95 Years of History

We recently celebrated the JCC of Staten Island’s 95th birthday. As the JCC turned 95, we reflected back on the milestones the organization has achieved over the years.

Starting from humble beginnings, the JCC has grown tremendously over the past 95 years. When we first opened the beautiful bronze doors of the Isador Aberlin/North Shore JCC in 1929, the organization’s mission was to provide a home for the Jewish community—providing social, recreational, and educational activities where people of all races and religions would feel welcome. Throughout the years, the JCC has truly lived up to its name as a “Community Center,” serving people from diverse communities.

​As time passed, the JCC added more programs to suit the growing needs of Staten Islanders, many of which continue today. Day camp began in 1932, and despite the influence of new technologies, campers still enjoy the simple pleasures of the outdoors with us every summer.

We can be proud that we have become a “tradition” for many families across the Island. Some of our campers have parents—and even grandparents—who also attended camp!

Our first Early Childhood Education class started in 1960, and we added the First Foot Forward program, a preschool for children with special needs, in the ’80s. Our Dorothy Delson Kuhn Music Institute recently celebrated 50 years of teaching the joy of music to people of all ages.

Over time, the JCC had to expand physically to accommodate all these programs—adding the Nancy & Ron Avis/South Shore Building in the 1980s, followed by the Joan & Alan Bernikow Building in the ’00s. Recently, we opened the Berman Early Childhood Education Center and the JCC Early Childhood Education Center at Temple Israel to help bring early childhood education to even more kids. 

JCC programming is now in 31 sites throughout Staten Island, reaching nearly every community in the borough. The founders of the JCC likely would be shocked if they saw the breadth and scope of our current programming!

We are proud to continue to extend our programming and reach people of all walks of life throughout our borough—from children to seniors and everyone in between. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for the JCC!

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Through The Years