H eadlines
Kaiserman JCC Develops Plan for Future
L OCA L
JARRAD SAFFREN | JE STAFF
KAISERMAN JCC CEO Alan
Scher started his role in July
and said it would take three
functioning businesses to
sustain the institution.

More than four months
into his tenure, though, the
leader of the last true JCC in
Southeastern Pennsylvania is
expanding his vision.

“Our strategic plan has
multiple business and revenue
streams, so we can be the
thriving JCC that is the only
game in town,” Scher said. “We
want to serve our little corner
of the Main Line but increas-
ingly serve beyond, too.”
The Wynnewood facility
already has two thriving
business models. Its camp,
Camp Kef, welcomed between
450 and 465 kids this past
summer, its highest number in
years, according to Scher. And
the JCC’s preschool, the Robert
J. Wilf Preschool, has more
students than ever in 2021-’22.

In addition to those models,
Kaiserman has a deep bank
account right now, Scher said.

Thanks to Scher’s predecessor,
Amy Krulik, it got generous
Alan Scher
donations from longtime
benefactors during
the pandemic. It also received a
chunk of state and federal aid.

Going into the new year, JCC
officials don’t need to worry
about just paying employees
and covering operating costs
next month. That means, as
Scher explained, the leadership
can think big.

“We can pause and ask our
stakeholders who we want to
be 5-10 years from now,” he
said. The first part of that answer
is the camp and preschool. The
second part starts in a place
that used to define the JCC:
fitness. Courtesy of the Kaiserman JCC
But the new fitness model is
not like the old one. Instead of
operating as a workout facility,
Kaiserman is focusing on
fitness classes for older adults.

In the fall, a group of older
area residents told Scher they
weren’t being served by local
gyms. He responded by adding
classes in senior fitness, strength
and core training and functional
fitness for everyday living.

He said all three are at
capacity with 20 people in each
class. The JCC is even turning
people away, Scher added.

“Older adults are coming
in every day and saying Life
Time (Fitness) isn’t for me.

The Haverford Y isn’t for me,”
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JEWISH EXPONENT
The Kaiserman JCC in Wynnewood 
he said.

In-person classes are not
the only workout options at
Kaiserman. There are youth
basketball leagues for boys and
girls, adult basketball leagues
and a seasonal pool.

Beyond fitness, Scher is
investing in cultural events
and local partnerships.

On Nov. 21, Kaiserman
hosted a talk by a Jewish
children’s book author. On
Dec. 4, the JCC will hold a
Chanukah festival.

Between now and the spring,
the Wynnewood facility will
revitalize its baseball fields.

Then, come spring, it will
partner with the Lower Merion
Little League to host games
and practices.

That alliance should deepen
the JCC’s existing reputation
for youth development in
person, beyond screens. And
so will two others, Scher said
The Diller Teen Fellows
program will teach teens
how to be leaders and how
to connect with their Jewish
roots. And a New York-based
group called K’ilu Kit will use
theatrical methods to help
families teach Jewish values in
the home.

“We’re increasingly
positioning ourselves to serve
youth and families,” Scher said.

But to truly expand beyond
the three-business model
approach, the CEO knows he’ll
have to appeal to more people.

Courtesy of Janine Nelson
That’s why, in partnership
with the Jewish Federation
of Greater Philadelphia,
Kaiserman is starting up J on
the Way, an initiative to spread
the word about the JCC beyond
the Main Line.

Scher said the Jewish
Federation identified the
regions in the area with the
most Jews and the least amount
of Jewish programming. The
search pinpointed West
Philadelphia and northern
Delaware County.

The JCC is going to send a
representative to those commu-
nities to talk to residents and to
figure out “how we can serve
them,” Scher said.

If it works, Kaiserman will
become more than just your
neighborhood JCC — it will
become a regional institution.

It’s an ambitious vision, but
one that Scher embraces.

He said he wants multiple
preschools and more field
renovations, fitness classes,
community partners and
member populations. He might
even bring back the workout
room at some point.

“A year from now, two years
from now, maybe we will have
rebuilt our soccer field, our
tennis courts, our splash pad
at our pool,” he said. “In that
scenario, what will it look like
to have a gym?” l
jsaffren@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0740
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



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