Moscow Celebrates Star-Studded Opening of Nikitskaya JCC

On September 18, 2007, just days after the celebration of Rosh Hashanah, Moscow played host to its own new beginning at the Nikitskaya JCC, the Jewish Cultural Center originally founded in 2001 by JDC.

The voices of the Moscow Male Jewish Choir, "Hasidic Cappella" filled the Center’s main hall, welcoming more than 150 guests into the recently renovated building. The attendees—a mixture of famous Russian-Jewish dignitaries, professionals, writers, musicians, actors, and key JDC staff—expressed their excitement and optimism for the improved JCC.

"The Nikitskaya Jewish Cultural Center represents all that which the Joint hopes for the Jewish community of Moscow: self-sufficiency, creativity and pluralism," said Judy Amit, JDC’s Chief Operating Officer of Program and Budget. "JDC hopes that the Nikitskaya JCC will be a place where the Jewish community can celebrate its diversity, a home where each and every Jew from all walks of life can find a common language and celebrate our culture and heritage."

The renovations include the expansion of the Center’s halls, conference rooms and classrooms and the installation of new air conditioning. The JCC now offers 37 new studios and 6 cultural educational tracks with activities ranging from computer and English courses to a variety of theater and music programs, and even ballet and yoga classes. The opening celebration showcased a couple of these new programs, including a literary club and a music project spearheaded by a member of the Moscow and International association of jazz journalists.

These upgrades enable the JCC to serve more members of Moscow’s Jewish community, while simultaneously generating income through fees-for-programming that can be reinvested in the Center’s activities.

The Center offers many opportunities for learning and growth while serving as an important gateway to Jewish life for the people of Moscow. "Here our children are learning Jewish history and traditions, they found lots of friends here and I know that everything they have here is high quality," said Lena, a young professional and mother of two who recently moved to the city. "My husband and I also try to join our children here for the big holiday celebrations."

The warmth and enthusiasm that permeated the halls of the building on its "re-opening night" are a sure bellwether of future successes for the Nikitskaya JCC.

The Nikitskaya Jewish Cultural Center, founded in 2001 by JDC, is one of the most prominent leisure and educational centers for children and adults in Moscow. The JCC is aimed to be a home for Moscow’s Jewish community and intelligentsia, with generous support from JDC and UJA-Federation of New York.