Fellow Members of The J,
Rarely do we have the opportunity to be part of a movement that can transform our community, but we have one soon, when The J hosts the JCC Maccabi Games®, July 31 – August 5.
The Maccabi Games is an international athletic competition for Jewish teens, and so much more. It’s an opportunity for young people to strengthen identities, to create and foster friendships, and to help identify future generations of community leaders. To fulfill the service component of the Games, the teens will pack 150,000 meals for The Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry and other St. Louis food pantries, so our entire community will experience the impact!
It is no small feat to pull off an event of this magnitude. It’s been a year-long, logistical challenge to coordinate travel and lodging, venues and volunteers, security and publicity, food and entertainment and much more. We will host more than 1,500 guests from as close as Kansas City and as far away as Israel. Thank you in advance for helping us to showcase St. Louis as a wonderful city, and our J as a model for building strong community and commitment to service.
Thank you, also, for understanding that accommodations must be made for hosting an event with so many moving parts. We have tried to organize the Games with minimal disruption to daily life at The J; however, because we will be hosting so many young people, we must increase security, and this will affect our members and program participants.
Please allow extra time to make your class or appointment during the week of July 31 – August 5. In addition, please make note of these schedule and procedural changes for the week:
- As always, you will be required to bring your key fob or photo ID with you on every visit, or we will not allow you in the building. It is also possible that you will be asked to show your ID in the parking lot.
- We will conduct bag security checks at the Fox Building/Chesterfield all week and at SFC on some days that week. Your bag will be tagged upon entering, and the tag will be removed when you leave.
- The Arts & Education Building at the Staenberg Family Complex/Creve Coeur will be closed to the public on Sunday, July 31.
- The indoor pool at the Fox Building/Chesterfield (including the whirlpool) will be closed August 1 – 4, 7:30am – 1pm (so, open to members from 5:30 – 7:30am and from 1– 9pm). “Fox only” members will be permitted to use the Staenberg Family Complex during this time.
- The outdoor pool at the Fox Building will be open from 1pm – 8pm, August 1 – 4.
- The gym at SFC/Creve Coeur will be closed Tuesday, August 2 – Wednesday, August 3 (all day).
- The indoor track at SFC/Creve Coeur will be closed on Wednesday, August 3 from 7:30am to 5pm.
- The indoor track at Fox/Chesterfield will be closed from 8am – 6pm, August 1-4.
- Parking will be limited at SFC/Creve Coeur on Tuesday, August 2 (the small parking lot near the Fitness & Wellness Building and the Early Childhood playground will be closed) and Wednesday, August 3.
- Parking will be limited or unavailable at the SFC Arts & Education Building on Sunday, July 31, Thursday, August 4 and Friday, August 5.
- The Staenberg Family Complex will close completely at 3pm on August 4. The Early Childhood Center and the Adult Day Center at the J will stay open until 5pm.
- J Day Camp families will receive separate instructions related to building access and carpool.
We hope our entire J family will get involved in the Maccabi Games. Many volunteer opportunities are still available, especially daytime slots. We need your help! To register as a volunteer, please visit maccabistlouis.org – if you need help doing so, contact Sheree Werner in the Maccabi office (swerner@jccstl.org or 314.442.3433) for assistance.
On behalf of the entire staff of the J, the committee members and volunteers, and local and visiting coaches and athletes who have prepared for months for the 2016 JCC Maccabi Games, I thank you for your support, understanding and cooperation during this life-changing event.
Sincerely,
Lynn Wittels
President & CEO