H eadlines
Teen Israel
Leadership Institute
Presentations and content provided by CIE Founding President
Ken Stein and a team of experienced teen and young adult Israel
education specialists.

TWO VIRTUAL SESSIONS
SEPTEMBER 19 & 26, 2021 | 12:00 — 3:30 PM EST
LEARN MORE & APPLY AT WWW.ISRAELED.ORG/TEENS
APPLICATION DEADLINE IS SEPTEMBER 5
Pre-pandemic, numerous fitness classes were held inside the JCC.

in a weekly newsletter to JCC
members. “Our fitness offer-
ings have not been healthy, and
our current attendance levels
do not support the costs to
continue to run this program.”
Scher said the fate of the
fitness center is yet to be
determined. “This is not a decision about
the Fitness Center. This is only
a decision about our current
fitness classes and personal
training,” he wrote. “We will be
sharing more about the future of
our fitness and aquatics center
after the Jewish Holidays.”
Dorilona Rose of Ardmore is
in her sixth year in Kaiserman’s
yoga class. She is disappointed
to see it go. But she also under-
stands that Scher needs to come
up with a new, modern vision
for the aging JCC concept.

“The history of why JCCs
started is that Jews couldn’t
work out in another location,”
Rose said. “But that has shifted.”
Scher believes that a JCC
needs three business models
to thrive, and Kaiserman has
two. Its day camp, Camp Kef,
served between 450 and 465
campers this past summer.

And the facility’s Robert J. Wilf
Preschool will be at capacity
this fall with 140 students.

But in 2021, fitness is hard,
according to the CEO. It
requires annual investments to
update equipment and retain
instructors. Offering virtual fitness is
just as difficult, if not more. To
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM do it well, Kaiserman needs to
make the same investments,
just in technology instead of
equipment. “We’re
not Peloton,”
Scher said. “The JCC is not
a tech behemoth with endless
amounts of money.”
But it can still be a commu-
nity sports institution, he said.

This fall, Kaiserman will
start a new girls basketball
league for kids in grades 8-12.

The girls league will join an
existing boys basketball league,
a gymnastics program and
several other youth offerings.

Kaiserman is also bringing
back its after-school program
for the first time since the
pandemic began.

For now, Scher wants a
variety of programs to fill the
fitness void. At the same time,
he knows he still needs to find
that third business model.

“We’ll use the next several
months to consider and expand
our program,” the CEO said.

Even without her yoga class,
Rose plans on continuing
to use the JCC. She has two
daughters, ages 12 and 9, who
enjoy Camp Kef each summer.

But Rose is hoping that
Kaiserman can align fitness
with the rest of its vision.

“Looking at fitness as a
standalone doesn’t make
sense,” Rose said. “You have to
look at the JCC as a whole.” l
jsaffren@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0740
The CIE Teen Israel Leadership Institute will enhance Israel
knowledge among Jewish teens and provide valuable skills
for sharing that knowledge with others. Participants will
engage in a wide variety of learning activities and have an
opportunity to hear from college students. Teens with all levels
of background knowledge of Israel are welcome to apply.

TOPICS COVERED
Israeli Culture and Politics through Music • Identity and Religion
in Israeli Society • Israel’s Jewish and Democratic Origins •
Building the State from 1882 to 1949: Examining the British, Arab
and Zionist Texts • Arab-Israeli Relations and Negotiations Since
1948 • Being a Critical Consumer of Media • Israel on Campus
In partnership with:
This program is intended for students in grades 10-12 • The
$54 registration fee has been waived for the September TILI •
Qualifying participants will receive a CIE Teen Israel Leadership
ʼˡ˦˧˜˧˨˧˘ʶ˘˥˧˜Ѓ˖˔˧˘˜ˡʼ˦˥˔˘˟ʸ˗˨˖˔˧˜ˢˡϧʶˢˡ˧˔˖˧ʶʼʸˇ˘˘ˡ Program Manager Michele.Freesman at
Michele.Freesman@israeled.org Apply at: centerforisraeled.wufoo.com/forms/z17eulny17aksgp/
JEWISH EXPONENT
AUGUST 26, 2021
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