Weekly CenterScene

Tevye, Golde, and the whole family return to the stage this year in Gallery Players’ March musical production of Fiddler on the Roof. Bring your family and bring back all your memories as the JCC brings Anatevka to life in the Roth/Resler Theater. The 2013 production, running March 2-17, will be the sixth Fiddler on the Roof performance that Gallery Players has staged in its 65-year history. “We thought, let’s use a show about tradition to celebrate the JCC’s tradition,” said Jared Saltman, Gallery Players Managing and Artistic Director.

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Purchase tickets  »

View full-size flyer (PDF) »

Make sure you know everything—past, present, and for this upcoming year—about the JCC’s 100th birthday celebration. It’s in the first issue of CENTENNIAL. Learn about the earliest days of the JCC. Hear from our past presidents. Explore the tradition of Fiddler on the Roof. Feel the magic of JCC summer camps. See how your capital campaign dollars are hard at work for the community. And don’t miss the list of all the events planned for this exciting year!

Click below to view CENTENNIAL online or pick up a hard copy at the JCC.

View CENTENNIAL  »

We have walls! The new addition is taking shape. If you’re interested in seeing day-to-day progress, “like” us on Facebook for construction photos and updates. We’re busy inside too. A few changes this week will make way for the exciting evolution of the Diamond Family Fitness Center. We are trying to keep the shuffling to a minimum, and we do appreciate your patience with any inconvenience this brings you.

Some weight equipment moving into Racquetball Court 2
• The weight equipment being moved will be unavailable Friday,
February 22 at noon, until Saturday, February 23, when we
reopen at 1:30 pm.
• Racquetball Court 2 is now unavailable.

Yoga moving upstairs to dance studio
• Beginning Monday, February 25, yoga classes will be relocating
upstairs to the 2nd floor in the dance studio.
• No yoga classes are going away.

Babysitting moving upstairs to room 306
• Beginning Monday, February 25, babysitting will be relocating
upstairs to the 2nd floor, room 306.
• All babysitting services/hours will remain the same.

**Please obey the right-turn-only traffic sign as you exit onto College Avenue, and remember to use extra caution in the parking lot. Construction vehicles are moving through the lot throughout the day.

For every member, there is a different story. We'll be collecting—and sharing—your 100-word stories all year. We want to hear about your memories, moments, and mazel tovs. Please help us remember the last 100 years through your eyes.

Dina Cieplinski’s Story
Trying to pull open the old building’s heavy doors when I was 3 or 4 is my earliest memory of the JCC. I remember the excitement of bowling there, and, during the construction, I remember feeling perplexed about why they needed a newer building. The JCC has changed much but is still the place to be. More recently, I became a member to use the fitness center. I was coming to the JCC so much that I started thinking, “Maybe I should work here?” I am so happy I made the decision, two years ago, to work for the JCC.

Cheri Friedman’s Story
I would not be here if it were not for the JCC. My parents met on the bowling alley steps in the 1950s. My father, Marty Hoffman, the youngest of 12 children, attended Camp Schonthal. Tod and I attended preschool at the JCC. We participated in Sunday Fundays, summer camp, BBYO, and consider JCC to be our second home. Our children, JCC 4th generation, are following in our footsteps. Health and fitness, Jewish programs and celebrations are among the many programs we enjoy as a family.

Tell us your JCC story »

Generation after generation, families have sent their children to preschool at the Columbus JCC since the preschool first opened in 1951. If you or your family attended JCC preschool and you continued the tradition by sending your children or grandchildren, we’d love to hear from you. Please email Felicity Nesham-West at fneshamwest@columbusjcc.org and let us know your family’s name and the names of the former and/or current preschoolers in your family.

Purim begins at sunset on February 23 (14th day of Adar) and Shushan Purim is Monday, February 25, 2013. The 14th of Adar is the day that Haman chose for the extermination of the Jews. It is said Shushan Purim is celebrated on the 15th of the month because the fight against anti-Semites in the walled capital city of Shushan, the city in which King Ahasuerus lived, took a day longer than in the rural areas.

We celebrate Purim by:
• Reading Megillat Esther, (Scroll of Esther)
• Mishloach Manot - Sending food to friends - baskets filled with
fruit, nuts, and sweets
• Matanot L'evyonim - Giving gifts to the poor and giving to those
less fortunate then you are
• Enjoying a Purim Seuda - meal
• Dressing in costumes of the characters in the story
• Baking and eating Hamentaschen - special cookies that are
shaped like Haman’s hat

Read more  »

Mondays; March 4, 11 & 18; 6:30-8:30pm

Discover TAPP Express! Join other parents for a 3-session parenting class at JCC New Albany.

These sessions will teach parents about Discipline v. Punishment, Roadblocks to Communication, Self-fulfilling Prophecy, Role Modeling, Global Praise v. Specific Praise, Whose Problem Is It?, Language of Description.

Childcare will be provided! Please register by Friday, February 22nd. Minimum registration is required to hold the class.

The cost of this program is: $85/person or $150/couple for JCC Members or $95/person or $160/couple for non-members. This registration cost covers one copy of "The Art of Positive Parenting" by Mickey Tobin per couple, childcare, and snacks. All are welcome to register.

Please contact Becca Nitzberg for registration materials at bnitzberg@columbusjcc.org or 559-6215. JCC New Albany is located at 150 E. Granville Rd in New Albany. 

Looking for a creative way to get your children excited for the upcoming holiday of Passover? Look no further!

J-Reach will hold the 2nd Annual Chocolate Seder at JCC New Albany! This ceremonial "meal" will begin March 17th at 3:30pm and will feature chocolate substitutes for the traditional Seder Plate foods. This family-friendly (and delicious!) program will be led by Northeast-area parent and elementary school teacher, Cheryl Agranoff!

The Chocolate Seder will be followed by an hour or so of Open Gym, and a screening of a family-friendly Passover movie. Join us for an afternoon of fun, sweets, sports, and Passover!

Admission to the Chocolate Seder is $5/person; $20/max for families! Please RSVP with Becca by Wednesday, March 13 at bnitzberg@columbusjcc.org. JCC New Albany is located at 150 E. Granville Rd in New Albany.