In The News

February 2023 Press Highlights

News + Announcements

Renaming The Center for Special Needs

May 8, 2024

A good name is preferable to great riches (Proverbs 22:1).

Dear Friends,

Names are powerful. We are imprinted with a name at birth, and most of us continue to use that name, or a version of it, throughout our lives. But sometimes, our names can feel restrictive; maybe we’ve outgrown a childhood nickname, or our given name simply doesn’t reflect the version of ourselves we wish to express to the world.

When we launched The Jack and Shirley Silver Center for Special Needs, our name reflected our mission to provide a social community of and for a small group of individuals and families with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual/developmental disabilities. We never imagined that our community would grow to represent thousands of participants, parents, siblings, caregivers, and professionals, each of whom has a unique, independent identity and their own relationship to disability yet are bound together by shared values of inclusion, equity, and belonging.

In the spirit of these shared values and in recognition of our community’s evolution and transformation, we are proud to share our new name: The Jack and Shirley Silver Center for Diverse Abilities. In recent years, feedback from our community indicating discomfort with the term “special needs” in our Center’s name prompted a series of meaningful conversations with participants, families, stakeholders, and professionals. Through these interactions, we gained valuable insights into how our name could more accurately represent the depth and breadth of our work and our commitment to fostering an inclusive environment where people feel represented, valued, and understood. The Center for Diverse Abilities welcomes people of all abilities and is proud to be part of a diverse and inclusive community.

As we move forward together, from strength to strength, we are grateful to each and every one of you for making this journey with us.

With gratitude,
Jack and Shirley Silver

Learn More | Support

Snow Day Class Changes for Tues, Feb 13, 2024

Feb 12, 2024

Dear Families,

Following the Mayor’s announcement that all NYC DOE schools will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, February 13, due to the impending snowstorm, our children’s classes will be canceled.

Drop-ins (Tummy Time, Wobbly Walkers, Crawlers Club) remain available.

The JCC is thrilled to share some exciting +  free “snow day” programs for our community!

VIEW SNOW DAY MOVIES + SPORTS PROGRAMS

Registration is required due to space limitations, and these are not drop-off programs—a parent/guardian must be on-site with your child.

For questions about children’s programs, please contact Kerin Robins krobins@mmjccm.org

The following classes, events, and programs have been canceled or changed to Virtual only:

Arts + Ideas
Canceled: All studio art classes (ceramics and painting)

Center for Jewish Living
Canceled: Off the Bimah
Virtual only: Makom Daily Drop in meditation

Center for Special Needs
Canceled: CORE
Virtual Only: Connections
Canceled: Adaptations 20s + 30s Dine Out

Tweens + Teens
Canceled: Joyful Journeys: Yoga for Teens

Wechsler Center for Modern Aging
Canceled: The Memory Project
Canceled: The JASA/JCC Senior Community Connection program
Canceled: Beginner Canasta

Health + Wellness
Canceled: 9 am Nia Jam (drop-in group exercise)
Virtual only: 9:30 am Pilates for Buff Bones w/Laura Altman
Canceled: 10 am Gentle Water Aerobics for Women Living with Cancer with Velia
Virtual Only: 11 am Balance + Bones Plus with Linda Rose
Virtual Only: Noon Positive Psychology Hour w/Phoebe & AnnMarie
Virtual Only 12:15 pm Yoga for Back Health with Jessica
Canceled: 1:45 pm Tai Chi for 60+ Level III Sec 1 with Aiki
Virtual Only: 3 pm Nia Brain/Body Fitness for PD with Caroline
Virtual Only: 4:15 pm Nia for Cancer Care with Caroline
Virtual Only: 6-8 pm Clutter Clearing Paper Series Marilyn
Canceled: 6:30 pm How to Get and Give a Great Massage
The JCC Health Club (including the Fitness Center, Pool, and Gymnasium) will open and operate with normal hours and an updated drop-in group exercise schedule

Personal services, including personal training, private swim, and massage, are decided on an individual basis. Please email personalservice@mmjccm.org for any assistance.

If you need further assistance, please email boxoffice@mmjccm.org or call 646-505-5708

A Letter to the Swim Community

Please join us in ensuring the JCC remains the most welcoming, respectful, and outstanding swim experience in the city. Please reacquaint yourself with JCC Swim Etiquette and our Aquatics Code of Conduct. The summer pool schedules can be found HERE.

Thank you to the hundreds of members who completed our recent pool survey. We are grateful for your overwhelmingly positive feedback about the way the JCC has ensured safe and continuous pool operations since reopening in October 2020. At every turn, the JCC has held the health, safety, and experience of our members at the forefront of each decision, and we will continue to do so.

POOL FAQ: WHAT TO EXPECT

Do I need any reservations at all for adult lap swim?
Effective June 28th, 2022, pool members will no longer need any advance booking or reservations, nor will the JCC accept any reservations, for general adult lap/open swim in the Main Pool and Training Pool. The member swim schedules can be found here.

What do I still need a reservation for?
Reservations will still be required for the newly added family swim spots on Saturdays and aquatic aerobics group exercise classes. All other children’s swim school, adult learn-to-swim programs, private swim, or other classes require advance registration as usual.

Where can I find the lap swim schedule?
The summer pool schedules will be posted on our website and on the pool deck. The JCC hours of operation are always found here.

Do I need to bring anything to the pool deck with me?
All swimmers will be required to check in by swiping your active, valid JCC Health Club or Pool Member ID card at the 6th floor pool deck to gain entry. Bring this with you to the pool deck. You will be able to leave it on the desk or please plan to store it with your belongings.

How do I check in for lap swim, exactly?
You will check in with your active, valid JCC Health Club or Pool Member ID card. Please remember that you should scan your ID once at the security desk in the lobby to gain access to the building. Then you will swipe again on the 6th floor pool deck to gain entry to the pools. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding that scanning in two places is important for the safety and security of our building.

How will you manage pool capacity and lanes? 
Pool capacity and lane speed management will be managed with the safety of our swimmers at the forefront of operations, every minute of the day. We will still maintain an average capacity of 25 swimmers in the pool during lap swim when 5 lanes are available; however, this will vary based on conditions as deemed appropriate by the lifeguards and aquatics staff.

What can I expect in terms of the number of swimmers sharing my lane?
Based on current usage patterns, you can expect an average of 4–5 swimmers in your lane depending upon the time of day. Historically, the morning hours are the busiest and the evening hours have the lightest usage.

Will I ever have to wait to swim?
Please be prepared that a lifeguard may ask you to wait a few minutes by the side of the pool if your preferred speed lane has reached maximum capacity. Your patience and cooperation are appreciated.

What about the Training Pool?
The training pool capacity will be 10 swimmers for all open swim times, with the exception of Calm Rehabilitative Hour (last hour of the evening) which is a time for those in our community who are living with, but not limited to, conditions affecting physical mobility. During this time, the Training Pool floor rises at the start and end of this hour to accommodate members, and capacity will be limited to approximately 4.

How do I learn about proper JCC Pool Swim Etiquette?
Please familiarize with this helpful page.

What is the JCC Aquatics Code of Conduct?
This code of conduct is an important reminder of the values that drive our community and the expectations of behavior and conduct for all individuals in the aquatics center.

What if I need assistance or have questions while at the pool?
As always, please find the nearest JCC lifeguard or Aquatics staff member. We are always happy to help and appreciate your deference to our safety protocols.

If you have questions or wish to provide additional feedback, kindly use this form (in lieu of emails or phone calls). For assistance with aquatics group exercise or family swim reservations, please email personalservice@mmjccm.org. To inquire about your membership account, please email membership@mmjccm.org.

Thank you for your cooperation and for exercising kindness, patience, and community values to your fellow swimmers and aquatics staff. We greatly appreciate your loyalty.

Best in health,

Todd Elkins, Chief Health + Wellness Officer
Melissa Donovan, COO, Health + Wellness
Carolina Stapleton, Senior Director, Aquatics

Rabbi Joanna Samuels to Become Next CEO

Sep 14, 2021

Dear Friends,

I am writing to announce that Rabbi Joanna Samuels will serve as the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan’s next Chief Executive Officer. Rabbi Samuels succeeds Rabbi Joy Levitt, who is retiring at the end of December after nearly 25 years of leadership at the JCC, including fourteen as CEO.

Rabbi Samuels’ professional credentials speak for themselves, but her selection goes beyond her bio. She is dedicated to Jewish communal life and has a broad vision of how to continue to build and strengthen our community on the Upper West Side and in Manhattan. She understands why living our values is the most important work we can be doing right now.

Rabbi Samuels is the Founding Executive Director of another great New York institution, the Manny Cantor Center, a part of Educational Alliance and a new model of a Jewish community center and settlement house. Before joining the Cantor Center, she served as the rabbi of Congregation Habonim here in New York. A nationally respected spiritual leader and social activist, Rabbi Samuels has worked as an advocate, strategist, and mentor for women’s advancement and gender equity in the Jewish community at Advancing Women Professionals. She is a graduate of Barnard College and received her rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she was a Wexner fellow; she was also the first female rabbi honored by the Drisha Institute.

As we celebrate this news, we applaud the incredible leadership from which the JCC has benefited under Rabbi Joy Levitt. During her tenure, we have grown into one of the largest JCCs in the country. Highlights of Joy’s time at the JCC include imagining and opening our 14-story, state-of-the-art building; overseeing the creation of groundbreaking programs such as Jewish Journeys, Adaptations, the Parkinson’s Wellness Program, and the ReelAbilities and Other Israel Film Festivals; as well as launching ten Centers of Excellence, JCC Harlem, and Camp Settoga. She’s also shepherded the JCC throughout the pandemic, responding to critical needs in the community and successfully pivoting JCC programming and events online in record numbers.

We are exceptionally fortunate to be going from strength to strength. I want to thank our Board Chair Emerita Sheryl Kaye and the entire search committee for their hard work and dedication. We look forward to all that is to come and are grateful for the support of the JCC Board, staff, and community.

Wishing you and your families a Shana Tovah, a year filled with happiness, health, and success,

Jeff Feig
Chair, Board of Directors

Announcements

A Letter to the Swim Community (June 27, 2022)
Facing It All in Elul (August 27, 2021)
JCC Vaccine Policy Update for Building Entry (August 18, 2021)
JCC Health Club Vaccine Mandate + Building Entry Update (August 11, 2021)
New JCC Health Club Updates (June 22, 2021)
New JCC Health Club Mask Policy (May 23, 2021)
Meet the 16 Over 61 (May 20, 2021)
Sharing Some Big News (April 13, 2021)
Onward and Upward (January 29, 2021)
Help Us Help You: Take Our Survey Today (January 22, 2021)
Not Throwing Away My Shot (January 15, 2021)
Announcing the 16 Over 61 Awards (January 14, 2021)
Writing the History of a Week (January 8, 2021)
The Fitness Center Reopened Today (September 21, 2020)
Choosing to See the Light (December 11, 2020)
How Do You Teach Empathy? (November 27, 2020)
Pool Capacity Increases Sun, Nov 15 (November 10, 2020)
JCC Expanded Hours + New Booking (October 30, 2020)
Have a Safe Workout at the JCC (October 16, 2020)
Pool Reopening: Make Your Reservation Now! (October 6, 2020)
The JCC Main Pool Reopens Next Week (October 2, 2020)
What Does It Mean To Be a Neighborhood? (August 21, 2020)
Fitness Center Reopening: Make Your Reservation Now (September 15, 2020)
Introducing the Wechsler Center for Modern Aging (September 10, 2020)
JCC Fitness Center Reopening Date (September 2, 2020)
The JCC is Getting Ready (August 18, 2020)
Reopening the JCC (July 22, 2020)
Celebrating Juneteenth (June 18, 2020)
As the Week Ends: (July 3, 2020)
We Look Forward to Seeing You, with Executive Director Rabbi Joy Levitt (June 9, 2020)
Grieving (June 3, 2020)
We Miss You (May 7, 2020)
Why Gratitude Matters Right Now (May 1, 2020)
The JCC Coronavirus Emergency Fund (April 7, 2020)
Coronavirus Update: JCC closed through April 19 (March 23, 2020)
Coronavirus Update: JCC closed through Mar 27 (March 12, 2020)
Coronavirus Update: JCC Closed (March 10, 2020)
Frequently Asked Questions (March 10, 2020)
JCC Coronavirus Update (March 6, 2020)
Coronavirus Prevention at the JCC (March 2, 2020)
7th Floor Construction is underway (Dec 20, 2019)

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