History

The Worcester Jewish Community Center has been an institution of excellence for nearly 60 years.

Organized in the 1940s as an activity center for Jewish youth, the JCC first occupied the second floor of Mr. Abe Persky's factory building on Franklin street in downtown Worcester.

In 1951, due to the growth of the local Jewish population and the need for more broad-based services, the Worcester Post of the Jewish War Veterans donated a building at 111 Elm Street as a new home for the Center.

From 1951, through the mid-1960s, the Center grew and flourished. Youth programs were popular, activities for younger children were developed, and active groups of volunteer leaders drove the Center to the forefront of Jewish life.

In 1965 community leaders once again saw a need to expand, modernize, and relocate the Center in order to keep pace with the growth and geographic movement of the Jewish population. Visionaries purchased land on Salisbury Street and a massive campaign to raise funds to build a new Jewish Community Center began.

The new Center opened in 1967 and again the JCC was at the core of Jewish life in Worcester.

By 1988 we had once again outgrown the existing facility as confirmed by a comprehensive strategic study. In response to the findings of this study, a Capital Campaign was initiated in October 1993. The result of this campaign is our current beautiful facility.

Opened in 1996, the indoor regulation swimming pool, health and fitness center, and state-of-the-art early childhood education wings are proud additions that contribute to the overall growth and success of our center.