Greater Hartford Jewish Community Center records

Collection

Identifier: M 10

Scope and Contents

This collection contains a wide range of documents spanning all aspects of the Greater Hartford Jewish Community Center (Mandell JCC). Notable topics include programs, adult education, senior adults, and cultural arts. The collection also includes a significant amount of photographs which document the activities of the JCC.

Dates

Creation: 1950 - 2012

Historical note

The local "Y" groups disbanded in the late 1930s. Concerned for local youth, B'nai B'rith proposed in 1938 the formation of a community center, but it was not until 1942 that a Jewish Center Association was organized. Under the sponsorship of the United Jewish Social Service and the Community Chest, recreational programs were provided on Vine Street.

In 1948, the Jewish Federation, which had been organized in 1945, purchased a building on Asylum Avenue for a Community Center. Initially the Center concentrated on youth recreation at the Center itself, but gradually it expanded to a summer camp and activities for adults of all ages. In 1959, with an expanding membership and the westward movement of the Jewish population, the Community Center began planning for a new home. The Jewish Community Center on Bloomfield Avenue, designed by internationally acclaimed architect Walter Gropius, was completed in 1962. A major building addition was added in 1990.