Lil and Levi
This June, Lil Shaw will celebrate an extraordinary milestone: her 100th birthday. Meanwhile, her great-grandson Levi has just celebrated his very first. One hundred years apart, their lives are deeply woven into the fabric of the JCC community, a story of connection that continues across generations.
Lil’s involvement with the JCC spans more than six decades. She first joined the staff in 1971, stepping into what would become a lifelong relationship with the organization. Over the years, she worked in nearly every department, building lifelong friendships and becoming a familiar, beloved presence to so many. It was also at the JCC where she met her husband, Lou. “I met Lou at a singles mixer and we were married for almost 50 years,” she shares. “He was later President of the Retired Men’s Club. Lou used to joke that everyone fell asleep at the meeting and that’s how he got elected.”
Today, Lil continues to show up. She serves as ‘JCC Meal Site Coordinator’ with Jewish Family Services and can be found at the JCC every Tuesday through Friday supporting the JFS and JCC partnership program, Community Table Lunch. And when lunch ends, Lil often heads down the hall to play Mahjong with longtime friends.
The JCC has been a valuable source community for Lil. “The JCC has given me a lot of joy. It’s filled my life with beautiful people. The staff has been wonderful, the friendships, and all of the programs, trips, entertainment. Such wonderful times.”
That sense of belonging extends beyond her own experience. Multiple generations of Lil’s family have grown up within these walls. “So much of my family has been part of the JCC, with my life centering around it,” says Lil. “Three of my grandchildren were camp counselors and are successful today, which I attribute to their experience at the JCC. And three of my great-grandchildren went to nursery school here.”
That story continues with Levi...
Just over a year ago, Lil’s granddaughter Leah and her husband Lee began their own JCC journey through Jewish Baby University as they prepared to welcome their son. Today, Levi attends the JCC Early Learning School.
To Leah, the connection feels familiar and deeply meaningful. The JCC has long been her family’s first stop for learning, community, and belonging. “I have wonderful, vivid memories of attending Camp Shai every summer as a kid and then working as a camp counselor,” says Leah. “It makes us so happy that Levi is now having the same great experience that we had with some of the same staff.”
Having Levi there is one of Lil’s greatest joys: “Every time I see him it makes my heart warm. I hope he grows up to be a mensch—a fine person.”
There is something profoundly special in the continuity of it all.
From senior lunches to toddler classrooms, from Mahjong tables to early childhood spaces, Lil and Levi’s story captures the full spectrum of life within the JCC. It is a place where friendships begin and endure, where families grow, and where each generation builds upon the last.
For Levi’s parents, it’s a wondrous experience. “When we think about the span of almost a century, the rarity of it is almost shocking,” Leah beams. “It reminds us just how lucky we are that Levi and his GG will have spent time on this earth together, despite low odds.”
One hundred years apart, Lil and Levi remind us of something powerful: community is sustained over time through people, relationships, and shared experiences.
At the JCC, that story continues every day.
“Lil reminds us that our values are not just words but rather they are lived through action. Her unwavering commitment to serving others, even in the face of uncertainty, reflects the very best of who we aspire to be as an organization. She has strengthened our community not only through what she has done but through who she is. Lil is an enduring example of purpose, compassion, and the profound impact one life can have.”
Linda P. Foster, Jewish Family Services President & CEO
“Lil’s story is, in many ways, the story of the JCC itself. For more than 60 years, she has helped shape this community through her warmth, generosity, humor, and unwavering presence. To see her celebrate 100 years while her great-grandson Levi begins his own journey here is a beautiful reminder of what makes the JCC so special. We are not simply a place people visit once … we are a community woven across generations. Lil represents the very heart of that legacy.”
Mike Sophir, Staenberg-Loup Jewish Community Center CEO
