JCCindy: Where Community Really is their Middle Name
December 12, 2023 by Marguerite
By Rachel Christie, ’24
These past few months working for the Jewish Community Center of Indianapolis have really flown by. I didn’t expect loving this internship as much as I did, and it’s safe to say a big part of that came from the amazing people here at the J.
Growing up in a predominantly Jewish area of Connecticut, I spent a lot of my younger years at the local JCC of Greater New Haven. When I saw this internship open, I knew I had to apply. I thought it would be a good way for me, as a journalism student, to branch out into strategic communication, and to get a taste of other work in the communications field. Little did I know I would be learning much more than just graphic design here.
There were a few notable high holidays in the Jewish religion that I was able to observe this past semester, my favorite of which being Sukkot. Even though I was familiar with Judaism, I was not aware of the holiday. The J had a lovely staff meeting outside in the Sukkah, where we got to eat breakfast and create crafts to decorate the inside of the hut. That was the first time where I really felt that I belonged in the staff community.
The Jewish Community Center of Indianapolis cares for its staff, and I could tell that through my ‘Ask the Staff’ video series, where I interviewed seven staff members and asked them a range of questions. During many of the interviews, it became clear that the J feels like a family for many staff members, and that the sense of community they have at work is one of their favorite parts of the job.
Later in the semester, the J held a staff Mifgash, or encounter, where we got to learn more about other people on our staff, as well as the Jewish religion. I thought this event was special, as I’m not sure many other organizations would allow their employees to have half a day off from work to learn how to grow with one other. Even though I was an intern, and I could only say for an hour, I felt very connected to the other staff members, and loved being a part of the Mifgash.
In every project I worked on at the J, I learned more about my own vocational aspirations, as well as Jewish religion and culture. My internship director, Hanna, was a great resource in terms of both communications work and Jewish knowledge, and we had some good conversations throughout my time working with her. With the atrocities that took place in Israel, I never felt such a strong bond from a workplace as I did at the J. I know I will thoroughly miss the community that I found at the JCC of Indianapolis, but I am grateful for the experience which will certainly help me in my future endeavors.