Around 25 years ago, the agency moved to the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Campus located off NW Military Drive and Wurzbach Parkway, offering recreational activities for the North San Antonio community, said Carisa Heiss, CEO of Barshop Jewish Community Center of San Antonio.
“Our three primary hubs of engagement are cultural, recreational and educational programming,” Heiss said.
The details
While focused around Jewish culture, Heiss said the organization works to provide activities for all age groups and backgrounds.
“We are open to the entire community,” she said. “We love that a percentage of our membership is not Jewish, yet it is a very important part of their life and we get to watch families grow from preschool forward.”
Amenities at the center include a fitness center, tennis courts, basketball courts and an outdoor heated pool for aquatics training.
Alongside these amenities, members have access to classes and programs offered at the center.
One of the programs offered at the center focuses on older adults, helping with mobility exercises and other lower-mobility activities.
Members who are part of the older adult program can also receive three Kosher meals per week for a subsidized rate.
What else?
For families with children, the center offers a variety of classes and afterschool programs. Children can take part in camps, recreational sports, swimming, learning and other development-centered activities.
“It is a great outlet for working families or just a day or two during the week to give kids a fun outlet with their peers,” Heiss said.
Children at surrounding schools have the opportunity to be picked up from the school campus and brought to the center for recreational activities, such as soccer. This initiative is only available to surrounding schools, and parents are encouraged to call the facility to see if their children would qualify.
“By the time the parent or guardian is done with their workday, the kids have already started their extracurricular, which takes some of that pressure off the parents,” Heiss said.
Get involved
Outside of amenities at the center, the JCC also hosts events throughout the year, including events focused around Jewish arts and culture by bringing in Jewish authors, painters and films.
While the film festival finished in February, Heiss said the center is planning a series of events in May to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month.
“We will have everything from an art exhibit, to film, to a Kosher barbecue cooking demo, so a full gambit of activities surrounding what it is like to be a Jewish American,” Heiss said.
For those interested in learning more about the nonprofit organization, tours and membership options can be found on the organization’s website, or by calling 210-302-6820.
Heiss said she is thankful for having been part of the organization throughout its history, and is looking forward to future community involvement.
“Our mission is focused on strengthening individual life and Jewish identity,” she said. “We do that through our programs. I think the best thing we can do is help educate people, and I am proud that we have been doing that for more than 140 years.”
- 12500 NW Military Highway, Ste. 275, San Antonio
- www.jccsanantonio.org
