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Asheville JCC

Latest News: What's Happening Around the JCC

Lead 3s Preschool Teacher

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Classification: Full-time, 40 hours/week, Monday–Friday, 12-months

Pay rate: $17-18/hr, depending on experience and credentials, with benefits

Full-time employees benefits include:

  • Paid sick, vacation, personal days
  • Paid holidays
  • JCC pool membership
  • Tuition discount for enrolled children

The JCC values professional development and growth for our early childhood professionals. We will help you secure tuition scholarship for accredited college courses in Early Childhood Education, up to a Master’s degree!

Position Summary: Shalom Children’s Center is a 5-star licensed early childhood education center. As a lead teacher, you will be part of the 3-4-year old classroom teaching team of 3 teachers. The lead teacher implements an emotionally responsive, developmentally appropriate play-based school day for a classroom of 15 children ages 3-4.

Principal Responsibilities

  • Collaborating with the teaching team in lesson planning based on an emergent curriculum
  • Documenting children’s developmental progress and interests
  • Building supportive relationships with families
  • Collaborating with the age-group POD team using a strengths-based approach.

Qualifications

  • ​NC Qualifying letter (criminal background check)
  • AA or BA in early childhood or related field, including ECE credential plus 22 hours coursework in ECE strongly preferred
  • At least 3 years of experience working with children in an early childhood setting
  • Excellent verbal communication skills
  • Demonstrated experience of emergent inquiry or Reggio-inspired approach preferred
  • Ability to physically lift and care for a child less than 40 lbs

Please e-mail HR@JCC-Ashevill.org for an application

JCC Kids Group Leader

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Classification:        Part-Time; Non-Exempt

Reports To:           Youth Director

Summary:             Group Leaders, under the supervision of the Youth and Teen Director, are responsible for caring for school age children in our pop. Counselors follow lesson plans developed by the Youth Director that fit into a variety of themes and include activities such as archery, crafting, and swimming.  Counselors enable children to develop friendships and expand their learning in a safe environment.

Qualifications:

Education:   
High school diploma not required

Experience/Skills:
Experience in working with and supervising school age children preferred
Knowledge of positive discipline techniques
Ability to communicate effectively and positively 

Principal Responsibilities:

  • Execute age-appropriate activities
  • Provide safe and engaging opportunities for play and special interest development
  • Provide constant supervision and take care of the children’s health, welfare, and safety
  • Implement positive discipline techniques
  • Build a sense of community among children and staff
  • Ensure that the program environment meets all state health, safety, and sanitation requirements
  • Develop activities and practices that promote the ideals and goals expressed in the JCC Kids and JCC mission, including fostering enthusiasm around Jewish celebrations
  • Develop relationships with and serve as contact point for parents and guardians, providing timely and relevant information about their children’s participation in the program
  • Maintain all written documentation as required by state licensing guidelines
  • Attend any required trainings

Please e-mail HR@JCC-Ashevill.org for an application

When you think of the JCC, what special people come to mind?

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In Yiddish, “mensch” roughly means “a good person.”
The word has migrated into American English,
where “mensch” is a particularly good or stand-up person,
someone with the qualities one would hope for in a friend.

You are invited to nominate a mensch (or two) for the Asheville JCC’s 2022 recognition awards: the Phil Cohen Outstanding Volunteer and the JCC Employee of the Year. Awardees will be honored at the JCC’s annual membership meeting in September. Nominations are due by Monday, August 15.

Phil Cohen Outstanding Volunteer Award

A community member who exemplifies the best of JCC volunteerism and a sense of caring and responsibility for others. Click here to submit your nomination for Phil Cohen Outstanding Volunteer. Note that board members are not eligible as Volunteers of the Year.

JCC Employee of the Year Award

A JCC employee who models outstanding achievement, performance, creative contributions, leadership or improvement. Click here to submit your nomination for Employee of the Year. Note that director-level staff are not eligible for Employee of the Year.

 

Past Volunteers of the Year

  • 1997 Phil Cohen, Jules & Cele Resnick
  • 2007 Jeremiah Mattysse, Bubbe Carol
  • 2008 Shalom Bubbe Brigade, Laurie Johnson
  • 2009 Mort Stein
  • 2010 Rania Shlien-Dellinger
  • 2011 Marti Biller
  • 2012 Rosie Posie, Claire Orenzow
  • 2013 Patricia Connolly
  • 2014 Suanne Faber, Jane Kramer
  • 2015 Carol Wenom and Amy Silverman
  • 2016 Ed Fidelman
  • 2017 Amber Baseman
  • 2018 Michael Fields
  • 2020 Susan Leader
  • 2021 Sherrill Knight
  • 2022 Terri Berndt and Adam Rosen

Past Employees of the Year

  • 2007 Catherine Brockwell
  • 2008 Joe Howard
  • 2009 Lauren Katz
  • 2010 Entire JCC Staff
  • 2011 Haley Brockwell and Leigh Schuller
  • 2012 Lois Mills
  • 2013 Mitra Hoehne
  • 2014 Tami Gross and Susan Zimmermann
  • 2015 Carolyn Myers
  • 2016 Gina Groomes, Carolyn Maillis, Paige Tisdale
  • 2017 Monica McDaniel
  • 2018 Haviva Dror
  • 2019 Karla Johnson
  • 2020 Brook Hudson and Zequoia Jordan
  • 2021 Maria Adcock and Ray Hanners
  • 2022 Justin Greenbaum, Janne “Nana” Leonard, and Aislinn McShane

Volunteering at the Veterans Restoration Quarters

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By Evie Lindemann

I reached into a tall plastic bin and scooped out a sizable portion of mashed potatoes with an industrial size spoon. In front of me was a rectangular pan laden with the makings of Shepherd’s Pie, chunks of ground beef, carrots, and other chopped vegetables. When I plopped the cloud-like scoops over the top of the pan, I noticed that they resembled football-shaped mounds. My guide in this endeavor was Sean, a combat veteran who had served in the field in Afghanistan. He wore a greying and frayed hat that had the insignia of where he had served. I confirmed this with him through a gentle question about it. His affirmative response gave me a new respect for him; I was struck by his affable and friendly communication and the way he looked me in the eye when he spoke.

I had worked with combat veterans in Connecticut when I was a professor in a graduate program of art therapy, and I was well aware of the cost of war on combat veterans, some of whom rarely spoke, or had fits of fury, or drank coffee all night so they would not fall asleep and have nightmares. Some of them had lost all connection with their families because of the ghost-like presence of their old memories. And standing near me was Sean, able to give me clear instructions with a friendly tone. He even began asking me for help. As it turned out, he was not trained as a chef, but was nonetheless in the position of managing the kitchen and following recipes. He had put too much liquid into the Shepherd’s Pie, and it now resembled soup. He brought over an enormous can of corn starch for me to thicken the mix. We worked together, and in the end, produced three large pans of Shepherd’s Pie, all with mashed potatoes and grated cheese on top. My truth was that I had never made this dish, but I love cooking and working with spices, and it was easy for me to join with him in a project neither of us knew much about.

I ended up volunteering in this kitchen because of a project called the Veterans Restoration Project (VRQ), which houses over a hundred veterans in various stages of transition to a life outside of this structure. These men are seeking permanent housing and employment. Some have experienced trauma. The aim of the program at VRQ is to help veterans get back on their feet, and there are many opportunities to serve other than creating meals for veterans.

One of the men I met in the kitchen, a volunteer from the JCC who prepared the mashed potatoes, had served in Vietnam. In a long conversation with his wife, with whom I sprayed and cleaned dining tables at the site, I discovered they had both survived cancer treatments, and were now here together, donating their time. I counted about eight other JCC volunteers working in the kitchen, each with a different story leading them to volunteer. Our team was organized by Mena Kates, a dedicated woman who sends a monthly reach out to ask for help. When the original organizer was no longer able to continue with the program, Mena agreed to take it on. The larger umbrella organization that funds this effort is a group called ABCCM, a Christian ministry organization. To me, the beauty of the project lays in the intersection of a Christian ministry and the JCC.  These connections—the ones that stretch beyond our personal belief systems—create collaborative good will that helps us all.

One of the first things I did when I moved to Asheville, two months before the start of the Pandemic, was become a member of the JCC. The JCC pool and its dedicated staff became my COVID family when I was a newcomer. And now, several years later, an opportunity to contribute to the well-being of the veteran population is being encouraged by the JCC. My wish for all of us is that we identify our talents and see where we can offer them to the larger world.

Evie Lindeman
Image via ashevillemade.com

Kudos to the volunteers from the JCC and Congregation Beth HaTephila for serving our local veterans.  Want to volunteer? The Veterans Restoration Project (VRQ) will need more volunteers this winter.  To get involved with VRQ or Transition Village, contact Mena Kates mlk8s200@gmail.com.

Jewish Camp Resources 2022

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Are you ready for 2022 summer camp? Here are some great opportunities to check out!

One Happy Camper

Foundation for Jewish Camps’ directory for Jewish camps across the US. Scholarships are available through their website here.

Ramah Darom

A Jewish sleepaway camp offering $3,000 scholarships for a camper’s first three summers there. This camp is exclusive to children being raised Jewish. Click here for more information.


PJ Goes to Camp

PJ Library’s camp scholarship fund, awarding up to $1,000 per child to fund Jewish overnight camp tuition. Learn more here.