Since its founding in 1948, the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center has played a vital role in Marin County as a place to celebrate, strengthen, and sustain Jewish life and culture, to build cross-cultural understanding, and to enrich the lives of those in the community at large. We are a place for people of all ages, faiths, and backgrounds to participate in cultural experiences, community events, and recreational activities. We welcome everyone.
Our mission is
…to nurture and sustain Jewish culture,
…to enrich lives, and
…to build an inclusive, welcoming community.
Our core values
Kehillah – We are a community.
Hachnasat Orchim – We welcome all.
Limud – We are a learning environment.
L’Dor V’Dor – We believe in building from generation to generation.
Shlaymut – We encourage mind-body wholeness and wellness.
The idea for a multipurpose Jewish center began in 1946 when a small group of Jewish men and women living in Marin first gathered. The group was inspired by a rabbi’s moving presentation of a Torah discovered during World War II in Czechoslovakia when he declared “I have come half-way around the world to bring this Torah from a Jewish community that died to a Jewish community that is about to be born.” In 1948, the dedication of the Marin Jewish Community Center occurred and the JCC began operating in a house at Mission and Forbes Streets in San Rafael.
Many have dedicated themselves to our growth over 70 years, creating a home for Marin's Jewish community with programs for all to enjoy.
By the early 1960s, the JCC had outgrown its facility and created a new home on North San Pedro Road. In 1980 a partnership of the Osher Marin JCC, Congregation Rodef Sholom, and Brandeis Marin Day School was created to develop a Marin Jewish Community Campus, one of the first of its kind in North America. The new campus opened in 1991 with a 80,000 square foot state-of-the-art JCC.
The JCC campus is nestled into a beautiful hillside in San Rafael, CA, with a charming cafe, lounge areas, and modern fitness facilities including award-winning indoor and outdoor pools.
The Osher Marin JCC has earned nationwide respect for its model toddler and preschool programs, for our commitment to lifelong wellness and learning, and for our award-winning Camp Kehillah.
Throughout the pandemic, the JCC successfully reopened programs and facilities as it became safe to do so. Today, 3,500 participants attend in-person and virtual programs each week. Our outstanding virtual cultural programs, geared to older adults isolated at home, have received national recognition and are enjoyed by seniors across the continent through a first-of-its-kind virtual collaboration with 50 JCCs. Preschool enrollment for this fall is already near pre-Covid numbers, and we are again able to provide hydrotherapy and swim lessons in our indoor pool and live classes are increasing.
With the generous support of our donors, our members, and program participants, the JCC remains vital, resilient, and optimistically focused on a future destined to enrich lives, build community, and celebrate Jewish culture for the years to come.
Leadership
Board of Directors
Daniel Barenbaum, President
Paul Castro, Vice President
Jonathan Lefferts, Treasurer
Melanie Sperling, Secretary
Rachel Kertz, At Large
Marika Paez Wiesen, At Large
Gilli Cherrin
Vivian Cohen
Eric Fleekop
Lisa Kaufman
Susan Lachtman
Sonia Fromm Lurie
Melanie Maier
Bob Nadjibi
Orlee Rabin
Marc Rochman
David Weil
Steve Wilkes
Management
Judy Wolff-Bolton, Chief Executive Officer
Tim Egan, Chief Financial Officer
Samantha Kelman, Chief Operating Officer
Ian McCuaig, Chief Development Director
Elissa Coleman, Health & Fitness Director
Aaron Golbus, Facilities Director
Pamela Johnson, Human Resources Director
Tamar Lai, Early Childhood Education Director
Karen LeFever, Marketing Director
Brittany Mihalik, Camp Director
Laura Schiff, Interim Taube Center for Jewish Peoplehood Director
Tim Schmidt, Membership Director
James Sokol, Adult Learning and Living Director
Past Board Presidents
Jon Welner
Eric Toizer
Deborah Stadtner
Marty Friedman
Rachel Kertz
Ruthellen Toole (z”l)
Becky Pell Kaplan
Joel Renbaum
Sharon Young (z”l)
Barbara Waxman
Susan Kolb
Ruth Rosenthal
Steve Isaacs
Sue Davis (z”l)
Kenneth Kurtzman
Madeleine Simborg
Richard Green