2026-01-09 11:06:PM <br/> Tags: #organization #AmericanJewry ![[image-213.png|550x187]] # JCC Association of North America - The JCC Association of North America - JCCA or just JCC - is an America Jewish umbrella organization for Jewish community centers (JCCs).[^1] - JCCs, YMHAs, summer camps, and other Jewish communal groups are operated under the umbrella of JCCA. - The JCCA is headquartered in New York. - The JCCA has additional Southern and Western regional offices and an Israel office. [^2] >[!info] Acronyms used on this page >- JCC - Jewish Community Center > - JCCA - Jewish Community Center Association of North America >- YMHA - Young Men's Hebrew Association > - YMHA is the Jewish counterpart to the YMCA. Like the YMCA, YMHAs are often simply called the 'Y.' >- YWHA - Young Women's Hebrew Association >- JWB - Jewish Welfare Board #### Founding and Early History - The JCCA traces its beginnings to 1854, when the first Hebrew Young Men's Literary Association opened in Baltimore.[^2] - The early iterations of the JCC were primarily for purposes of Jewish-immigrant accommodation. - Throughout the latter half of the 19th century, a network of Jewish Community Centers (JCCs) and Young Men's Hebrew Associations (YMHAs) began to form. - Three days after the United States Joined WWI in 1917, the Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) was formed to assist American Jewish servicemen. [^3] - Facilitating Jewish chaplaincy services was and remains a staple of JWB (now JCCA) programming. - During the war, many YMHAs became affiliate organizations of the JWB. - In 1921, the National Council of YMHA and YWHA merged into the JWB making the JWB the umbrella for the JCC movement. [^4] #### Activities - Amid a global wave of Jewish pride following the [[1967 Six Day War]], JCCs became a powerful hub for Jewish exuberance.[^2] - JCCs during this period hosted Israeli *Shlichim* - young Israeli emissaries who, following mandatory military service, work for the Israeli government institutions as global advocates for Israel. [^6] - Shlichim are sent to the JCCs by the [[Jewish Agency]]. - JCCs during this post-67' period hosted "Israel Independence Day extravaganzas."[^2] - In 1982, the JWB convened the Commission on Maximizing Jewish Educational Effectiveness (COMJEE). - COMJEE was chaired by [[Morton Mandel]].[^7] - In the mid 1990s following COMJEE, the JCC became a major institution for Jewish education. - At this time many JCCs started hiring rabbis to implement religious programming. - In 1990, the Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) changed its name to the JCC Association of North America. - The JCCA is a member of the [[Conference of Presidents]]. [^19] - In a 2024 partnership with the Israeli [[Ministry of Diaspora Affairs]], the JCCA hosted a lecture series called "Zionist Talks."[^15] - Figures featured on the Zionist Talks series include [[Natan Sharansky]] and [[Shira Ruderman]]. - Shira Ruderman is the Wife of [[Jay Ruderman]]. - In 2017, thousands of hoax bomb threats were made against JCCs in the United States and abroad.[^20] - The threats were universally condemned as a horrible series of antisemitism. - When pressed by reporters in February 2017, U.S. President [[Donald Trump]] claimed "I am the least antisemitic person you've ever seen in your entire life."[^21] - The perpetrator of the 'antisemitic' bomb threats was an Israeli-American Jew named Michael Kadar.[^22] #### Funding and Donors - In 2024, the JCCA reported ~$22 million in revenue. [^18] - Early JCC/JWB/YMHA benefactors include: - [[Jacob Schiff]][^14] - [[Felix Warburg]] - Other JCCA/JWB benefactors include: - [[Harry Weinberg]]'s foundation - [[Morton Mandel]] - The government of Israel via the [[Ministry of Diaspora Affairs]][^15] - [[Edgar Bronfman Sr.]][^16] - [[Bernie Madoff]][^16] - [[Bernard Marcus]]'s [[Marcus Foundation]][^16] - [[Crown Family Foundation]][^16] - [[Alan Solow]][^16] - [[Mortimer Zuckerman]][^23] #### Notable Figures - The 1924 JWB convention was addressed by [[Irving Lehman]], [[Louis Marshall]], [[Felix Warburg]] and Cyrus Adler among others.[^8] - Louis Kraft - JWB executive director - 1938-1947 - Kraft worked for the [[Claims Conference]] and the [[American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)]]. [^12] - Frank Weil - JWB president - 1940-1950[^5] - [[Alan Solow]] - JCCA board chair from 2006-2010 - past chair of the [[Conference of Presidents]].[^24] - Stephen Arnoff - CEO - 2015-2016 - Arnoff was recruited by JCC chairman [[Alan Solow]].[^9] - In 2013, Arnoff moved to Israel to take a position teaching at Shalem College in Jerusalem. [^10] - Shalem College is a product of [[Yoram Hazony]]'s Israeli think-tank the [[Shalem Center]]. [^11] - Doron Krakow - CEO - 2017-2024 - In 2024, Krakow was paid $616,796 in compensation plus an additional $60,082.[^18] - After his time leading JCCA, Krakow made aliyah Israel.[^13] *Aliyah is when a Jew moves to Israel.* - Barak Hermann - CEO since 2025. --- - Today, JCCA's staff and leadership is overwhelmingly female. - Only 7 out of 44 listed under "Our Staff" on the JCCA website are (probably) men.[^17] #### References [^1]: _Jewish Community Center_, Wikipedia, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Community_Center](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Community_Center). [^2]: _History_, JCCA, [https://jcca.org/about-us/history/](https://jcca.org/about-us/history/). [^3]: _National Jewish Welfare Board_, Wikipedia, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Jewish_Welfare_Board](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Jewish_Welfare_Board). [^4]: _Jewish Welfare Board Holds Biennial Convention in Philadelphia_, JTA, December 22, 1924, [https://www.jta.org/archive/jewish-welfare-board-holds-biennial-convention-in-philadelphia](https://www.jta.org/archive/jewish-welfare-board-holds-biennial-convention-in-philadelphia). [^5]: Philip Goodman, “Weil, Frank Leopold,” _Encyclopaedia Judaica_ (via Encyclopedia.com), [https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/weil-frank-leopold](https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/weil-frank-leopold). [^6]: _Shlichim_, JCCA, [https://jcca.org/what-we-do/jcc-israel-center/shlichim/](https://jcca.org/what-we-do/jcc-israel-center/shlichim/). [^7]: “Role of JCCs As Jewish Educational Agency Highlighted in Study by Hundreds of Jewish Communal Leader,” JTA, April 27, 1984, [https://www.jta.org/archive/role-of-jccs-as-jewish-educational-agency-highlighted-in-study-by-hundreds-of-jewish-communal-leader](https://www.jta.org/archive/role-of-jccs-as-jewish-educational-agency-highlighted-in-study-by-hundreds-of-jewish-communal-leader). [^8]: _Jewish Welfare Board Holds Biennial Convention in Philadelphia_, JTA, December 22, 1924, [https://www.jta.org/archive/jewish-welfare-board-holds-biennial-convention-in-philadelphia](https://www.jta.org/archive/jewish-welfare-board-holds-biennial-convention-in-philadelphia). [^9]: Josh Nathan-Kazis, “Troubled JCC Association in Fresh Disarray With Surprise Departure of CEO,” _The Forward_, March 18, 2016, [https://forward.com/news/336406/troubled-jcc-association-in-fresh-disarray-with-surprise-departure-of-ceo/](https://forward.com/news/336406/troubled-jcc-association-in-fresh-disarray-with-surprise-departure-of-ceo/). [^10]: _Stephen Daniel Arnoff_, Wikipedia, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Daniel_Arnoff](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Daniel_Arnoff). [^11]: _Shalem College_, Wikipedia, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalem_College](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalem_College). [^12]: “Louis Kraft, 84, of Jewish Agency, Head of Welfare Board, Dies; Aided Centers Here and Abroad,” _The New York Times_, July 12, 1975, [https://www.nytimes.com/1975/07/12/archives/louis-kraft-84-of-jewish-agency-head-of-welfare-board-dies-aided.html](https://www.nytimes.com/1975/07/12/archives/louis-kraft-84-of-jewish-agency-head-of-welfare-board-dies-aided.html). [^13]: Susan R. Eisenstein, “Former President, CEO of JCCA of North America Doron Krakow Makes Aliyah,” The Jewish Link, August 15, 2024, [https://jewishlink.news/former-president-ceo-of-jcca-of-north-america-doron-krakow-makes-aliyah/](https://jewishlink.news/former-president-ceo-of-jcca-of-north-america-doron-krakow-makes-aliyah/). [^14]: “Schiff Gives $200,000 to New York War Fund,” _Detroit Jewish Chronicle_, November 23, 1917, p. 4, National Library of Israel Historical Jewish Press, [https://www.nli.org.il/en/newspapers/djc/1917/11/23/01/page/4/?e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7CtxTI--------------1](https://www.nli.org.il/en/newspapers/djc/1917/11/23/01/page/4/?e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7CtxTI--------------1). [^15]: _JCC Association and Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs Partner on Ongoing $7.2 Million Initiative_, JCC Association of North America press release, March 21, 2024, [https://jcca.org/news-and-views/jcc-association-and-israels-ministry-of-diaspora-affairs-partner-on-ongoing-7-2-million-initiative/](https://jcca.org/news-and-views/jcc-association-and-israels-ministry-of-diaspora-affairs-partner-on-ongoing-7-2-million-initiative/) *The JCC boasts that the grant it has secured from the Israeli government is the "largest grant to a movement outside Israel."*. [^16]: _JCC Association Annual Report 2005_, PolicyArchive, 2005, p. 24-29, archived at the Internet Archive, [https://archive.org/details/policyarchive_file_16007](https://archive.org/details/policyarchive_file_16007). [^17]: _JCC Association Staff_, JCC Association of North America, [https://jcca.org/about-us/jcc-association-staff/](https://jcca.org/about-us/jcc-association-staff/). *As of January 13, 2026 at least 37/44 JCCA staff members are women. This is obviously subject to change.* [^18]: _JCC Association of North America_, Nonprofit Explorer, ProPublica, [https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/135599486](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/135599486). [^19]: _Member Organizations_, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, [https://conferenceofpresidents.org/member-organizations/](https://conferenceofpresidents.org/member-organizations/). [^20]: _2017 Jewish Community Center Bomb Threats_, Wikipedia, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Jewish_Community_Center_bomb_threats](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Jewish_Community_Center_bomb_threats). [^21]: “4th Wave of Bomb Threats Hit 11 Jewish Community Centers Nationwide,” _Democracy Now!_, February 21, 2017, [https://www.democracynow.org/2017/2/21/headlines/4th_wave_of_bomb_threats_hit_11_jewish_community_centers_nationwide](https://www.democracynow.org/2017/2/21/headlines/4th_wave_of_bomb_threats_hit_11_jewish_community_centers_nationwide). [^22]: ToI Staff, “Report: Israeli-US Man Behind JCC Bomb Threats Held in Norway Pending US Extradition,” _The Times of Israel_, December 2, 2024, [https://www.timesofisrael.com/report-israeli-us-man-behind-jcc-bomb-threats-held-in-norway-pending-us-extradition/](https://www.timesofisrael.com/report-israeli-us-man-behind-jcc-bomb-threats-held-in-norway-pending-us-extradition/). [^23]: _92Y Impact Report 2013–14_, 92nd Street Y, 2014, p. 23, [https://www.92ny.org/92StreetY/media/DOCUMENTS/Uptown/Development/92Y_ImpactReport_2013-14.pdf](https://www.92ny.org/92StreetY/media/DOCUMENTS/Uptown/Development/92Y_ImpactReport_2013-14.pdf). [^24]: Nexus Project, “Alan Solow,” _Nexus Project_, [https://nexusproject.us/individuals/alan-solow/](https://nexusproject.us/individuals/alan-solow/).