Dear Friends,
I grew up on a gravel road in Indiana, where playing in the creek, building forts, and joining neighbors for dinner defined what community meant to me. It was a place of belonging, simple, genuine, and full of connection. I never expected to find that same feeling again.
When my spouse and I became parents, we were living far from family and needed childcare. A friend recommended the Kaiserman JCC (Philly J). Neither of us were Jewish, and we weren’t sure it would be the right fit, but we gave it a try. What we found was love, warmth, and people who cared deeply for our daughter. Before long, I was volunteering, then teaching, and eventually, I joined the staff full-time.
Seven years later, I was honored to become the inaugural Director of the Philly JCC Early Learning Center in King of Prussia. Having experienced firsthand how a preschool can become a home, it’s now my mission to create that same sense of belonging for every family who joins us.
I’ve learned that real community starts with connection. I make it a priority to know each family, their stories, their hopes, their children. That understanding allows us to create curriculum that feels personal and meaningful, and to help each family find their own pathway into Jewish life, whatever that may look like.
Since October 7, that work has taken on deeper importance. Our school has become a place of comfort, allyship, and stability for families feeling uncertain or afraid. We’ve seen how inclusive hospitality, the simple act of welcoming everyone with care, can be a powerful form of healing and resistance.
We’ve also built incredible partnerships with Temple Brith Achim, our synagogue home, and with neighbors and friends throughout the community. It really does take a village, and ours has been nothing short of amazing.
For our children, community might look like firefighters, librarians, and teachers. For us adults, it’s the web of relationships we build, Shabbat dinners with friends, Hanukkah candle lightings together, and the simple joy of feeling like you belong. That’s what I’ve found here, and what I hope every family who joins us will find too.
Shabbat Shalom,
Kimber
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