A Newsletter of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore
Can the JCC be a Hub for Jewish Arts & Culture in Baltimore? In 2009, the JCC embarked on an ambitious mission to examine the current state of its Jewish Arts & Culture programming. The intention was to reimagine ourselves as a springboard for music, dance, drama and other arts, all of which could be viewed through a Jewish prism.
Over the past two years talented individuals and many community members worked together to determine what people wanted and what could be possible. The key players included Tom Kohn, who chaired the Arts and Culture Task Force, along with JCC staff members: Dale Busch, Phil Miller, Esther Greenberg, and consultant Jay Wolf Schlossberg-Cohen. The membership of the Arts and Culture Task Force was also made up of dedicated and multi-talented
individuals including JCC Board members, local artists, community leaders and patrons of the arts from across the spectrum of Baltimore Jewry. The eclectic composition of this Task Force reflected the core commitment to partnerships with Jewish and non- Jewish organizations that will be at the heart of this initiative. The Task Force gathered much of its information and feedback by reaching out to our community by using online surveys, interactive town hall meetings, and a highlevel Best Practices Summit of other JCC Arts & Culture professionals funded by the Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds. They also solicited and invited involvement and information from potential partners and alliances in the Baltimore Arts community. From all of their conversations, surveys, town hall meetings, investigations, the Summit and community feedback, they were able to make some conclusions regarding the practicality and efficacy of an Arts and Culture initiative: • Arts and Culture are at the core of who we are as Jews and are ends unto themselves.
• The growth and stability of Jewish Arts and Culture begins with adults – our current parents and grandparents. • Teens, as the future of this community, must be engaged at all possible levels. • We should not be afraid to embrace our Jewish Vision. • Our community desires an active and compelling array of programs, events and activities related to Jewish Arts and Culture.
Arts & Culture continues on page 13
November/December 2011 Cheshvan/Kislev/Tevet 5772 Jewish Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Children & Youth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Teens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7 Adults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Arts & Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10 Fitness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Aquatics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Staff News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Associated Corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15