Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

ORLANDO-The Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando announces that effective June 1, 2015, the Roth Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando in Maitland (established 1973) and the Jack & Lee Rosen Southwest Orlando Jewish Community Campus in Dr. Phillips (established 2009) will become separate 501c3 non-profit agencies.

The JCC's board of directors voted 26-0 at the July 22 board meeting in favor of moving forward with this next phase of its anticipated plan to reorganize its corporate structure. Fourteen years after the Jewish Federation's capital campaign began to build a second campus of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando, which ultimately opened in 2009, the move to establish the two Orlando campuses as independently operated and managed entities is a natural progression and much-anticipated milestone.

"We are extremely gratified to have realized this goal," said JCC President Ronnie Bitman. "The Southwest Orlando JCC members will finally be able to set their own course, having autonomy over their vision and direction, while the Roth JCC in Maitland can focus entirely on bettering its core business. We wholeheartedly thank Harris Rosen and Frank Santos for their efforts and support and look forward to working together in the future to ensure that each JCC fulfills the mission to build community, strengthen family life and promote Jewish values."

"This is an exciting time for the Orlando Jewish community," said JCC Immediate Past President Scott Richman. "With the unanimous vote of its board of directors, the JCC has shown that all of the hard work and investment made by our community has paid off, and that the ultimate goal of a second Jewish Community Center, that can service and be supported by the community, has come to fruition.

This is a true success story and great accomplishment for our community. We look forward to the continued growth and success of the Rosen JCC and look forward to it serving as a hub for a growing Jewish community in Southwest Orlando."

Serving Central Florida since 1973, the JCC of Greater Orlando continues to offer exceptional programs and activities to all members of the family. From infants, school-aged children, and teens, on to adults and seniors alike, the JCC works to improve the quality of life in the community it serves.

Everyone is welcome at the JCC regardless of race, religion or national origin. Thanks to the generous support received from the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, local businesses and individual donors, the JCC has been a vibrant part of the community for more than 40 years and will be here for families in generations to come.