New Miami Beach JCC Invites Community to “Spend the Day at the J”
After many years of anticipation, the new Galbut Family Miami Beach Jewish Community Center on the Simkins Family Campus (MBJCC) will throw open its doors wide on Sunday, October 21 to welcome members of the community to a free Community Day at its all-new location at 4221 Pine Tree Drive.
The day will kick off with a private VIP Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony at 11 a.m., featuring MBJCC President Jerry Sokol, JCC Association President and CEO Allan Finkelstein, Miami Beach City Commissioner Jerry Libbin and Greater Miami Jewish Federation Chair of the Board Brian L. Bilzin. The keynote speaker will be Luci Baines Johnson, daughter of U.S. President Lyndon Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson. In addition to being the mother of Claudia Brod – who formerly served as Co-President of the MBJCC along with Stacey Gumenick – Luci Baines Johnson is a partner in building the new JCC.
Following the ribbon-cutting and beginning at noon, the JCC will invite members and the general community to “Spend the Day at the J” and see what the new 36,000-square-foot facility has to offer. The pool, fitness rooms, art studios and gymnasium will be open to everyone. Afternoon events will include an interactive hoops show featuring the Miami Heat Extreme Team and a program with author Samuel Popkin, a former campaign consultant to Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, as well as former U.S. Senator and Representative George McGovern and former Vice President Al Gore.
“This will be a great day for our entire community,” said Brian L. Bilzin, Greater Miami Jewish Federation Chair of the Board. “The grand opening of the JCC will be the opportunity for people to see the fruition of the dream of a state-of-the-art facility and how the great efforts of so many people in fundraising, planning and building have benefited us all. And it will be the first of many, many gatherings as it provides a place where Jews of all ages and backgrounds can connect with one another.
“Once again, I wish to extend our community’s gratitude to MBJCC President Jerry Sokol and his wife, Allison, whose collective passion was the driving force behind this project,” Bilzin continued. “Their enthusiasm and hard work have truly paid off for the good of the entire Miami Beach community.”
The Galbut Family Miami Beach JCC on the Simkins Family Campus is situated on three acres of land on the Indian Creek waterway and features a 4,200-square-foot. swimming pool; 5,800 square feet of fitness facilities; a 6,500-square-foot gymnasium; a 1,900-square-foot gymnastics center; a regulation-size indoor racquetball court; outdoor sports field; specialty rooms for dance, art, fitness, childcare and parenting classes; and a 3,000-square-foot social hall overlooking the waterway. Its mission is to be the center of Jewish life in the Miami Beach community, providing social, cultural, recreational and educational opportunities for people of all ages and religious affiliations.
For more information, visit mbjcc.org.
