The Memphis Jewish Community Center

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The Memphis Jewish Community Center: 70 Years of Jewish Connection

The Memphis Jewish Community Center: Seventy Years of Jewish Connection is more than a history—it’s a celebration of memory, tradition, and community. Rooted in the Jewish imperative of remembrance, this book traces the MJCC’s remarkable journey from a bold idea sparked by a group of teenage boys to a thriving institution that serves as a national model for Jewish community centers. Through rich storytelling, it captures the spirit of an organization that has provided a space for generations to gather, learn, play, and forge lifelong connections. From fitness and arts programs to cultural events and social outreach, the MJCC has become an essential hub of Jewish life in Memphis. Whether you have a personal connection to the center or simply appreciate stories of resilience and community building, this book offers a compelling look at how one institution has shaped—and continues to shape—the lives of many.

The Memphis Jewish Community Center: 70 Years of Jewish Connection

The Memphis Jewish Community Center: Seventy Years of Jewish Connection is more than a history—it’s a celebration of memory, tradition, and community. Rooted in the Jewish imperative of remembrance, this book traces the MJCC’s remarkable journey from a bold idea sparked by a group of teenage boys to a thriving institution that serves as a national model for Jewish community centers. Through rich storytelling, it captures the spirit of an organization that has provided a space for generations to gather, learn, play, and forge lifelong connections. From fitness and arts programs to cultural events and social outreach, the MJCC has become an essential hub of Jewish life in Memphis. Whether you have a personal connection to the center or simply appreciate stories of resilience and community building, this book offers a compelling look at how one institution has shaped—and continues to shape—the lives of many.

  • Hardcover, 10.3x9.8, 2lbs, 160 pages

  • The Memphis Jewish Community Center: Seventy Years of Jewish Connection is the history of a revered anchor institution, and it is also about remembering.

    After all, memory is more than tradition; it is the foundation of Judaism. Mentioned 169 times in the Torah, it is a religious imperative because remembrance is the vehicle for transmitting values and ethics, honoring those who have gone before us, and shaping what we are today and what we can be tomorrow.

    This book embraces both history and memory to share a story that began with teenage boys motivated by an audacious dream, which evolved into the institution that is a national model for what a Jewish community center should be.

    Today, looking at the bustling Memphis Jewish Community Center in Tennessee and the remarkable inventory of programs, it is hard to imagine a time when there was no place where every Jew had a place of connection to gather, exercise, play, learn, create new friendships, and build bridges across established divides.

    About the Authors
    Tom Jones is principal at Smart City Consulting, which concentrates on policy analysis and development, strategic planning, and communications for nonprofits and local government. He writes “Smart Business” for Inside Memphis Business magazine and is author of the Smart City Memphis blog. He has also written articles for local and national publications and is frequently interviewed about Memphis trends and issues. He is author of Shelby Farms Park: Elevating a City, ( Susan Schadt Press, 2017).

    Susan Adler Thorp, a Memphis journalist and Pulitzer Prize nominee, is a lifelong member of the Center beginning with her enrollment at age three in the Center’s nursery school and kindergarten programs, summer camp, swim team, and youth group activities. She is a former member of the Center’s board of directors, an active member and past president of the Temple Israel Museum Board, a former member of the Temple Israel Board of Trustees, Plough Towers and the Memphis Jewish Home, and is a board member of The Dixon Gallery & Gardens. She was the political columnist for The Commercial Appeal and a political commentator for the local television affiliates of NBC, CBS, and ABC. She is the owner of Susan Adler Thorp Communications.

    Award-winning photojournalist Lisa Buser, with over twenty years of experience in commercial, advertising, and newspaper photography, serves a wide range of clients including Susan Schadt Press, USA Today, The Food Network, CNN, Random House Publishing Group, AutoZone, and Methodist LeBonheur Children’s Hospital. Among her many accolades, she received the Media Orthopedic Award for photographs published on USAToday.com. She was the featured photographer for Wild Abundance (2010), A Million Wings (2012), Memphis: Sweet, Spicy and A Little Greasy (2014), and Reel Masters: Chefs Casting About With Timing and Grace (2016).