JCC of Greater New Haven regroups, with a lot of community love

By Cindy Mindell

WOODBRIDGE – It’s been two weeks since the Beckerman-Lender Building, home to the JCC and Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, was severely damaged by a four-alarm fire that broke out in a lower-level sauna and sent two firefighters to the hospital for carbon-monoxide poisoning.

During the fire, carbon monoxide levels were 20 to 25 times the normal measure, with smoke permeating all areas of the building. That left JCC and Federation staff working to find alternative locations throughout the Greater New Haven community that could host its fitness, childcare, and educational programming.

The community-wide recovery effort has been an exercise in making lemonade out of lemons, according to Jewish Federation CEO Judy Diamondstein.

Congregation B’nai Jacob gets ready to welcome the JCC children.

“We’ve been offered facilities, services, food, cleaning help, and more … from community agencies, synagogues, non-profits, school districts, town officials, Federations from across the state and beyond, and the folks at our national office, The Jewish Federations of North America. It’s just amazing how many people have come out of the woodwork to show their love and support for us. It’s at times like this when you really find out what ‘community’ means.”

The lower level of the building sustained extensive damage from both fire and water. The double basketball court and aerobics studio will have to be completely replaced, as will the building’s main structural beam, located above the men’s sauna.

Last week, after several area congregations offered space and support, the Yeladim Early Learning Center and AfterSchool programs were relocated to Congregation B’nai Jacob in Woodbridge.

More than 100 staff members and volunteers worked at both ends: while some prepared the B’nai Jacob space to meet code, others cleaned and transported materials from the JCC.

David Trachten (left) and Marty Halprin help the JCC early childhood center make the move to B’nai Jacob.

A board member brought a truck and employees from his business to move items from the JCC to his warehouse. Abel Caterers brought food to both locations and lent a truck and two of her employees to help with the move. A local pediatrician showed up and told Diamondstein that, because his kids had attended Yeladim, he had to help out.

Diamondstein’s email inbox has been flooded. One came from a woman who wrote said that, while she is not a JCC member, she would be sending a check because of the essential role the JCC plays in the community.

At a meeting of the Woodbridge Board of Selectmen the night after the fire, Diamondstein and Jewish Federation board members heard more of the same.

“I just needed to tell them how deeply we appreciated the support that we got from the firefighters and the police and the Selectmen themselves, who came on site,” she says. “First Selectman Ellen Scalettar said, ‘While we appreciate you coming to thank us, you need to know what the JCC means to our community’ and she went on to tell us, and then other Selectmen told us as well.”

The Beckerman-Lender Building is named after two of the three families who spearheaded the capital campaign for the Woodbridge facility that has housed the Jewish Federation, Jewish Foundation, and JCC since the early ‘90s. As the building burned, Diamondstein called the Beckermans and Lenders to keep them apprised. The extent of the restoration work will only become apparent after the cleanup is completed.

“I think that there are going to be lots of opportunities for people to come together and help us through the challenge but from a financial perspective, we’re still assessing what we need and we don’t know what that looks like yet,” Diamondstein says. “We have an obligation to our members and our community and we are going to bust our butts to meet it.”

CAP: Shelley Gans AND Alison Lurie help prepare the congregation B’nai Jacob for the JCC children.