lectures. Witnessing the wonderful Café Europa program for seniors held at my shul, Congregation Beth Sholom, made me want to get involved with the JCC. Now I teach a weekly women’s yoga class and volunteer on the arts & leisure advisory committee there.

Each time I’ve met with Executive Director Rina Shkolnik, I have found her to be warm, engaging, dedicated and competent. You can feel the energy Rina exudes and gives this organization. She raves openly about her staff and co-workers as second to none. I asked her what she envisions for the JCC and she responded she’d like to see this full service JCC as a neutral place where the entire community can meet comfortably, not associated specifically with any one stream of Judaism. She has been working tirelessly to find a new home for the JCC where we can come together for all programs and services in one location. When the JCC has one address, everyone will know exactly where it exists and avail themselves of its offerings more fully.

The JCC’s schedule runs from A-Z… literally. You can learn about or create Art, Bake or Cook in the Kosher Culinary Institute, play Bridge, Canasta or Chess, Choir, Computer classes, Dance Israeli (or belly!), Drama, Film, Food Pantry, Guitar, Karate or Krav Maga, Lunch and Learn, Mah Jongg, Nursery school, Photography, a full Russian Division, varied Support groups and Special Needs programs, Tutoring, Violin, Web design, Yiddish, Yoga and Zumba. I haven’t yet seen letter “Q” or “X” activities, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Quidditch and Xylophone on the calendar soon.

The JCC’s Temple Israel Nursery school and summer day camp provides a loving environment for hundreds of children. Social activities for kids and teens abound. Seniors meet at the Shalom club at Temple Hillel, “Come Alive” and “Remember When” at Congregation Sons of Israel, Friendship Circle, Tish and Dish and the Caregiver’s Support group at JCC’s headquarters. I’m naming just a few of a roster of activities held at locations in the Five Towns, Malverne, West Hempstead and Valley Stream.

Unfortunately, the economic crisis has hit everywhere, including our own neighborhood, but the JCC can help. The Kol Ditzrich Kosher Food Pantry, located on Central Avenue between Franklin and Irving Streets, provides families and singles with nutritious, non-perishable food packages and toiletries. UJA Federation’s Connect to Care provides help through our JCC for job networking, debt counseling, legal services, and spiritual care.

Everyone can be involved somehow in this wonderful organization, whether you need aid or are able to help out. One way is by purchasing and donating an item or two and dropping them directly in the bins located at Brach’s, Gourmet Glatt or Season’s. There is a constant, urgent need, which can be filled in creative ways. A friend of mine requested that food items be brought to her home at a recent party. She then gathered and shlepped all the collected goods to the pantry. What a great mitzvah!

Some join Oceanside’s JCC to use its pool. Others comment about beautiful JCC’s elsewhere and wonder why ours isn’t so. As Hadassah’s author events coordinator, I network with JCC staff from around the country and know that though ours is spread out in many locations it strives and succeeds in providing the same services. How great would it be to consolidate all of our JCC’s programs into one building with an indoor swimming pool for us to enjoy year round? Hopefully this will soon be a reality.

We can increase awareness of our community’s and JCC’s needs and rally together, volunteering to improve ours. We are active in our schools, shuls and other organizations, but there has to be a spot in our hearts as well for our own Jewish Community Center, which can unite us during both leisure time and times of need. The JCC is a place where we may give to and receive from each other and truly be a cohesive community.

Miriam Bradman Abrahams is Cuban born, Brooklyn bred and lives in Woodmere. She organizes author events for Hadassah, reviews books for Jewish Book World and is very slowly writing her father’s immigration story. She is teaching yoga at Peaceful Presence Yoga Studio. mabraha1@optonline.net