There is a quote from Rav Kook that resonates with me: "What is old shall be made new, and what is new shall be made holy."  

It speaks to our continuous evolution as individuals, as a community, and as a people. While we are always rooted in our traditions and values, growth and change are not only inevitable, but they are also to be embraced. 

That is why it has been so exciting to see the groundswell of support from donors to the Oshry | Kipnes Jewish Community Centre, especially since we launched our L'Chaim campaign to bring the building "to life". This moment feels different—there is a shared sense that now is the time to invest in our future.  

We were very fortunate to have several donors give in the very early stages, and we will be sharing them over the summer. The Bridge will be on a new schedule as we intersperse JCC stories and construction updates. 
 
Every donor has unique motivations. We have even heard from donors who have lived here for decades but are engaging with the community for the first time. What unites them is a strong belief in our future and a desire to help build it. 

Just this morning, our summer student, Caprice St. Pierre, and I were at Talmud Torah School chatting with parents about the centre over coffee and donuts, and it was great to see how many of them are looking forward to having a JCC. A few people asked about the location, and I would encourage you to take a drive by the building at 14205 - 109 Avenue. You can't go in yet, because extensive renovations are in progress, but it will open this winter. 

The Oshry | Kipnes JCC is for all of us—and it takes all of us to bring it to life.

If we are lucky, being part of building a new community institution happens once, maybe twice, in our lifetime. When it does, we must decide whether to count ourselves in or sit on the sidelines. The community we enjoy today was built by those who opted in, not out, and the same will be true of the community we are building. I invite you to join us and make a gift today.  

Many have asked what life inside the Oshry | Kipnes JCC will look like.  

Inside the Oshry | Kipnes JCC, you will find both new programs and familiar offerings returning home after years in spaces without a Jewish connection. 

For example, on the rooftop patio you might find a Sunday morning yoga class in the summer, PJ Library families sharing a meal in the community Sukkah, or young adults hosting a networking event.  

Inside, you will find Shalom Baby activities in the play space, clients meeting with Jewish Family Services in their satellite office, community members schmoozing over a nosh, while the Aviv Dancers rehearse in the social hall. BBYO teens will be gathering in the youth lounge, which has an adjacent space perfect for an art class or a child's birthday party, and around the corner is the PJ Library nook. We even have our first bar mitzvah booked in the social hall. 

In the years ahead, high school students will come through our doors for Holocaust education programs at the future Jewish Heritage and Holocaust Education Centre, rather than in a public library.  

The centre will also provide a safe and stable home to several Jewish community organizations.Prospective tenants include Jewish Federation, Temple Beth Ora, the Aviv Dancers, the Jewish Archives and Historical Society of Edmonton and Northern Alberta, Jewish Family Services, and others.

Every gift to the Oshry | Kipnes JCC will be put into an endowment fund to support the centre's operations and programming in perpetuity. 

We have the building: it is mortgage free, and generous capital gifts from Alissia and Michael Oshry and Irv Kipnes and family have supported the extensive renovations. Now, we need to make sure it can operate for the long term. Very simply, an endowment fund is like an investment account, with the annual interest used to support the centre’s ongoing programs and services. Your support today helps secure its future for generations. 

Knowing that the old JCC closed in large part because it became too expensive to operate, this creates a financially sustainable model for the future. 

The project is already being talked about in broader terms as part of a series of significant investments in community infrastructure across Western Canada that will impact Jewish life for generations to come.  That kind of multi-generational thinking brings Rav Kook’s words to life. 

The old doesn't become new on its own; a community must plan ahead with intention and build for the future. Only then does the new become so vital that we cherish and value it like something holy. I hope you will join us in building something new that will strengthen our community for generations. Learn more and be part of it.

Shabbat shalom,

Becky