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Jewish Community Centers of Greater Philadelphia Records
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Held at: Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The Jewish Community Centers (JCC) of Greater Philadelphia operated community and senior centers at locations throughout the city. The centers provided educational, cultural, and social opportunities to Philadelphians regardless of race, creed, or national origin. Formally dissolved in 2009, the organization traced its roots back to the founding of the Young Men's Hebrew Association (YMHA) in 1875.
The YMHA was founded in 1875 to provide Jewish men with educational, entertainment, and social opportunities. Women had limited participation in YMHA activities until 1920, when a separate YWHA was formed. The two organizations soon shared facilities, and officially merged in 1924 to form the Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association (YM-YWHA). The YM-YWHA offered numerous clubs, athletic leagues, and educational opportunities. They also established summer camps in the Philadelphia suburbs, including Camp Reeta and Camp Arthur, which operated from 1926 to the mid-1990s. The YM-YWHA established many branches over the course of its operation and was affiliated with several similar organizations. The main clubhouse changed address as the organization grew, and at various times was located at included Broad and Spring Garden Streets, 933 North Broad Street, and 1616 Master Street. In 1924, a permanent home for the organization was constructed at Broad and Pine Streets. The YM-YWHA continued as an independent organization until 1965, when it merged with the Neighborhood Centre.
The Neighborhood Center was a community service organization and settlement house established in 1885 as the Young Women's Union (YWU). The YWU was organized to operate a kindergarten and to aid children of Eastern European Jewish immigrants settling in Philadelphia. In 1918, the YWU reincorporated as the Neighborhood Centre. Programming at the center included youth canteens, various hobby clubs, holiday camps, musical events, and classes in art, music, and drama. In the 1960s, the similarity between the programming of the Neighborhood Centre and the YM-YWHA became apparent. Both organizations served all religious and ethnic groups in the neighborhoods they were located. Both had athletic facilities, and served children, adults, and the elderly equally; and both received funding from the United Way and the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. In 1965, the YM-YWHA merged with the Neighborhood Centre to form the Jewish Ys and Centers (JYC) of Greater Philadelphia.
From 1965 to 1984, the Jewish Ys and Centers (JYC) of Greater Philadelphia flourished. During this period of time, new branches were established on the outskirts of Philadelphia, reflecting the movement of the city's Jewish population. In 1975, the new Raymond and Miriam Klein branch was established in Northeast Philadelphia. The former Northeast branch, called the Neighborhood Centre, became the David G. Neuman Senior Center. In 1976, the JYC's Western branch was dedicated as the Kevy K. and Hortense M. Kaiserman branch. The YM-YWHA branch remained at Broad and Pine Streets, as did the Multi-Service Center South branch at Marshall and Porter Streets.
In 1984, the JYC reincorporated as the Jewish Community Centers (JCC) of Greater Philadelphia. In 1985, the YM-YWHA branch was renamed the Gershman Y. That same year, arson damaged the Multi-Service Center South, and, in 1987, the renovated building reopened as the Jacob and Esther Stiffel Senior Center. Organizational changes occurred again in 2000, when the University of the Arts purchased the Gershman Y. The university closed the Y's fitness center, pool, and nursery, and the center transitioned to a community cultural and arts center. A few years later, the organization's two senior centers merged with the Klein Jewish Community Center, and the Neuman Senior Center was closed. In 2009, the board voted to dissolve the JCC umbrella organization due to funding issues. Two years later, the Stiffel Senior Center closed. The Gershman Y, the Kaiserman Jewish Community Center, and the Klein Jewish Community Center remained open as three separate legal entities.
Chronology of the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Philadelphia:
1875 - Young Men's Hebrew Association (YMHA) founded
1885 - Young Women's Union (YWU) established
1918 - YWU reincorporates as the Neighborhood Centre
1920 - Young Women's Hebrew Association (YWHA) founded
1924 - YMHA and YWHA merge to form the Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association (YM-YWHA)
1965 - Neighborhood Centre mergers with YM-YWHA to form the Jewish Ys and Centers (JYC) and Greater Philadelphia
1975 - Raymond and Miriam Klein Jewish Community Center founded in Northeast Philadelphia
1976 - Kevy K. and Hortense M. Kaiserman Jewish Community Center dedicated in West Philadelphia
1977 - Northeast Branch (Neighborhood Centre) becomes David G. Neuman Senior Center
1984 - JYC reincorporates as the Jewish Community Centers (JCC) of Greater Philadelphia
1985 - YM-YWHA branch rededicated as the Gershman Y
1987 - Multi-Service Center South officially renamed Jacob and Esther Stiffel Senior Center
2000 - University of the Arts purchases the Gershman Y building
2003 - David G. Neuman Senior Center merges with Klein branch
2009 - JCCs legally dissolve and the Gershman Y, Klein JCC, and Kaiserman JCC become separate entities
2011- Jacob and Esther Stiffel Senior Center closes
This collection contains administrative records of the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Philadelphia (JCC) and its predecessor organizations, dating from 1875 to 1990. Materials include committee meeting minutes, correspondence, and reports from the Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association (YM-YWHA), Neighborhood Centre, Jewish Ys and Centers (JYC) of Greater Philadelphia, and the JCC.
Series 2: Neighborhood Centre records, 1896-1965
Series 3: Jewish Ys and Centers (JYC) of Greater Philadelphia records, 1963-1984, undated
Series 4: Jewish Community Centers of Greater Philadelphia records, 1984-1990
Donated by the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Philadelphia in 1999. Collection previously administered by the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center, acquired by Temple in June 2009.
Collection processed and finding aid prepared in July 2015 by Jenna Marrone, Project Archivist.
Organization
Subject
- Day camps -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
- Jewish community centers -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
- Senior centers
Place
- Publisher
- Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center
- Finding Aid Author
- Machine-readable finding aid created by: Rajkumar Natarajan, Sky Global Services India (P) Ltd.
- Finding Aid Date
- May 2024
- Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
-
The Jewish Community Centers of Greater Philadelphia Records are the physical property of the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. Intellectual property rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for determining the identity of rights holders and obtaining their permission for publication and for other purposes where stated.
Collection Inventory
Series 1: Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association (YM-YWHA) records, 1875-1965, undated, contains the meeting minutes, correspondence, and reports of the organization's Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and related committees. This series also includes meeting minutes from annual meetings, as well as from the YM-YWHA's camp program. Materials in this series dated prior to the merger of the YMHA and YWHA in 1924 were created by the YMHA; all subsequent records reflect the merged organization. This series also contains documents related to the organization's merger with the Neighborhood Centre in 1965. This series is arranged alphabetically by type of material, and then chronologically.
Series 2: Neighborhood Centre records, 1896-1965, contains materials created by the Neighborhood Centre prior to its merger with the YM-YWHA. Materials include committee meeting minutes, correspondence, and reports, as well as annual meeting minutes and reports. Materials that predate the Neighborhood Centre's incorporation in 1918 can be attributed to the Young Women's Union (YWU), the Neighborhood Centre's predecessor organization. This series is arranged alphabetically by type of material, and then chronologically.
Series 3: Jewish Ys and Centers (JYC) of Greater Philadelphia records, 1963-1984, undated, contains Board of Directors and Executive Committee meeting minutes, annual meeting minutes, correspondence, and reports. This series also includes Board of Directors meeting minutes from the various branches of the Jewish Ys and Centers, as well as monthly membership statistics for each branch. This series is arranged alphabetically by type of material, and then chronologically.
Series 4: Jewish Community Centers (JCC) of Greater Philadelphia records, 1984-1990, contains Board of Directors and Executive Committee meeting minutes, and reports. This series is arranged alphabetically by type of material, and then chronologically.