There are now 125 Jewish Community Centers and YM-YWHAs–more than one-third of the 355 affiliated with the National Jewish Welfare Board–conducting regular recreational, cultural and social programs for older adults or senior citizens, it is reported today by the National Jewish Welfare Board.
The 125 centers sponsoring activities for senior citizens conduct 135 different programs serving 20,000 people. These represent seven percent of the potential Jewish older adults living in the communities served by the 125 centers. The study points out that these programs are now becoming year-round operations, with 64 of the centers continuing their activities through the summer and 21 offering camping programs for older adults,
The study establishes that nearly one-third of all centers affiliated with JWB had more than half of the Jewish population in their communities enrolled as members. Twenty-five percent of the centers had between 30 and 49 percent of the Jewish population enrolled. In one-sixth of the centers–excluding New York City–at least 70 percent of the Jewish population in the community were center members. The smaller the community, the larger the proportion of the Jewish population on the center’s rolls, the study shows.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
