The Marks JCH of Bensonhurst is a Jewish Community Center that’s been thriving in the heart of Brooklyn since 1927. In its mission, “As a center of a Jewish community life in Brooklyn for over 80 years, the Marks JCH of Bensonhurst provides meaningful, enjoyable programs and services for families and individuals in all stages of life. We are a communal gathering place where people can derive satisfaction from shared educational, cultural, and recreational experiences…We are an integral partner in the delivery of community-based, accessible social services that meet the present and emergent needs of our constituents. As part of this partnership, we value the collaboration of other community and citywide organizations to meet our goals. We respect our constituents and treat them with dignity. In order to increase the health and well-being of our constituents, we design programs and services that meet their expressed needs in a timely and responsive manner. We play an active role in the community-at-large including the public and private sector. Our doors are open to the multiple communities we serve and we pledge to a good neighbor, respecting the diversity of our constituents.”

In order to achieve these goals, the ‘J’ offers social services to immigrants and struggling low-income families by providing legal and educational help as well as financial assistance. Additionally, they offer a variety of educational programs for children, teens, and adults to help them grow and learn new skills. Most importantly, however, the ‘J’ keeps its doors open to all members of the community and allows them to congregate in sport, recreation, and community service.

I have personally witnessed the services that the JCH, also known as the ‘J’, has to offer. I started off as a volunteer for the Teen Advocacy Program in 2009, participated in the Photography Club and the Russian Literacy Club, attended a leadership camp over the summer, branched off into ‘Telem’, and it’s successor ‘We Are Family’ (Russian-Jewish Leadership Programs that sent its participants to Israel and Ukraine), worked as a summer camp counselor, and finished off as an afterschool counselor in 2012. Along the way, I’d participated in ‘ArtsFest’, a program that collaborates with the Maccabi Games, and have volunteered over 1000 hours of my time in soup kitchens, food pantries, and the like. The JCH has truly made a difference in my life and most definitely the lives of others. It encourages youth to play an active part in their community and builds a sense of responsibility and understanding.

Thus, I believe that this center is the perfect place to focus my article on. I am hoping to uncover how the neighborhood has impacted the ‘J’s community service aspects, how its programs have changed, and how it hopes to keep serving a changing neighborhood.