SELF STUDY

OF THE

JEWISH COMMUNITY OF NEW ORLEANS

Group Work And Recreation

REPORT

SUMMARY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

WITH

GUIDE FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION AND IMPLEMENTATION

JANUARY, 1957 JC

CONTENTS

PART ONE INTRODUCTION

Ptmc>SE OF Si'lJDJ' • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ••• • • l terHOD CJi' STtm • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • , • • • • • • • • • • • l ADDENDA • • • • • • • 2 GUIDE FOR F'liRl:HE.R EXAMmATION AND IMPL'l!HlNTATION OF RECO!IIENDATIONS • • • • 2 PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF TBE JEWISH OOMMtlNITY CEB.l'ER OF NEW ORLEANS • • • 3 HISTORY OF TfJE BEW ORLEANS JEWISH COJK1MI.'l'I· OE.tl'l'ER • • • • • • • • • • • • 3 PART TWO StHfA!lI OF FINDINGS AlID RECOMME!'IDATIONS

PROGRAM • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 4 Pre-School • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 4 Eleinentary' Sch.ool • • • • • • • ,, • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 7 Junior and Senior High School ••••••••••••••••••••• 9 Adult and Young Adult • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 13 Older Adult • • • • • • • • • • • • • , • • • • • • • • • • • • , • • 16 Health and Physical Education , , , , •••• , , , • , , • • • • 18 Overall Program • • • • • • • • • • , • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 20 ,AD~ION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • , • • 22 Membership • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 22 Personnel • • . • • • • • • • • , • • • • • • • • • • • • • , • • • • • 25 Publicity and Public Relations , , , , , , , , , , , • , , , • • , • 26 Center Relationship to other Community Organizations, , , , , , , , • , 2'7 other Community Facilities • • • • • • • • • • • • • • , • • , 30 Building and Maintenance • , • • • • , • • • • , • • • • • • • • • • • • 32 Board and Internal Administration , , , , , , , , , , , , , • , , 36 Budget • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • , • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 38

PART THREE FINDINGS AND RECOMME!'IDATIONS OF TfJE ARMED SERVICES COMMI'l'l!EE AND HUJEL STUDIES

ARMED SERVICES COMMI'I'l'EE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• 43 HILLEI, • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 46 PART FOUR A GUIDE FOO FUffi'HER EXAMINATION OF TfJE S'1'UDY AND FOO REFERENCE IN IMPLEMENTING THE STUDY RECCl4MENDATIO?iS llfl'l?ODUC'l'ION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• 52" CRITERIA FOR OVERALL CEN'mR PROGRAMMING , • • , , • • , • .. • • • • • • • , 52 Purposes • • • • • • • • , , • • , , • • • , , • • , • , , • , • • • • , 52 Center Program Activities • • • • • • • ••• , • • • • • • • ••••• 55 Overall Program Criteria • • • • • , , • , • • , , , , • , , , • , , , , 55 Guicli:og Questions for Analysis and Evaluation • , , , , • • , , , , , • 59 Comparative Data • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • , , , • , • • • , 62 CRl'l'ERIA, COMPARATIVE DATA AND GUIDING QUESTIONS FOO SPECIFIC AGE GROUPS , 63 Pre-School • • • • • . • • , • , • • , • • • • , • • • • , • • , • • • • 6 3 Elementary' School , , • • • • • • , • • , , • • • • • • , • • • , • , , 71 Junior and Senior High School • , , ••••• , • , , , , , • , •• , • 79 Adult and Young Adult • , • , • • , • , , , , , , , , , , • • • • , , , 83 Older Adl.11 ts , • • • • , • , , , , • , , , • , • , , , , , , , , , • , , 88 HEAL'l!I AND PBISICAL EDUCATION , • , , , , , , • , • • • , • , • • • , • • • 98 PART ONE

I. PURPOSE OF S'l'UDY

'l'be Jewish Federation and the Jewish Welfare Fund have undertaken to review, in the common interest, those services of the Jewish COll1JIPm1ty of New Orleans, which are a~ported by or through them, in order to enhance the effectiveness of their programs and to promote their camnon goals,

The Group Work and Recreation Study is one part of the total Self-Study and concerns itself with this specific field of service. Consideration was given to the group work and recreation progr8ll1S and operations in both the general and Jewish community with particular emphasis ~on the Jewish COD1J1Pm1ty Center as the major ~ work and recreation agency under Jewish auspices. Hillel and the Armed Services Committee were al.so studied. II, Mm'HOD OF STUDY

'l'be Group Work and recreation Self-Study was conducted on a self-evaluation basis and involved more than 125 men, women and youth, representing a good cross-section of the Jewish camnunity. All conclusions and recommendations were made by the people who participated in the Self-Study and are based ~on an examination of the Jewish population, the existing group work and recrea­ tion facilities and programs in the general and Jewish community, the purposes of the Jew1sh Commnn1ty Center, Hillel and the Armed Services Committee, their current programs and administration and fine.Uy their relationship to other Jewish and non-Jewish organizations in New OrJ.eans.

The National Jewish Welfare Board was asked to assist with the technical aspects of the Study and to provide a Study Consultant, Mr, Harry A, Schatz, Director of the JWB Department of Jewish Community Center .Administration, was assigned,

The study Consultant developed the study organization procedure, oriented the staff and committees, provided the committee workbooks and supplementary information as needed. Each committee was serviced by a staff member of the Jewish Community Center.

The Study of Jewish population in New OrJ.eans provided data for consideration by each of the Study Committees concerned with the various age groups and their geographic distribution. A special committee gathered information on graup work and recreation facilities (other than the Center) availa.bl.e to Jewish peopJ.e in the general and Jewish cammmity and made this data avail­ able for consideration by all the other study committees. Another committee concerned itself with the relationship of the Jewish COllllllllOi ty Center to other Jewish and non-Jewish organizations.

The findings and recommendations concerning the group work and recreation needs and programs were reached by six program study committees, Each commit­ tee was provided with a workbook which contained basic information on the Jewish population, Jewish Cnmmm1ty Center purposes and history, background material on needs and activities of ea.ch age group, an outl.ine of questions for investigation and discussion, and s~ementary material on current Center program, The program incl.uded:

Pre-School Elementary School Jr. and Sr. High School - 2 -

Young Adult and Adult Older Adult Bea.1th and Pbysica.l Education

The findings and recanmendations in regard to the administmtion of the Center were determined by six study committees. Each committee was provided with a workbook indicating New Orleans Jewish population data, adm!nistrative standards and practices of other Centers and the itersis for consideration regarding the operation of the New Orleans Center, The administrative com­ mi ttees were: Membership Personnel Publicity and Public Relations Building and Maintenance Board and Internal. Mministration Budget As indicated above, special information we.a gathered by two additional com­ mittees: Relationship of the Center to other Commm1ty Organizations other Facilities in the Jewish and General Community

AUXiliary to the study of the Jewish COl!lDlllllity Center were the findings and recommendations by the committees concerned with the program and operations of: Hillel Armed Services Committee

This report contains the infonnation that was gathered by the fourteen com­ mi ttees and their findings and recommendations. III, ADDENDA

Action on the approval of the study Report initially completed in November 1955 was dels;yed through the untimely death of Benjamin B, Goldman, the executive director of the Jewish Federation and Jewish Welfare Fund, Sub­ sequently it was felt advisable to reconvene some of the study committees to bring the study up to date. A series of meetings of several sub-commit­ tees were held in May, 1956. The fjn/Ungs and recamnendations which have evolved out of these meetings are included in this final Study Report.

IV. GUIDE FOR FUR'.l'BER EXAMINATION A1'ID IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMElfDATIONS

A separate section at the close of tb1s study Report bas been included as a guide for :turtber examination of the Self Study and for reference in implementing the study recommendations. This section covers the following: Purpose and Objectives of the Jewish COllllllUDity Center Center Program.Activities Overall Center Program Criteria Guiding Questions for Analysis and Evaluation Comparative Data on Membership Comparative Data on Progr11111 Experience Criteria, Comparative Experience, Program Purposes and ObJectives and Guiding Questions for Discussion•• For Each A,ge Group and Activ1ty Division - 3 -

V, PUllPOSE ARD OBJECTIVES OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY CEN'J!ER OF NEW ORLEANS

The Jewish Commiroity Center seeks, through the participation of its members, to give practical expression to the processes of democracy. It seeks to make its program available to all elements and all age grOUPS in the Jewish com­ munity, In the same way, the Jewish Cammmity Center recogm.zed the rights of the various cultural, religious and social groups in Jewish life, such as orthodox and reform, Zionist and non-Zionist, and believes that f'rom the enrichment of the program of these various groupings will come an enriched Jewish life which can make a vital contribution to the larger .American culture. Jewish cc«m1unity Center objectives, therefore, derive their meaning and motivation f'rom the democratic way of life which is part and parcel of Jewish tradition and Jewish life. (See Supplement for additional statement on Jewish Cornrrn:m1ty Center Purposes and Objectives.)

VI. SUMMARI 01' HISTORY OF THE NEW ORLEANS JEWISH COMMDNIT:t' CERl.'ER

Sometime in the early Spring of 1855, a graup of young men met together and formed an organization known as the "Young !enI s Hebrew Literary Association of Bew Orleans", for the purpose of "promoting literature among themselves, and supplying the indigent with the works of instructive authors," Since the Baltimore Y.M.ILA. had started a year,p:ceviously, with the same ideas in mind, this is felt to be the beginnings of the Y.M.H,A, in New Orleans, Apparently the organization did not carry on continuously, but it is known that 1:n 1866 there was an organization known as the Y,M.ILA,

In 18'}1, the Y,M.H,A, was reorganized and has been in continuous existence since that date. The Young Women's Hebrew Association was formed in l9o8 by the New Orleans Section of the Council of Jewish Women and was supported by the Council for many years, For many years the "Y'' has been a part of the Jewish Federation of Bew Orleans, together with the Jewish Children's Heme, Truro Infirmary, and Family Welfare Organization of the Federation. In 1924, when the New Orleans Cornmlm1 ty Chest was organized, all of the agencies in the Federation were included as charter members of the Chest.

The Y.M.ILA, for many years was housed in its handsome structure on the corner of St, Charles and Clio Streets, known to all Orleanians as the "Athenaeum' • Many of the outstanding lectures and concerts were held in this magm.ficent building which also gave space to many of the Carnival balls, A fire in 1937 destroyed part of the Athenaeum and it was later turned back to the bond holders. In 1939 the Young !en's Hebrew Association and the Young Women's Hebrew Association merged, and in the fall of 19Iio a modern building at 1634 Cllo street was dedicated. During the war years, the organization was active, not only in the usual programs, but also in serving the armed forces in cooperation with the U,S,O,-Jewish Welfare Board.

Early in 1946, a Survey of Recreation and Informal Education needs for the Jewish cCl!Vlllm:lty, was requested by the Boe.rd of Directors of the Y.M. & Y,W,H.A, This study was conducted by the Jewish Federation of New Orleans, and all segments of the community participated, One of the major recanmend­ ations was that a location in the uptown area would be more advisable than the one on Clio Street which was in a canmercial, semi-slum area. Discus~ sions were accordingly begun w1 th the board of the Jewish CbiJ dren' s Home to determine the possibility of a move to the buildings and grounds which had been vacated by the Home, Plans were completed for a trial period of three years beglno1ng 1:n October 1947, A gradual transition of program began to take place with the completion of such a move contemplated 'for the beginning of 19118, - 4 - However, in December 1947, the Clio street building was completely destroyed by fire, !rhis necessitated an 1mme

PART TWO S'IJMt.f!Ur.i:' OF FINDDGS AND RE~IONS The findings and recommendations in regard to program and administration of the Jewish COlllDl1m1ty Center, Hillel and the Armed Services COlllllittee, are based upon an examination of the Jewish population, the existing group work and recreation facilities and programs avaUable in the general and Jewish community, the pur­ poses of the Center, Hillel and the Armed Services COlllllittee, their current pro­ grams and administration and their relationship to other Jew1sh and non-Jewish organizations in New Orleans, Six program and eight administrative Stw:1Jr COlllllittees developed the recommenda­ tions for the report on the Jewish Cammim1ty Center, Two additional coim:nittees devoted their atteutioo to Hillel and the Armed Services Committee. More than 125 men, women and youth participated in these cCDllittees representing a good cross-section of the Jewish c0Jfflfflm1ty, The following is a summa.ry of findings and recommendations made by the respective St~ Committees whose reports are included in the body of this st~: I, PROGRAM A. l'RE•SCBOOL COf.!MI'l"l.'E l. General F1n

2. Jewish Conmnm1ty Center Nursery School a. Findings The Jewish C011111J1m1 ty Center nursery school bas an enrollment of 6o children divided into four groups, Thirty-four per cent of the children are non-Jevish. It conducts five morning sessions weekly. The primary purpose is to help the child "develop social relation• ships with other children and adults, promote health, physical growth and motor development, to increase self-confidence, secu­ rity, :independence and other aspects of personality development and to enrich self-expression in art, music, rhythm and language.» The Jewish purposes of the Nursery School are the same as those of the Center, to promote the general well•being of the individual as a Jew, to bring about a sense of identification as a Jew. 'l'be purposes are carried out by means of Holiday and Festival cele• bratione, pleying of holiday records and reading to children of the meaning of these celebrations in teniis of their own under• standing. The professional staff includes a Director and four head teachers, all of whom are college graduates with graduate wo1·k in social work or nursery school education, There are five student teachers and five adult voltmteers who give one morning a week regularly. Regular parent group meetings are held, A consultant Child pby­ chiatrist is usually the chief speaker, Regular conferences are held with parents regarding their children's progress, Individual progress records are kept on each child. Where needed, referrals are made for case work help to an appropriate social work agency. There are seven rooms of varying sizes and three outdoor play areas, Tuition fee is $200 per year for non-Center members and $180 for Center members, Scholarships are available for those who have a need for it. The annual budget for 1954 was $8000, which is financed through payment of fees, With the increased birth-rate indicated by the population study, there 'Will be need for serving more children, Additional space and more teachers w1l.l be required as well as additional equipment, However, the greatest increase will occur in the newer outlying sections of the city. It is considered not practical or desirable to bring these children to the Center because of the distance, time and expense involved in transportation, b. Recommendations: l) The greatest need for service is felt to be in the suburban areas vhere young families with young children are moving in increasing numbers, Priority attention should be devoted to the development of a branch nursery school with standards on par with the present Center Nursery school, 2) The Center nursery school should continue to maintain its pres­ ent high standards and program. As the need is evidenced, the Center can and should serve more children from the central IWB, 3, CrnmnnneJ Hebrew Nursery School a. Findings The Commmal Hebrew nursery school conducts five morning sessions • 6 -

weekly with an enrollment of 45 children divided into two groups. Ten per cent of the children are non-Jewish. It offers the child an "introduction to pla;y, to school and to the Jewish religion. Empbests is placed on good besl.th habits, good manners and accept­ able social behavior. The religious aim is to awaken the child to his id.entity as a Jew and to further instill in him the high ideals and cultural significance of J'udaism, This is accomplished through songs, poems, and dramatized stories relating to Jewish history and the observance of Jewish holideys."

There are two teachers and two assistants, Both teachers are college trained, The assistants are mothers of nursery school children. There are regulal" parent meetings and parent education is available in the CommunaJ Hebrew school itself. Progress records are not kept on children. While the teachers do not have conferences with parents on a regulal" basis, conferences are he1d at the pal"ents• request or when the teacher deems it necessary,

Two classrooms are used and a large yard, Transportation is pro­ vided by three station wagons, servicing various sections, Tuition fee is $15 per month plus $3 for transportation. While Scholarships are not provided, in hardship cases the tuition is greatly reduced and sometimes free, The 1954 estiJlls.ted budget of the nursery school shows an income of about $6,200 and expenditures of $7,850. It is financed by the Communal Hebrew school which in turn receives an annual al.location frOIII the New Orleans Jewish Welfare Fund,

b, Recommendations

l) An additional qualified teacher be employed in keeping with the accepted standards for a good nursery school,

2) Provision be made for 1110re adequate school equipment and re­ placements,

3) Regular conferences with each parent should be a scheduled part of the Nursery School director's duties. 4) Children's progress records should be regularly kept,

4. Menorah Cultural Nursery School a, Findings In the Menorah Cultural nursery school, which conducts five morning sessions weekly, there are :J) children enrolled in groups of ten children each, There are no non-JeWish children enrolled. The aim of this school is to "develop within the child a wholesome and happy attitude toward Ju.deism by instilling within the child a love of our hollda;ys, cust0111S, language, song etc., al.1 of which are introduced 1n an informal manner."

The nursery school teacher bas had ll years of college training, Ber assistant is a college graduate, There are no volunteers, • 7 •

There is nope.rent education program but parents are invited for Chanukah and Purim progr81DS, Progress records are not routinely kept, Conferences with parents are held over the telephone when the pe.rent requests it, The facilities include one large roOJll and two outdoor play yards and two Sllll'lll fenced in outdoor play areas, Transportation is provided by school bus and the children are accompanied by the assistant,

Monthly tuition, including transportation, is $15, The school is subsidized by the Talmud Torah.

b. Recommendations

It was felt that evaluative comments or recommendations were not in the province of this study since Menorah receives no funds frOlll the Jewish Welfare Fund,

5, Over-all Pre School Program

a. Recommendations

Joint institutes should be held regularly by the three Jewish sponsored nursery schools inviting board and committee members, parents and teachers of all three schools, It is felt that such institutes would enhance the understanding of the program and needs of the schools and would improve the service to the children,

B, ELEMEm'ARY SCHOOL COMMITl'.l.!:E

1, General Findings

The Elementary School Comm:l.ttee found that out of 939 Jewish children in New Orleans between the ages of 5-12, 654 a.re members of the Jewish Crnnmnn1ty Center, Young Judea has six graups with approximately 75 children between the ages of 9-17, The Hebrew Schools have no organ• ized recreation program or supervised play periods, The Temples and Synagogues have no organized recreational groups except Chevra Thilim which has an ll-12 year old social group which meets every 6 weeks on Saturday nights, Although statistics on the enrollment of Jewish children in general comnn>n1ty recreation programs are not available, it is the judgment of the Committee that their participation in the program of the New Orleans Department of Recreation, YMCA and YWCA is negligible, Both public and private schools conduct intra-mural programs of sports for bays and girls after school hours, The number of Jewish participants is not known.

There are no Jewish coordinated or inter-institutional recreational programs for elementary school Jewish children,

2. Jewish Community Center

a. Findings

In addition to the 654 Jewish children enrolled as Center members, - 8 -

there are 101 non-Jewish children members, making a total of 755 children served by the JeWish Community Center, Approximately 450 children a.re registered in the Center's clubs, arts and crafts classes and sports activities, Children also take pa.rt in weekly movies, holiday celebrations, free pley in patio, gym. and game rooms, sw:lrnm:lng parties and in such special events as Puppet Show1 Pet Show, Doll and Hobby Show, and Winter Fun Week, A total of 'Z77 individuals were enrolled in the 1955 Center Dey Camp with 192 in the first four-week session and 190 in the second four-week session, Campers were placed in small groups of 12 to 16 each, The program bad a wide scope of activities under a well trained a.nd supervised staff of 34 counsellors and specialists exclusive of several. counselors in training,

'l'he Center has an excellent relationship with YOUDg Judea and provides Young Judea groups with meeting places, gym. and craft shop facilities, Center staff serves as program resource and consultant to the Young Judea chairman and leaders, The Committee felt that in general the Center met the require­ ments for an adequate children's program, but it al.so took cogni­ zance of several problem areas.

1) MIiey children are busy attending Hebrew School where no organized or supervised recreation program is available.

2) Other children live at such a distance from the Center that it is not feasible for them to CO!lle for regular activities, This is particularly true of the Metairie and Lakeview areas which now contains 5 to 101, of the Jewish population, The trend of movement to these areas is definitely on the in­ crease, especially by the younger families who have greatest need for Center program and services.

3) There was a lack of community-wide programming involving the Joint participation of all Jewish institutions working with children, especially in celebration of the holidays and festival.a,

4) There was a lack of sufficient volunteer leaders and of a leadership training program, b, Recommendations

1) Possibilities of providing supervised recreation for Hebrew School children should be jointly eXplored by the Center and the Hebrew Schools. 2) The Center should undertake a pilot extension program for Jewish children in the Metairie and Lakeview areas, 3) COD11Q1rn1ty-wide children's celebration of Jewish Festivals such as Purim or Cham!kah should be Jointly undertaken by the - 9 -

Centers and all the other Jewish organizations that work with Jewish children.

4) The Center should undertake a recruiting and training program for volunteer leaders, especially among college students.

5) The Center should continue to develop its present program of activities for children, c. Addenda

Following up the recomendation of the Elementary School Commit­ tee the Center in November, 1955 undertook a pilot extension program at the Bynes School. A crafts and sports program was made available to Z7 boys and girls under the leadership of the Center's group worker and a crafts specialist. A smsll monthly fee was paid to the school board for Janitorial services.

Mothers participated in conducting a Chanukah party and provided transportation during Fun Week so as to enable the children to participate in the Center program. The extension group also participated in the Center Purim Carnival at which they had their own booth. Initiated as a three months pilot experience, the Center board authorized the continuance of the Extension program to June lat at the request of the parents.

This program has BUbsequently been evaluated by the Center Board and is being continued,

C. JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL COOMITTEE

1. General Findings

The Junior and Senior High School Committee noted that there were 538 Jewish boys and girls between the ages of 12 through 18 in New Orleans according to the Jewish population study, There were 253 boys and 285 girls. There were 229 boys and girls in Junior high school and 309 in senior high school.

Of the total 229 Junior high school youth, ages 12 through 141 163 are members of the Jewish Community Center and are partici• pating in one or more of the progrlllllB available to them· through the Jewish Community Center or other Jewish organizations. In the age group 15 through 181 238 of a total of 309 are members of the Jewish Cornrnun1ty Center, Thus, 401 of the total of 538 are Center members,

The Nev Orleans .Recreation Departinent sponsors city-wide re­ creation programs but there is no wa:y of knowing how ll!8ey Jewish youth participate. However, it is known that a number of Jewish youth participate on the various athletic teams under this pro­ gram. !l!le public schools also sponsor special interest groups .. and athletics during regular school hours in 'Which all youth, including Jewish, participate. • 10 • The number of Jewish youth participating in other social. agencies such as lMCA, YWCA and Kingsley House is not known, but it is considered to be negligible, The number of Jewish youth partici• pating in the New Orleans Ath1etic C1ub and the Val.encia C1ub is not known but is al.so considered to be negligible, The Lakewood Country C1ub is available only to its members and guests, 2, Jewish Communiti Center a, Findings

The general program of the Center for this age group consists of youth lounge and game room, gym and ball field, sports activi­ ties, swimllling pool, arts and crafts. There are 150 tween-agers that meet every Saturday night from 7: 30 to 9: 30 for a program of sports and social activity under the guidance of a Center staff member,

The youth council consists of 12 members between the ages of 14 and 18, each one representing a Jewish youth group with a cam­ bined membership of s,pproximately 350, The youth council meets at the Center under the guidance of Center staff, A calendar of events is maintained by the Council, In 1954 there were 38 boys between the ages of 12 and 14 that are members of Gamma Club - a junior order of S,A,R, Eighty-nine boys between the ages of 15 to 18 belong either to Sigma Alpha Rho or Tau Beta Phi. There are 66 girls between the ages of 14 and 18 that belong either to Lambda Tau or D,N.S, There are 2l boys between the ages of 13 and 20 who belong to A,Z,A, and 24 girls from 13 to 18 years of age that belong to B,B,G, Young Judea has seven groups with a total. of 8o members, boys and girls, between the ages of 8 and 15, While some of the above groups meet in homes, lllOst of the111 meet in the Center and al.l of the111 use Center facilities, Young Judea is the only group that has part-time paid leadership. The com­ mittee felt that all of these groups would benefit from profes­ sional guidance and that they should be encouraged to utilize the counselling services of the Center staff.

The following conclusions and recomnandations were reached by the cOllllllittee a~er discussion with a representative group of youth: The athletic facilities and equipment were adequate. However, the other recreation facilities were very inadequate, While the facilities and equipment for ceramics was found to be adequate, a complete new workshop is necessary for woodworking and other handicrafts, While motor driven tools are presently available, competent supervision is needed in order to assure safe and proper use. Although the Jewish Community Center has a vast number of rooms, it was found that there were not enough meeting places properly equipped and maintained to meet the needs of youth groups. • 10 A -

LIST OF CHILDREN'S AafIVITIES • J,C, C, a, CLUBS NO, ENROLLED LEADERSHIP Brownies 18 1 weekly student Girl Scouts 12 l .. Professional Boy Scouts 27 l II Volunteer Cub Scouts 41 1 II student & Professional (4 Dens) Newman Boys 25 2 " Professional (Lunch, Sports, (1st & 2nd Grades) Games, Crafts, Movies, Trips) Newman Girls 18 l " Student " " 11 0 (1st & 2nd Grades) Sunday Fun Club 12 1 II Student Sim;ple Crafts, Games 153 b, CLASSES

Wed. Clay Class 15 l weekly Professional Sun. Cla:y Class 16 l .. Professional (under 9 years) Bun. Cla:y Class 15 l II Professional (Over 9 years) Thurs, Craft Class 12 1 II Professional Sun, Craft Class 14 l .. Professional (Under 9 years) Sllll, Craft Class 15 l II Professional (Over 9 years) Social Dance Class 20 1 " Professional c. SPORTS Free Pla:y 10-12 Daily Professional (6o individuals) 30 Sunday League Game 18 1 Weekly Professional Slnlnming 25-30 Daily Professional ( 90 individuals) May 15-Sept, 15 d, SPECIAL EVENTS

Summer Da:y Camp 263 8 weeks Professional (5 thru 12 yrs,) Winter Fun Week 75 1 week Professional & Volunteer S\Ulda:y Mov1es 50 1 weekly Professional Bolida;o,r Celebrations 250 Professional & Volunteer Doll & Hobby Show 50 l Yearly Professional & Volunteer Annual Pet Show 50 1 Yearly Professional & Volunteer Puppet Show 300 - ll - b. Recommendations

1) The Center should provide leadership for a wider variety of social, civic, cultural. and special interests activities for youth members.

2) The Center should make further efforts to encourage youth organizations to utilize the Center staff for program resource and consultation.

3) The Center should take the initiative in estab1ishing leadership training courses for teen-agers and college students. 4) In order to assure the recruitment and retention of the beet; possible leadership, some form of compensation should be given to such leaders.

5) The Jewish Welfare Fund, as well as local membership organi• zations interested in youth should be encouraged to set up a scholarship fUnd to give financial assistance to youth leaders enabling them to continue the;t.r club service on a basis of need and of worth to the community.

6) Meeting rooms on the second floor of the Center be renovated and properly equipped for youth groups.

7) Game rooms be provided for specific age groups with gemes and equipment geared to the particular age level, 8) Game rooms should be supervised to assure proper use of facilities and equipment.

9) A more adequate workshop should be provided for woodwork and other handicrafts.

10) Competent supervision should be provided for the use of power tools. c, Addenda

In May 1956, the Junior and Senior High School Committee held a supplementary meeting which was attended by two high school fraternity representatives who stated the following observa­ tions and opinions: 1) Jewish youngsters do participate actively in NORD athletic programs because of its facilities and well organized city­ wide sports leagues. They do not tend to participate in NORD social or special interest activities, Reasons given were: a) Location of NORD social and special interest activities.

b) Difference in economic arid social level of NORD participants. (Which does not affect athletic act1v1t1ea) • 12 ·

c) NORD social and special interest activities are regarded as "not as good as their sports program." The same experience and attitudes were felt to be true of non-Jewish youth of upper economic group, 2) Jewish youngsters are proportionately more active in cub and brownie programs of scouting. They tend to drop out in the older scout groups. It was felt that at that time they have many more attractive activities available to them with social coloration which becomes important to Jewish children (or to the parents) at an early age in New Orleans.

3) Out of 139 Jewish Senior High boys, 110 are active members of fraternities, A few more are not enrolled as members but are fringe participants, going to.open fraternity dances, The rest are regarded as "rejects."

4) out of 170 Jewish Senior High girls, about 6o are members of Lambda Tau, D,N.S, is now defunct.

5) /lZA is now defunct. Fraternity restriction against frat members Joining AZA and other "competitive groups" is credited as primary cause of its demise.

6) B'nai B'rith Girls membership has dropped from 24 to 12, 7) Jewish boys and girls are more sophisticated than non•Jews of same economic level and are more closely knit,

8) Non-Jewish boys and girls tend "to go steady" (if only for a few weeks) while Jewish Youth "pley the field" by individual dates or by blanket invitations to social functions.

9) Fraternities meet the social needs of Jewish High School boys, There is little social life outside of the fraterni• ties. 10) Center athletic facilities and sports program are important to the fraternities, ll) There is great need for more adequate and properly furnished meeting rooms, game rooms and lounge for teen agers,

12) Fraternities prefer private homes for socials and parties because of the greater freedom. While the fraternity leader­ ship officially frowns upon drinking,when it occurs in a private home they feel that it is the individual's personal responsibility. If drinking should occur in the Center, they would feel it to be a fraternity reeponsibility especially in terms of the public relations problem affect­ ing the Center and the community.

The Committee felt that in spite of the opinions expressed by the fraternity representatives the Center had a responsibil• ity to serve those youth whose needs are not met directly or indirectly by the fraternities, • 13 •

The Committee recommended that the Center initiate an informal, personal. approach and method in serving the un­ affiliated youth, It organized groups can be developed on the basis ot real interest ot the present una.ttiliated youth, it wouJ.d be most gratifying, However the degree of successful sernce is not to be measured necessarily in terms ot orgard.11ed groups but rather in the extent of parti• cipation of boys and girls in satisfying interpersonal contacts and informal activities, Professional staff should be assigned specific responsibility tor this task,

The C0111111ttee further recommended the continuing contact and discussion with other Junior and High School boys and girls including representatives ot organized groups and ot the unaffiliated,

D. ADUI.11' AND YOUNG ADUI.ll' COMl>ll'l'rEE 1, General Findinr,s

New Orleans is a city ot culture, sports and tun with many opportu­ nities tor Jewish adults to participate in general community wide programs, While the YMCA, YWCA and Kingsley House are open to Jewish people, it is believed that relativel;y tew of them partici• pate as members, A substantial number ot Jewish men do belong to the New Orleans Athletic Club, Within the Jewish community there are found the usual religious, fraternal and social organizations. There are six congregations, with their respective Mens Clubs and Sisterhoods, Council of Jewish Women ha.a 1,200 members and He.de.ssah 1 000, B'nai B1 rith has 849 members and its Women• s Chapter has 464. New Orleans Zionist Dis• trict has 325 members. Five blllldred women belong to the Women's Committee ot Brandeis University, These organizations use hotels or Temple social balls tor membership meetings, Committee and other small meetings are usuallj held at the Center, In addition to the Lakewood Country Club, there are three social clubs and fraternities with a membership totaling 150, These three groups usually meet at homes or at hotels. There are tour young adult organizations with a total ot 96 members in Junior Hadassah, Evening Council of Jewish Women, B,B, Young Adult Group and the Socialities, (As ot Fall, 1956, the evening Council was the only group still active.) 2, Jewish Camnunity Center a, Findings Out of a total Jewish adult population in New Orlell.ll8 of 4,688 • men and women 21 through 59 years ot age, 1,345 were enrolled as Center members, The Jewish Community Center sponsored a Womens Division with an enrollment ot 50 members, Its over 20 group• ages 50 to Bo• - 14 -

was being reorganized, The Mr, and Mrs, Club and the J.fen' a Club are no longer active, Ceramics is veey popular with more than 200 members enrolled in claBSes, Fifty-two members are active in the Figure Fitness class, Seasonal sports and athletics serve more than 100 men weekly, The Fraternities and the Jr, A,A,U, also use the Center gy111 facilities, About 21 000 people use the pool which is open daily throughout tbe summer, Cultural programs include a discussion group, lecture and concert series, and a music appreciation hour, Social activities include weekly young adult open house, monthly dances, special holiday socials, sWim parties, suppers and picnics, The COIIIIDittee felt that the various programs being offered to the adults at the Center were based on the interest, needs and demands of that age group, Adult activities however were in some measure limited by the inadequacy of the present building and facilities. A further limitation was the lack of adequate staff especially for work with the young adults.

Center facilities are available and used by adult organizations, However, since there is no adequate auditorium the Center's use is limited to coml!littee and other Slllall groups, Progr!llll material and consultation services are available from the Center staff but there is need to publicize these services in the comnmnity.

The community calendar maintained by the Center is regarded as an il!q)ortant instl'WIIBnt which can be of even greater service by clarifying and emphasizing its use. other services to the Jewish cOJ111J11rn:lty include maintemmce of a room-rental. file, referrals to synagogues and other agencies, extension of membership privileges to Armed Service personnel, servicing transients for the Jewish Federation after office hours and Jointly with the Council of Jewish Women and the Fed• eration, helping new Americans become adjusted to the community.

The Center al.so serves the general. cOJ111J11m:lty through use of its facilities, service of its staff and board members on general. c0111111Unity projects and as a training center for graduate students at Tulane Ull:l.versity School of Social. Work. b. :Recomendations 1) Added staff should be designated for work with young adults to develop a fuller progr!llll including inter-city activities, 2) The camnittee strongly recommends that the increasing Center membership and the future growth in New Orleans requires positive thinking and planning for larger and more adequate facilities - either a new building or a complete remodeling of the present building, Expanded facilities should include e.dult lounge, adult game room, ba.ndbe.ll courts, health club and winterizing the swimming pool. A suitable large audito­ rium would make possible greater participation in the - 15 •

Cultural. Series and other educational and social programs as well as serve the adult Jewish organizations for general meetings and special functions. 3) The committee recognized the need to develop new lay leader­ ship and re-emphasized the Center's practice of electing to the board, members from all segments of the camnunity. It recamnended the setting up of a Board of Visitors of Advisory Committee (similar to Tulane University's plan) to recruit and train new young leaders representative of the Jewish organizations in the c0111111Unity.

4) The Comm:I. ttee felt that the Center had ma.de rapid strides in its development over the pa.st few years but that the com­ munity wa.s not tully a.ware of its present resources and program. It recamnended that a. progr8111 of interpretation be instituted to achieve a better understanding of the Center's services and activities and thereby enhance the Center's use­ fulness to the community.

5) The Center as a service to adult a.a well as youth organiza­ tions for program resources and consultation should be clarified and re-emphasized a.a to its use and values. c. Addenda In Ma;, 1956, the Committee held a. supplementary meeting a.t which the following observations and recommendations were ma.de: l) The Center this past winter revived its Young Adult group. At first based on organized Jewish Young Adult Clubs, such a.a Jr. Ha.dassah, and B1 na.1 B'rith, which were weak in leader­ ship, the group was reorganized as the Jewish Community Center Young Adult group. This group meets twice a. month for social activity under the leadership of mature students from the School of Social Work. The group is now taking the initiative in developing and extending its own program in new direction, though this is very slow and gradual. They have a lounge of their own with radio and television. 2) Center membership is required of students a.ta special rate. There is also a. fraternity membership equivalent to the family rate of $25.00 pel'!Ditting the fraternity to use the B:i'III and meeting rooms as a group. CoJ.J.ege groups also use the auditorium for rehearsals and meetings and parties.

3) Adult groups, such a.a Ra.dassah, Council, B1nai B'rith have frequentl.y called upon the Center for program aids, and the Center staff ha.a been most willing and able to assist with furnishing material and suggestions for program leadership. 4) The Center Cul.tura.l Series, though initiated and sponsored by the Center, ha.a involved the synagogues and other organi• zations for Joint participation. 5) The Center conducts special programs concerning Jewish holi• da¥B and festivals, such as: Chanukah parties and candle lighting service, a familY Purilll Carnival Festival. • 16 -

6) Recommendations a) Leadership Training Leadership training o:f adult leaders :for youth and children& groups through worksheps and institutes is :felt to be a vitally iq,ortant need. The Center should initiate such a program which would serve to give adult leaders satisfactions :from improved leadership knowledge and skills and would provide a more effective corps o:f leaders :for youth and childrens groups. b) Health Club

A Center Heal th Club :for men and women is highly recom­ mended. It would involve the active participation in the Center o:f e. significant group o:f people who at present are not being served, A well-rounded health and physical education program :for men and women and older adults would then become possible especially :for those peeple who are no longer el)le to take part in active sports, It would become the entry o:f these peeple into lll!lllY other aspects o:f the Center progrlilll and provide a new source o:f interested supporters o:f the Center, Experience throughout the country indicates that Center health clubs are eperated on a :financially self-support basis and ms:, provide a surplus o:f income which is used to reduce the Center's eperating deficit or make possible new and urgent services to children and older adults,

Practically all new Centers have initiated Health Clubs in smaller as well as larger coumnmities,

E, OLDER ADULT COMMIT!lEE

1, General Findings

There are 1,658 JeWish adults in New Orleans, 60 years o:f age or older • o:f whom 716 are men and 942 are women, There are three convmmity•wide programs :for older adults. Comunity• wide programs do not appeal to Jewish members because o:f the differ­ ence o:f social. and economic backgrounds.

Tb.ere are no Jewish participants in the Oolden Age Clubs sponsored by the New Orleans Recreation Department, There are a :few who participate in the Kingsley House Oldsters Club and Drop In. In 1954 the Council o:f Jewish Women sponsored a Hobby Shep :for women over 65 years o:f age at the Jewish Community Center with en:q;,hasis on handicrafts. Eight to twelve women attended weekly, Most o:f these were non.Jewish, 2, JeWish Community Center a) Findings The Jewish Ccmmuu1 ty Ceuter organized the "Over 20 Club" in 1946. • 17 •

It had 15 members who met weekly in a social and recreational program with enq>hasis on projects of service to others. Some of the older adult members participated in regular adult activities such as discussion groups, ceramic classes, holiday festivals, etc. b) Recanmendations 'l'he committee recognizes the definite need for a program for the older adults - the need for COll!Panionship, for social contacts, and for some constructive projects, and recommends that plans for such a program be developed as soon as possible along the following lines:

'l'hat two representatives, key persons from the older adults, from ea.ch of the Sisterhoods would be a.eked to serve as a. steering committee together with a. representative of this committee to plan the first get-togethe~. It was felt that this committee should assume responsibility for the invitations since personal contacts would be more effective, (The cOll!lllittee with the help of the Rabbis would make the appointment), The committee would have one or two o:f its members take turns to serve a.s hostess together with the steering committee at each get-together.

The age for eligibility should not be fixed since it was felt that it should be based on the iDdividual need, The cOlll!llittee furtller recognizes that the actual planning, the type of activi• ties, the time and frequency of the get-together should be left to the group so as to have them feel that it is their own program, and not something for them. Some suggested programs included socials, teas, musicales, book reviews, bingo and canasta, a style show, holiday and birthday celebrations. 'l'he need for furnishing transportation is a must, and the commit­ tee is a.ware of its responsibility in setting up a motor corps, '1'he meeting place should be the Jewish Community Center since it represents all segments of the community, The need for a place on the :first floor with easy access to dressing room facilities was pointed up. The expense for such a program would in some measure be carried by the group itself••perhaps the "barrel id.ea", further emphasizing of the :fact o:f ~ group, c) Addenda

The Committee in its May 1956 supplementary meeting made the following rec0111Dendations:

l) Not only was a good old.er adult program essential, but that to assure the success of such an important undertaking it was necessary to have properly qualified staff assigned to such a project. • 18 •

The need for an additional trained worker who would spend part-time in working with older adults was recognized as a top priority recommendation,

2) It was proposed, however, that while seeking for a worker, it might be feasible to explore the possibilities of obtain• ing the volunteer services of a "retired" social worker for a limited delllOllstration progrSIII of once a week. This would involve 6 to 8 hours of the volunteer's time for organizing, planning and conducting the program.

3) The program would be carried on by a committee of volunteers, a as indicated in the study report, Co-operation of the Council of Jewish Women would be sought. The volunteer leader would be supervised by the Progrlll!l Director. 4) This limited demonstration, however, is not to be considered as a substitute for a well-rounded program geared to meet adequately the needs of older adults with concentrated atten• tion of professional staff. This limited program is intended to demonstrate the urgency of such a service and to intensify the efforts towards a fuller program.

F, HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCMION COMMl'l'mE

l. General Findings

While a large number of programs and athletic facilities are avail­ able to the general population of New Orleans tbrough the Recreation Department, the public school athletic leagues, the Aud.ubon and City Parks (Public), the cOllllllittee finds that the largest percentage of Jewish people do not make use of these facilities and programs. The YMCA' s health club serves a number of adult Jewish men because of its completeness and its central location. There is apparently very little usage made by Jewish women and girls of the facilities of the YWCA. A considerable number of Jewish adults are members of the New Orleans atbl.etic club and have access to its recreational facilities, gymnasium, swimming pool and health club. Only a very limited number of Jewish teen-agers make use of the Valencia, which is a private club, mostly for teen-agers.

About 250 Jewish boys and girls from the kindergarten through the 12th grade take part in the Isadore Newman School and its recrea­ tional after school program. With the exception of the Audubon Park pool, very little use is made of public swimming pools by the Jewish population. The Lakewood Country Club is the only facility under Jewish management other than the Jewish COllllllUllity Center which has athletic facilities and program. These are limited to members and guests only,

2, Jewish Community Center a, Findings

The Jewish Comrnun1ty Center has an indoor gymnasium well equipped for use by children and adults, The ad.jacent patio includes a svimming pool, a small dance pavillion, a Jungle gym, horizontal - 19 •

1e.dder, ping pong tab1es, s1ide, swings and a genera1 outdoor 1ounge area. Behind the Center bui1ding is a 1arge outdoor p1aying fie1d inc1uding softba11 diamonds,

The director of the Physical. Education Department is a :f'ull•time professional.J.y qual.i:f.'ied physical. education special.1st. Be is assisted by part-time student workers and vo1unteers.

The program inc1udes a wide variety of indoor and outdoor sports and games, The 1argest usage of the faci1ities is made by mal.es. Senior men have an average participation of 25 in the Sund11¥ morning program. There are about 25 young adu1t men who parti• cipate twice weekly, Sixty c1ub students take part in the fraternity 1eagues. The 1argest singJ.e age group using the faci1ities are the 12 • 15 year o1d boys, in which as many as 4o to 50 may participate at a session, Emphasis is being p1aced on the 9 to 12 year o1d boys with an average attendance of 25, A special. group of first and second graders who have hal.f-~ schoo1 take part twice a week with enro1J..ment of 22 boys. The ath1etic faci1ities of the Center are used to a 1esser degree by gir1s and women, However, there is a very popu1ar II figure fitness" program, a sorority 1eague with 30 to 50 gir1s partici­ pating per session, a once-a-week free p1ay, volley ba11 and basket ba11 session and a schoo1 group of first and second graders sim11ar to that of the boys group. The Stern swimming poo1 serves approximate1y 3CJI, of the entire Jewish popu1ation and represents a recreational. program for the entire famil.y unit, The year 1954 was the first ful.1 year of its 'Operation with a total attendance of 13,122 from mid-May to ear1y September. Programs and faci1ities not available at the Center inc1ude health c1ub, tennis courts, handball courts, bowling a11eys, fencing, father and son night, audio•visual exhibits, horse-back riding, health education program, overnight CIIIIIPing, physical examinations and extension programs, b, Recommendations 1) Staff

With the increase in membership and in participation in the ath1etic program the committee recommends that the physica1 education staff be enlarged in order to properly supervise, direct and maintain a full program in accordance with the needs of the membership,

2) Ph.ysica1 ExEllll.ination and Insurance It was recommended that a physical examination be required annual.1y of a11 those participating in the program, and that insurance protection be made mandatory as it now is for nursery schoo1 and sumuer WliY CIIIJl.P, - 20 -

3) Extension Frogram It was also recommended that consideration be given to the possibility of the Center developing an extension program in cooperation with the Hebrew School, including sports and games. 4) Bealth Club

In 1955, the COl!lllittee had some question as to whether a Health Club for men would be Justified at the Center in view of the number of Jewish men participating in the YMCA and New Orleans Athletic Club health clubs, However, it felt that a Beal.th Club would be very attractive for women since there is very little available in the COl!lllllm1ty of this service, However, in~ 1956, the Adult Committee strollgl.y recommended a Health Club for both men and WOIDen in the Center (See Recom,. menda.tions of Adult Committee), 5) Tennis Courts While enough area is available in the large playing field to install tennis courts, it would coll:t'lict with the use of this area for softball and other outdoor sports, A concrete court would require very 11 ttle upk.eeping but would be dangerous to pla;yers using cleated shoes in softball. Clay courts would be too e:x;pensive to maintain properly, However, coneideration should be given to using the present grass area for a tennis court, It may be necesse.ey to level the present area, 6) Handball Courts

Consideration ws given to handball courts but here again the question of cost was raised, especially in view of the limited use of this facility. In the event a new building is planned, positive consideration should be given to the inclusion of band-ball courts.

G, OVERALL PROGRAM

l, Findings

Each program sub-committee dealt with a particular age group or special interest. However, certain findings and recommendations were noted as affecting several age groups and/or the Center program as a whole. As the Center strives to serve each age group and the family as a unit, the services in some areas have been more fUlly developed than in others; for exam,ple, the children's program as com-­ pared with the older adults or high school youth. This can be readily understood as the result of several factors:

- varying demands for service for particular groups and activities

- degree of availability of staff and competent leaders

- adequacy or lack of particular facilities - 2l -

- extent to which the Center building and environment is attractive a.od acceptable to various individuals and groups

- accessibility to distance and time of the Center to particular age groups or residents. With the movement of sizeable Jewish population to new areas the problem of accessibility to the Center, especially for the younger families with growing children, becomes increasingly serious. Several of the cO!lllllittees have noted this and have called for positive pl81llling and action. The Center has a unique contribution to make to the strengthening of family life not only through the activities provided for each age group and sex, but especially through the joint participation of parents and children in family progr81116, Family programming would also fulfill the concept of the family as the basic Center membership unit, There needs to be greater understanding, acceptance and practical application of the concept of the Center as the Jewish cOl!ll!lllllity•s agency, instrument and resource which is especially designated to meet the recreation, informal education, social and leisure-time activity needs of its people and that the Center properly carries out its f'unctions both within the Center building and throughout the c01DIDJ1n1ty with the cooperation of other institutions and organiza­ tions; i.e. Temples, Synagogues, Hebrew Schools, public and private schools, men's and women• s organizations and youth groups,

The need for an auditorium seating approximately 500 people has been emphasized again and again by the program c0llllll1 ttees of all age groups, An auditorium would not only make possible many Center­ sponsored activities for children and adults, but would serve as the COllllillmal meeting place for all Jewish youth and adult organizations that do not have their own facilities, Such an auditorium would enable the Jewish Canmuni ty Center to fulfill more completely its purpose as the cultural and social center of the Jewish community. It would foster closer cooperation between the various organizations and facilitate joint programs and projects among the several organi­ zations in which the best interests of the total Jewish community could be served. It would also provide a significant meeting place for general civic and welfare groups and contribute to the resources of the New Orleans community, 2, Recommendations a, Annually the total Center program should be evaluated by its Overall Program or Coordinating Program COllJIDittee and determina­ tion be made as to the priority of program development for the ensuing year or two, ts.king into account changing needs and conditions. b, For the immediate :ruture, priorities should be given in the following order to: ll Older adults 2 Hiah School youth 3 Young adults 4 Family • 22 •

c. Immediate steps should be taken to initiate an extension pro­ gram in the Metairie and Lakeview area with a view toward establishing a branch operation which would serve all age groups but especially younger children and older adults for whom distant travel is a problem.

d, The Center should undertake to eX;pl.ore with the Hebrew Schools the need for and the practicality of Jointly providing super­ vised recreation for Hebrew School students. This can probably be done best in connection with the Study proJected for Jewish Education,

e. The availability of the Center as a resource for program consul~ tation and materials should be made known more widely throush c01J1D11mi cation with youth and adult groups.

f. In order to carry out a fully develaped program of activities and services as recamnended by the various program cOl!llllittees, it is rec0lll!ll8nded to the Personnel and Budget Committees that a full COilij;)lemen.t of professional staff be authorized and engaged, This would require two Program Assistants in addition to the present Program Director and Program Assistant. g. It is recamnended to the Building COl!llllittee that an auditorium capable o:f seating approximately 500 people be constructed and that more adequate meeting and game rooms be provided. It is emphasized that these facilities be properly equipped. In con• sidering the alternatives o:f new construction or alterations, particular cognizance should be taken of the functional use and control of :facilities and the need for building cleanliness and decor in keeping with the personal standards of the youth and adult membership. II. ADMINISTRATION A. Membership Committee

1. Findings

The committee reviewed and evaluated the Center membership plan and operations, The membership income bas increased :from $7,150 in 1950 to $14,022 in 1954, Individual memberships increased from 11 232 in in 1950 to 2,6o2 in 1954, In addition, there were 526 :family mem­ berships in 1954 where none existed in 1950, New Orlea.ns Center membership canpared with other similar Centers in 1954 as follows: JEWISH POPULATION New Orleans 9,100 2,6o2 Columbus, Ohio 7,200 3,830 Louisville, K';y', 7,900 3,099 Atlantic City, N, J, 9,000 2,965 Wilmington, Del. 6,500 2,8o8 Norfolk, Va. 7,500 2,64o Portland, Ore, 6,6oo 2,317 Albany N. Y, 9,000 2,006 'J/:1:'enton, N. J. 8,8oo l,47,2 Izidianapolis, Ind, 8,000 1,120 • 23 -

The increased membership is due to ilz!proved pros;rem and facilities and also due to the effort at control of participants in programs. Ste.ff has made a special effort to encourage non-111ember participants to join the Center. Individual Board members and others have secured new members, Membership dues were as follows in 1955:

Category ~ ~ Female Senior 21 plus $18 $J Junior 17 - 21 12 Intemed.iate 14 - 16 6 ~ Juvenile To 13 6 6 Family - $25 The membership, according to the constitution, is not restricted to Jews but is available to anyone who subscribes to the Center's philosophy and objectives, Four families out of over 500 family memberships are non-Jewish, Approximately 80 children out of nearly 11 000 youngsters between the ages of 5 and 7 are non-Jewish.

Members have full use of all facilities and activities. Where a special fee is involved, members receive reduced rates as well as priority, Non-111el!lbers can participate in special pros;rems where a fee is charged at full rate. Where community participation is desired in special activities and programs, non-members may partici• pate on the same basis as members. Civic, non-sectarian, non-profit, and non-political groups are perlllitted to use facilities providing Center pros;rem is not using them, Community Chest and its member agencies are not charged, other groups are charged nO!ld.nal service fee. Jewish groups using facilities as regular meeting place are not charged fees, If extra porter service is needed, a nO!ld.nal fee ie charged primarily in connection with use of the kitchen,

Full l!lelllbership privileges are given to Servicemen 111.thout payment of membership fees. Returned servicemen are given a six 111Dnths free membership. 2, Recommendations

a. The caomi ttee recommends that the Center standardize its mem­ bership categories using JWB annual report form as a guide, b. Club memberships including the fraternities, sororities, should be reviewed and their privileges be 1:1:mited, especially the privileges of individuals with respect to the use of Center facilities. It was strongly urged that individual privileges not be allowed to those in the "club memberships." c. It was also recommended thst a special student fee be set for college students. d. In keeping with the national trend, it was recommended that family membership be stressed as the basic membership in the Center with provision for individual membership when necessary. • 24 •

e, Ona month before expiration of individual. memberships, the Membership COlllllittee should consider and solicit these people :for :family memberships, :f, Finally, the permanent Membership Committee should set up a regular procedure :for membership solicitation and retention. g, A full-time membership secretary should be emplayed to maintain membership records, follow-up on overdue payments, welcome and orient nev members and work closely with the Membership Commit• tee in the solicitation and retention of members. 3, Addenda

At a supplementary meeting Of the Membership Committee in May 1956, the :following proposals were discussed as ways of increasing and etabilizing membership and membership income: a. Increase FamilY Dues PrOJ?OSal was recommended to increase :family membership from $25 to :p36, Married couples without children would continue to Pll3' $25, The new rate would include use of swimming pool without extra fee charges, It is anticipated that While this change will ,!!21 result in substantial increase of membership income, it will eliminate the timely and costly business of selling season swim tickets, While some members might resist the change in dues, it is anticipated that this will not become a serious problem if properly interpreted to the membership, There are at present 650 :family members, approx:imately 30 of which do not have children. b, Family Membership To Replace Individual Child Membership It is proposed that individual child membership at f,6 be replaced by :family membership with provision :for scholarships :for those who are unable to Pll3' :family dues, This would enable the :family to Pll3' a more equitable share of the cost of serving the child, encourage participation of other members of the :family1 stabi• lize membership With minimum drop outs and would increase mem­ bership income, This proposal is consistent with Center philosophy and ob3ectives which is to serve the entire :family, The experience and trend throughout the country is toward :family membership as the basic membership in the Center, Careful and thorough interpretation will be necessary to assume successful transition. c, Contributing Membership

In order to carry out the recommendations of the Study, the Center will require greater income, It is proposed that the provision in the Center's constitution regarding contributing membership be activated.

The present obstacle is the Chest's policy of not favoring such membership categories, It is proposed that when the Stud:y's rec0111mendations are presented to the Chest along with its budget - 25 -

of need, if the Chest cannot f'ul.fill the Center's total request at that tlme permission be sought for activitating contributing membership as a practical means of carrying out the Study's recommendations, B, Personnel Committee

1. Findings

The Personnel Committee reviewed the persolltlel policies and practices of the Center, defined the present positions, indicatied a job anal• ysis and qualifications for each and drew up a code of personnel policies and practices including a salary scale and qualifications for personnel, It also outlined the functions of a permanent com­ mittee on personnel, The p~esent staff consists of the following: Professional Staff: Executive Director Program Director Program Assistant Physical Education Director Nursery School Director Nursery School Teachers - part-time (4) Special Interest Staff Ceramics Director - Full-time Ceramics Assistant• Part-time Ceramics Children's Instructor• Part-time Arte & Crafts Instructor - Part-time Dance Director - Part-time Clerical Staff Bookkeeper and Office Manager Office Assistant Night Clerk - Pa.rt-time Maintenance Staff Five porters or maintenance men 2, Recommendations

a. On the basis of Program Committee's recOllllllendations, it is recom­ mended that two additional Program Assistants be added to the professional staff, These new workers would be responsible for Extension Work, Senior Citizens program and Young Adult program­ ming.

b, It is strongly urged that additional office assistant be em­ ployed, It is noted that the office needs extra help as both membership and participation has quadrupled since the reorgani• zation in 1939•1940. - 26 -

c. Consideration be g:I. ven to employment of a Building Superintendent who would supervise maintenance staff and be responsible for minor repairs. At present the Director is assuming this respon• sibility which takes him away from his prescribed worlt. 'l'he building and activities a.re large enough to warrant such a worker,

d. The committee recOl!llllends that the Board of Directors accept and approve the personnel practices code which it recommended for the Jewish Community Center of New Orleans, e, It also recommends adoption of the statement of qualifications and salary scale for Center personnel,

f. FinallY, the Personnel Committee should be constituted as a per­ manent committee for the purpose of periodic review of personnel policies and practices and participation in the selection, en­ gagement and evaluation of staff. 3, Addenda

'l'he Personnel Committee at its supplementary meeting in May' 1956 reported that the code of Personnel Practices prepared by the Study Personnel Committee a year ago was used by the Center Personnel Committee as a basis for establishing the Center's Code, In essence the changes were refinements of the basic provisions and bringing up to date the salary scales, The second code was carefull;y reviewed and a number of improvements made, mainl;y by way of greater clarity and consistency,

The revised code is to be presented to all members of the Study Personnel Committee for approval prior to inclusion in the :final Study report, 'l'he revised code will also be presented to the Center Board to be officially adopted as Center policy. C. Publicity and Public Relations Committee

1. Findings

The Center uses a variety of media and techniques in carrying out its publicity and public relations program. Upon joining a Center, members are advised of the Center• s philosophy and program by personal interview and a.re ta.ken on a tour of the building, New members also receive a letter of welcome :from the president and a schedule of activities for each member in the famil;y, Members are kept apprized of Center program and activities through a Center newspaper, calendar of events, special notices and announcements, and the annual report of the director and the president. A social is held for new members twice a year and all members are invited to participate in the Center annual meeting.

Bulletin boards are maintained at the entrance to the building, in the game room and 1n the patio, New Boord of Directors are oriented by the president, the director and the staff. The sl.'lllllllllrtes of regional. and national JWB meetings - Zi.

are mailed to Board members as well as minutes of Board meetings and tbe budget.

The director orients new sta:f't members. Board, staff and committee institutes have been held e.t intervals, 'l'he Ang'l.o-Jewieh press receives weekly accounts of the Center program end tbe general press receives items of particular interest. On occasion special notices have gone out to the entire Jewish community, 'l'he Cetrter is al~s represented at Jewish comrmm:ity functions through Board or staff. There is no special receptionist or telephone operator. A limited clerical eta.ff makes initial contact with persons coming into the building, 2, Becomrnenda.tione a. 'l'he committee recommends that there be a permanent year-round public relations and publicity committee, that would interpret to the public bow tbe Center serves tbe comrm•n1ty as a whole, and that it utilize effectively all media of comrmm1cation for getting that information to those people that the Center wants to reach. b, 'l'he Center might explore the value of sending news and itrter­ pretive material to the entire Jewish c01111111mity and to leaders in the United Fund, c, The Jewish Community Center should explore possible ways of finding out who are tbe Jewish newcomers in the community, and to act as a clearing house for integrating them into the communi­ ty.

d, 'l'he Center might also explore the advisability of setting up a Speaker's Bureau, available to go into Jewish organizations and Temples to provide information and to create interest in the Center program. e, It was suggested that a Calendar of the events taking place in the Center be placed outside the building, f. It was recommended that a receptionist be available to act as a contact point with the public during the hours that the Center is open, Such a receptionist could also handle telephone calls. g, It was recommended that 1110re Board Institutes be held with parti­ cipation of Regional and National JWB personnel,

h. There should be increased participation in regional. and national JWB 111eetinge by staff and, particularly Board members, D, Committee on Center Relationship to other COPJm1mity Or!!8llizatione

l, Jewish Federation and Welfare Fund

The statement on Center relationships to the Jewish Federation and • 28 •

Jewish Welfare Fund was discussed and the follow1ng re!:'omendations were made.

'l'he president of the Jewish Federation should be made an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Community Center. In the event the President of the Jewish Federation is already a member of the J,C,C, Board of Directors, he shall ~oint a representative, The Jewish Comnmn:ity Center should continue to invite the Executive Director of the Jewish Federation to all Board meetings, It was suggested that there should be representation of the Jewish Welfare Fund on the Board of Directors of the Center, The COl!llllittee was divided regarding this point, and no recanmendation was made, The COl!llllittee also unanimously recOIIDllendS that the Center continue its close relationship with the Jewish Federation and Jewish Welfare Fund,

It was unanimously agreed that in the operation of the Center, the responsibility remains that of the Center Bos.rd primarily and its autonom;y shall be preserved, 2, Commnni ty Chest

There is no stated agreement with the Chest, but there is a statement of principles by which the Agencies are bound, The Community Chest does get a monthly financial report, and audited annual report and a statement on capital funds, It is recam:nended to the Jewish Federation that it explore with the Camnunity Chest the entire problem of SUPplementary financing of budget requirements arising out of expansion or services into new areas, (See Supplement for information concerning income from Central. funds.)

3, Council of Social Agencies It was agreed that the Center relation.ship to the Council of Social Agencies was good and that there were no areas at this point that needed~ further clarification and modification,

4. Armed Services COlll!Dittee

There is no statement of agreement between the Center and the Armed Services Program, but there is a general understanding that the Center coeperates fully in furthering the program of the Armed Services COl!llllittee, It is suggested that a committee representing the Center meet with the Armed Services COllllllittee to draw up a statement of relationship between the Center and the Armed Services Committee. 5, Council of Jewish Women The relationship of the Council of Jewish Women to the Center has always been cooperative and constructive, The Council suggested that their reguJ.ar large meetings would be held in the Center if the Center had adequate facilities for such meetings, The Council also felt that the keeping of the Comrmmi ty Calendar by the Center was a good idea, - 29 -

6. Had.aeeah Had.aeeah has a similar cooperative relationship with the Jewish Community Center. 7, B'nai B'rith

B'nai B'rith ad.vised that it was no longer using the Center to any appreciable extent, Most of the members seemed to prefer using one of the downtown hotels for the meetings as it was more convenient, B•nai B1rith Sllllll.l committee meetings were held in private homes. The representatives of the B1nai B'rith recoomended that the Center should explore the possibilities of further use of meetings of the B1 nai B1rith that were too la.rge for homes and too small for hotels, The governing group of each B'nai B'rith Chapter should be invited to come to the Center and meet with the Center Board and Staff. It should be made known that the Center is available for other services than meeting rooms such as consultation, professional ad.vice, etc. With regard to fees charged, the B1nai B'rith felt that these fees served no real purpose and that they might diseourage meetings.

However, the Center pointed out that during 1954, the various B'nai B1 rith Organizations in New Orleans had. used the Center approximately 115 times for various meetings.

Also, that various members of B. B. were on the Center Board and were well aware of the Center's desire to be as helpful as possible and to be of real service, Furthermore, it was pointed out that the Dis• trict Offices were in the Center until quite recently and that a close relationship apparently had. been between the District Secretary and the Center. 8. other Jewish Organizations For organizations meeting in its building, the Center provides meet­ ing space including facilities and program consultation and resources, without fees. When use of facilities involves extra expenditures on part of Center, this is discussed with organization, The Center is not in a position to supply clerical resources except on an occa• sional emergency basis such as rwming off mimeograph materials. No fees are charged for meeting room space. At present, fee is charged to organizations for exclusive use of Swimming Pool, or room for dance, etc. For organizations not meeting here, the Center can and does provide program consultation and resources, Current policy should be continued.

9, Commnni t:y Oel.endar Some yea.rs ago, in a previous study, the community recamnended that the Center be responsible for a co-ordinated community program calendar, Prior to that time, the JeWish Federation office had. kept such a calendar, The Center agreed and since 1947, has ma.:!.ntained such a calendar, Notices a.re sent to the various organizations ad.vising that all meetings and programs should be listed to avoid duplication, but unfortunately this is not strictly adhered to, Efforts should continue to be made to encourage responsible officers in organizations to use calendars. 10, Coordination of Com111.urd ty•wide Jewish Programs It is recamnended that the Center be responsible for initiating or coordinati!l8 such community programs as Jewish twsic Month, Jewish Book Month and Jewish Youth Week,

11, Synagogues and Temples

The relationship between the Center and the Synagogues and Tel!q,les seems to be a good one, The JWB statement on "Relationships of Synagogues and Centers in local COllllllllllity" is followed,

Interchange of facilities and equipment has taken place on occasion. Joint planning of programs need following up by the Center, Rec;ruit­ ing, training, and su,pervision of leaders is also recommended for Joint consideration, All extension program has been discussed by Center staff and Board and has been recommended, but the Center is currently handicapped in 1111,plementing this by lack of staff,

The committee recommended that there be as close a relationship as possible between the Jewish Cammm:I ty Center and the Talq)les and Synagogues, with particular reference to utilization of facilities, program and staff in order that the community~ gain the maximum benefits therefrom. 12, Non-Jewish Organizations CiVic, non-profit organizations have been meeting at Center. Since the Center believes in proViding space when available without lim:I. t• ing to ita own programs, this has resulted in good public relations. Fees have been charged to cover extra Janitorial needs,

The Center has a good relationship with other social agencies, schools, and Universities. Referrals are made by Visiti!l8 Teachers of the Public School system, and by other social agencies, Close relationship is had with Tulane School of Social Work, involving training of graduate students at the Center. E. Committee on other Conunnnity Facilities

l, FindiP5S The purpose of this committee was to reView the other COl!llllunity Facilities available to Jewish people in the general coomiuni ty and in the Jewish commnn1ty; and to summarize these findings and make them readily available to the Cammittee on Group Work and Recreation. Out of the fii'teen institutions surveyed, six are religious, five are college fraternities or sororities, three are general cOlllll!Ullity agencies, and one is a country club,

Of the six religious institutions studied, all have auditoria, varying in capacity frOIII 100 to 450 people. All have stages or can set up make-shi~ ones. Only three of the six have small meeting rooms other than classrooms. Only one hes a game•roOJII and teen•age lounge, Three have motion picture projectors. one has a "gymnasium". All have - 3l -

their own kitchens. Four of the six have classrOOlllS, Three have libraries at present, Olle has a small outdoor play area, There were no other facilities of this type available at any of the six religious institutions. In general, the above-mentioned facilities are available at no cost to the Jewish community for cultural and cbe.ritable purposes, On occasion they are available to non-sectarian groups, one institution only bas a rental fee for its auditorium. Due to shortage of Janit­ orial and other staff personnel, these facilities are not utilized to their fUllest extent by the Jewish cOJTJ1J11ro:ity. In the past several groups have preferred to meet in a location other than one close!y associated with a particular segment of the Jewish population, The six institutions are all located above Canal street in the Uptown and Central sections of the City,

Buch facilities as were found in the five fraternities or sororities category are available onlY to members and alumni of each group. The three general cOIIIIIIUili ty agencies surveyed were all in the Down• town area of the City. The Y,M,C.A, sometimes loans meeting rooms for worthy causes, but its excellent health club, gymnasiums and pool are available onlY to members, The Y.W,C.A. loans and rents their Auditorium and meeting rooms on occasion. The gymnasium, health club, and pool of the N, 0,A, C, are for members onlY. The Ball Room and smaller rooms are rented for the cost of catering to banquets held therein. The physical facilities of these three general COIIJIJllmity agencies are extensive, Due to their location, and to their use almost exclusively by their membership, they play a relativelY small part in the Jewish COllll!IIJDi ty, The facilities of the Lakewood Country Club are normally available to members only, but have been loaned for charitable purposes on occasion, The various facilities may be rented by the management. The New Orleans Public School facilities generallY are not available to the public. The extensive N.O,R,D. facilities are used to capac­ ity at present by their own program activities.

2, Conclusions and Recamendations In conclusion, stud;y of these institutions shows a wide variety of facilities existing in the community. Bl1l',,,Judging these facilities on the basis of being reasonably available and generallY acceptable to the Jewish community, it is felt that the facilities are somewhat inadequate. The committee feels that because of location, facilities and potential facilities, staff possibilities, availability, and acceptance that the Jewish Community Center is seen in an increasing­ ly important role in the New Orleans Jewish c011J1J11m:ity.

There bas been a considerable Jewish population movement toward the Gentilly and Lakefront areas in recent yeare, In view of this apparent trend and the total lack of facilities in theee areas, it is felt that i'urther etud;y ehould be made to determine what facili• ties ebould be provided for this population group. - 32 -

F. Building and Maintenance Committee The committee carefully examined the existing Center facilities both indoors and outdoors and also studied the Center• s maintenance problems, Recommendations were made concerning immediate needs for emergency repairs and maintenance requirements and also for the ultimate goal of a well-integrated plant properly serving the social, cultural and civic life of the Jewish COIIJ!Ulm1ty in particular and the New Orleans cOl!llllUllity in general, The full report of the committee includes a description of the existing conditions of the Center's 128 rooms and also indicates recommended repairs and ~rovements.

l, Immediate Repairs and Improvements The l!ISJor immediate repairs needed for the entire building include heating and plumbina, replacement of the present electrical system with a more adequate and modern set-up, renovation of all guttering and downspouts, modernization of windows, and carpentry repairs,

The present boiler is about thirty years old and is gas operated. Hot water is carried through building with return pipes, The boiler is situated in one corner of the back of the building and there is some time-lapse before the entire building becomes heated, Under the present set-up, the whole building is heated with no way of shutting off any part of any single room, In patio rooms, pipes are exposed and this prevents modernization of the rooms. A new heating system should be considered which would eliminate the present pipe­ arrangement, Possibly a blover type or separate units scattered throughout building could be installed, Consideration should be given to the fact that unused portions of building need to be heated to prevent cracking, etc.

!,iich of the present plumbing is old and outmoded, Men's and Women's toilets on first floor are somewhat inadequate. Toilets for both sexes should be made available in the gym, !,tich of the guttering and down-spouts in the two wings and back building needs replacel!lent. Replacements of some of the windows should be considered as well as more modern and easily opened doors in front building.

A larger opening from the hall needs to be arranged so that office is readily accessible, and easily seen, Storage and workspace should be arranged for by cutting an opening into area in front of present office, Floors should be asphalt tiled,

It is strongly recommended that an opening be cut into the director's office and a small private office be set up for the use of the book• keeper, It is imperative according to the report of the Administra­ tive Committee that the bookkeeper be given this space in order to successfully handle her work. This arrangement would provide for a small space for persons waiting to see the Director and would also provide private entrance for the office into the staff lavatory, instead of going thru Director• s office as is done now, Floore in Director's office should be asphalt tiled for easier maintenance. One wall is now showing dampness seeping thru and tb1e should be repaired, It is possible that paneling this wall could ~rove the situation, - 33 •

The air-cOllditioning unit for the present offices is old and con­ sid.eration should be given to replacement. Furniture in both offices are of various shapes and colors and appear to be well-worn, It is suggested. that consideration be given to replacement of all furniture to make the offices uniform and attractive. Second floor front building should be gutted and new meeting rOOlllll arranged for easy accessibility and good supervision. Steps and landing should have new safety tread stripping. All rooms in Patio with exception of Youth Lounge should be examined as to walls, windows, etc. Equipment Room and Office should be reconditioned. with new wall paneling and asphalt tile floors.

Consideration should be given to establishing M:in•s and Women's rooms adjacent to Gym.

Since Dining Room and Kitchen are used constantly, and it may be some time before further development takes place, Dining Room should be repapered. and repainted. as wall-paper is coming off in spots. If consideration can be given to building and auditorium seating lioo persons with kitchen facilities, other use can be made of Dining Room and Kitchen, This would depend on time element, Various rooms in this area can be converted. into meeting rooms, Health Club space, etc. If an auditorium is built, the present Dining Room could be considered. for Handball Courts, or large Game Room.

It ma.y be possible to place the Ceramics and. Arts and Crafts rooms in another area, freeing them for Physical Department needs such as Health Club, Weightlifting rooms, Exercise, etc. The Back Playing Field is a very good program area and should be kept for outdoor play, Better lighting, a higher fence, and grading would make this a fine play spot,

2, Center Reguirements for a Mod.em Facility

The ultimate goal of a modern, well-integrated Cornrmm1ty Center with proper facilites for all activities and services needed by the com­ munity would include the following: LIST A

l. Auditorium seating 400-500 persons, with adequate stage, dressing rooms, etc, 2. Adequate kitchen adjoining auditorium, 3, Canteen with proper dispensers for ice-crelllll, soft drinks, etc, 4, Adult Lounge and adjoining adult recreation room (pool tables, ping pong, etc. ) 5, Youth Lounge (for Junior and senior high school youths). 6. Children's Lounge (lst to 7th grad.es). 7, Ten Meeting or Class Rooms - seating 20 • 30 persons, 8. Arts and Crafts Rooms ( ceramics, crafts, etc. 1 for children teens, adults, day Cllml), etc, 9. Dark Room (photography}. 10. Adequate toilet facilities, 11. Large meeting roan -- 100 to 150 persons, 12, Medium size meeting roam - 75 persons. 13. Gymnasium and related bath facilities. 14. AU weather swiming pool (enclosed pool) 15, Special exercise room. 16, Men's and Women's locker rooms and showers. 17. Five Nursery School Rooms and Director's office, 18. Health Club (steam room, dry heat room, massage room, la111Ps, and slumber rooms), 19. Handball or squash courts. 20. Small library, 21, Mlsic Room, 22. Dance studio. 23, Adequate lobby and general public space. 24, Administrative offices, 25, Staff offices (5 needed), 26. General clerical office (4 persons), 27, Maintenance, storage and equipment areas, 28, Outdoor facilities for sports, games, and social activities. 29, Senior Citizens Lounge. 30. Sufficient and proper furniture and equipment.

This goal can be realized by one of tvo approaches, as follows: Plan "l" - through renovation, repair and additions to present Center building. Plan "2" • demolition of present building (vith exception of Swimming Pool and G,ym) and construction of a nev and completely modern Center incorporating the latest principles in Center planning, space utilization, and modern construction technique,

3, Building Development by Renovation • Plan I If Plan "l" is developed the folloving areas in the present building could be salvaged and renovated (See List B) and other facilities added (See List c). LIST B

l. Canteen Area 2, Adult Lounge (enlarged) (Room "A" • multiple purpose) 3, Youth Lounge ( enlarged)

4 0 Two Meeting Rooms (Samuel Room & JA~8) 5. Arts and Crafts Rooms (renovated) 6. Five Nursery School Rooms 7, Toilet Facilities (improved) 8, Large M!leting Room (Latter Lounge) 9, Gymnasium 10, Svimm:l.ng Area ll, Men 1 s and Women's 'Locker and Shower Rooms (enlarged and im;proved) 12, Small Library 13, De.nee Studio 14. Lobby (rearranged) 15, Administrative and Clerical offices {rearranged) 16. Maintenance and Storage areas 17, Outdoor sports and geme facilities - 35 -

LIST C (P'acili ties to be added)

1, Auditorium, With BIIIBll stage and Kitchen facilities, to seat 4oo-500. 2, Adult Game Room 3, Youth Game Room 4, Eight Meeting Roans (20-25 persons) 5, Photography Room 6, Special Exercise Room 7. Health Club 8. Grammar School Youth Game Room 9, Handball or squash courts 10, 1'llsic Room 11, Mechanical equipment :facilities

~

It is roughly estimated that $430,000,001 plus new furnishings, would 11 11 be required to cOlDPlete plan 1 , It will require a more complete study including plans and accurate cost estimates before a definite prel1ro1nary budget could be adopted :f'or this plan.

4, Building Development by New Construction - Plan 2 If Plan "2" should be carried out, namely the construction o:f' an entire new plant, the follow:l.ng facilities could be salvaged and incorporated into the new plans: ( See List "A" - Center Require-. ments.)

1. Gymnasium (modified) 2. Swimming Pool (IIIOdi:f'ied into an all-weather facility) 3, Outdoor areas expanded and re-organized by activities and uses,

~ It is estimated that plan "2" will cost at least $850,000.00, plus new furnishings, also subject to adjustment when accurate plans are available,

5, ConcJ.usions and Recommendations a, The present site o:f' the New Orleans Jew:t.sh Community Center is well located geographically near the center o:f' the largest see;ment o:f' Jewish population, The size o:f' the site is adequate. 'l'he space required for Center actiVities can be well handled on the available area, Access to the building is convenient from two of the city's lllllin arteries, The present site should be retained,

b, The Board o:f' the New Orleans Jew:l.sh Comnuni ty Center should prepare as soon as possible a Master Plan complete With all details and cost estimates, The plan should include all repairs, renovations and additiona neceeaary to meet the requirements set forth in LIST "B" and "d' or a similar set of requirements, 'l'he plan should not only be comprehensive but should be presented in a :f'orm the c01111IDm1 ty can understand and enthusiastically accept. The plan should outline step by step, dollar by dollar, the method by Which the Center can reach its ultimate goal• a cOll!Pl-ete, well-integrated (as well as beautifU.l) group of buildings. c. Immediate repairs Wld improvements should be kept to the absolute minimum necessary to the proper operation and maintenance of the Center until the ultimate "master plan" is adopted. Money spent on "piece-meal" renovations, alterations, and additions is probably costly and in some eases wasteful. d. Since there is every indication that extension services are and Will be in demand, the Board of the Center should make plans for consideration of branches in the outlying sections of New Orleans. 6. Addenda A supplementary meeting of the COllllllittee was held in May 1956 at which the following was added: The report previously submitted by this committee will include only one change, namely, the omission of the estimates for renovation and for construction of a new building. It would be preferable to incl.ude such estimates only a:fter a technical survey has been completed and an authoritative statement can be formally presented. The recommendations of the committee involve: l. A technical survey of the present building to determine: a. What needs to be done to make building currently useable and the cost. b. Whether it would be feasible and what would it cost to make major renovations for permanent use of building. Thia survey would coat about $1,000. 2. A technical study of population trends to ascertain the suit• ability of the present Center location for future use and the need for Center program and facilities in the suburban areas, Estimated coat for population trend study is $i50. 3. Estimate of cost to replace present structure with a new Center building.

It is felt that only with the above information can a reliable and sound decision be made concerning Center facilities for the collJlllWlity. G. Committee on Board and Internal Administration l, Constitution and By-Laws a) Findings The present constitution has been in effect since the reorgani• zation of the Y.M. and Y. W,H,A, in 1939, The name was changed in 1945. By Laws have since been added. • 37 •

The Board of Directors is made up of 24 men and women who are elected by the membership for a three year term, One third of the board is rotated each year. The membership of the Board reflects a good cross-section of the community, The attendance of the Board has been fairly good for the past three years end was even better last year. All Rabbis are honorary members of the board. At the request of the Rabbinical Council provision has been made and carried out for one of the Rabbis to be elected by the membership as a regular board lllelllber with voting powers, All past presidents of the Center automatically become honorary members of the Board of Directors for life. b) Reca:nmendations The Center should appoint a Constitution Committee to review its current Constitution and By Laws and to propose such changes as would bring the form and content up to date using as a guide the form recommended by .11cm. (In October; 1956, the Center adopted a revised Constitution and By•Laws.) 2, House Rules The policies concerning house rules, use of facilities and equipment, observance of Kashruth and the traditional Jewish and legal hollde.YB, prohibition of gambling and of the use of liquor were reviewed and found to be satisfactory, 3, Business Operations a) Findings The handling of receipts, disbursements, financial accounts, requisitions, vouchers and purchasing has been reviewed. While at present the system is in working order and no serious diffi• culty is encountered, it appears to be unnecessarily complex and detailed. There is need for a qualified bookkeeper to handl.e the financial records and accounts and also for a separate office for privacy and security. The safe-keeping of money in the office and of valuables in the Physical Education Department was found to be satisfactory,

On the whole the Center insure.nee provides for adequate coverage as revealed by recent eXSlllination. Periodic reviews are neces• sary as changes are made in facilities and equipment. b) Recommendations

1) The syste111 of fiscal records should be revised and simplified with the possible introduction of a cash receipt machine, 2) A qualified bookkeeper should be engaged. 3) A separate office should be provided for the bookkeeper and fiscal records, - 38 -

4) Insurance should be reviewed periodically as significant ilzlprovements or changes are made in facilities end equipment, 4. Clerical OJ?erations a) Findings The l~out of the office furniture and equipment is cluttered and not conducive to efficient operation, Ofice records and procedures need to be revised end silzlplified, Office machines were found to be in fairly satisfactory condition with the exception of the adding machine, The front counter and window does not provide visual control of the entrance and lobby and is not properly accessible to members and visitors. The tele• phone system is not adequate, b) Recommendations

1) The l~out of office furnj.ture and equipment should be changed to provide for greater efficiency, control and comfort, Ml.meograph and addressograph equipment and opera­ tions should be moved into a separate area so as not to disturb the general office,

2) Office records and procedures should be revised and simpli­ fied,

3) The adding machine should be replaced, 4) The front office should be renovated so that the f~ont counter will face directly upon the lobby to provide better control and accessibility. 5) The telephone system should be enlarged and improved,

5, Supplies and Equipment a, Findings HandJ.ing of supplies and storage by the janitors is not wholly satisfactory, especially in view of the size of the building and the dispersion of the facilities, b, Recommendations A building superintendent should be engaged who would be directly responsible for handling supplies and storage in addition to his other duties, H, Budget Committee 1. Findings a, Budget Process 'fhe Jewish COllllDlllli ty Center is a member agency of the New Orleans COllllDllllity Chest which is in turn part of the United Fund, - 39 - In June the Executive Director of the Center prepares an anti• cipated budget for the next year for the Cornrnuo1 ty Chest, He arrives at this budget figure from the experience of the past several years, and with the cooperation of the staff, The budget Committee, of the Center, edits these figures and this is sub­ mitted. After the United Fund Campaign is finished, the representatives of the agency are called in for a conference with the Chest Budget Committee, 'rile allocation is usually made some• tirne in January. The budget request made by the Center is based upon as realistic an estimate as possible, 'rile allocation by the Chest is seldom as much as has been requested since the amount raised by the United Fund is never as great as the total amount requested by the agencies,

The budget, which has been revised by the Director and the Budget Committee is then submitted to the Board of Directors for final approval.

The revised approved budget is then sent to the Community Chest and is the basis for the aperations for the year, Strict line­ by•line budgeting is not required by the Chest providing the expenditures do not exceed the. income, and also that unusual deviations are not made except with the approval of the Chest. In accordance with Chest r'equirernents, an audit is made annually by a Certified Public Accountant. The Jewish Community Center at this point, maintains three bank accounts: General Operating account, Endowment Fund (gifts such as Memorial, etc,) and Construction Account( (funds received from Jewish Welfare Fund for major repairs, etc,J b. Income Income for 1954 was obtained as follows: Community Chest 41% Membership Dues 2<:f/, Canteen Sales and Rentals 5% Swirnml.ng Pool Nursery School l~ Arts and Crafts 1% Summer Day Camp ~' C, Expenses Expenses for 1954 as follows: Salaries and Wages 55% Administration 18% Maintenance 11% Program ~ - 4o •

d. Comparable Budgets In ccmq>arison with budgets of Centers most similar to New Orleans, the following was noted:

INCOME N,O. READING WILMINarON Membership Dues 22. ',!!/, 21. "JI, 25.~ CentreJ. Funds 50.4 51.1 47,9 Programming 19.6 20. 7 20,1 Operations 7,8 ,9 4.1 Contributions 100.a,, 100, CJ'1, ~. EXPENSES Salaries 62.'JI. 54.4% 55,5'{. Programming 29.0 26.7 21.6 Administration (Excluding salaries) 1.1 7.6 6.9 Maintenance (Excluding Salaries) 2,9 11.0 16.0 All other .3 ~• 100.0'1, 100.5% New Orleans showed considerable variation on Income from "operations." In Expenses, New Orleans showed less money being spent for main­ tenance than comparable canmunities. 2, Recommendations a. In order to obtain additional staff members as recommended by the various program and other committees, the following budget increases are recommended: 2 • Additional Program Assistants $8,000.00 In addition to the present Program Assist•, ant, it was deemed necessary to add two workers to cover Extension Work, Senior Citizens, and Young Adult programs. 1 • Building Superintendent 2,4oo.oo The size of the present operations demand the attentions of a qualified person to supervise maintenance staff and handle minor repairs, 1 - Membership Secretary (Part-time) 1,aoo.00 In view of the size of the membership and the potentials, such a person would be of iimlleasurable aid in securing new memberships, retention of old members, etc. • 41 -

b, The following budget presents a realistic picture of the needs of the Center based on past experience, present operations, and future needs, 3, Addenda Latest salary study of Jewish Comnnm1ty Center field indicates $4,500 as minimum salary for program assistant, Budget should be revised accordingly. In may, 1956, the Budget Committee made the following observations and recommendations. The recommendations of the various study committees should be trans• lated into financial requirements or a budget of need. If feasible, priorities as to need may be established and translated into two budgets of need. One for immediate action and another for future action, Since new sources of income as well as additional income from present resources will be required to make possible the implementa­ tion of the Study's recommendations, the follow;l.ng suggestions are made: a. United Community Fund (Community Chest) When the study is completed, the findings and recommendations should be shared with the Chest and used as a basis for re• questing additional funds to carry out Study recommendations. If only part, or if no additional funds should be granted by the Chest, then suggestions described below should be submitted to the Chest for approval, b. Jewish Welfare Fund 1) Apply for supplementary financial subsidy from Jewish Welfare Fund. 2) Or, apply for special grant to conduct particular program - i,e. Older Mult Program. (There is well established precedent for combined subsidy from both Chest and Jewish Welfare Fund, 98 Centers receive subsidy from both Chest and Jewish Welfare Fund simultaneously, 56 Centers receive subsidy from Jewish Welfare Fund only. zr Centers receive subsidy from COllll!IUlli ty Chest only. ) c. Membership Income l, Replace present $6.00 children's membership With required family membership.

2, Upgrade family membership from $25.00 to $36.00 3, Enroll contributing members at $].00.00 or more per year. • 42 •

JEWISH COMMUNITI CEE'l'ER OF NEW ORLEANS RECOMMENDED BUDGB'l'

INCOME COllllllUnity Cheat Request $49, 335,00 Membership Dues 16,000.00 Physical F.ducation Department 150.00 Rentals ( from usage) 350.00 Canteen Receipts 6oo.oo F.ducational and Social 1,950.00 Swimming Pool 4,000.00 Nursery School 10,000.00 Arts and Crafts 1,000.00 Smiuner Da.v Camp 12,200.00 TOTAL $96,155.00

EXPENDITURES Salaries $48, o4o. oo Wages 11,64o.oo Retire111ent 1,000.00 Telephone and Telegraph 1,000.00 Office Supplies 1,4oo.oo Postage 1,200.00 Travel and Convention 300,00 Light, Heat, Water 4,6oo.oo Household Supplies 1,200.00 Carfare or Ta.xi Hire 150.00 Publicity or Promotion 650.00 Audit 300.00 Canteen Expenses 500,00 Physical Edl.lcation Department 1,000.00 Laundry 500.00 Arts and Crafts 6oo.oo Educational and Social 3,000.00 Nursery School 1,4oo.oo Annual Meeting 125,00 Swilllming Pool 3,650.00 Summer Dey Camp 7,300,00 Repairs to Building 1,4oo.oo Repairs to Furniture and Equipment 1,000.00 New Equipment 1,000.00 National Dues 14o.oo Local Dues 15.00 Insurance 2,900.00 Interest on Bank Loan 50.00 Bank Charges 25.00 $96,155.00 - 43 •

PART THREE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ARMED SERVICES AND HILLEL STUDY COMMITTEES

I. ARMED SERVICES STUDY COMMI'l'l'EE A. Purpose of the New Orleans Armed Services Committee: The Armed Services Committee of New Orleans is a beneficiary of the Jewish Welfare Fund and as such was included in the Self-Study. A sub-committee of the Group Work and Recreation Study Committee reviewed the recreational program available to Jew:l.sh servicemen and women in the general community and in the Jewish cOll'l!l'ro:ity; ;and made recom• mendations concerning the Armed Services program which would encourage greater fulfillment of its goals and purposes which are to furnish primarily the Jewish personnel and to others of the Armed Services the necessary welfare, recreational, and spiritual services on and off the premises of the U, s. military installations and in Veterans hospitals.

The Armed Services Committee of New Orleans is chaired by Mr. Barry Nowalsky. The committee consists of 38 men and women including representatives from the Center, all the Temples and Synagogues and major adult Jewish organizations. It is the local unit of the JWB Armed Services Division. B. Military and Veterans Installations Served: Men and women are served at the following military and veterans installations:

Keesler Air Base - 300 monthly U. s. Naval Station, New Orleans - 10 to 20 monthly U,S. Naval Air Base, New Orleans • 10 to 20 monthly Camp Leroy Johnson, New Orleans - 10 to 20 monthly V. A. Hospital, New Orleans - 1 to 10 monthly c. Organizations Cooperating with Armed Services Committee: The Jewish Community Center extends courtesy membership and priv• ileges to service personnel including pool, gym, dances, classes, socials, game room and parties. The following organizations provide Sunday Brunches and serve as hostesses for Saturday•nite dance, hospitality and for Bigh Holidays: Anshe Sfard Sisterhood Beth Israel Sisterhood Chevra Thilim Sisterhood Council of Jewish Women Gates of Pra.ver Sisterhood Hadassah Temple Sinai Sisterhood Touro Sisterhood - 44 - D. Working Committees: The Armed Services Committee carries on its work through eight working Committees: 1. War Records Committee The War Records Committee serves as the official recording agent for the New Orleans area to record any information officially announced by the Department of Defense of any Jewish service person who is a resident of New Orleans and vicinity who has received honors, promo­ tions, declared missing in action, killed in action or in the line of duty, and any unusual releases by the Department of Defense. 2. Out of Town Activity The Out of Town Activities Committee conducts the following functions: Plan, chaperones, and administers ell program functions outside the City of New Orleans. These activities are picnics held on the grounds of private estates loaned to the Armed Forces Commit­ tee for the day or week-end depending upon the type of function: week-end dance picnics at the military installations. These week• end outings are either on the premises of the Keesler Air Base, Camp Polk grounds, or on the hotel picnic grounds in Biloxi and Gulfport, Miss. The evening dances are always held in the ball rooms of the hotels where the earlier picnic or lawn party was held. The junior hostesses always are attired appropriately for the specific occasion. Accompanying the girls are chaperones and executive officers of the Committee.

3. High Holidays and Home Hospitality Committee This Committee is the contacting source for service personnel who desire home hospitality and/or religious service attendance at the various Temples and Synagogues. The chaplains of the surrounding military installations submit the names of persons given leave to take part in the holiday function. These persons report to the Jewish Community Center where the committee assigns them to a family for home hospitality and to a Temple of their choice for religious participation. In some instances housing is provided wherever there are requests. After being assigned to a home and Temple they are given cards of identification bearing their name and the persons offering the facilities. 4. Veterans Administration Hospital Committee The Chairman visits the New Orleans V. A. Hospital every week to take care of the needs of the Jewish patients confined to the hospital, In addition to serving the Jewish patients the committee assists in programming for the overall welfare and recreational functions of the institution with other civic organizations. The chairman furnishes personal effects to the patients, provides cloth­ ing for discharged patients, contributes money to the recreational fund, provides man hours of volunteer services in the many depart­ ments of the hospital. The committee recently participated in the furnishing of a recreation room in the neuro-psychiatric ward of the building. - 45 -

5, Dating Committee The Dating Committee serves as a means of providing de.tee and enter­ tai!ll!lent outings when individual. servicemen come to the city on passes, They have served in this capacity for a few years with success, This COIIIIDittee has been "De.n Cupid" for quite a few couples,

6. Brunches and Saturday Night Dances

Brunches and Saturday Night Dances are held every second Saturday and Sunday of each month at the various Temples and Synagogues. The Sisterhoods prepare the refreshments with the assistance of the .Armed Services COIIIIDittee contributing toward the Saturday Night De.noes. The Junior Hostesses are invited to serve and act as re­ ce11tionists at the gatherings, A program is al.ways presented and prizes awarded to the servicemen and women attending, Such prizes as long distance phone cal.ls, personal. gift packages, and seasonal. gifts as the occasions permit, Following the Brunches are afternoon and/or evening dances in the social halls, The Armed Services Committee fUrnishes a music box and refreshments, The hospitality committees of the Sisterhoods prepare the refreshments. The Junior hostesses act in the same capacity as in the afternoon or brunch parties. At midnight the dances are over; all Junior hostesses are escorted home by a trans­ portation committee consisting of the host congregation and members of the Armed Services Committee attending the function, 7, Oneg Shabbot Committee This Committee sends weekly food packages to the Jewish chaplains at Keesler Air Base and recentlY to the Jewish Chaplain at Camp Polk, Louisiana.. These packages of foods consist of Jewish deli­ catessen to be served after services 1n an adjoining social hall of the chapel. These services usually cater to 200 service persons weekly. 8. Emergency Af:£airs There are occasionally urgent orders from the Camns.nding Officer of the New Orleans Port of Embarkation, to provide the necessary materials for conducting holiday observances upon troop ships at sea. The Department of Defense sometimes overlooks the prepara­ tion of the cargo listings for the religious holiday season which occur while a ship is in transit. Therefore, it is the responsi• bility of this Committee to get these materials and supplies for the Commandant as soon as possible with special executive order and to obtain the cooperation of retail stores in the city, One such instance was accomplished within forty-five munutes from notice of sailing time orders to delivery, - li6 - E. Budget: AJ.l.ocated - Jewish Welfare Fund $1,300.00

Estilllated Expenditures: Sunday morning brunches and teas $300.00 Oneg Shabbots 6oo.oo Purim and Succoth 100.00 Passover 250.00 War Records Committee, stamps and stationery 25.00 Out of town activities and programs, 3 trips per year 390.00 Total Requested $1,662,00

F. Recommendations: l. The Committee recommends that the Armed Services Committee be given an appropriation of $].00.00 to its annual budget for providing much of the needs of the Jewish and non-Jewish patients at the Veterans Hospital, New Orleans, Unfortunately the J,W,B, Armed Services Committee cannot adequately participate in the welfare and recre­ ational programs of the hospital with other civic and service organizations as it should due to budgetary limitations.

2, The committee would like to have an allocation of $300,00 in the annual budget for transportation and hotel expenses of official delegates of the Armed Services Committee to the scheduled regional conferences, and national conventions of the Armed Services Divi­ sion of the National Jewish Welfare Board. II. HILLEL STUDY COMMI'l'l'EE A, Purpose of Hillel Study Committee The Hillel Foundation of New Orleans is a beneficiary of the Jewish' Welfare Fw:ld and as such was also included in the Self-Study, A sub• committee of the Group Work and Recreation Study Committee, chaired by Dr. Abram Ansel, examined the Hillel program and operations on the Tulane campus and indicated its findings and recommendations.

B,' Purposes and Ob,1ectives of Hillel a, To provide a five-fold plan of religious, cultural, social, social welfare, and interfaith programs. b, To enable Jewish students to meet and relax in an informal atmosphere,

c, To develop joint activities with campus cultural and service groups.

d. To provide a personal aid and counselor service, • 47 •

e, To cooperate in the interfaith program of the university as well as work independently for a better understanding among eJ.l religious groups, f, To be a Jewish hOllle away from.. 2, Facilities, Eguipnent, Staff, and Budg_et

The facilities consist of a basement meeting room, a small office, a kitchen, and part.time use of a garage adjacent to the meeting room for games,

The equipment includes a Torah and Ark, a Library of Jewish books and magazines, sofas, chairs, and tables, some kitchen equipment, and a ping pong table. There is only one staff member, the counselor, who is on a part-time basis, OecasioneJ. secretarial help is paid for by the hour,

The following is a breakdown of the budget for the school year 1953.54: Salaries------$1500.00 Maintenance------765.00 (This covers rent, repairs, telephone postage, stationery, bank charges, fees) Program------·······---- 1025.00 (This covers religious and interfaith activ­ ities, cultural, social, publicity and pub­ lications, student council, leadership institute, and contingencies) A questionnaire was circulated !ll!IOng students who now participate in Hillel activities covering Hillel facilities, equipment and program, The replies of the students indicated that, with very few exceptions, they felt that the facilities and equipment were adequate. A few suggested it would be nice to have a Hillel house, and there were suggestions about equipment, but these were of such a nature that they could be provided easily under the present setup, 3, Program

The program carried on at Tulane Hillel is in close conformity with the purposes and objectives (a statement of the National Hillel organ­ ization) which were enumerated earlier, Included in the program are:

a. Religious activities - regular Friday night services; sponsored services at local functions. The services are conducted by students following instruction by the counselor. b, Cultural activities - study groups such as Basic Judaism, Great Jewish Ideas, Great Jewish Books; classes in elementary Hebrew; Hebrew folk dancing and singing; discussion series on general topics frequently with members of the Tulane faculties as guests, c. Social - parties, luncheons, dances,

d, Social Welfare• Student Jewish Welfare Fund Drive, - 48 - e. Interfaith - active participation in the Tulane Inter-faith Council, Religious Emphasis Week, and Brotherhood week. The questionnaire, referred to previously, elicited a variety of responses regarding the Hillel program, It should be pointed out that the general tenor of the replies to the questionnaire was that the Hillel program was probably all that it could be considering the facilities and the number of participants, The feeling of the Ccmimittee is that, considering the size of the budget and the part-time nature of the counselor's services and the somewat limited facilities, the prograin at Hillel is more than adequate. Certainly any program, though it must be devised and planned by a staff member, depends upon the participating students, primarily, for its successful execution, The students participating in a program such as this will vary widely from year to year in their ability and desire to breathe life into a program of activities• some years are leaner than others, The program of an organization such as Hillel is not and should not be fixed and unchanging; the program must be fitted to the particular individuals who a.re participating at any given time, This may inVolve some amount of compromise with what the counselor may regard as an ideal program, but it is, in the final a.na.lysis, the only workable procedure. 4, Participation 'l'o get a clear picture of participation in Hillel, one must first look at a breakdown into categories of the Jewish student body at Tu.lane (including Newcomb), As of 1953-54, there were 416 Jewish students at Tulane, 359 undergraduates and 59 in the Medical School. (There are also several students in the Graduate School, but the number is not ls.rge and this group is not likely to participate to any significant degree in Campus activities,) Of the 416 students, 283 a.re from places other than New Orleans and 133 are New Orleans students. In the school year 1953.54, about 75 students participated in Hillel activities; there were, of this group, 30 paid memberships. While these figures may seem, at first blush, to represent meagre participation, there are several factors which should be considered before such a conclusion is reached, a. Of the 416 Jewish students at Tul.ane, almost 300 are members of fraternities or sororities, This is obviously a very large pro­ portion of fraternity-sorority affiliation• probably much larger than would be found in most colleges and universities in the United States. Further, it is the Ccmimittee•s understanding that non­ participation in Hillel is general among fraternity and sorority members at most colleges and universities, The Jewish fraternities and sororities at Tulane are not exceptions to the general rule - they don't participate in llillel to any great degree, This leaves something over 100 non-fraternity or sorority members from which most of the participants in Hillel at Tul.ane are drawn,

b, Another im;portant consideration is that compared to many if not most universities, Tulane is a good place for Jewish students, The need for "a home away from home" is not as great here as it would be at many other universities; Jewish students participate in all campus activities very comfortably. - li9 -

c, The last point to be made in this connection is as important as the other two: New Orleans is the kind of city which offers strong competition to the kind of attractiveness that the Hillel program ( or the program at Canterbury House, or Newman Club, or the Baptist Student Union, or any other religious campus group) can offer the average college student, Religious student centers on college campuses do best in amall towns where they can serve as social gathering places for students; in a large city - and particularly in an attractive city like New Orleans - this function is obviously not eo important.

5, Student Views and Ex;perience Since the fraternities and sororities represent the largest body of non­ participants in Hillel, the Committee decided to invite the presidents of each of these organizations on the campus to meet with members of the Committee to discuss the relationship of these groups to Hillel. A representative of each fraternity and sorority met with three Com­ mittee members. In a very candid discussion, the following points were made: Since a fraternity (or sorority) is basically a restricted social group, its members Will not be attracted by the Hillel social program for two reasons: They have plenty of social activity in the fraternity, and they have already selected the people they want to "pley'' with, Since, in New Orleans there are several Synagogues and TelJ!Ples, the student interested in religious services is less likely to be attracted to the Hillel religious services than if he had a lesser range of rel• igious fare to choose from, as would be the case in a small college town. Those fraternity students who are interested in studying Jewish culture do take advantage of the Hillel library and cultural programs, but this is usually a matter of higb.ly speciel interest, which the fraternal groups neither encourage nor discourage, and involves only a few students.

While most fraternities and sororities at Tulane list Hillel as an activity in which members can participate for credit, some of the repre­ sentatives indicated that they strongly encourage the members to fe.rtici­ pate in the "non-restricte~' campus activities and organizations student govermnent, interfra.ternity council, glee club, intramural athletics, drama club, etc,) They seem to feel that such activities are important to the all-round development of their members, and that their members should learn to get along in groups which are preponderantly non-Jewish.

There was elso e:xpressed - and this is the e:xpression of a minority• the feeling that Hillel is more related to the Orthodox and Conservative aspects of Judaism than to the Reform, and that Hillel bas a close re­ lationship to Zionism - a flavor of Jewish Nationalism in addition to Jewish religion - which mw:iy students find incompatible with their own patriotic feelings,

In general, fraternity and sorority students and others seem to under­ stand and appreciate the function which Hillel serves on the Interfaith Council, atJd are supportive of the Welfare activities initiated by Hillel. - 50 - 6. Re1ation of H1Ue1 to the Obiversity

Al.though Hillel., a.nd other rel.igious groups, derive neither financial. support nor housing from the university, the attitude of the university renects strong support of its rel.igious and cultural. functions. This has been demonstrated in its cooperation with the Interfaith Council. - a movement which Hillel. was instrumental in initiating - a.nd by the support which it bas received consistentl.y from the Dean of Student Activities. 7. Rel.ation of Hil.l.el. to the Com111uo1t1 Hillel. at Tul.ane is governed by the Hillel. Advisory Board, consisting of 32 members, which represents all of the various elements of the Jewish community of New Orl.eans and not just B'nai B1 rith which, of course, sponsors Hillel.. The present Chairman of the Hil.l.el Advisory Board is ME-s. Joseph Cohen. This group meets several. tillles during each school year to discuss Hillel problems and to help, in any way it can, in the operation of Hillel. Through the efforts of this group - a.nd especially its Chairmsn - Hil.l.el. now offers an annual award to the Tul.ane student, regardless of religious affiliation, who bas been judged to exempl.ify best the characteristics of Hillel.. The financing of the award was l.argely through the New Orleans B1 nai B1 ritb Council.. This is a recog­ nized University award, and the pl.aque on which will be inscribed the names of the recipients over the years, will bang in the Student Center of the University. Al.so through the efforts of the Advisory Board, a course in Elementary Hebrew is now being offered in University College of Tul.ane Obi versity,

Hillel. has served the Jewish community by providing Sunday School. teachers a.nd l.eaders of youth groups in New Orl.eans. More importantl.y, however, Hill.el. serves the Jewish cammm1ty simpl.y by its existence~ by representing the Jewish rel.igion a.nd Jews on the Tul.ane campus. 8. Concl.usions a.nd Ilecamuenda.tions

.!.• The Committee feel.a that the present facil.i ties coul.d be enhanced - that they coul.d be made more livable and workable - if some or all of the following items coul.d be acquired: ventil.ating fans (this woul.d greatl.y enhance the attractiveness of the quarters, particularl.y in the spring a.nd fall.); office equipment (a typewriter a.nd mimeograph machine woul.d seem almost essential. to the carrying out of a COl!IPl.ete Ji)rogram}; furniture, l.llllJPs, a.nd some attempt at harmony in decor woul.d add to the warmth of the meeting room a.nd represent an important improvement, It goes without saying that increased space woul.d be highly desirable. As it stands now, it woul.d be very awkward to have more than a single activity in progress in the Hillel. quarters at any one time.

!?,.There were several Program suggestions made which might well be worthy of note. These incl.uded suggestions that more Interfaith programs be pl.a.nned; that programs in conjunction with the LSU Hillel. group be hel.d; that the Hillel. programs be given more publ.icity; that there be more variation and more careful. planning of programs; that the Hillel. pro­ grams be social, rel.igious or cultural but not "a. mixture"; that the social and athletic aspects of the Hillel. program coul.d be improved, the cultural. as)i)8ct being al.ready' well band.led. • 51 •

.5..0n the matter of participation, the Committee feels that it is prob• ably about the same at Tulane H111el as it is at other universities which are situated in cities of about the same size a.nd character. Hillel probably cannot hope to attract all or even a majority of Jewish students. The percentage \lhioh it does attract will, undoubted• J.y be related to the ~ Jewish students are treated at a university, to the kinds of activities which the university makes available to students a.nd to a mul.tiplicity of other factors, on same of which we have already touched. Not all, nor even a majority of Jews are mem• bers of religious congregations or attend services, even irregul.arl.y; this is also true of student participation in Hillel a.nd for the same reasons, whatever they are. Synagogues and Temples stand amongst religious buildings as representatives of the Jewish religion, a.nd this is so regsrdl.ess of the level of active participation of Jews in the actual rituals and services of Judaism; on college campuses, Hillel must stand as the representative of Jewish students so lo11g as other religions are s1milarl.y represented.

9. Addenda

In May 1956, the Hillel Study Comm:!. ttee met a.nd made the followins report:

a, Facilities and Budget

In May 1956, the Tulane Bill.el Foundation purchased the home in which it has been located, This action was taken \/hen the house was put up for sale and no other suitable quarters were available for rent near the campus, The Foundation will occupy the entire basement includillg a meetins room, a large reception room, an office, a study and music room, a work area, a kitchen, a large screened patio, yard space, bathroom, and storage room.

Part of the upstairs has been leased to the AEPb1 sorority, a.nd a three room apartment will be rented, It is estilllBted that this income should pay the mortgage. b. Equipment

New a.nd more attractive furniture has heen purchased for the meetins room. The kitchen is now fairly well equipped for serving kosher meals. A typewriter a.nd smell mimeograph IIIBChine have been secured. c. Budget

The budget has been revised as follows: Salaries $2,000.00 Maintenance 785.00 Program 1,025.00 d, Participation

Due to an influx of dormitory non•affiliated students, both male and female, and the creation of a new sorority which has been most cooperative, participation in the Tu.lime Hillel program has greatly - 52 -

increased, There a.re now well over 100 registered members with an average attendance at meetings of over 30, As the member­ ship is predODlinantly from the first two classes, evidence points to growing active membership.

e. Relation of Hillel to the Cammm1ty Increased interest by the community is reflected by the attitude and interest of the members of the committee which negotiated the purchase of the house, This committee represents a cross­ section of the New Orleans Jewish COIJlll!1Jn1ty.

PART FOUR A GUIDE FOR FUR.f.tlER EXAMINATION OF TBE STUDY AND FOR REFERENCE IN IMPLEMENTING TBE STUDY RECOMME:NDATIONS

I, INl'RODUCTION

The material prepared in this part is designed for use as a guide to the Study Committee, Jewish Commun! ty Center Boa.rd and staff in examining further the New Orleans Study and as a. reference for implementing the Study recommendations.

This Guide contains the following material: 1. Criteria. for overall Jewish Community Center programming, 2. Criteria. with reference to progrSlll!lling i:or specific a.ge groups a.nd special interests. 3, Comparative data regarding overall. a.nd specii:ic a.rea.s of Center program and operation. 4. Questions to be used a.s a. guide for exam:l.na.tion and evaluation of the New Orleans Study,

The following method is suggested for making best use of the Guide and the Report in evaluating the findings a.nd in implementing the recommendations,

l, Read the Summary Report Parts One Through Three for highlights of findings and recommendations.

2, Refer to the larger Study for background a.nd more detailed information in connection with any particular questions which are raised for dis­ cussion. 3, Apply the criteria. a.nd comparative data in the Guide to the Study findings a.nd recommendations.

4. Use the suggested questions in the Guide f:or direction in evaluating and implementing the findings a.nd recommendations of the report.

II. CRITERIA FOR OVERALL CE?lTER PROGRAMMING A, Purposes Generally accepted purposes ha.ve been developed by a. number of Centers • 53 • throughout the country, The following statement on Center Purposes is a sUJlllll8rY of the thinking in tbe Jewish Camnunity Center field,

PURPOSES AND OBJECTIVES of the JEWISH COMMUNr.t'Y CEMER

The Jewish Community Center should seek to develop a broad program which shall contribute toward the personal growth a.nd happiness and communal usefulness of the Jewish people in the coo••un:lty. It should offer a variety of significant group experiences which, taken as a whole, will help its membership toward crea­ tive Jewish living, and a sound and satisfying adjustment as part of the Jewish Cammmity, the total COIJJIIIIUJ:lty, American life in general and the world scene. Its purpose is that of service to human beings,

The Jewish COlll!Qlm:lty Center should be marked by a 1llill'm and family atmosphere, and a friendly setting, While it is concerll!!d with developing a program of actiVities geared to the Jewish community, it encourages and welcomes all people of other cultural groups to Join in its program,

The Jewish Community Center should be dedicated to the principles of Juda.ism and democracy, It serves all age groups, both sexes, and those with varying points of view, It should be essentially educational in character and Jewish in its orientation, It ofi'ers to individuals and groups, in a democratic setting, the opportunity to acquire a knowledge a.nd appreciation of Jewish ethical and cultural values so that they may better understand and appreciate those whole• sOIIIS values for which the Jewish community stands and the contribution it makes to our American way of life, It seeks to develop 8IIIOilg its members a constructive identification with the culture and tradition of the Jewish people,

The Jewish Cammm:lty Center should be considered the "larger home" in the Jewish COlll!ll!m:lty. It of:fers a meeting place for all Jewish groups and seeks to unite them a.round common interests without imposing uniformity, by encouraging them to participate together, Its principal methodology is social group work, 'Which, basically, is education for democratic living,

The Jewish Corom11n:lty Center should seek to attain these purposes through a program for the leisure-time needs of the Jewish c01JJ1111m:lty:

l, It should aim to develop the personality of those participating in the sense of helping them to learn to live, play and work co-opera­ tively. (This is achieved through progrBIDB of emall clubs, special interest groups, cOl!lllllmal activities, individual and group guidance, youth and adult councils, forums and concerts, holiday celebrations, participation with others in development of programs.)

2. It should help individuals toward a keener appreciation of Jewish values and constructive identification with Jewish life, (This is achieved through arts and crafts programs, creative dramatic pro­ grams, literature, music and dance; all of which is also achieved through children's activities, beg:f.!liling at the earliest age possible, pla!liled around the experiences and events of the Jewish people in the past and Jewish life today; through meetings, forums, lectures and discussions on matters of Jewish interest for all age groups; through activities related to Jewish cultural events (Jewish Book Month, Jewish tllsic Festival, etc,); through programs of local and national Jewish groups such a.e the Jewish Commtmity Council, Jewish Welfare Fund, problems arow:id Jewish life; and stimulation toward g:I. Ying service to the Jewish cornunm:l ty, ) 3, It should relate itself to the various orientations in Jewish life with the :purpose of fostering a sense of unity in the Jewish com­ munity, (This is achieved through developing a sense of appreciation of what each of the Jewish organizations contributes to the cormnnnity and fostering Joint programs among Jewish organizations on all age levels, particularly in such cooperative activities as Jewish holiday celebrations, Jewish dance and music festive.ls, Jewish Book Month, and generally to encourage opportunities for Jewish study, The Jewish Center should otter its services to these various cultural., religious, and social groups in the community which contribute to the survival. of Jewish life to help them enrich their programs so that Jewish life in general will be enriched,)

4. It should encourage its members to participate in both Jewish and general common1ty problems, (This is achieved tbrougb programs which present current problems, loca.J.ly, nationally and inter­ nationally and how they are to be solved; actual. representation on various groups in the COllllllUllity; discussions in small club groups, Joint meetings with other groups, In addition to having its groups give proper consideration to such problems, the Center al.so helps such ~oups take action on these problems if they are prepared and able.)

5, It should foster cultural. interests, and skills, and provide for rel8Jtl!.tion, recreation and :fun. (This is achieved through dance, music, dramatics, social. events, hobbies, trips, arts and crafts, athletics, games, movies, television, radio, etc.) 6. It should seek to extend the experiences of those who participate into new areas of activity, (This is aQ.hieved through programs of camping, dramatic activities, group singing, choral groups, special projects of Jewish and general interest, participation in cOllllDUnity welfare work. )

7, It should seek to develop a sharpened sense of democratic living by setting up its own organizational structure in the most democratic form, giving everyone of its membership the opportunity to Join in developing the programs in general and conducting the affairs of the Center.

8, It should foster the development of leadership abilities in those who participate in the program, (This is achieved through small pro­ grams, individual. guidance, opportunities to gain a knowledge of group structural. organizations, Joining in the work of councils and other coordinating and planning groups, and providing opportunities to move into ever broadening a.rea.s of group and community concern, ) 9, It should f'Unction as a medium for effective inter-cultural. relations With other community organization!!, (Thi11 ill achieved through pro­ grams developed on a cOllllllU!lity-wid.e basis such a.s civic celebrations, Brotherhood Week, athletic tourn8lllents, social. gatherings, The programs developed should draw upon the backgrounds, culture, contri­ butions and problems of a.l.l groups that participate,) 10. It should share with other cOlllll1Ullity orgarlizations the responsibility for promoting programs contributing to the general welfare of the total CODRJ!lm1ty, In this respect it will see itself 811 part of the total community pattern. B. Center Program Activities

'l'be overall program of the Jewish Commun1 ty Center includes the fol• lmdng areas:

a, Nursery School b. Play Groups c. Club Groupe d. Special Interest Groups and Classes e, Day Camping f. Overnight Camping g, Winter CeiJ!ping h. Fam:l.ly Group Programs 1. SUmmer and Winter Lounge, Gameroom, and Canteen j. Pls.vground Activities k. Special Vacation and Holida.Y Programs l. Mass Activities such as dances and ba:i.aars m, Concerts, Lectures and Forums n. Drall!a Groups and Presentation o. Older Adul.t Special Activities p. JeWish Festival. and Holida.Y Celebrations q, Inter-City Programs r. Library Program s. Health and Physical Education Indoor and outdoor swimming A Health Room and Health Education t. ~s and Lee.sues u. Parent Involvement in the ProgrSIIII! of Their Children v. Councils and Coordinating Groups for Inter-Group Activities v. Ind1vidual1:i.ed Guidance and Service x, Leadership Recruitment, Training and Supervision y, Inte.gration of the Total Program to llllilke certain that each participant secures the IDBXimum benefits of it :i., Service and guidance to other Jewish organizations to assist them in the development of their own social, cultural and recreational programs

C, Overall Program Criteria

'l'he following are criteria for overall Center program. '!'hey are also applicable to programming for each of the age groups,

l. Method and Objectives

The goal and objectives of the overall Center program and for each of its age groups should be 1n consonance With the general objec­ tives of the Center,

The Center program should help members towards sounder personality growth 811 American Jews, It should bring a feeling of belonging and a des1re to participate actively in the affairs ot the Jewish and genera.l community, It should make it possible for members to meet with their contemporaries frOlll a.ll sections of the city and enable them to accept others and work and play with them in 'Who.l.e­ some fashion. !rile program should emphasize joint child-parent activities for IIIOre constructive family life,

The program should provide content dee.ling with Jewish life and its cultural. expression. It should help broaden the interests and skills of the participants and stimulate spontaneity and creative­ ness. Constructive leadership qualities should be fostered, It should offer opportunities for inter-group activities with other sectarian and non-sectarian groups. 2, Method of Program Planning

Program planning in regard to the overall Center program and to each of its age groups should be considered a four-dimensional process,

a. A cOl!llnittee of the board responsible for developing the broad outlines of the program, examining its development and eve.lus­ ting its effectiveness, Such a cOIIIDlittee should include board and Center members assisted by a professional worker assigned to each particular age group, b, Groups, with the professional worker, help plan the activities, assist were possible in carrying them out and discuss the day to day developments and problems, c. !rile professional worker, with the Program Director, and some­ times with the total staff, discuss the planning of the program of each particular age group and its integration with a total program of the Center.

d, The members, with the leader, plan the next activity or project and then proceed to carry it out, 3, Evaluation of the Program Evaluation of the program should be carried out on severa.l levels :

a. The board cOllllllittee for each age program should have the respon• sibility of reviewing regularly the goals of the program, the effectiveness with 'W'hich the program has met the needs of the members and how it is integrated with the rest of the Center program. From this point the CO!llllli ttee moves into planning. b, Groups should regularly review the activities in the program and bring to it their viewpoints and values.

c, The professional worker for each age program together with the Program Director and other professional staff should regularly reviev their program in terms of professional standards and practices and criteria for program development as well as in relation to the objectives of the Center, - 57 •

d. Participants in the program should be given the opportunity to express their own reactions to it. other ways of knowing how satisfe.ctory the program is to them are: the enthusiasm they express for it, their attendance and length of stay in the Center. 4. Characteristics of the Program a. Activity should be geared to the interests, attention span and abilities of the members.

b. The activities should be in consOllEIZlce with the obJectives of the particular age group program.

c, There should be a sufficient variety of activities to meet the desires and needs of different members,

d. There should be sufficient flexibility in the way the program is structured so that chanses can be made with the least difficulty when fOUild necessary,

e. 'l'be program should be both individual and family-centered and there should be a thorough involvement of the parents of the children in the program planning and evaluation.

f, Special empbas1.s should be placed on :free expression and creativity, 5, Content of the Prop:am

There should be opportunities, depending upon age and readiness to Join in a wide variety of club, class, special interest activities and health and physical education activities, c01JmDm1ty proJects and mass e.ctivities, Tbe individual should have an opportunity to relate himself to others in small group1nss and in large groupings, in formal and 1n informal settings. 6. Leadership

The quality and preparation of leadership working with groups should be related to the nature and interests of the groups, the age level, the maturity and adJustment of the individuals in the group and the size of the group.

A leader should be permitted to work with a group only af'ter having been trained adequately in regard to the characteristics of the age group with which be is to work, an understanding of their needs for social, recreational and cultural activities, a number of skills which 11'1.ll. help enrich the content of the pll:'ogram, an understanding of the obJectives of the agency and its method of operating and a elear definition of the responsibilities he assumes in working with the group.

Leaders of groups should have a liking for people and en.joy working with them in groups and have suf:f'icient Jewish background to permit the harldling of Jewish content 1n the program with ease, spontaneity and understan

Groups should have qualified leaders, It is preferable not to organize a group than to set one up with a person who is poorly pre• pared to function,

All leaders of groups should be careful~ supervised by a profession­ ally trained staff member of the Center, Relatively new leaders should have weekly meetings with their supervisors and attend all staff meetings, The more experienced leader should meet with his supervisor frOl!l once in two weeks to once a month, depending upon the length of his experience and the quality of the job he is doing, In some instances more experienced leaders can meet as a group with their supervisor. Groups presenting major problems because of the degree of maladjust• ment of the members should be led by professionally trained and thorougbl.y experienced leaders. 7, Work Load The work load carried by a professionally trained worker varies con­ siderably, depending upon the general nature of assignments, the cOl'.lditioDS he faces in them and additional responsibilities which me;y be given to him frOl!l time to time. Again, depending upon local conditions, a tull•time professionally trained worker should be able to supervise between 15 and 20 organ­ ized groups led by club workers, The number of groups supervised would be reduced in relation to the amount of direct leadership which he gives to particular groups and the amount of time spent in work with camn:l.ttees end administrative tasks. e. Recordkeeping Records should be kept on each group, supervisory conferences and staff committee meetings. Where unusual problems are present or a study is being made, records me;y be kept on the individual,

Records should be used in measuring the development of the group, for supervisory purposes, for evaluating the achievements of the Center and for interpreting its purposes to the COlllllll.lllity, 9, out-of-Building Programs

The Center should reach out with its program to the Jewish commm1ty wherever it resides, Where a program in one building is iDSu:fficient, the Center should make available programs in other facilities which are conveniently located for those who need them. For this purpose, Centers have been using Synagogue buildings, schools, buildings of other Jewish organizations, public plS¥grounds and parks, specially rented facilities and people•s homes,

10. FamilY Programming

The Center should, in every possible WI!¥, develop a program which helps the 1110Ve111Snt of a whole fSlllil:y into social, cultural and recreational activities and gives the family momentum to achieve ita latent capacities. Thus, the Center should not only provide activ• - 59 -

ities applicable to each age group, but should also provide those in which parents and children can participate together. ll. Programming in the Area of Jewish Identification

The group to 'Which a. person belongs gives him, among other things, status, goals and values, Thus, a Center group should help its members deepen their Jewish feelings, bros.den their understanding of Jewish life, give them a knowledge of their Jewish heritage and stimulate their participation in Jewish communal affairs, It should help individuals toward a keener appreciation of Jewish values and constructive identification with Jewish life. This is achieved through arts and crafts programs, creative dramatic pro­ grams, literature, lllllsic and dance; all of which is also achieved through children's activities beginning at the earliest age pos­ sible, planned a.round the experiences and events of the Jewish people in the pa.st and Jewish life tod.8¥; through meetings, forums, lec­ tures and discussions on matters of Jewish interest for all age groups; through activities related to Jewish cultural events such a.s Jewish Book Month and Jewish Music Festival; through programs of local and national Jewish groups such a.s the Jewish Community Coun• cil, Jewish Welfare Fund, problems a.round Jewish life; and st:imula• tion toward giving service to the Jewish cOlm!IWlity. 12, Fees for Prostam It is desirable that wherever possible people should enroll in the Center under a. f'amily membership plan. Increasingly Centers a.re insisting upon mandatory family membership plan•. Obviously, the membership fee should be within the ability of the average family in the Conlllllro1ty to Pl!¥• 'l'o the extent possible, the membership fee should cover the greatest number of activities, Only in the case where the activity involves prolonged ca.re (nursery and camping), extra. cost for leadership or specialists, (special class in ballet dancing), extra.ordinary expenses for supplies (use of silver in a. crafts class) should there be an extra fee for the activity.

In instances where the membership or extra fee cannot be paid, the Center should make it possible for a person to participate at a reduced rate,

D, Guiding Questions for Ana.l:ysis and Evaluation

'l'he following questions are suggested as a. guide for the analysis and evaluation of the total Center program and is also to be applied wher­ ever pertinent to each of the age group sections.

QUE!l'.rIONS 'l'O GUJDE THE EVALUA'l'ION OF THE CEN'l'ER PROGRAM

l, Comps.re the number of Center members in this age group with the number in the total Jewish population, a, Does the Center membership represent a satisfactory proportion of the total Jewish population? - 60 -

b. Why have not the present non-members Joined the Center? What should be dons a.bout this?

c. What geographic areas are not being served adequately by the Center in regard to this s.ge group? Is it desirable the.t tbe Center serve these areas? How shsll. it be done? 2. Compare the total 1'enter membership with tbe number of members who participate in Center activity. e.. What proportion does not pe.rticipe.te at all or rather seldom? Are there any factors (type of Center activities, facilities, staff, distance from Center, etc.) which may influence the le.ck of participation? What should the Center do a.bout this?

b. What is the average number of times per year that a member comes? Is this satisfactory?

3. Review the membership turnover for this s.ge range in the Center.

a, Do members generally remain with the Center for a sufficient number of years for the Center to influence them constructively?

b, What are the reasons for dropouts? Can this be remedied?

4. Compare the stated purposes and obJectives of the Center with its program.

a, How do the present purposes of the Center compare with the purposes of Centers throughout the United States?

b. Are the purposes reflected in tbe kinds of activities the Center conducts? c. Are the Jewish purposes of the Center being carried out? d. Is the program sufficiently balanced in regard to variety of activities and content to carry out the Center purposes? e. To what extent do the program help members increase their spe.n of interests and skills, their finding new friends, their pe.rti• cipe.tion in progre.ms involving other Jewish groups, their sense of responsibility for the Jewish and general communjties?

5, Review the total Center program for each age group.

a. What are tbe leisure time needs of each age group? How does the Center program now meet these needs? Are changes needed at this time in the We::J' the program is generally set up? b, Is there an ad.equate balance between activities requiring defi• nite enroll:ment as compared to those activities which do not? Is there ad.equate balance between small and large group activi• ties? Is there e. sufficient variety of activities? - 6J. -

c. What is the process by which the program for each age group is p1anned? To what extent do the participants do their own p1anning? Bow does p1aiming for each age group fit into over• all p],aJ:Jn:l ng for the Center?

d. What is the 1ife span of the dit'i'erent activities? What new activities have been added in the 1ast year or two? Which have been dropped and why?

e, l'lhat are the factors which 11mit the days and hours when the various activities are sched.u1ed? Is it desirab1e to eched.u1e some of the activities more frequently? Can it be done within the context of the~ the Center is presently set up?

f, Do members in each age group have an apportuni ty for a balanced variety of experiences including c1ub and friendship groups, special interests, Jewish cu1tural activities, mass activities, social, recreationa1 and informal. activities.

g, Are there activities for the femily as a unit in which parents and their children can participate together?

h, What new activities should be added and why? What activities might be dropped and why?

6. Exallline the method of enrolling members in the Center,

a, Are app1icants for membership warmly we1comed to the Center?

b, Do new1y enrolled members have guidance from a staff person in finding their~ into various activities?

c. Ia there follow-up if the new member does not register for any activities?

7, Review the evaluation of each activity for each age group, a. What changes, if any, are suggested by each evaluation? Bow should this be accanplished?

b, What are the attitudes toward the activity expressed by the participants?

c. What are the attitudes toward the leader of the group?

8, Examine the 1eadership and supervision which the Center provides for each age group.

a, Were the leaders of the various groups adequate1y trained before being assigned to them? What type of supervision do they re• ceive? By whom?

b, What are the ages, educational backgrounds and experience of the various leaders? Are they su:t':t'iciently mature individuals?

c, Are there a:oy- special problems in recruiting 1eaders? What methods are used? 9, Examine the facilities 81'.ld equipment provided for each age group,

a, Are the facilities and equipment adequate for their needs? Are an,y changes necessary? Are additional facilities needed? What types?

E. COMPARATIVE DATA Table l

COMPARATIVE DATA - CEN'mR MEMBERSHIP IN COMMUNITIES WITH JEWISH POPULATION FROM :;;,ooo - 9,500 COMMUNITY Columbus lio72 Akron 3653 Sy-.-acuse 3348 Atlanta 3164 Portland, Ore, 3089 Wilmington 3075 New Orleans Scranton ~ Norfolk 2710 Toledo 2289 Youngstown 2272 Albany 2131 San Antonio 1817 Trenton 1653 Indianapolis 1235

It is to be noted that the Centers with the larger memberships have either new buildings or complete facilities, The Centers with the smaller memberships have inadequate facilities, The membership of New Orleans is approximately average for camnunities of this size popula.tion, Judging from the experience of other Centers, it is reasonable to anticipate that the membership of the New Orleans Cen­ ter would appreciably increase with improved facilities, larger staff and budget.

It is also to be noted that the proportion of Center membership to Jewish population for New Orleans is approximately t/3 which coin- J cides with the national average of communities of the same size.

Table 2

COMPARATIVE DATA • THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS IN EACH AGE GROUP AS RELATED TO THE TOTAL CENTER MEMBERSHIP

AGE GROUP NATION/IL AVERAGE NEW ORLEANS Under 14 14 • 17 18-24 25

It is to be noted that the age distribution of Center members in the New Orleans Center corresponds rather closely with the national averages. - 63 -

Table 3

COMPARATIVE PROGRAM EXPERIENCE OF CENl'ERS IN COMMIJNITIES WI~ JEWISH POPULATION FROM 6,500 tg 9.500 BEGULARLY SCHEDULED GROUPS WITH DEFINITE ENROLLMENT* NO. OF TOTAL ENROLLMENT ANNUAL COMvl.UNITY Dil'FEREN.r GROUPS IN GROUPS A'l'!'ENDANCE Col1llllbus 4o4 6664 183,350 Srcranton 240 5561 134,007 All:::-on 203 2768 46,131 Albany 178 3340 4o,79l Atlantic City 172 6133 122,115 Trenton l~-5 2917 42,291 Norfolk 103 2057 ~,450 Wilmington 98 1612 50,940 New Orleans 94 1216 34,689 *Does not include e.dult organizations under national sponsorship, The New Orleans Jewish Community Center appears to have a smaller number of regularly scheduled groups with definite enroJ.lJl!ent, but it compares favorably in regard to membership III. CRITERIA FOR SPECIFIC AGE GROUPS

The following material is designed for use as a guide in analyzing and evaluating the findings and recomnendations with reference to specific age groups, It is intended that each section is to be reed in connection with tl:\e parallel section in the summary report,

Each section in the following Guide contains material on objectives, criteria, program, leadership, and comparative data for each age group, PRE-SCHOOL A, Objectives: The pre-school progrEl!ll should reflect the objectives and goals of the Center by providing through its activities: a. Opportunities to learn to socialize, to play and to do things with other children, b, Opportunities to become accustomed to being with other adults and to be ini'J.uenced by other adults

c. EJqleriences in eating, resting and self care with otl:\er children d., Opportunities for new and creative experiences not likely to be furnished by the child's home e, EJqleriences to help them develop greater emotional warmth toward things that are Jewish and a greater feeling of security in being American Jews, - 64 •

t. Opportunities tor working concurrently with the parents of the children to help them understand their children' s growth and needs and to aid the program in achieving its purposes,

g. Opportunities to bring together children of a.ll economic and social levels in a democratic setting, B. Program:

The pre-school program of the Center should generally emphasize activities relating to the child's growth and development, to teaching him to do things for himself and othe!'s, to developing satisfaction and sec•.rity through actual achievement, to encouraging a sense of :freedom in doing things leading to creativeness and the use of the il!la.gination, and to developing social values, to develop Jewish interests which are specific for him, The activities should help encourage warmth and security in getting along with others, provide opportunities tor devel­ oping democratic relationships with other children and stress health needs and the tt'aining in good habits, The max:!.mum interest and co­ operation of pa.rents shculd ·oe sought and there should be intelligent hand1ing of behaviour difficulties in the children. It is essential that the program provide a wide variety of play experiences for the child. ~sis should be placed on those which stimulate activity on the part oi' the child rather than activities of a routine nature. All the experiences must be based on the social, emotional, intellectual, and physical levels of growth a.nd changes that occur during the yea.rs between 3 and 6. Ideas, as such, are meager in these early stages of development when the child is becoming acquainted with tangible persons and objects about him. Children become rich and accurate in proportion to the amount of individual experiences they have. Thus, a.ll experiences must be based on real objects, on every day asso• ciations with which the child is becoming acquainted.

The program should be nexible and varied enough to permit quick changes in order to keep the children f'l'am becoming too tired and rest~ less. Ordinarily, an active period is alternated with a quiet one. The program should also respond to changes in the weather. These young children should be given the opportunity· of climbing., building, push1ng­ pulling and running out-of-doors, Some of the activities usually introduced into the Center Pre-School Program are:

,"!, a. For physical development: Jungle-gym, blocks, barrel, see-saws, outdoor play b, For artistic expression: paints, crayons, clay, paper, colored blocks, play acting c, For Jewish cultural expression: Jewish songs, dances, games, art, use oi' Sabbath and Jewish holidays, trips to places of J'ewish interest and relating Jewish elements of programming to the total program in a simple and natural WB;;f so that they become part and parcel of one complete program. - 65 - d, For learning to play and work with others: pla:y house, set-up room, serve at table, exploring the neighborhood, parties, e, For personality development: serving others, sharing with others, expressing oneself, f. Games, play acting, rhythmics and rhythm band, nursery songs, Hebrew and Yiddish, parties and games relating to Jewish and American holidays, trips, drawing and story telling,

C, MINIMUM PERSONNEL STAfi-DARDS l, Nursery school teachers should be friendly, emotionally stable and COIJll)etent, They should be sympathetic to family and children's pro·o1ems, with an understanding, acceptance and liking of children, They should have a positive identification with the Jewish Com­ munity Center and its program and should be able to carry out the Center's objectives, A, Education Teachers should have a B,A, or have studied or be studying in the field of early childhood education and development,

B, Teachers should have had at least one year of working With children in a group, under good supervision and preferably on the pre-school level,

2, Head Teachers: In addition to the qualifications required of teachers, head teachers should have a capacity to work with other adults• parents and teachers. They should have administrative ability and program skills, A, Education Head teachers should have at least a B,A, 1 and should have taken courses in the field of early childhood education and development, Some Jewish background is desirable, B, Experience They should have had at least two years of teaching experience on the pre-school level, under good supervision or very closely related experience in group work,

E, MINIMUM EDUCATIONAL STAmlARDS l, There should be approximately one teacher to every ten children, When a group has only one teacher, a second person should al~s be available, 2, EducationaJ. and recreational equipment should be suitable in size and readily accessible to the children, It should include pla:y material appropriate to the stage of development ot the children and designed to foster physical and motor development and creative pla:y. 3, The program should be varied to include real experiences through trips, appropriate to the needs of the childrenJ :I.magi.native and - 66 -

doll corner play; activities for development of la.rge and small musculature as well as coordination, development of motor skills such as climbing and balancing; creative and constructive eXperience such as building, painting, clay modeling, music, etc,

4. There should be appropriate and adequate table space and seating facilities.

E. MINIMUM PHYSICAL AND HEALTH STANDARDS

l. Minimum allowance of space for each child - 30 sq. feet of floor apace ; 200 cubic feet of air space.

2. Roome that a.re noticeably damp and drafty should not be used, A temperature of 68 degrees to 72 degrees should be maintained at all times, A thel'l!lometer should be visible in each roan. 3. Clothing of individual children should be hung separately.

4. There should be a minimum of one toilet and one wash basin avail• able for everJ 10 children. 5. Adequate fire safety precautions should be observed at all times. 6. A first aid kit should be provided and one staff member should be qualified to administer first aid,

7. A space shall be available for the tem:porary isolation of any child having symptoms of siclmess, pending proper disposition of the case.

8. An easily accessible outdoor play space is highly desirable. It should be large enough for a sandbox, jungle gym, a llJJIOOth area for riding tricycles and for playing with large blocks, see-saws and ladders,

9, Appropriate safeguards for low windows, stairwells and radiators should be provided in all indoor rooms,

10. Each child is to have a thorough physical checkup on admittance and innoculation against smallpox and diphtheria should be required,

11. Morning inspection of all children should be part of dail:y procedure,

l.2. The nursery school should be notified if a child develops a com­ municable disease,

13, Teachers and other personnel coming in contact with the children (e,g, porter, driver, etc,) should have a yearl:y physical checkup and chest X-rays, Personnel are not to be in contact with children during period of cooml11n:I cable disease, including the first three days of a cold, (This means that provision for substitutes must be made 'llben necessary,)

14, When transportation is arranged for by the school, the max:l.mum number of children permitted. by law should not be exceeded and a qualified adult attendant, in addition to the driver, must accompany the children. • 67 -

The following data is based on a national study of Nursery Schoo~s under Jewish COllllllll?li ty Center auspices made by the Nro'IONAL JEWISH WELFARE BOABD in 1956.

1, GROUPS AND ENROLLMENT a. 9CJ1, of the schools that reported were half-day schools. b, 6CJI, of the schools that reported bad one or two groups, 251' had three groups each. c, The average enrollment per group was 16, d, 9CJ1, of the schools stated that they admit non-Jewish children, .l\mong those schools that reported non-Je11i.sh children on their rosters, 3CJ1, cf the children were non-Jews among all-day schools and lCJI, among half-day schools. 2. FEES AND SCH()j.JiRSHIP

a. The aver~ge monthly fee in half-day schools was nearly $20 and in all day schools, over $53,50, b. In most schools, the monthly fee did not include charges for transportation. These charges added another $8,75 per month, c, Two-thirds of the schools reported scholarship children, The average scholarship rate was 18 to every 100 children, with five times as many partial as full scholarships. 3, FINANCES a. Average annual cost of the program ranged from $3,275 in half­ day schools with one group, to $11,300 in the same type school with four or more groups, b, Salaries absorbed al.most 751 of total operating cost of half­ day schools and 81% of all-day schools, The major part of salary expenditures was for nursery staff, Food and maintenance costs accounted for an additional 8,5% of total costs of half­ day schools, and 141 of the total expenditure of all-day schools, c, All schools reported expenditures for salaries, four of every five for food, and three of five for m.ainte11ance,

d, Nearly all schools received the major share of their income from fees. Only five schools received 5CJ1, or more of their total revenue from other sources.

e. The average return from fees was equivalent to 87% of the total income for half-day schools,

f, Over one-half of the schools reported that all of their income was derived from fees, and an additional one-sixth indicated over 9(11, but less than loCJI, from this source. - 68 -

4. INTAKE a. Center membership as a condition for intake was required in four-tenths of the schools, while preference to Center members was reported by one-half. Slightly more than six schools in every ten stated that they had waiting lists. The number of children on the waiting lists were equal to a.bout~. on the average, of the number enrolled in the schools,

b. In most of the schools the interviewing is done by the staff of the school; in many of these, members of the Center staff engage in the interviewing process along With members of the nursery school staff, The presence of only one of the parents is required by 851, of the schools, during the interview, The type of information sought during the interview generally relate to the child's physical and emotional develapment, and to the economic status of the family, c, The intake process in most schools is not related to other social agencies. Very few schools report a special quota for social agency referrals,

5, PERSONNEL

a, The number of professional workers provided by the school budget was related directly to the number of children's groups in the school. One-sixth of the schools reported budget provision for clerical personnel, and one-fourth for maintenance staff employ­ ment, exclusively for the nursery school. b, Fewer than one-half of the schools stated that they have minimum starting salaries. Where first year of empl(lj'lllent was reported for teachers, it was found that in 6a'/, of the cases this had been in 1954 or 1955, indicating an apparently rapid rate of turnover in staff, c, Experience in the field was reported more frequently as a re­ quirement for employment than graduation from an accredited school of .Nursery School education. The latter requirement was listed by one•half of the schools answering the requirement question, as a qualification for teachers and by three-fourths as a qualification for head teachers, Jewish background con­ sisting of formal Hebrew or Sunday' school education, was listed by relatively few schools.

d, Most schools have regular sta:t'f meetings and regular supervisory conferences of the staff with the headteacher. The nursery school staff ie under the supervision of the Center staff, generally. In a majority of the instances where the parent Center has a persomel practices policy, the policy is also aPPJ.icable to the nursery school staff. c. In three-fi~hs of the schools, mothers perform volunteer services, including physical care of the children and help with transportation, - 69 -

6, PROGRAM

a, Basic aims of the program are to help the child to develop its personality while learning to adjust to group participation and living, b, Most schools stated that their programs include Jewish cultural. materials relating to holidays, music, and customs and cere­ monies, A typical day's program includes free play, organized play, snack time, story time, song, music and rest, c, About one-half of the schools reported the use of audio-visual source material., and the same proportions indicated the employ­ ment of bibliograpby and of organizations, Films, and ll!OVies as well as records, and specialized publications and organiza­ tions were cited most frequently as more specific sources, Six of every ten schools stated that they al.so found it necessary to create their own materials. 7, RECORDS Most schools maintain individual records while less than one­ half reported that they al.so keep group records, Records are used for improvement of method, in supervision, for observing growth and development of the child, for parent information and consultation, and in making referrals to schools and to other agencies,

8, FACn.l'l'ms AND EQUIPMENT a, Tbe number of rooms available for nursery school use was related directly to the number of groups in the school. A smell pro­ portion of the schools were located in an other than the Center building, The floor location in the Center was reported in many cases 'Without specifying the relationship of the area occupied by the nursery school, to other areas, Only one-third of the respondents reported that the ll'ursery School facilities were used exclusively for that purpose. Local legal require­ ments were met by nearly all of the schools. b, Sleeping quarters were available generally only in the all-day schools. Most of the schools reported the existence of an out­ door play area, including usually, swings, elides and sandbox; and often al.so, jungle gyms, teeter-board and other apparatus,

c, An indoor play area for use during inclement weather was re­ ported by three-fourths of the echools; often the rooms employed for regular Nursery School use, constituted this area,

d, Altogether, about six-tenths of the schools either were con­ structed originally or were remodelled specifically for Nursery School use, Cnildren's cubby space was reported by six-tenths of the schools, and eight-tenths indicated the availability of storage and closet space, Furnishings-al.ways consisted of table and chairs, and often included shelves, pianos, and easels. - 70 -

Blocks were listed most frequently as program equipment, followed by records and phonographs, and often including toys, dolls and puzzles, c, The median original investment in equipment among schools that reported this information was $1,350, Annual repair and replacement cost averaged 10% of ori~inal investment. Schools whose original investment was above i3,000 showed an average of 8.5%, while those that had invested less, averaged 12,5%, 9, RELATIONSHIPS OF THE SCHOOL a, Organized pa.rents groups, which exist in most of the schools, generally meet once a month, The programs usually consist of discussions and lectures, Parent cooperative organizations exist in relatively few schools, Where they are in existence, their main function is in the performance of volunteer work, b, Supervision, guidance, and assistance from other organizations were reported by four-tenths of the schools, G, R._UESTIONS TO GU1))E THE EVALUATION OF THE CENTER PROGRAM FOR PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN

1. Apply the questions previously indicated for total Center program to the pre-school area.

2, Are the Center purposes satisfactorily reflected in the Pre-School program? 3, Are the Jewish purposes adequately carried out in the Pre-School program? 4, Should the Center serve more pre-school children? How? Where? 5, Does the program meet the needs of the pre-school children as indicated in the criteria? 6. Are the minimum personnel standards met?

7, How does the Center's educational standards compare with the recom­ mended standardsi 8. Are the Center's nursery school physical and health standards acceptable? 9, How does the Center's nursery school compare with others in regard to:

a, groups and enrollment b. fees and scholarship c, finances d, intake e. personnel f, program g, records h, facilities and equipment i, relationships • 71 •

ELEMElfJ.'ARY SCHOOL CHil.DREN

This section contains material Oll the characteristics of children, program purposes, program activities, the group, physical requirements for children's program, staff requirements, health standsrds and pa.rent cooperation, It also contaillS comparative data and suggested questions for analysis and evaluation of the Elementary School Section of the New Orleans Study.

A. PURPOSES OF 'l'BE CENTER CHil.D.REN1 S PROGRAM The children's progrBl!l as an integral part of the total Jewish Community Cei::.ter should re:f'lect the Center's objectives and goals, and at the same tinie provide for the needs of this age group which stem out of their own characteristics. Thus, the program should include: (l) opportunities to learn to socialize, play and do things together with other children in democratic fashion; (2) opportunities to lea.:rn about new places and new things; (3) opportunities to acquire new skills; (4) o:pportunities to participate in imaginative and creative activities; (5) experiences in regard to Jewish community and Jewish cultural expression which will give thel!l a sense of significance and dignity and result in identifica,.. tion with the Jewish group end a ready willingness to participate actively in it; (6) experiences to give them a better knowledge of their own neighborhood and opportunities, at their own level, to participate in its affair;(7) opportunities to do self planning of their own activi­ ties; (8) experiences to help develop constructive leadership qualities and intelligent coo:peration; (9) opportunities for having :fun and re­ lease of energies; llO) opportunities for physical development and lllll:scular coordination. In programming, children cannot and should not be considered as a single age group, The degree of maturity and their personal experiences will also determine the activities and social relationships that have the greatest meaning and constructive influence for them. The leader of the group .should be constantly alert to the need to expose them to new experiences, new activities, and new materials so that the g!."oups 1 own interests may be developed and expressed.

Experience he.a shown that most children of six and seven represent in their play the everyday experiences with which they a.re familiar -- the events that happen at home, the trains and airplanes they observe, the store and bakery they visit. Dramatically and imaginatively they play out these personal experiences. Materials and equipment should permit such free expression, Activities in art, dance or dramatics require spontaneous and natural movements, baaed on simple ideas developed out of their own imaginations. Techniques have lit-".J.e meaning to them. They must learn to enjoy the things they do, They can also begin to learn to plan for themselves although this is limited to the immediate future.

When they reach the age of eight or nine, their interests and curiosi­ ties reach out to people and places with which they a.re unfamiliar, to figures of the past, to adventurers, indiane, pioneers, sailors on the seae. Games which are low-organized and require little skill appeal to them. Dramatic expression begins to have a theme or plot through 'Which they present the:lr ow ideas, Greater ind.epelldence is desired as well ae more opportunity to share in decisions and to plan. - 72 •

Children of ten and eleven have on the whole developed their interests even further. They begin to see a relationship between themselves, · their families and the outside world, They are awakening to social problems around them, to inventions and machines, They are interested in tools and their uses, team. games with rules, personal hobbies. They can devote longer periods of time to planning and carrying through activities, Greater differentiation is found between interests of boys and girls, and greater independence of action. Children of twelve to fourteen years have a more sharpened sense of their own selves and relate conditions and events around them to them­ selves, Many of them became closely associated with same of the prob­ lems in the com:nunity and readily participate if shown how. They delight in group activities and enter them with considerable enthusiasm. Dancing of all kinds, the various crafts, singing and drama.tics, hold ' their attention. Boys tend to move toward the com,petitive sports. Sometimes girls of this age find little in c0lllll10n with boys of similar age, By and large, there is a tendency to remain apart unless the leadership that is provided is especially skillful. Small groups pros­ per, mixed groups less so. All of the special activities attract them and there is a tendency to adopt one or another hobby, B. DIFFERENl' ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN In general, the activites for children which are constructive for their development and in keeping with their age level and characteristics include the following:

l. Small Group Activities Clubs, Friendship Groups, Fraternity Groups {in some communities)

2, Special Interest Activities {both for the average child and the talented) Drawing, Water Colors, Oil Painting, Finger Painting, Leather­ craft, Metal Hork, Paper Me.che, Millinery, Home Making, Cooking, Needle-work, Knitting, Botany, Nature Study, Simple Chemistry, Instrumental M.isic, Choral Group, Orchestra, M.isic Appreciation, Drama.tics, Ballroom Dancing, Ballet Dancing, Interpretive Dancing, First Aid, Aircrafts, Archery, Kite Club, Checker and Chess Club, Library, Woodwork, Basketry, Puppetry, Children's Theatre, Rhythm Band, 3, Hobbies {usUally continued in the home, in addition to the Center) Collecting {match folders, coins, stamps, buttons, leaves, stones), Building an Aquarium, Magic, Fishing, Coppercraft, etc, 4. Identification with Jewish Life Jewish Holidey Celebration; Jewish cultural expression in music, dance, art, literature; Fund raising for Jewish causes, parti­ cipation in national and local Jewish children1s projects like Jewish Music Festival, Jewish Book Month, Junior Maccabiad, Story Telling, Reading, - 73 -

5, Large Inter-Group and Mass Aetivities

Jewish and civic celebrations, special events, a Sunda;y Funday, Pageants, Carnivals, Comm1m1ty Singing, Brotherhood Week, Dsnce Festival,

6, Physical Education and Recreation Game Boom Activities, ~sium Games, Swilllming, Body Building, Rouse Leagues, Folk Dancing, Rall.er Skating, Ice Skating, Field ~, Program dealing with cleanliness and good grooming, Audio­ visual 111aterial, 7, out Door Activities Sports, Skating, Hiking, Golf, Handball, Fishing, Rowing, Horse• back Riding, Picnics, Seashore Parties, Nature Trail, Trips to points of interest,

8, ~ Csm;ping Country Camping Includes the above with emphasis on those activities most closely related to the summer season and the out-of-doors, 9, Inter-Cultural Activities Joint plsnning and participation with other cultural groups in programs such as Civic Celebrations, Field Day. Social and Cultural Evenings, Brotherhood Week, the use of music, dance, literature and art of other cultural groups,

10, Groups Affiliated with National Jewish and Non-Sectarian Organiza­ tions, Integration of their programs, which are oriented to the objectives of their particular national organization, with those of the Center, 11, Joint Programs with Parents Family outings, Carnivals, Holiday Celebrations, Civic Celebra­ tions, Theatre Group, Mother's Day Program, Father-Son Dinner.

12, Home Room Program ( for Ages 6 to 9 years) Children grouped according to same age level. Usually have a single large room where most activities take place, Children are permitted to plan their own activities. There is no adher­ ence to a. definite schedule, The various arts, crafts, dance, music, dramatics, trips, outdoor play, short term projects are included. Programs run fr= two to three hours, one or more afternoons a week. Sometimes a snack is provided, C, PHYSICAL REQUIREMEMS FOR CHILDREN'S PROGRAM

l. The building in which the program is located should be within a few blocks of children between 6 and 9 years of age, unless transporta.a tion fa.cili ties Cllll be provided, Children between 10 and 14 years • 74 -

should also have the building easily accessible, although some of the older ones can travel by car or bus, It is essential that out­ of-door space, either immediately outside the building, on its roof, or where necessary, in a nearby park or playground, be available. Both the plant and its equipment must conform to State, the local housing, sanitary and fire safety laws and regulations,

2, Generally, a club or meeting room, intended for some 25 should measure 12' x 20'. It is estilllated that each such room can be used for about 15 sessions a week. The number of such rooms will, there­ fore, depend upon the number of groups that the Center houses during a week, Each room should have proper ventilation, with one or more windows facing in an open area; adequate lighting is essential; damp and drafty rooms must not be used; every attempt should be made to keep a constant temperature between 68 to 720 in these rooms.

3, Larger rooms, seating about 100, (20 1 x 35') should also be avail­ able, These can be used for small concerts, dramatic performances and other mass programs, A small movable stage should be part of the equipment.

4, An auditorium for several hundred is needed for the larger mass activities (an auditorium to seat 750 should measure 6o• x 72' and have a fairly high ceiling), It should also have a stage and if possible dressing rooms and storage space for such equipment. 5, The gymnasium sbould be at lea.st large enough for the game which requires the largest area ( usually basket-ball).

6. Rooms should be tastefully colored and furnished and free from dust collecting items such as draperies, carpets and upholstered chairs. Furniture should be light, strong and easy to stack away when not used, Adequate storage space should be provided in all rooms for mobile equipment,

7, Bathrooms should be easily accessible and placed in appropriate parts of the building where the children meet. On an average, there should be one toilet and one wash basin for every 15 children. 8. Appropriate safeguards should be installed for low windows, stair• wells and radiators in all indoor facilities.

9. Grune rooms, club and craft rooms should have the type of storage space or lockers adequate for the kind of equipment and materials that are placed in them. All mechanical appliances should have the appropriate safety guards and not used unless there is an adult to supervise,

10, All equipment and supplies should be appropriate for the age levels, abilities, interests and skills of the children in the program. ll. Kitchen facilities should be available for groups in cooking when this becomes part of the progrwn, Refrigeration for milk and perishable foods should be available where the Center offers a snack to the younger children, • 75 •

12, Provisions should be made for daily and weekly cleaning of the building where childJ:en meet, There should be prompt repair of any breakage. D. STAFF REQUIREMENTS

Those etlQ?loyed as professional. workers in the Jewish Community Center should be friendly, emotionally stable and com;petent. They should have a positive concern for Jewish survival, an orientation toward Jewish values, a faith in and understanding of the democratic way of life and the dignity and worth of the individual in society, and an appreciation of the place and contribution of the Jewish group in American democracy.

Professional workers should be sympathetic to family and children's problems with an acceptance and liking for people, For those working with children's groups, there should be a particular liking for children. They should have a basic understanding of human behavior, social rela• tionships and the socio-economic structure of our society, They should also have a knowledge of Jewish social institutions and how they operate. There should be a positive identification with the Jewish CCllllllUility Center, and its program and an ability to carry out the Center's objec­ tives. It is recommended that program directors and program consultants or group workers be graduates of a recognized school of social work. A department head or program director should have spent two to four years of full time professional group work under supervision, Experience indicates that there should be one full time professional worker for every 300 children in the Center, In addition to full time professional personnel, the Center will need to employ part time workers for lea.ding clubs, special interest groups, lounge activities and game-room activities. The Center will also seek to attract volunteer workers for additional leadership in the above activities. All of these will require ce.re:f'ul training for the jobs they are to fill and good supervision by professional workers while they are working with groups in the Center, It is estilllated that a :full time professional group worker should work with a maximum of 15 groups or supervise 15 leaders or a combination of the two, It is essential that paid part time workers and volunteers have the following attributes: l, Ability to get along with people 2, Liking for children, warmth, and :friendliness 3, Understanding of children 4. Patience S, Ability to accept children as they are (behavior patterns and interests) 6, "Giving' rather than "Withholding" person. 7, Program skills 8. Sense of responsibility 9, Ability to relate to the specific cultural needs of the group. It should be required that every children's group have a leader. Gen• erally the younger the group the more thorOUgh must be the background and training of the leader assigned to it. - 76 -

Careful supervision of all personnel in direct contact with the children is a "must", SUpervision is a unifying, integrative force within the Center, keeping the staff as a whole, connected with the Center's basic obJectives. This connection is not merely procedural or administative. For a Center to realize its full, vital, creative possibilities to any extent, the connection of staff member to staff member, and of staff member to Center, needs to be in terms of the actual content that goes into working with the children.

E. PARENT COOPERATION

Parents should be asked to cooperate with the children's program. Some of the parents ms;y be able to act as volunteers. . The staff should be available for conference with individual parents whenever required, Where possible parent meeting should be arranged to discuss problems of parent-child relationships. study groups around this subJect can also be developed.

F, RECORD KEEPING Record keeping is essential in conducting a children's program. They must be accurate and up-to-date, Whatever forms are used must be clear so that any qualified person can use them. Record keeping includes those dealing with finance, statistics, iersonal and group progress. Administrative records usually include, {l) an application for ad.mis• sion form, (2) an ap~lication for reduced fee( (3) a registration card, (4) a medical form, {5) attendance record, (6J monthly enrollment form, (7) receipt form, and (8) inventory form. It is considered of primary importance to keep a record of the individual child's development while participating in the program. This can be useful in helping the child, noting his progress, and for supervisory purposes, The same applies to records kept on the progress that the entire group of children make, These records are usually kept in narra­ tive form. Parents should be involved in discussing the records of' individual and group progress,

G, COMPARATIVE DA!1'A

The following data is based on a Study made by the Midwest Section of JWB on program services for children, except where noted. l, Membership

3% of' total membership in the Centers are children under 14 years of age according to the latest national reports. In New Orleans, the percentage is~.

2, Program

a, The Midwest Study shows that 1/5 of' all children's groups are special interest. The next maJor categories of' groups are friendship clubs, physical education, and (lay camps. Centers in intermediate cities seein to have a larger proportion of' special interest groups than other Centers have. Centers in • TI •

medium cities have a higher proportion of physical education and day camp groups than other Centers. It is also interesting to note that except for the small cities the number of national organization groups is very small. b. The large number of co-ed groups is predominant mostly in the day camp. There are no co•ed groups in the friendship club category. It is interesting to note that the special interest groups are largely co-ed, On the other hand, there are very few male groups in that category. It is to be expected that most of the physical education groups are male. It is surprising to note the large percentage of female grou;ps among the play groups. c. The average attendance is over 75%, This figure must be con• sidered in the light of the fa.ct that we are dealing nth voluntary agencies. There does not seem to be much of a differ­ ence in attendance among the various types of groups. There seems to be a. higher attendance in intermediate cities for special interest groups than in the other cities. In the large cities the highest attendance is in national organization groups and play groups. d. It is important to note that two-thirds of the groups are in existence less than one year. There is less turnover in the intermediate cities where one-third of the groups are in exist• ence less than one year. 'l'he highest turnover seems to be in play groups a.nd social groups, In the large cities almost three-fourths of the grou;ps are in existence less than one year. e. Two-thirds of the groups are led by part-time paid leadership. One-sixth of the groups are led by volunteer leaders, Hardly any groups without a. leader exist in these Centers, Medium-size cities use full-time group workers a.s leaders more than the other cities a.nd our medium cities use volunteers more than the other cities. OUr large cities use part•time paid leaders more than the other cities, Full-time group workers in direct leader­ ship are used more for play groups and peysical education groups than in other groups, Special interest groups make most use of part-time pa.id leadership a.nd national organization and friend­ ship clubs make greatest use of volunteers with four-fifths of the leaders of national organization groups being volunteers. f, It is interesting to note that most of the groups were organized by the Center, g. In 1955 17 Centers of c~arable size, reported a total of 137 childrens groups under general Center auspices and 56 childrens groups under auspices of national organizations; or a total of 193 child:rens groups, h. The average number of child:rens groups under general Centers auspices was 8, 'l'he average number of childrens groups under auspices of national organizations we.a 3,

1. New Orleans Center had 12 chUdrens groups under general Center auspices and 3 child:rens groups under auspices of national organizations. j, The seventeen Centers ha.d an average enrollment of' 148 in its children's groups under general Center auspices, New Orleans had 226. k. In the children& groups under auspices of national organiza­ tions, 16 Centers had an average enrolllllent of' 84 children, The Nev Orleans Center bad 87,

1, The seventeen Centers had an average annual attendance of' 3303 in its children's groups under general Center auspices, New Orleans had 4473,

m, In the children!! groups under auspices of' national organizations, sixteen Centers had an average B!lllUal attendance of' 2472 children, New Orleans had 1499, 3, Leadership a, The average number of f'ull-time persona involved in junior activities is about the same for a1J. size communities. It is interesting to note the large average number of' volunteer advi­ sory persons involved in junior program. The ratio of' volunteer to part-time paid leaders is 1:2. This seems to be higher than the number we anticipated. The greatest use of' volunteers is evidently made in medium size communities where the ratio to part-time persons is 1:1.

b. The average number of hours per week worked by full-time persons ranges from 35 to 50 with the least number hours in medium and large size cities, c. It is interesting to note that the size of' the groups is about the same in a1J. communities except the small and that the average group is small enough to practice group work on a sound basis, d. The average fee for part-time paid leadership ranges from $3,00 to $5,00. However, there is a large range from $1.25 per session to $10.00 per session. The higher fee is paid mostly for special interest activities.

H, QUESTIONS TO GUIDE THE EVALUATION OF THE CENTER PROGRAM FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ,)ii fiJJREN l, Apply the questions previously indicated for the total Center pro­ gram to the Elementary School Children section,

2, A:re the Center purposes adequately reflected in the Elementary School children I s program?

3, A:re the Jewish purposes of' the Center satisfactorily carried out? 4~ Should the Center service more children? How? Whe:te?

5, Does the program meet the needs of' the children as indicated in the criteria? • 79 • 6. Is there sufficient diversity of activities?

7, Are the facilities and equipment adequate for a satisfactory program? 8. Are the staff requirements for tbe children's program satisfactorily met?

9. To what extent does the leadership measure up to tbe recommended criteria?

10, Are tbe pa.rents involved sutticiently 1n the children's program?

ll. Are there epportunities for the children to participate with parents in family progrEll!IS? 12, How does New OrleBlls cc:mqiare with other Centers as indicated in the comparative data?

JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH STUDE?f.fS

This section contains 111£1terial on the characteristics of Junior and Senior High School students, program purposes, activities, comparative data and suggested questions for analysis and evaluation of the Junior and Senior High School portion of the New Orleans Study.

A, PUJ;'.l)oses of the Pros-am The purposes o:f' a program for Jewish youth as outlined hel'e is based on the known characteristics o:f' boys and girls of this age and experiences With them in leisure time activities.

1) Opportunities for socializing and reJ.axation,

2) Opportunities for spontaneous and sometimes unplanned activities,

3} Opportunities for broadening one's horizon and incl'E!asing the span of interests, 4) Opportunities for developing physically, education in physical health and pleasure in physical activity,

5) Guide.nee in personal! ty development and problems of adolescence, 6) Experiences in developing a sense of responsibility for one's own group and ultimately to the total community - self-planning of activities and Joining with others in such planning. Opportunities for broadening one I s awareness of the coimmmj ty and participating 1n regard to its problems. 7) Opportunities for participation in Jewish community life in all of its aspects. Experiences in learning about the organizational structure of the Jewish cammmi ty,

8) Developing leadership ability and how to be an intelligent partici• PBllt, - 8o -

9) Opportunities for learning the constructive use of leadership in working With others. 10) Positive JeWish experiences which will help develop a sense of identification with Jewish life and a sense of security in being part of the JeWish group. 11) Opportunities for participating with the opposite sex in different types of activities.

12) Security resulting from recognition and approval from the group, other adults, and the cOlllll1Uility, 13) Opportunities to participate with parents and other adults in various activities, B, Activiti~s Usually Included in a Youth Program

Activities should be planned by the boys and girls themselves so that they can be real and specific to them, Made-work projects are less likely to be successful, In actual prograwning there is continuous over­ lapping among the activities listed below and the heading assigned to them are usually disregarded, However, in planning a program, it ia desirable that as many of the categories listed here as possible be in­ cluded. Thia is not an exhaustive list of activities but merely a number of suggestions: Social Special Interest Groups Parties Drama.tics (charades to formal Game nights plays) Hikes Serving Outings and C8111p trips Arts, Cra:f'ta Celebrations Folk dancing Dances (Folk, Social, Square) M.tsic Group Singing Journalism Lounge Photograpil;;r Games Hobbies Cha.rm class (for girls) Sciences (Chemistry{ Physics, Astronomy} Hosteling Guidance - vocational eultural Discussions Readings Dramatics Special classes Music (listening and performill(!) De.nee (ballet and interpretive) Exhibits Film FestiVBls Inter-group activities Festive.ls Celebrations General community activities Culture of other nations Civic celebrations - 8J. -

Small Groups

Clubs and friendship groups which will include among other activities, ple.nning of programs, discussion of personal problems, pre-marttal relations, vocational guidance, and apportunities for developing leader­ ship abilities,

Recreation & Pb:ysical Education COllllllUllity Participation

Game Room & Lounge Fund Raising Quiet Games Jewish & .American Sports and Athletics Civic Affairs Outdocr Activities Legislative Activities Physical Health Education Social Action Program Sex Education Discussion of Current Events Maccabiad Working with Adults in program planning Inter-Cultural Activities

Meetings and Joining in civic and other events and celebrations with the youth from other ethnic and cultural groups, Progrming for the Entire Family Family camping week-ends Family picnics Family entertainment in which parents and youth per:f'onn together Family celebrations of Jewish and civic occasions Father-Son dinners Festival celebrations in "Which all age groups Join Parent-Youth discussions on vocational problelllll Table 4 PARTICIPATION OF Youm 14-17 IN THE CENTER PROGRAM• 1955 GENERAL NATIONAL COOMIJNITY No, Enroll- Attend- No. Enroll- Attend- Groupe ment ance Gro!!QS ment anee Albany, N. Y, 7 24o 4,500 Atlantic City 10 271 7,765 4 86 1,450 Csmden, N,J, 8 '124 3,001 2 31 2 I 161 Trenton, N,J, 2 34 933 3 83 765 Wilmington 8 26o 8,125 l 8o 1,515 Scranton 6 342 12,0oO 4 125 5,200 Norfolk l 15 270 l 30 900 Ricbroond 7 216 6,48o New Orleans 4 !Jg 3,lla 1. ~ 129. San Antonio 2 2l 12 Indianapolis l 10 120 Akron 10 125 2,375 2 48 837 Col.tmibus 5 144 2,000 5 300 4,300 Toledo 6 251 3,456 2 90 1,820 Youngstown 4 150 l,8o4 2 313 783 San Diego l l,197 Portland 5 152 3,500 4 158 3,8oo - 132 -

Seventeen Centers of COIIIPEll'Sble si~ reported a total of 76 youth groups under general Center auspices and 38 youth groups under auspices of nation.al organi­ zations; or a total of ll4 youth groups. The average number of youth groups under general Center auspices was 5. The average nUl!lber of youth groups under 8USpices of national. organizations was 3, New Orleans had 4 youth groups under general Center auspices and one group under auspices of national organizations. The average enrollment of youth groups under general Center sponsorship was 143. New Orleans had 132.

In the three youth groups under the auspices of national organizations the average enrol.l:ment was 101. New Orleans had 25.

The average annual attendance of youth groups under general Center sponsorship was 3415, New Orleans had 3110,

The average annual attendance of youth groups under auspices of national organi­ zations was 2332. New Orleans bad 300.

C. .QUESTIONS TO GUIDE THE EVALUATION OF THE CElf.rER PROORAM FOR JtlNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDEN'lS

l. Apply the questions previously indicated for the total Center program to section dealing with Junior and Senior High School students. 2, Are the Center's purposes satisfactorily carried out in the program for Junior and Senior High students?

3. Are the Jewish purposes of the Center adequately reflected in the program for this age group?

4, Is the Center serving a satisfactory number of youth? How about the una:f'filiated? 5, Is there sufficient variety of activities? 6. Should the Center serve youth outside of the Center building? Where?

7, What should be done to make the facilities more appealing and usef'ul'I'

8. What steps should be taken to provide more adequate supervision and leadership'?

9, How can pa.rents become more involved in the teen age program?

10. Are there sufficient opportunities for youth to participate in family programming? in Center and collllllUllity affairs?

ll, What leadership and supervision should the Center provide for the fraternities and sororities and national groups? - 83 -

ADULT AND YOUNG ADl'.ILT

This section contains material on the characteristics of young adults, program purposes and activities of adults and young adults, comparative experience and suggested questions for analysis and evaluation of the Adult and Young Adult section of the New Orleans study. A. Characteristics of the Jewish Young Adult

The age span in which young adults are included has sometimes been detennined by local experiences or chosen arbitrarily. In some in­ stances this span has been from 18 to 35 years of age or as narrow as 19 to 25 years. Sometimes married adults are :l.mmediately included as part of adult groups in the Center. By and large there have been three general categories which make up the young adult groups, with a good deal of overlapping in age range:

a) those between 18 and 23 or 24 years that are unmarried, b) the older unmarried ones range above 25 years of age and c) the married young adults with or without young children.

11. Purposes of the Center Prosz;am for Young Adults

Based on the above considerations and in line with the general object­ ives of the Jewish COllllllUllity Center, the program for young adults should offer the types of activities which Will best be able to assist in pro­ viding for the young adults' needs. Since the young adult generally will have leas available and free time because of his heavy commit.manta to his family and vocational needs, it becomes even lllOre important that the purposes be sharply defined and emphasized. There will be the obvious need for relaxation and enjoyment and considerable opportunity for meeting new people and especially members of the opposite sex. The program.'Should helP the young man and woman to take the various prob­ lems that they face in stride and present opportunities for personal development, vocational and educational guidance, for resolving moral issues and Ultimately those related to developing one's own family. Further positive Jewish experience should be available and increased opportunities for ta.king responsibility for Jewish community life and its affairs and problems, This should be then extended to the general community and ultimately to the country and the world, There should be increased opportunities for developing constructive leadership ability and an understanding of how to help others develop. Opportunities for expressing oneself in the various cultural forms should be there as well as for following particular personal interests and hobbies, Activ• ities should encompass inter-group and inter-faith relationships, discussions of current affairs and problems, social action and giving service to others. For those about to enter the Armed Services and others affected by it who remain behind, there should be the benefit of guidance, Health and physical education activities for the better me.in• tenance of physical health and prevention of disease and the care of oneself should be emphasized, C, Types of Young Adult Activities

Observations made on young adult programs indicate an increasing trend toward mass social and physical education activities and a declining - 84. interest in clubs and small groups. While a certain number of small groups are formed on friendship basis, more usually they are related to some special interest or skill, Larger groups afford a Wider variety of social contacts and young adults will often travel to distant places to Join such groups. Groups with status and prestige are attractive, but at times occupational ethnic place of residence and economic status differences make close cohesion difficult. One of the outstanding facts seems to be that young adult groups do not last as long as other age groupings. The activities included in a young adult program need to be related closely to the social factors which surround them and there will be a difference in emphasis between the type of program developed for the unmarried men and women from those for the married ones, In the final analysis, it will be the purpose of the Center to accept all of them at the level at which they come to the Center and endeavor to work out with them as broad a program as is possible. Activities related to relaxation, personal enjoyment, and socialization with others Will alWB¥s receive a primary emphasis among young adults, Parties, dances, outings, trips to other cities to join With other groups, amateur night, movies, television, radio progr81l!S 1 indoor and outdoor games, lounge activities and others Will be necessary, $pecial interest groups, hobbies, fine and practical arts, can with some few exceptions call for young adults joining With adults and even teen-agers. These can include choral groups, orchestra, dramatics, arts and crafts, cooking, drawing and painting, garden, photography, sewing, consumers' education, interior decoration, etc, Activities such as interpretive dancing, social dancing ( tango and rhumba) folk dancing, may call for special young adult groups, Activities to develop interest and partici­ pation in Jewish and civic affairs, again, can be those already set up with adult groups. These can include fUnd raising for the Jewish Welfare Fund, aid to hospitals and other health organizations, legisla­ tive activities, social action programs, etc, Young adults are particularly fitted for leadership for youth and children's groups, if given the proper training and there should be opportunities for this and stimulus to give such service to the Center and other COllllllUllity groups, As for cultural activities, here too, many of them can be presented as part of the general Center program and do not necessarily call for setting up special young adult groups, There should be included dis· cussion groups, lectures and forums, concerts, choral groups, music appreciation groups, drama groups, exhibits, etc. Informal Jewish educa­ tion through self-conducted study groups or lectures and forums should present Jewish history, traditions, customs, ceremonies, information on Jewish life in the community, Jewish literature, music, art, crafts, and current events, Attempts should be made to provide activities which will draw back into Center participation the young adults who have left the community for a period of years to attend college and are now returned. There should also be attempts to draw in those attending universities that are located w1 thin the COIJJDl1 m1 ty.

Many Jewish communities are setting up young adult councils to help co­ ordinate and plan community-Wide and other broad programs for the Jewish young adults. Such councils are often instrumental in getting to young - 85 -

adults who are presently unaffiliated to Join with groups in various t;ypes of activities. They are al.so helpful in raising the level of the program in the various organiiations affiliated with them.

ADUL'l'S D. Purposes of the Adult Program Experience in Jewish Center programs indicate that their adult programs are intended to su,pplement rather than supplant the total.ity of recrea­ tional activities of their adult membership. The heightened tempo of modern life leaves mSJJy adults exhausted at the end of the work day and makes it difficult to involve th8111 extensively in organized programs of the Center. However, in coming to spend their time in the Center, the program must be meaningful. e.nd enjoyable and otter conditions for relaxa• tion which will assist in easing of tensions and developing more whole­ some attitudes toward oneself and tcrwards others. rlbile maey adults have well established circles of relatives and friends, there is still need to offer opportunities for further socializing and broadening these circles. There is need for sharing experiences with others, dis• cussion of common problems both in relation to oneself, his family e.nd general social, economic and political affairs. There should be en­ couragement to move from being in the passive role of listener or hearer to that of creative self expression and the development of new interests, hobbies and skills, To the extent possible, the program should help the Jewish adult gain an increased sense of security in being a member of Jewish grou,p living and pa.rt of American society. There should be op­ portunities for him to continue to participate actively in Jewish and general cOllllllUllity affairs and problems and to take leadership when necessary. Situations with which he and others must deal will need to be reinterpreted continuously in order to hold his interest and enthu­ siasm. He needs to be stimulated in assuming responsibilities, in giving service such as working with children and youth groups, councils, board committees in the Center. In regard to recreation and physical health activities, there should be opportunities to help the adult maintain good physical health and guidance in preventing the development of bodily ailments which may come with increasing years. With increasing age and a gradual elimilll!.tion of the more strenuous t;ypes of physical exercise, there will also need to be guidance in expressing oneself in other areas. There shou1d also be opportunities for discussion and possible guidance in problems dealing with family life, and raising and guidance of children,

In the development of a program of activities for adults, it is important that they take the major responsibility for initiating, planning and carrying them out. 'l'his, in itself, is a fundamental and significant eJq>erience in democratic living and contributes toward the achievement of all of the purposes outlined above. E. T:ypes of Adult Activities A program for Jewish adults in a CC\lfflDlm1ty must take cognizance of the fa.ct that in addition to those already participating in the Jewish COllll!l1mity Center, there are a great many who are involved in programs of other Jewish organizations, both in and out of the Center. On the - B6 • other hand, there is always a certain proportion who are not affiliated at all, All of' these must be considered in terms of their differences in interests and how this is expressed in activities, In an;y case, the Center, while having adults determine their own activities, has an obligation through ite ekilled professional leadership, to stimulate the widest possible range of activities for each of' the groups, Moving into the wider Jewish community it can do likewise for the various Jewish organizations, In all instances the program should relate to the needs, backgrouods, home enviromnent, socio-econCllllic status, capacities and capabilities, interests and aspirations of those who participate; in a word, their underutilized ideas, energies and skills. In our Centers various degrees of' emphases are naw being given to emall group activities for adults, The present trend seema to be tO'W8.I'd their increased use and probably signifies a greater sensitivity to develop• ing a participating member rather than a spectator or listener. Such small groups also lend themselves to the development of activities which have the greatest interest for those concerned, Most Centers have a number of Jewish adult organizations, with national and local affiliation, meeting in their buildings, These vary in size between 25 and several hundred, Some partial studies of such organiza­ tions in a. number of Jewish cOlJWllm1ties indicate that they usually offer only a. few social, cultural and recreational activities to their member­ ships and these a.re not presented regularly, In many instances these organizations a.re having difficulty in maintaining a. consistent interest among their members in their objectives and programs, Ma.tl;y' Jewish Com­ munity Centers have been offering a consultation and guidance service to these organizations to help them improve the quality of their work. Such consultation and guidance service includes advising in regard to prograll! planning; providing resources for programming such as program a.ids, other program literature, speakers and d1s·cussion leaders; assisting in publicizing programs; providing equipment for programs; and advising on haw to eva.lua.te a. program, There is no doubt that the quality and extensiveness of this service needs to be increased con­ siderably but this cannot be done until Centers are provided with a. sufficient number of professionally trained and experienced staff people, The following represent the more popular activities from the complete listing:

Classes and Special Interest Groups ( Content and Skill)

Art Social Dancing Bridge Arts & Crafts Modern Dance English for Foreigb Born Cerami.cs Rbumba M.isic Appreciation Sewing Public Speaking Drama Choral Group Health and Physical Education Groups

GY!!l (men) GY!!l ( women) Golf - 87 -

Classes and Special. Interest Groups (Jewish content) Jewish !,rusic Hebrew 1, 2, 3, 4 Jewish History School of Jewish Studies Other Small Group Activities Discussion Groups Book Review Groups Institutes & Workshops Pe.rent Groups Various Programs According to Character of Jewish Content Concerts Pe.rent Association Exhibits Lectures Festival. Celebrations Movies Discussion Groups Classes & Institutes Jewish !,rusic Festival. Definite trends in programming for Jewish adults have yet to be estab­ lished but there does appear to be increased interest in sme.11 self­ directed discussion and study groups dee.ling with Jewish and general. current affairs, music appreciation groups, courses in pre-marital. and marital relations, study groups in child rearing, Jewish cultural. series (dre.me., music, literature, art) and family life education, Jewish cultural. and educational. activities are more and more being integrated into aJ.l aspects of Center adult programming. There is al.so further development of Center women's groups which usually have a pro­ gram of servicing the Center, providing activities for the women who are members of these groups and stimulate other Jewish women in the Center and those who are not affiliated in the community to participate in the Center. There is increasing concern and interest in activities for the total family as a unit and attempts are being me.de to gear present and new activities in that direction.

Table 5 PARTICIPATION OF YOUNG ADULTS (18-25) IN THE CENTER PROORAM • 1955 GENERAL NATIONAL COMMUNITY No. of Enroll- Attend• No. of Enroll- Attend• Groups ment e.nce GrOUI?S ment e.nce Albany 1 75 1850 Atlantic City 2 55 1100 Trenton 1 65 426 Scranton 3 145 4150 2 95 3212 Norfolk 1 65 234o New Orleans 1 24 1200 San Antonio I 17 ~ Indianapolis 1 30 200 Akron 1 6o 1127 Columbus 1 75 2250 5 6o 1200 Toledo 1 60 167 Portland, Ore. 1 4o 150 Twelve Centers reported a total of 22 young adult groups including those under Center auspices and national. organizations sponsorship. - 88 -

There was an average of two young adult groups per Center with an average total enrollment of 72 and an average annual attendance of 1619.

Nev Orleans reported one young adult group with an enrollment of 24 and an annual attendance of 1200.

F, QUESTIONS TO GUIDE THE EV.ALUATIO!f OF THE CEtl'fER PROGRAM FOR ADULTS AND YOOBG ADULTS

l. Apply the questions previously indicated for the total Center program to the section on adults and young adults.

2. Are the Center purposes • general and Jewish • adequately carried out in the program?

3. Is the Center serving an adequate number of adults and yOUllg adults?

4. Are the needs of young adults being met especially through inter­ COllllllU!lity activities?

5, Are the facilities adequate for adult and young adult members and groups?

6. Are adults and young adults participating in the leadership respon­ sibilities of the Center- by leading groups? by serving on commit• tees and the Board?

7. Is there adequate staff to serve adults and young adults?

8, Are parents involved in programming for their children and for the family as a whole?

9. Does the Center assume the initiative 1n sponsoring cammm1ty wide programs involving other organizations and institutions, i,e, Jewish lt.tsic Fectival? Jewish Book Month?

10, Does the Center provide personal services to newcomers by giving information and making proper referrals?

OLDER ADULTS

This section contains material on al.der adults: their problems and needs, leisure time program both general and Jewish, diversified activities, physical facilities, professional staff, val.unteer worker, self responsibility of the older adult and camm1nity participation, It also contains suggested questions for analysis and evaluation of the Older Adult section of the Nev Orleans study report,

A, LEISURE TIME NEEDS OF THE OLDER ADULT

Leisure time programming with men and wamen over 6; years of a.ge presents a growing chal.J.enge to the Jewish community, Lonesomeness is one of the greatest single problems of the older adult, Miasing old t.riellds 'Wbo are gone is one aspect of this, There is also a feeling that society has less use for one. Opportunities for self expression have been curtailed. There is a surplus of free time and the need to have the work habit replaced hy other activities, Thus, in considering the - &] -

development of a Jewish leisure time program for the older adult, the following purposes must be carried out:

1. It should help develop a sense of confidence and responsibility

Encouraging a readiness to share financially Planning and carrying out of their own program Disciplining Md control by the members, themselves

2. It should help develop leadership and recognition

Encouraging leadership qualities According approval and praise

3. It should help develop a healthier atmosphere

Encouraging the acceptance of new people Visiting of sick members Dropping the maintenance of status based on past financial position Checking on members who drop out According recognition and acceptance of members (birthda.Y parties, praise for achievement, etc.) Encouraging participation in activities beyond those of the group

4. It should foster maturer attitudes

Accepting a relaxed kind of pe.rticipation depending upon strength and energy Creating an atmosphere for having fun Concentrating on activities which afford satisfaction. (Less need for medical care), Encouraging healthier responses to inevitable physical changes Setting up a permissive atmosphere (verbalizing discontents, etc.) Cul.tivating responsibility for clean1ng, decorating, serving and helping each other

5, It should foster broader interests and cnmnnroity participation

Encouraging i!ldividuals to move into other groups and positions Encouraging the group, as a unit, to participate with others Stu~ing social issues and taking social action Affording opportunities to contimle old skills al'.ld interests and develop new ones.

B. JJilWISll COMMU!flTDllS ARE DEVELOPING LEISURE TIME PROGRAMS

Toda.Y, mariy Jewish cOIIIIIIU!l.ities are developing clubs and centers where the older adult can have fun, meet friends, have hobbies, be interested 1n community affairs, en.joy intercourse and gossip with others, even be r0lll8lltic and, in general, live as a normal human being. Same cnmnnmi• ties a.re well ahead of others. Nationally there a.re over 6o Jewish com,mm1ty centers sponsoring, alone or in collaboration with other organizations, organized leisure time prog:r81118 for the Jewish older • 90 •

adult, Many more are in the process of planning such programs. Nev York boasts of some twenty such programs. The Jewish Ca11muo1ty Centers of Chicago have a registration of more than lloo men and women who meet weekly thrOUShout the year, regardless of weather. Pbiladelphia, Pa.; Cl.evel.and, Ohio; Boston, Mass.; M:l.nneapolis, Minn.; Rochester, N. Y,; Cincinnati, Ohio; Buffalo, N. Y.; St, Louie, Mo,; and maey others have one or more Jewish l.eisure time programs, C. TXPES OF JEWISH LEISURE m4E PROGlWt:l FOR THE OLDER ADULT

Programs differ in the kinds of activities that they offer and in the hours and number of deys per week that they are availabl.e.

Meetings of ol.cler adult groups have usuall.y been held in the earl.y part of the afternoon on week deye and ~ l.ast from two to four hours, Closing time has run frolli 3:30 to 5:00 P.M. depending upon the wishes of the members of the group, the avail.ability of facilities a.nd 8.8'SDCY personnel., More often than not, ll\ell1bers come ee.rl.y and stay late, probe.bl.y in direct rel.ation to the kind of significance the group has for the individual member, There are instances were groups hold &11 dey gatherings interspersed with rei'reshments or a specie.ll.y prepared l.unch,

Different programs permit groups to meet de.il.y1 thrice weekl.y, once a week, semi-monthl.y, and monthl.y, SUndey afternoon meetings have been tried w1 th success, Evening gatherings have also proven successful, particularl.y when special facilities for card pla;ying, reading, televi­ sion, or louns:t.ns have been available, There have also been a number of experiments in special summer and camping programs for the older adult, A variation is found in the semi-out-door centers in several Fl.orida car.mnm1 ties,

The organizational set-up of these programs also differs. There are some programs offering one or more special activities, others, a sort of lounge or "drop-in" arrangement and still others which are fomally organized groups or cl.ubs, D. PROGRAM ACTIV1'l'IES FOR THE OLDER ADULT

The variety of activities that can and should be introduced into the Jewish l.eisure time program for the older adult, depend upon the diver­ sity of tastes, interests, and abilities of those who participate. ObviousJ.y, the program should take into account the people it serves, the uniqueness of the setting and the type of l.eadership required to g1 ve most advantageous guidance to the group. One must bear in mind that experience indicates that the older adult has the ability to achieve a degree of adjustment and growth and that he is not in a passive period. Be can develop into a.n active, contributing pe.rtipant. ObviousJ.y, the older adult shoul.d be permitted to proceed at his own pace and the development of new interests, skills, etc, should not be over-stressed,

The follow:Lng are types of activities that have proven successflll in different CQl1llfflro1ties tbroughout the United States. Through &11 of these, Jewish themes are included. Many o:f the older adults still show - 91 - a preference for speaking Yiddish and depending upon the setting, many of the activities can be carried out in Yiddish. l, Social. Hours

Adequate opportunity should be provided for each ind!vidual to socialize or entertain himself in hie own wicy-, Books, magazines, newspapers, checkers, chess, dominoes, card ga.ines, recording music, television and puzzles should be available, These activities usually take place in a lounge setting,

2. Special Interest Groups

a, Lectures and Discussions

Older groups like to listen to an "outaide speaker'! or to talk things over by themselves.

l) Because many of them rea.d a good deal., they w1ll be well informed on topics of the day, Use world politics and certain world cmupa:l.gus (e.g., the food and clothing drives) for taJkfng as well as talk•leading-to-action, 2) Their physical concerns can provide a multitude of worth while topics: "What kind of medicine do you take?" "Is a heavy garment bettern than two light ones?" "What you can cook on a one-burner stove," It is important that the speaker or discussion leader be an authority on the sub• Ject, If habits of many years• standing are to be changed, the status and authority of the individual making the com­ ments plays an important role,

3) A better awareness and understanding of themselves and others can grow out of caref'Ully conducted discussions, Some of the subJects that have been halldled With some suc­ cess are: improving their usually poor relations With landladies, what is being done for housing the older adult, and understanding their own behavior patterDl' and their relationships, and, how to treat a grandchild,

b, Arts and Crafts

Many older people once had hobbies in this area or alwa:ys wanted to, With adequate leadership, they can make~ anyone else can. ( One group reported that several wauen whose hands were once COl!I.Pletely imm.obilized by arthritis, now forget the pa.ins and knit happily away, ) Crafts activitiea provide oppor­ tunities to learn new things, to en;Joy the pride of creation, and to shine With success,

1 ) Dre.Wing and painting 2) Sculpture and clay work ~) Poster making .. ) Wood work 5) Leather work 6) Bead craft - 92 -

Weaving 7l8 Sewing and embroidery (patch-work quilts) 9 Knitting and crocheting (e.f'ghans) c, Music and dancing

l) Listening to radio or recorded music 2) Pl~ng instrumental music can lead to the formation of an orchestra, 3) Community singing can lead to the formation of a choral group 4) Folk end square dances of the countries of their origins 5) Popular social dancing d. Ilral!la.tics

l;} Going to see shows together Inviting outside groups to perform tor them Putting on radio-style programs 4) Giving a formal pl!!¥ if it does not require too much rehearsal 5) Creative dramatics around Jewish and general themes e. Creative writing

l) Poetry writing groups 2) A club newspaper or magazine 3) Original dramatic sketches f, Games

1 ) Billiards 2 } Shuffieboard 3) Croquet 4) Other non-strenuous games such as targets, darts, ring toss, musical chairs, eating contests and container and quiz games g. Trips

1 ) Visits to museums, zoo's, etc, 2) Picnics 3) Boat excursions 4) Concerts, movies, historical buildings, industrial. pla.nta, etc, h. Special functions

l) Holiday parties such as a Seder, a Purim party, a Hanukkah party, Exchanging holiday recipes, making gifts for others, and reliving how they celebrated holidays when they were young are other suggestions, 2) Birthday parties - These can be individual, or for a grou;p all of whom have birthd!l¥s in a given month, They are particularlp successful affairs because they give each member something to anticipate. - 93 -

3) Ta1ent shows 4) Yesterday and Today Masquerade Party 5) Treasure sbowa - Each member exhibits his own persona1 collections (stamps, coins, book plates, dried flowers, stones, etc.) 6) Bazaars - A Bazaar for which the members make things and sell them themselves, Proceeds can be used to purchase equipment for the group. 7) Local history evening - Old tilllers can reminisce a.bout developments in the community.

1. other activities

1 ) Bachelor• s mending service 2) Functions.with younger groups - In a Settle!llent House, Y, or JeWish Center, older people like to be involved in a.ll building-Wide activities. 3) English classes for those who ~ need them 4) Personality courses - These might take up superficia1 things like dress, hair-do's, speech and voice. Under very skilled leadership, it ca.n lead to a. discussion of person.al problems, 5) It the group is culturally homogeneous, opportunities ought to be ma.de to have tunctions with religious or ra.cia1 groups. j • Service Projects

The older person wants to feel needed and that he ca.n still contribute to the good and welfare of the COl!lllll1nity. l) Clerica1 work at the Center or other socia1 agencies (ty- ping, mimeographing, receptionist) 2~ Repairing children's toys 3 Scrap books for nurseries and children's institutions 4 Knitting, etc. for Red Cross or overseas relief 5) Baby sitting 6) Rebinding books for library 7) Participation in Center and Council affairs E, PBISICAL FACILITIES

By and large it has been found possible to use the same genera1 physi­ cal facilities for the older adult that a.re avuilable for a.ll other age groups. Variations depend upon the nature of the older adult gro-qp a.nd the kinds of activities in which they participate, plus the types of other ongoing programs in the same area., Where physical demands and skills a.re important, the older adult will probably Wish to restrict activities to his own group. In other cases he ~ prefer to share his activities with younger people.

The various physical disabilities of the old.er adult are the prillle limiting factor in setting -qp facilities for him, The folloWing a.re a number of suggestions based on present experiences:

a, If an elevator is not available, meeting places should be at the ground level wherever possible. b, Adequate bathroom facilities on the slll!le :f'loor with the meet­ ing place is essential, c, Since serving refreshments is an ilnportant feature of' the pro­ gram, easily accessible kitchen facilities a.re a necessity. d, There should be a large enough room :f'or dancing, games and other active movement activities, as well as, tables and chairs for seating everyone, The room must not be so large that the group itself' is dwarfed and cannot hear itself', e. other facilities needed 1n addition to a general meeting room are an auditorium :f'or special occasions, librar:,, music room, arts and crafts shop, small meeting rooms and other special interest room, These facilities are also used :f'or other age groups. :f', Booms should be cheerfu.l.ly decorated, well lighted and venti­ lated and chairs comfortable and :f'irm, g. A piano, radio, recorder, television set, folding tables, and various table games are necessary, h, Outdoor meeting space should be available 'When the weather permits it, 1, The meeting place should be readily accessible to the group. Where special transportation is called :f'or, this should be easily available. J, Ellperience proves that in almost all instances co-ed activities can develop constructively,

F. P:ROFESSIONAL STAFF

A well trained professional person is needed :f'or working with the old­ er adult, This person should have sound generic training in social work and the ability to recognize and work with the special needs of' the older adult and an understanding of' the mativations and ~cs of' his behavior,

Working with this age group may ilnpose emotional strains on a worker. The capacity to take and to handle the special type of' suggestions that a.rise is most essential, A mature person, preferable one over thirty years of' age, would be indicated, ( the :f'a.ctor of' maturity, and not o:f' chronological age is of greater ilnportance), It is suggested that the worker• s background include a substantial knovledge of Jewish custom, ceremony, religious observance, and history, and, where necessary, an ability to speak Yiddish, lie should be alert to current Jewish and general comDmn1ty affairs and problems, He may be called upon to do anything, depending upon the needs of' the group - from w.shing dishes to dancing a polka, to lending a listening ear to someone' s problems, to being ready to of':f'er some guidance in the use of' other available community resources that the person requires, It is not expected that the worker will attem;pt to do casework, but should be ready to give a more individualized service, He should assume responsibility :f'or pac­ ing the program and promoting nev proJects,

It has been recommended that workers with the older adult also have concomitant assignments with other age groups so as to obviate the feeling that sometimes creeps in, that the work with the older adult is a " deed end" • - 95 -

G. THE VOLUNTEER WORKER Volunteer workers have a place in a leisure time program for the older adult. It is essential that they be carefully trained before any assignment is given to them and that they receive proper supervision while serving the group,

Volunteers should be sel.ected because of their ability to get along with people, a particular affinity for and understanding of the older adult, a personality that is warm and friendly, an acceptance of people as they are, an ability to give rather than be a withholding person, a sense of responsibility, an ability to relate to the specific cultur­ al needs of the group and some program skills.

Some of the suggested areas of service for volunteers are the follow• ing:

a, Dancing b. Discussion Groups c. Dramatics d, English and Citizenship Classes e. Gemes f, Hostessing g, Kitchen h, Knitting and Sewing 1, Library (in institutional setting) J. Literary Activities k, Music 1, Personal Service m, Social Events n. Transportation o, Visiting

In the training of volunteers, one should be certain that they under­ stand the obJectives of the Jewish Center, how the program is related to these obJectives, what the various activities mean to the people Who participate and the general characteristics, socio-economic back­ ground, cultural interests and problems of these people, The volunteer should be clear in regard to the responsibilities which he is to carry and to whan he is responsible, H. THE OLDER ADULT SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS OWN PROGRAM

Emphasis needs to be placed on encouraging broader and more camprehen­ sive participation on the part of the older adult in the program. In• dividual participation may vary from merely attending and watching to the point where the group runs its own affairs entirely. Passive programs have value and should be available at all times, However, a more active identification will be possible when the older adult as­ surnesthe greatest degree of responsibility for the planning and the carrying out of various activities, There are a considerable number of silJ\ple tasks which can keep the members of the group active and in­ terested. Some of these are pJsnning the program, keeping track of members' birtbdaus, cleaning up the meeting room, taking attendance, mailing notices, preparing and serving refresllments1 keeping in touch with absentees, etc, To the greatest extent, indigenous leadership must be encouraged and developed. There is little doubt that a group of older adults will include a number of people W'ho have carried leadership responsibility in former years, but have gradually become the more passive partici­ pants, These and others should be stimulated to take a leadership role,

I, THE OLDER ADULT SHOULD BE BROUGBT BACK IN'l'O COMMUNl'l'! LIFE A t'urther t;ype of active participation on the part of the older adult goes beyond the ongoing program of the group, We refer particularly to the desirability of the older adult continuing to participate with other age groups 1n the various activities in which he is interested or can develop an interest, It would seem unfortunate if the old.er adult developed a program tba.t was completely isolated from the activ­ ities of other age groups. Older adults do maintain and can be stim­ ulated to take an interest in Jewish and general COllll!1Ullity affairs. Joining with other groups, both within the Center and throughout the comrmmi ty in discussions and taking actions will do much to make the older adult feel that he is part and parcel of the total co111nunity,

Table 6

PARTICIPATION OF ADUIJJ.'S IN TBE aEN'.l'ER PROGRAM • 1955

Gen, Adult 25 & u:e Natl, 25 8, U]2 Adult COMMUNITI No, of Enroll- Attend• No, of Enroll- Attend- Grouns ment ance GrOUDS ment ance Akron 4 213 2,325 Youngstown 5 lioo 2,oli9 San Diego 6 ~2 Portland, Ore, 4 100 500 24 1,080 ll,000 Albany lO l6o 3,456 7 290 1,556 Atlantic City l l,lOO 4,200 14 4,500 22,000 Camden 8 304 2,913 l 66 l,721 Trenton l 30 463 Scranton 5 295 5,86o 4 165 12,aoo Norfolk 3 250 975 Indiana.polis l 25 200 New Orleans .!i ~ 2,384 6 2.165 l01l86 Eleven Centers of comparable size reported a total of 43 adult groups under general Center auspices and 55 groups sponsored by national organizations; or a total of 98 adult groups,

The average number of adult groups under general Center auspices was 4 with an average total enrollment of 248 and an average annual attendance of 2,178, The New Orleans Center had 4 groups with an enrollment of 26o and an annual attend­ ance of 2, 384. The average number of adult groups under auspices of national. organizations was 9 with an average total enrollment of l,o84 and an average annual attendance of 8, 52l, New Orleans had 6 groups with an enrollment of 2,165 and an annual at­ tendance of l0,186, • 97 •

Table 7

PARTICIPA'I'IOlf OF OLDER ADULT 6o & UP IN 'l'!IE CENrER PROGRAM No, Enroll• Attend• COININITY Groups ment ance

Alban;y, N, Y, 1 100 1,200 Atlantic City, N,J, 1 125 4,600 Camden, N,J, Trenton, li,J, 3 320 3,780 WUmington 1 150 980 Scranton 1 105 2,050 Norfolk 1 226 3,700 Ric:hmotld 1 35 758 ?few Orleans 1 20 630 San Antonio 1 51 '8"73 Indianapolis 1 45 1,350 Akron 2 165 l,li96 Columbus 1 200 2,400 Toledo 1 80 487 Youngstown 1 75 2,030 San Diego 1 366 Portland, Ore. 1 4o 1,350

Fifteen Centers of compe.rable size reported a total o:r 18 older adult groups. One Center had tbree groups. One Center had two groups and thirteen Centers had one group each. For the fi:rteen Centers, the average enro'.llrnent was 115 and the average attendance was 184o :for the yee.r,

N'ew Orleans had one group with 20 enrollment and 630 annual attendance

QUESTIONS 'l'O GUIDE TEE EVALIJA'l'I0lf OF THE CENTER PROGRAM FOR OLDER ADULTS

1. Apply the questions previously indicated :for the total Center program to the section on Older Adults.

2, Are the Center purposes - general and Jewish - satis:factorily re­ flected in the program?

3, Is the Center serving adequate numbers o:f older adults? 4. To what extent should the Center provide special :facilities, serv­ ices - such as transportation - and activities for older adults?

5, To what extent should the Center participate in serving older adults in the Home for the Aged or in private homes for those who are not ambulatory?

6. What should be the relationship of the Center older adult program to other institutions and organizations• sisterhoods, Council of Jewish Waiien, etc?

7, What staff w1ll be required to conduct a satis:factory program? B. How maey volunteers will be required? How will they be recruited? trained? supervised

9, What additioDl!.l budget provisions will be necessary? HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION

This section contains materiel pertainillg to the Health and Physical education progrsm of the Center for all age groups, and questions sug­ gested as a guide for analysis and evaluation of this section in the New Orleans Study Report, A. Objectives Tbe major objective of the Jewish Co111•uo1ty Center is to meet the physical, emotional, and social needs of indiViduels and groups within a Jewish setting in a democratic frame of operations.

Tbe Health & Physical Education Department is one of the important arms that make up the total Jewish COlllll!Unity Center, Tbe Health and Physical Education Department must rel.ate its progrsm to the overall goals of the J, C. C, Basically, the objectives of this Department and the J, C, C. are the same.

Before discussing appropriate programs for the Bee.1th & Physical Education Department in the J. 0, c., it is necessary to understand the aims of this Department, Sane of the aims are:

l, To help members acquire a variety of athletic and recreational skills. 2. To help members attain high standards of sportsmen­ ship, 3, To train for democratic leadership. 4. To help members develop positive attitudes toward healthful living. 5, To help members enjoy Jewish associations within the Health & Physical education setting and within the larger setting of the J, C, C, program. 6, Constructive use of leisure time, affording the members ~ and enjoyment through athletic participation. 7. To develop positive attitudes toward life by providillg members reel group experiences Within the J. C, C, set­ tings. To briefly summarize, our objectives are pbysicel fitness, health development, enjoyment of sports as a wholesane leisure-time activity, emotional security, happY social adjustment within the Jewish and the total community.

B. Programs

In pla:oning programs, one should consider the needs and interest of the membership. other factors that help shape the progrsm are facilities ( in the commimi ty as well as the J, C, C,), staff leadership, and parti­ cipation ot athletic callll:l.ttees. 'lbere are a variety of activities to consider in programming for a Health & Physical :Education Dept., in the J, 0, C. - 99 -

Indoor Activities Basketball, softball, volleybeJ.11 handball {4 wall e.nd 1 wall), squash, table tennis, badminton, tennis, golf (instruction and prectice range), fencing, roller skating, bowling, boxing {striking bae;, heavy punching bag, rope skipping), wrestling, weight lifting, and tumbling, etc. Outdoor Activities Bo:f'tbeJ.11 basketbe.U, be.sebe.U, tennis, handbe.U, roller skating, ice skating, archery, bicycling, fishing, rowing, swimming, skiing.

Aquatics - instruction, recreation, and COIIV?etition 1, Instruction for non-swi!llmere, intermediate, and advanced swimmers, 2, American Bed Cross achievement tests - Junior-Senior Life Saving Tests, Instructor• s Test, 3, Family swims, co-ed swim splash, swimming meets, Co-Ed Activities Volley be.U, badminton, game and dance programs, mixed doubles, etc, Social Recreation Programs for Inter-group Activities Annual sports dinner and award, sports clinic, Maccabiad (annual track and field~ events), picnics, tournaments, out-door dances, etc. Special Events Father and son affairs, {scheduling gym periods for father and eon), exhibitions by local college stars and professionals,

Beduci!!5 and BodY-Bui1ding Activities Calisthenics for good posture and body development. The formal calisthenics period should be followed by a planned program of volley be.U, badminton, swimming, or any activity that will provide fun and relaxation. Free Pla;r Periods - regular scheduled activities Intra-mural Leagues - sports for all ages Inter-Club Tournaments Special classes of instruction Danci!!5 - Modern, Square, Folk, etc. Gemes of low and high organized games, according to age, interest, and readiness.

Varsity teams - Senior and Junior, (boys and girls) - J.00 -

C. Real.th Fducation Programs

Heal.th education programm1ng is an importsnt function of the Heal.th & Physica.J. Education Dept. It is directly reJ.ated to all phases o1' the J, C, C, program and shouJ.d reach aJ.J. members of the Center, It can be brought into the cJ.ub and cl.ass program, Successful hea.J.th education progremming comes about as a resuJ. t of sound and careful plann1 ng. ~is pJ.anning should invoJ.ve the ;professiona.J. staff and the Center mem­ bership (preferabJ.y those with heal.th education background) as well as J.oca.J., state, and nationa.J. hea.J.th organizations,

The Real.th Education Program Should IncJ.ude:

J.. The Physical exam. in J. C, C, 2. Programming for the various age groups. 3, Use o1' audio-visua.J. aids. 4, P.l.anning ll Hea.J.th Education Week, 5, Year-round programming for Health Fducation in the J.c.c.

DeveJ.opnent of Leadership and Leader Groups InvoJ.ves:

a, Council.a and Committee structure. b. Devel.oping indigenous J.eadership. c, In-service training, UtiJ.ization of COIIIIIIU?lity Resources Should IncJ.ude:

J.. Park Depts., Recreation Facilities (State and City Park) 2. Swimming ~ooJ.s - Indoor and Outdoor 3, Picnic Areas 4, GoJ.f Courses 5, Tennis Courts 6, Basketball Courts (High School., Park Dept., etc,) 7, Roller Skating Rinks 8. Ice Skating Rinks 9. Bowling Alley 10, Ste.bl.es (Rent Horses for Horseback riding) lJ.. Rowing J.2, Fishing D, JEWISH CONTE!IT PROGRAMMnlG IN TBE HEALTH AND PHYSIOO. EDUCA!t'ION DEPARTMEm

The primary contribution that the heal.th and physical education depart­ ment makes in this connection is that it attords its members opportuni­ ties for participating within a Jewish setting, buil.ding whoJ.esome Jewish associations and attaining personal security and satisfaction from such eiq,eriences, It can conduct ;programs utilizing material.a about historical. Jewish sports heroes, current prominent Jewish athl.etes and celebration of festival.a and holidays with appropriate sports functions. For example, archery, with its use of bows and arrows, bas long been one of the major areas of programming on Lag Ba-Omer, The ceJ.ebration of Hanukah can be attended by a sports festiva.J., The Maccabiad bas now become an annual affair in the program o1' many cen­ ters, and recentJ.;y the Mid-west Athletic Conference, sponsored by JWB, was the occasion for the celebration of Israel's Independence Dav with a festival consisting of a teJ.egra;phic track and sv1mming Maccabiad, Selection of Professional Ste.ff

The program of the Health and Physical. Education Department relies heavily on the competence and ability of its professional staff', The standards for the selection of such staff' include professional educa­ tion at an accredited school offering a maJor in physical. education, gl"oup work experience, preferably in Jewish center or Yanda positive Jewish orientation, The ideal would al.so include graduate training in social group work, More and more centers are seeking staff who caue from schools where group work was pa.rt of the curriculum, In-service training institutes and conferences are the usual supplements that help round out the professional ability of staff persOilllel. In addition to professional preparation, emphasis is placed on demonstrated competence in necessary- skills, mature personality, an interest in people, enthu­ siasm, integrity in personal and social relations, and a belief in the importance of the position which the individual wishes to fill, Job Description Ea.ch position in the health and physical. education department should be adequately described as well as its relation to other positions in the center, The Director of' the heal.th and physical. education department is usually Ullder the supervision of the overall program director and worka within the framework of the total agency program and objectives to which he relatea the heal.th and physical. education program, His admin­ istrative duties include supervision of professional and maintenance staff of his department, regularly scheduled individual. and departmental. conferences, budget planning, planning in relation to overall staff, purchase of supplies and equipment, supervision of repair and mainten­ ance of equipment and facilities, recording and reporting, promotion and publicity, etc, He also bas individual. consultations with members, gives direct leadership to certain activities, in professional staff advisor to the heal.th and physical education cOll!lllittee, the sports council, gym leaders club and holds staff meetings in in-service training programs of all f'ull time and part time staff and volunteers, He assumes overall responsibilities for all programs involving regularly scheduled activities, special events and programs, interest clubs and classes, varsity team programs, etc. He is expected to participate actively in various professional. organizations and in local civic and camnunity- wide organizations,

Where there is an assistant physical. education director, he should be prepared to assist in all phases of the heal.th and physical education program and during the absence of the director to take over all of his responsibilities. He parallels in many respects the job of the director except for 1110re 1:1.mited administrative and supervisory functions, with a greater emphasis on direct leadership for assigned portions of the program. The sWimln:l.ng director has cOIIIPlete responsibility for the staff, pro­ gram, and maintenance of the swimming pool and is under the direct supervision of the director of heal.th ahd physical. education. Personnel standards and practices for the heal.th and physical. education staff should be the same as for all professional staff in the center. • 102 - It is expected that tbe director of this department will prepare annual written evaluations of the health and peysical education staff.

F. RECORDS AND REPOR'l'S Record keeping includes statistical, health examination, individual and narrative evaluation reports. They are necessary in evaluating the work of the department, supervision of staff, planning of program and for teaching mid research purposes. Reports on groups and individ­ uals are important as a basis for offering sounder guidance. statistical information should include attendance, number of groups and activities, cash receipts, use of equipment and facilities, laundry, etc. Record forms should include the number of physical examinations, a de.ily attendance report on each member, basketroom register, sale of athletic supplies, use of soap, towels and sheets, daily income, activi­ ties attendance for men, boys, girls and women in the gymnasium e.nd swimming pool and locker room assignment, etc. A card with basic in­ formation on e.ll participants should be kept and this may include pertinent health information,

G. SUGGES'rED ClU'l'ERIA FOR THE EVALUA~ON OF TSE HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION DEPARL'MEli'r

l. Does e.ll of the staff possess the following essential information:

-'What are tbe objectives of the health and peysical education program of the Jewish Center? •What percentage of the members of the Jewish cOllJDllm1ty is being served by the department at the present time? •What program activities are being offered and what is membership participation in each? •What other agencies offer health and l)hysical education programs and how many members of the Jewish community participate in them? -Is there any duplication of membership or program?

2. Is rsvery precaution being taken to see that programs e.re conducted according to the highest standards of health mid safety? -Is a physical examination required for all individuals participa­ ting in the department? -ls equipment tested for safety and is it of the best quality? -ls supervision provided at all times when facilities are being used? -Does instruction and supervision meet all standards of health and safety?

3. Are physical facilities being used to the best advantage? •ls program set up so that the various age groups of both sexes can take advantage of it? •Are the SYm and sw1mm1ng pool so located that they do not inter• fere with other programs? -ls the SYm also utilized as an auditorium? -Are the SYm and swiming pool adequate in aize, l1ght:Lng1 vent1la• tion, heating, etc.? -Are shower facilities adequate for membership? -Is the maintenance staff adequate to maintain high standards for cleanliness and upkeep of facilities and equipment? • 103 •

4. Do we encourage within individuals and groups an awareness that health and physical education participation is one of the important phases of being a responsible member of the community?

5, Do we plan program so as to meet expressed and implied individual, group, and camnunity needs? Does planned program take into con• sideration the individual's health needs or are the mass or group activities so conducted that the individual and his relation to the group is lost sight of? Does the athletic program provide sufficient opportunity for the personality development of the individual under sympathetic guidance?

6, Do we encourage and provide for group participation in deciding program? Are individuals and groups encouraged to assume a role of leadership in the planning and conducting of health and physical education program? 7, Do we cooperate and participate with all existing camm.mity agencies and facilities so as to expand and enrich program?

8, Do we offer a carefully planned and socially desirable program of competition in selected g!lll!B and sports?

9, Does professional and volunteer leadership conduct progressive and purposeful programs in the teaching of fUnd!lll!Sntal skills and activities? Is program offered that will, in addition to direct learning values, have concOlllitant values, such as developing a feeling of security and belongingness, etc,? Are opportunities offered in health and physical education program for creativity and individual self-expression? 10. Is there a close integration and coordination of the health and physical education program with the other programs of the agency? Are opportunities provided for the health and physical education staff to plan With other staff for meeting individual needs? In our efforts at integration, are we cooperating with all the sl.lllllll6r agency programs such as country camp, day camp, stay-at-home camp, etc,? Is there a close relationship between the Health and Physical Education COllll!littee and other agency Councils and agency staff? ll. Is the atmosphere of the health and physical education department one of warmth, cheerfulness and friendliness? Do participants in the program have a feeling of pleasant anticipation? Is ample opportunity offered for social programs, such as games, parties, trips, refreshments, etc,?

12, Is there a requirement for all group leaders to maintain evaluative records on individuals and groups? Are these records used as a means of program planning for individuals and groups to meet individ­ ual needs? Are daily statistical records kept? Are they used as a means of analyzing and evaluating programs?

13. Is Jewish program content being utilized as much as possible? Are such programs as Maccabiads, sport Oneg She.bats, Holiday sports festivsls, etc,, being included in the departmental program? Do we utilize our health and physical education program to promote inter­ racial and inter-cultural activities of a desirable nature? - l.04 - l.4. Are all types of l!ledia being used to publ.icize and acquaint the mem­ bership I1ith heal.th and physical. education program in which tlle;y might be interested? l.5, Does the Jewish Center encourage initiative and experimentation in adltd.nistrative and program practices on the part of staff?

16, Are heal.th education programs made up of the best possible subject matter? Are we offering an adequate heal.th education program? Are key Jewish leaders being drawn into the program as l.ecturers, dis• cussants, Che.irmen of Committees and as Committee Members?

17, How is the membership of the Heal.th and Physical. Education Commit• tee selected? Are all age and interest groups represented? Are Youth and Sports Council.a represented? Are doctors and dentists included? What !l,l'e the functions of the Heal.th and Pb;ysical. Educa­ tion Committee? What role does professional. staff have in rel.ation to the Committee? What rel.ationship does the Committee have to the Bo!l,l'd of Directors? How often does the Ccmmittee meet? Are the Committee members a source for vol.unteer l.eadership? Do the;y assist at special. sports events and special. programs? Is the Heal.th and Pb;ysical. Education Committee represented on and active in sectional. and national. JWB Heal.th and Physical. Education Committees? Is it represented on local., regional. and national. sports groups?

18, Does athl.etics hol.d a particul.!l,l' appeal. for the communi t;y and is staff doing all it can to have membership participate in it? Do athl.etic programs attract all of the membership, or do the;y interest onl;y the "good athl.etes" ? Are we offering a well-rounded program of athl.etics or do we onl.;y have basketball and softbal.l.? Do we encourage and promote such other sports as volle;y bal.l., badminton, tennis, baseball, footbal.l.1 track, fencing, boxing, swimming, wrestl.ing, weight lifting, etc,? Is there cooperation with the other departments of the agenc;y to see that athletics is a part of the cl.ub program and !l,l'e athl.etic groups encouraged to participate in other phases of agenc;y program? Is the schedul.e of events cle!l,l'ed so that there is no major confiict with other programs of the asency?

What means are used to introduce new types of athletic sports and games into the agency? Does program include a number of exhibition athletic events? What athl.etic programs are being pl.anned tllat woul.d have p!l,l'­ ticul.!l,l' appeal. for adul.ts, girls and women? In what athletic events of a non-competitive nature are we offering instructions?

Are athletic programs set up so that emphasis is placed on participa­ tion and not on winning?

Is the athletic program so set up as to provide opportunities for forming 'Wholesome Jewish group associations? Does the athl.etic program provide for democratic participation within groups and does it encour­ age the devel.opment of group co1mnun1t;y responsibillt;y? Are there opportunities within the athletic progrwn for the development of social consciousness and directed social. action?

Is there constant supervision and leadership ave.ilable for athletic - 105 -

programs? Does the athletic program encourage and develop leadership among the participants? What use do we make of volunteer leadership from among tile participants? In promotion of leagues and teams, do we have clear cut and well defined rules of eligibility and pl~? Do we abide by them to the letter? Is the athletic program one that promotes sportsmanship and tile desire to ~ the game fair and square?

What use dove make oi' evaluative recording of athletic programs? Do we keep records of individUal and group progress? In our recording do ve evaluate 'What programs were most successful from the participant's point ot viev?

What programs do we promote that vill encourage spectator participation? To encourage active participation% To give the individuals who cannot participate actively the opportunity to participate passively?

QUESTIONS TO GUIDE TBE EVALUATION OF THE CEM'EB 1S HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM

1. To what extent are the criteria tor health and physical education program in the Center adequately met?

2. Would the addition ot a health club in the Center provide a useful and needed service to both men and women?

3. How can the Center provide health and physical education activities to people especially children living at a distance from the Center?

4. Should and can the Center serve children in the Hebrew schools 'With a sports program?

5. Does the health and physical education department have adequate statt, facilities and budget?