By Betzy Lynch in La Jolla
This week at our Annual Membership Meeting, I had the opportunity to reflect on a phrase we often use to describe the Lawrence Family JCC: that we are a community built on Jewish values.
It’s a phrase that appears in brochures, strategic plans, speeches, and mission statements. But what does it actually mean?
One of the things I love most about Judaism is that it answers this question in a very particular way.
Many traditions define themselves primarily by what you should not do. Judaism certainly includes those teachings: do not murder, do not steal, do not lie. These commandments matter because they establish the minimum standards of a decent society.
But Judaism does not stop there.
Our tradition spends far more time asking what we should do. We are called to visit the sick, comfort the mourner, teach the child, welcome the stranger, honor the elderly, celebrate together, pursue justice, and build community.
That difference is profound.
The negative commandments can often be fulfilled alone. They require restraint. The positive mitzvot, however, requires a relationship. You cannot welcome a stranger without a community. You cannot teach a child without a next generation. You cannot comfort someone in need without showing up for another human being.
The positive mitzvot are not simply about avoiding harm. They are about creating connections. They challenge us not only to be good individuals but to help build a good society.
To me, that is what it means to be a community built on Jewish values.
The JCC is, at its core, an institution built around Judaism’s “to do” list.
Every day, people walk through our doors to learn, teach, celebrate, volunteer, connect, support one another, and create belonging. Every preschool classroom, camp experience, fitness class, cultural event, theatrical production, holiday celebration, and act of generosity is an opportunity to transform Jewish values into Jewish life.
The rabbis taught that to walk in G-d’s ways means to do what G-d does: to welcome, comfort, teach, heal, and lift others up. When I look across our community, I see people doing exactly that.
I see a community that comes together in moments of joy and moments of challenge. A community that helps us raise children, care for aging parents, deepen our identities, form meaningful friendships, and find purpose. A community where people from all backgrounds can discover connection and belonging.
Over the years, I have come to realize something important: more than we sustain this community, this community sustains us. It sustained generations before us. It sustains us today. And through our collective commitment, it will sustain generations yet to come.
As we conclude another year and prepare for the next, I am especially grateful for the volunteer and professional leaders who help guide our community forward.
The Kabbalists taught that holiness is revealed through the choices we make and the responsibilities we accept. Every act of service becomes an opportunity to gather sparks of possibility and transform them into something enduring.
That wisdom beautifully captures the spirit of Board service.
As the fiscal year comes to a close, I extend my heartfelt appreciation to the Board leaders whose terms are ending and to the many Board members who will continue their service in the year ahead. Through their stewardship, wisdom, and dedication, they help ensure that our values are translated into action and that our community remains strong for future generations.
I am particularly grateful to JCC Board Chair Liz Nederlander Coden and San Diego Center for Jewish Culture Board Chair Hannah Cohen. Their leadership, partnership, and unwavering commitment have helped guide our community through a year of remarkable accomplishment and growth. Through their service, they have helped transform possibility into reality and vision into impact.
I am also delighted to welcome our newly installed Board members, who will begin their service. Together with our continuing Board members, they join a proud tradition of volunteer leadership that has shaped and sustained this community for generations. We look forward to the wisdom, energy, and perspective they will bring as we continue building a community rooted in Jewish values and dedicated to belonging, connection, and purpose.
As we begin a new week, I am reminded how fortunate we are to be part of something larger than ourselves. a community strengthened by relationships, inspired by purpose, and sustained by people who choose, every day, to show up for one another.
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Betzy Lynch is the CEO of the Lawrence Family JCC.