As we enter the new year of 5781, The Roth Family JCC has many new programs and opportunities for people to take advantage of. As a community center in the era of Covid, things look very different however our goal of providing a community environment has not changed. A few of our highlights include:

• Shayna’s Village moving virtual with Earthly Treasures, a 7-week online journey starting Oct. 6. Participants will get their creative juices flowing as they decorate and fill their child’s own unique “Treasure Box.” The treasures collected are nature-themed, with a new treasure announced once a week. Space is limited.

• Fall enrichment classes returned Sept. 8, 2020, with social distancing and in a structure designed to follow CDC recommendations for safety. Favorites like Karate, Soccer, Theater (with The Rep!) and many more return. In addition, there is After School @ The J so children can enjoy afterschool activities with Face-to-Face learning or virtual learning. Register soon to secure your spot

• Academic Enrichment @ The J is designed to help children doing virtual learning through Seminole Connect, LaunchEd, or Virtual school to complete their schoolwork while also having social interaction. Pods of no more than eight children have academic assistance and a chance to have fun. Parents have the ability to work while knowing their children are working on their educational assignments and are in a safe environment.

• Monthly Author Series. Each month, six JCCs in Florida join together to bring different authors to our Zoom platform for an interesting and informative discussion of their book.

• Florida Book Festival. Six JCC’s in Florida are joining together beginning Oct. 8, 2020, with author Thane Rosenbaum kicking off the Festival. This nearly 3-week series ends on Oct. 25th with New York Times bestselling author Brad Meltzer closing the festival.

• The Central Florida Jewish Film Festival is scheduled for Nov. 14-17. This year the festival will be virtual and the committee has been working hard to select incredible films and to offer enhanced programming around the films.

• Monthly virtual tours to Israel with tour guide Rotem Shahar. Prior tours included Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Masada. We return to Jerusalem for an expanded tour of the City of David, the Davidson architectural center, and Machane Yehuda on Oct. 15, 2020.

• Our Fitness Center is open 6 a.m. — 7 a.m. Monday-Friday and again from 6 p.m. — 9 p.m. Monday–Thursday. In addition, it is open from 8 a.m. — 4 p.m. on the weekends. Register for your time and spot on our website to ensure you have a spot. Personal training has also begun during the day so sign up with one of our trainers to get back into your workout routine.

• Our swimming pool is open 1 p.m. — 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 1 p.m. — 5 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. — 4:30 p.m. on the weekends. Bring your family and enjoy a day at our beautiful big pool or come swim laps and get your exercise.

The Roth Family JCC wishes you a happy, healthy, and sweet new year and we hope to see you at our many programs and offerings during the year.

Keith Dvorchik

Executive Director