Community Response
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JN READERS HAD A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THE JCC’S HEALTH CLUB CLOSING ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE.
JCC Health Club to Permanently Close The community center can no longer afford to operate its fitness facilities, its CEO said.
T JOHN HARDWICK
he Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit in West Bloomfield Township is closing its health club, effective immediately. Brian D. Siegel, CEO of the JCC, spoke exclusively with the JN to lay out how this all came about. He said the decision was due to a mixture of financial, philoBrian Siegel sophical, political and practical reasons, all in different ways exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The financial impact had much to do with the JCC suffering from “overbuilt” real estate for the past 20 years, Siegel said. The health club contributed to overhead costs but was not running a net profit, and that was even before the pandemic. If the health club were to open, the impact short-term would be devastating and the long-term impact even worse, according to Siegel. The health club’s membership has seen a 50% decline in the last decade. A crucial part of that decline is the drop in Jewish membership. “What was once a core value proposition, of Jews wanting a safe place to work out next to other Jews, has gone away for the majority of people,” Siegel told the JN. “The JCC health club was declining both by virtue of a loss of its core
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value proposition, but also an exploding competitive marketplace.” Prior to the pandemic, the JCC was in a committee process with representatives of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and the United Jewish Foundation to try to solve its real estate problems. “A plan was established to shrink the size of the JCC substantially, including reducing the size of the health club,” Siegel said. ‘RIGHT-SIZING’ THE BUILDING The pandemic accelerated plans rapidly. A new committee was formed with Federation to see how the pandemic affected the JCC’s prior plans to “right-size” the building. Instead of just reducing the size of the health club, the new committee decided to close it completely. The committee is in the process of issuing a report, and the report will recommend that the health club be demolished. Until the money is raised to tear down that section of the building, it will be shuttered or its use will be radically modified. In a joint statement, the incoming and outgoing presidents of both JFMD and the United Jewish Foundation said they were aware of the move to close the health club but that the decision was the JCC’s own. “We know that this is a pain-
DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER JCC
ful moment for those who have called the Health Club home for decades,” the statement read. “Like each of the local partner agencies that receive funding from Federation, the JCC operates independently and is responsible for all decisions regarding its programs and services.” In a follow-up statement, new Federation President Matt Lester and Foundation President Dennis Bernard said the JCC “is committed to maintaining and restoring wellness programs including fitness classes, basketball and swimming,” and that the closure “will mainly affect the Fitness Club members.” The club was also failing to bring younger members onboard. “Young Jewish people today don’t make a decision on where to work out based on where there are other Jews there or not,” Siegel said. On the political side, Siegel said the JCC had been trying to negotiate with the community to take responsibility for a building that no longer fits its purposes. “It’s only the crisis that allowed that conversation to be productive,” Siegel said. The political question the JCC asked itself was what they should do with a 340,000-square-foot building with business operations that no longer support it. The JCC has operated as the sub-landlord of the build-
“When they closed the Oak Park JPM branch, which was always busy and active and had a highly incentivized membership, they said that the building was too old, and the W. Bloomfield building was the one to save. Now they delete services to the community at that building as well. It isn't turning a profit? Since when does profit define the mission of a community service? I was at the meetings for JPM and heard the same stuff. It infuriates me.” — Jodie Stein “So sad that the Federation can't help keep the JCC intact. The Y doesn't seem to have the problems we do!” — Jane Lori “That is so sad. Enjoyed working out at the JCC through the years. Glad to know the pool will be open.” — Jodi Roth Isser “Sad that us members had to learn about this from an article in the DJN and not directly from the J.” — Danielle Gordon “They have done nothing to recruit or incentivize young families or people for membership.” — Rachel Williams Bloch “I remember going to the JCC men’s health club as a child. It’s a shame they haven’t figured out how to keep it going.” — Gregory Firestone “Should have kept the Oak Park JCC open but those WB Jews left Oak Park and HW and Southfield and would not support it. I guess they don’t support their building either.” — Ronald Fry “JCC, WB … totally overbuilt … and ignoring Jews from other areas … you did this all by yourself!!!!” — Elaine Cohen
