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BUILDING
JEWISH LIFE
The Jewish Community Centre (JCC) movement was founded over
150 years ago in the United States. Today, there are over 1,100
JCCs worldwide.
The JCC for London
The JCC for London aims to provide Jews with a lasting sense
of community and to promote the best of Jewish values. At its
core is building Jewish life, through
cultural, social, educational, and recreational Jewish activities.
Social action is also central to the JCC movement – helping
those in need both within and outside the Jewish community.
Most JCCs have their own building where they hold extensive
programmes of events. We are currently a “JCC without
walls”, but are working on plans for our own building.
Who is the JCC for?
The JCC for London celebrates Jewish culture. It is also inclusive:
it’s for anyone interested in Jewish life and our programme
of Jewish activities. It
is not a place of worship, nor linked to any particular group,
movement or synagogue. It’s a gateway into all things
Jewish: from food to sport to the arts to debate, with an emphasis
on the Jewish tradition of helping those in need. It’s
a great place for Jews of all ages to meet other Jews; it’s
a way of building a strong Jewish future for us and for our
children. The JCC actively welcomes observant and secular Jews,
mixed partnerships, and non-Jews. Indeed, an important part
of our vision is to create better understanding between different
faiths and cultures.
What we do now: our programme
If the building will be the JCC’s body, then the programme
is its soul. We have already created very successful London Jewish
events, often in partnership with others. Applauded for their compelling
and original Jewish content, highlights include a sell-out Israeli
rock concert at the Southbank Centre, the Kvetch Choir, a podcast
in association with The Guardian, yoga and cycling activities,
children's events, political debate and a series of social action
projects. The JCC aims to hold up a 21st century lens to Jewish
life, and to build a community of artists and performers. Many
of our groundbreaking commissions interweave Jewish beliefs and
values with those of other cultures.
What a building will mean for the JCC
Our programming is excellent, but people attend events, then
they leave. A building can go much further, and make the JCC
a part of daily life. The JCC building will an inspiring
and useful centre for Jewish life. It will contain different
functions, inviting spaces; it will be a place where people
come for one reason then find something else that catches their
imagination. The myriad of events means they can linger, meet,
separate, then re-form into different groups. Or just sit alone
with a quiet cup of coffee, feeling at home and watching the
world go by. The building will become a hub for creativity
and debate, a centre for the community, a place where you can,
indeed, build a Jewish life.
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