The JCC has a rich history that dates back 90 years.
In 1915, the Talmud Torah building on Pleasant Street was the site of the Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association. The YM & YWHA maintained a Sunday school and offered a program of social, educational, and athletic activities, as well as courses in Hebrew, Bible and Jewish history.
In 1928 the Hartford Y closed its doors briefly and relocated to rented facilities at 320 Ann Street. Among its varied programs was a strong concentration on athletics, which produced a number of city and state championships in the 1920’s and early 1930’s. The powerful Depression which had gripped the country, however, finally laid claim to the Y. In the mid 1930’s the organization closed its doors.
The Jewish Center Association (formerly the “Y”) surfaced again in the early 1940’s, this time at the Jewish Social Service, 91 Vine Street. A program of after-school clubs and activities for youngsters not quite old enough for military service was developed. Athletics took place in parks and rented gymnasia.
The program flourished and in 1949, the Center made a major move to a converted mansion at 1015 Asylum Avenue. It was from this facility that, in the mid 1950’s, the Ann Randall Arts Committee launched its rich and comprehensive program in the arts. During the same period, the Center’s day camp, which had been using local park facilities, expanded to the operation of Camp Sholom in New Hartford.
By the late 1950’s, with membership at an all time high and programs and services ever expanding, the search for a larger Center home was underway. In 1959, land was purchased for the new building, located at 335 Bloomfield Avenue in West Hartford. The building was dedicated in 1962.
In the 1980’s, community needs and priorities began to outstrip the capacity of the Center facility. In the fall of 1990 the Center completed the first part of a major expansion and renovation of the facility. The total project was completed six months later. This is the building which is home to the Mandell Jewish Community Center to this day.
The Center is a significant force in the life of the Greater Hartford community. It is a place where children and teens, singles, seniors and families can make new friends, develop new skills, explore new interests and strengthen their Jewish identity. It is a place that entices people to bend and stretch…to firm up, tune in and reach out. It is a place that, after 90 years, is still alive with activity.
