The JCC Effect: Community You Can Count On
‘Uncle Harrison! Aunt Lily!’ Rowan yells out on a random Tuesday. Alexa and Josh David glance at each other and giggle at their two-and-a-half-year-old. To a toddler, knowing someone’s name indicates how much they mean to them because remembering is hard and trusting people that aren’t your parents can be even harder. Rowan remembers, trusts, and loves Harrison and Lily Brodwin because her parents, Alexa and Josh, do.
Friendship is represented in Jewish text as not just a social bond but a spiritual connection that can bring divine peace to the world. An example of this powerful mitzvah is the relationship Alexa and Josh have found in Jewish Baby University friends, Lily and Harrison. Originally from Florida and New Jersey respectively, Alexa and Josh knew that moving to Denver as adults (and during a global pandemic) might impact their social lives. So, they sought out programming at the Staenberg-Loup Jewish Community Center with high hopes of finding true friends. Alexa explains, “I grew up at the JCC in Miami, and I love that Jewish Community Centers bring people together from a variety of Jewish identities. They are welcoming! The JCC Denver creates a beautiful space for people to build their community. Having the shared value of Judaism connects you. Knowing we have this common ground opens the door to a deeper level of friendship. It’s instant.”
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Josh recollects their first day of Jewish Baby University when he felt immediately drawn to Harrison. For one, his area code indicated that he was a fellow New Jersian. After playing a round of the well-known game ‘Jewish Geography,’ Alexa discovered that Lily grew up in Tucson, Arizona where they attended the same university and even graduated the same year. Josh elucidates, “We all got on well. It just snowballed into other commonalities like interests and family life and values.”
Luckily, their friendship never hit the awkward, getting-to-know-you phase and instead jumped quickly to the deep, supportive, friends-that-feel-more-like-family phase. Alexa describes that this relationship has been the one to carry them through parenthood. “They are here for us even when it’s inconvenient. When I went into labor with my second kiddo, Caleb, I called Lily. She not only picked up the phone at 3:00 am, but she drove to our house and took care of our daughter, Rowan, while we went to the hospital.” The support feels reciprocal, as Alexa is the emergency contact for Lily’s son, Ira, at his school. Josh adds, “They are a lifelong connection for us. We love going on weekend trips together where the shared house feels like a crazy village. Because we have similar energy and parenting styles, I feel more than comfortable leaving the room or the house with Lily and Harrisson watching my kids. I know they are taking good care of them.” In addition to vacationing together, the four friends and their families also make a habit of enjoying Shabbat dinners, the High Holidays, and Passover together. “I re-found my connection to Judaism through Jewish Baby University and this new friendship. I didn’t have a lot of Jewish friends in high school but now, we get to cultivate a Jewish experience together for our children. We explore our Jewish identities together from a nonjudgemental lense,” Alexa shares.
Although it took moving to Denver and having babies to meet, the Davids and the Brodwins now consider themselves ‘family-friends’ after only three years of knowing one another. Judaism defines friendship as one of the primary relationships in life, a tie that at times may exceed that which bonds blood relatives. They are those you trust; people with which to learn, to travel, and to raise children. The friendships formed at the JCC Denver make this world a brighter, stronger, and more meaningful place because every child deserves extra aunts and uncles, and every adult deserves friends that feel like family.
