By Stacey Dresner

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – After a fire in its sauna last month, the Springfield Jewish Community Center in Longmeadow, Mass., remains closed as repairs are made. 

After an investigation by the Springfield Fire Department it has been determined that the cause of the fire was electrical and not due to arson or antisemitism. No one was injured. The fire broke out on the evening of Friday, Nov. 18. Most of the physical damage occurred in the sauna, the women’s locker room, pool and wellness age. But many parts of the building have been affected by smoke damage.

Samantha Dubrinsky, CEO of the Springfield JCC said they do not know when the JCC will reopen.

“We are still working with insurance, our public adjuster, and vendors and contractors to sort out a timeline for reopening.” 

In the meantime, Dubrinsky and JCC staffers have been posting updates on Facebook to keep members and the community apprised of the around the clock efforts to repair the facility.

The Jewish Federation and the other Jewish agencies that call the JCC their home have all settled into temporary spaces while they await the facility’s reopening.

The JCC staff has been working remotely and has been able to meet in person at the library at  Temple Beth El, while adult education classes are being held at Sinai Temple. Both synagogues are just down the street from the JCC. 

The JCC’s Early Learning Center is using space at the Educare, an early learning center in Springfield. Members who use the JCC for fitness have been steered to the Springfield YMCA, the Wilbraham YMCA, the Mandell JCC in West Hartford, Conn. and Healthtrx in Enfield, Conn., all of which have offered Springfield JCC gym members reciprocity in their memberships during this time. The JCC’s personal trainers have also taken to the outdoors for some of their sessions, and some are making house calls to help JCC members with their fitness needs.

The Jewish Federation has temporarily moved its operations to Venture X, a state-of-the-art business center and workspace in Holyoke owned by Ned Barowsky, a donor to the Jewish Federation. The Federation agency Rachel’s Table has also moved into Venture X.  Nora Gorenstein, CEO of the Jewish Federation, said that the space has been “significantly discounted.” 

“We are grateful to Mr. Barowsky for stepping in and providing us a place to continue our work until we are able to move back to our wing of offices in the Springfield JCC,” said Nora Gorenstein, CEO of the Jewish Federaton. “We are also thankful for the support we have received from our President Robyn Newhouse and JGS Lifecare as we continue to shift operations. This is a critical time of the year for us as we work to complete the 2022 Annual Campaign, while continuing to support our many programs and remaining accessible to donors and volunteers.”

The Federation’s annual meeting was already scheduled to take place at JGS Lifecare and is still scheduled for Dec. 15.

The leadership team of the JCC met with the JCC of Greater New Haven by Zoom  on Nov. 22. In 2016, the New Haven JCC was closed for several months after a four-alarm fire broke out in its men’s sauna, causing extensive damage to the building. That fire was also ruled accidental.

“They have been incredibly helpful and very generous with their time,” Dubrinsky said. “CEO Scott Cohen and I chat at least once a week, if not more, and he has been so helpful in sharing the New Haven JCC’s experience in rebuilding and recovery. Though the New Haven JCC fire caused more damage than ours, the process our agency is going through parallels New Haven’s.” 

This past week, the Springfield JCC’s pool was emptied so that work to repair that area can begin. And scaffolding was set to be set up so that smoke remediation work could begin.

Dubrinsky praised the community’s ongoing support of the JCC.

“The community’s support during this challenging time has been nothing short of inspiring,” she said. “We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support, which has continued almost a month after the fire.”