Edmonton JCC announces its new name: The Oshry Kipnes JCC

By Regan Lipes

(AJNews) – It is with the utmost pleasure and immeasurable gratitude that the Jewish Federation of Edmonton announces that the new Edmonton JCC will be named in honour of Alissia and Michael Oshry, and the Kipnes family for their abundantly generous monetary donations. “What the Oshry and Kipnes families have given is so incredible, and it’s making all of this possible,” expresses Jewish Federation of Edmonton’s CEO Stacey Leavitt-Wright with humility and gratitude. Maintaining the JCC facility in perpetuity needs to be part of the strategic plan, and thanks to a sizeable donation by Arliss Miller, there is now a seeded endowment that will contribute to the upkeep and ongoing operational costs of the JCC.

The long-anticipated Edmonton Jewish Community Centre will soon be a full-blown reality. Construction efforts are in motion, and what was an image conjured in the imaginations of dedicated volunteers, is gradually becoming a tangible realization of a dream. “We are so excited,” emphasized Leavitt-Wright. “But with this excitement, I keep coming back to all the hours of donated time, and how many years in the making this process has been.” Leavitt-Wright spoke with Alberta Jewish News to highlight the tremendous work that has gone into the JCC project over the past two decades.

“In some ways this undertaking goes back even further,” explained Reeva Parker, a member of the initial committee that recommended to sell the previous JCC building. “When we first began our process, we weren’t set on selling, but there was a need to evaluate how this huge space was being utilized, or under utilized. Maintaining that kind of facility takes resources, and if the space isn’t being used to the fullest, then we realized that perhaps we needed a smaller space.” Parker expressed to AJN that the decision was not an easy one. She has fond memories of the old JCC. “We needed to consider what would be practical and sustainable for our community’s needs and wants,” she concluded.

Parker recalls all the information gathering, and collection of community input. “I had ARC boxes full of all the notes we had taken listening to community members,” she recalled. Then, it was time to hand the torch to a new team of volunteers. “I think we need to realize that so many people’s efforts went into bringing us to this point,” said Leavitt-Wright. “Everyone loves our Jewish community, and this outpour of volunteer hours really shows how committed everyone is to build our community – not just for today, but for future generations.”

The next incarnation of the JCC planning committee began its work in late 2015.  “This was round two of deliberations, and this group specifically dealt with looking at two possible sites: Talmud Torah and Beth Israel. Ultimately the decision was to not proceed with either location, which brought us to the next stage of the process which began in 2023.”

Lisa Miller remembers that this was a monumental task of consulting with the community: “After the facilities committee determined the type of building and location, they brought forward the idea of purchasing the old Boy Scouts building in January 2024. After the purchase, new rounds of community consultations began.”  The team was entrusted with listening to all suggestions, no matter how extravagant. “People were asking for everything,” she chuckled. “Chocolate fountains – I mean, we could potentially have a chocolate fountain for an event, but obviously that wasn’t going to happen on a permanent basis. My point is, jokes aside, that we needed to get a full picture of what our community was looking for from their JCC.”

This committee held countless ‘parlor discussions’ open to all of Jewish Edmonton – their task: listening and fact-finding. “Different generations wanted different things, and we quickly began to see that we needed a space that would reflect some diverse asks.”  Miller and her cohort of volunteers noted that a full physical recreational facility would be costly to maintain, and duplicate existing establishments. “People voiced that they want a gathering space,” she emphasized. Leavitt-Wright elaborated: “We knew we needed a JCC that could serve the needs of families with young children, like our PJ Library programing, adults, and seniors.”

The current site took time to find. “We had to find a location that would be the right fit,” explained Karen Leibovici. “We had to think about accessibility, we looked at public transportation routes, thought about distance from core infrastructure, and definitely security.”  The committee, chaired by Leibovici, considered everything that the previous group identified as essential, and began scouting out locations.  “We actually found, based on Statistics Canada’s census, that many younger Jewish families aren’t settling in the West End, but a bit further out; that’s what made this location ideal.” The team voted to purchase the land and building, continuing the inspired momentum of the volunteers that came before them.

Leibovici leads the committee in its next phase of the process, that is currently underway.  She explained that further community consultations were conducted to come up with the design for the building’s interior, and that this was extensive.  “The building, even when we purchased it from the previous owner, was already completely gutted,” she explained. “Which has made our job much easier. We hired Marshall Hundert as our Project Manager, and now there’s active progress being made. We have an excellent design from Mode Architecture, and piece by piece the new JCC is coming together,” she concluded was excitement.

“I’m an Edmontonian born and raised,” said Miller. “And we knew from our consultations with community, that everyone, regardless of observance, knew we needed a Jewish space. We have newcomers to the community, and we want the JCC to be that ‘go to’ destination when people make Edmonton their home,” she emphasized.

“Yes,” added Leavitt-Wright. “I remember first coming to Edmonton when my husband was being recruited for work.  I told the driver that I wanted to go straight to the address of the old JCC because I wanted to see what the Jewish community of Edmonton felt like. He asked if I was sure I wanted to go there because it was a residential neighborhood. We want new arrivals to Edmonton to walk into this JCC and feel like they’re home, and to feel connected with Jewish Edmonton,” she said passionately. “We need a central space where we can gather as a broader Jewish community to be Jewish and celebrate who we are. It’s also important for the larger population to see that we have this united central space that we share.”

Leibovici and her fellow volunteers are now occupied with two consuming tasks: project management, and interior design. “We remain responsible for the oversight of the renovation including the budget.”  They also have aesthetic decisions to ponder: “We are looking at things like what flooring to install, the paint color, and what sort of furniture we’d like.” The new JCC hopes to open its doors to the public in approximately one year – a project two decades in the making.

“It’s amazing to see how things are developing, and with each step of the construction it feels more real.” Leavitt-Wright emphasized: “There are so many people who have given so much of their time to bringing things to this point. This process started before I assumed my role, and if we were to name everyone it would be such a long list. Needless to say, they each need to be sincerely thanked, and their dedication to our community and its future recognized.”

The job is certainly not done, and the larger community should feel welcome to contribute whatever they feel able to. “There are sill donation opportunities available,” emphasized Leavitt-Wright. “And every bit is appreciated,” added Miller. Edmonton’s new JCC will be a centerpiece of the Jewish community for generations to come, and everyone has a front seat as history is made.  “We want this to be about community, and everyone should feel pride in what is materializing,” Leavitt-Wright continued. “There is so much to be thankful for, but this is a testament to our strength as a united Edmonton Jewish community.”

Regan Lipes is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter