JCC Community Update: Staff Vaccine Mandate

JCC Community Update: Staff Vaccine Mandate

September 17, 2021

Shanah Tovah! The High Holidays are behind us, the new year is ahead of us, and the JCC continues to explore all the ways we can serve this community. While we look to 5782 with optimism and abundance – we also remember the years past, the challenges we’ve confronted, and the lessons we’ve learned. This coming year can be one of joy and sweetness; but it also carries with it the burdens of a pandemic that threatens health, service, and sustainability.

With that in mind, we have made the decision to make full COVID-19 vaccination a condition of employment at the JCC. This decision follows guidance from medical experts, in concert with our values and decision-making criteria, and comes with the support of the JCC Board of Directors. The guiding principles behind this leadership decision are:

  • We believe that vaccinations are a proactive response to minimizing the risk and impact of COVID-19 in our community
  • We know that confirmed cases of Covid-19 continue to rise in our surrounding areas, and that rise directly impacts JCC staffing, programs, and operations
  • We cannot afford to allow this virus to disproportionately affect you or our staff, and we cannot stand idly by when options are available that are proven to minimize impact
  • We are responsible for providing our entire community with a safe, sustainable, and inclusive destination
  • We are equally responsible to offering our employees a healthy workplace
  • We are committed to our values

Even as the overwhelming majority of our staff is – and has been – fully vaccinated, we are proud to affirm this commitment. We believe it best represents who we are and who we aspire to be: an inclusive community health leader. We make this commitment for those who are not age-eligible, for those who are exempt from vaccination, and for those who choose not to vaccinate themselves.

I’m proud to lead a team that puts our community first, and proud to represent a group of leadership staff who will do anything in their power to support the staff team who make this work happen. In this way, and in so many others, we are bringing our new mission statement to the forefront: Creating spaces. Building opportunities. Inspiring Jewish moments for diverse communities.

Thank you for your support of the JCC, our staff, and our entire community.

B’Shalom,
Mark Shapiro
President & Chief Executive Officer