By Zachary Benjamin

 

The Harrisburg JCC recently announced the temporary pause of operations at our Green Hills Swim Club, along with the shift of JCC Day Camp to the Alexander Grass Campus for Jewish Life this coming summer. The announcement was met with expected and understandable disappointment among the many in our community who, myself included, have made priceless memories with their families at Green Hills.

Green Hills is where generations of our community have fulfilled the Talmudic responsibility to teach our children to swim. By every measure, restoring that serene space on Fishing Creek Valley Road to a state that allows it to fulfill its potential is a cornerstone of our vision for the future of the Harrisburg JCC and the Jewish Federation. So, too, however, is the Grass Campus, on which we are working to create a warm, welcoming all-season home for our community, where generations interact joyfully with each other in shared pursuit of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

While my primary responsibility is to facilitate Federation and JCC operations in such a way that serves the long-term best interests of the agency and community, it is critically important that whoever sits in my role be a perpetual student of the community that we serve. As I have listened to countless perspectives over the course of the past 18 months, one of the most consistent—and one that I share—is that we have not yet succeeded in creating a truly interactive environment at the Grass Campus. Rather, I hear frequently from Jewish and non-Jewish members and stakeholders alike that those who take part in the JCC’s many programs do so in siloes, isolated from each other and with only occasional opportunities to encounter each other socially or recreationally.

The temporary staging of JCC Day Camp at the Grass Campus will provide us with an unprecedented opportunity to test the capabilities of the campus and to use it as a laboratory for how we will restore joyful, intergenerational engagement to the Harrisburg JCC. We envision a campus buzzing with life, as campers use every available outdoor and indoor space to expand their minds and fortify their bodies alongside our seniors, teens, and members. From court sports, volleyball, team sports, and water play on the Etter Family Green to full-scale fine arts and STEAM tracks, yoga and dance, cooking, 3D printing, and more, “JCC Day Camp on Campus” will foster creativity, sociability, and interactive opportunities limited only by our imaginations. The concept will also allow us to dramatically expand activities for members using the infrastructure that we will create for camp, which will be open and accessible to all on those days and times when camp is not in session.

All of this will take place at a significant financial savings while we raise funds and map out our plan for the considerable renovations necessary to restore Green Hills to its full capability. We remain committed to resurrecting Green Hills as a true second site for the Harrisburg JCC, where aquatics, water aerobics and exercise, outdoor fitness, camp, and community events provide year-round opportunities for us to engage with each other.

I have been asked lately about my and our board’s vision for the future of the Federation and JCC. I envision a true two-site JCC that vibrates with ruach and activity. I envision every usable square foot of indoor and outdoor space at the Grass Campus buzzing with learning and laughter while Green Hills provides a refuge where community members of all ages and stages of life can nourish body and soul with physical and social connection.

It is vital to our future that we honor and preserve the spirit of what was while adapting to fit resources available and to meet the ever-evolving needs of our community. A core tenet of my philosophy as a Jewish communal professional and leader is that all we do today is in service to ensuring that Jewish life and institutions remain accessible to those generations not yet born. I sincerely hope that you will join me and our leadership on this evolutionary journey. I invite you to embrace our vision for a vibrant Federation and JCC at which every activity and interaction can be traced to Jewish values, and where all may seek personal, physical, and intellectual fulfillment for generations to come.