Looking to connect with the NoVA Jewish community? Pozez JCC’s Growing Jewish Families helps parents and their little ones feel right at home. Quickly and easily.
The program, created in 2008 and made possible through the generous support of The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, connects young families who share interests and most importantly, are navigating a similar stage of life, raising children under the age of 8. From playground playdates to campfires to game nights to Jewish holiday fun — there’s something for everyone.
“Being connected to other moms in my area, who have a shared culture and background, is so important to me,” said Marissa Newberry, a mother of two girls, Maeve, 4, and Maudette, 1. “This program gave my entire family an in-person community.”
Growing Jewish Families is meant to be a low-pressure entry point to Jewish engagement, said Amy Lummer, who heads the program through her role as Family Engagement Director at Pozez JCC. Having been a participant herself, along with her two children, Lummer said the program meets families where they are to create friendship and fun, all through a Jewish lens.
“All of our programming connects to Judaism, whether through a holiday, a value, a mitzvah, or culture,” Lummer said. “We’re here for every family, wherever they may be on their Jewish journey.”
Because Growing Jewish Families creates an open space, where all kinds of practice and identity are welcome, people come as they are. There are self-described “High Holiday Jews” and regular shul-goers. Jews of color, Russian-speaking Jews, and LGBTQ+ Jews. Interfaith couples and single parents who represent different cultures and speak multiple languages, including Hebrew, Spanish, and German.
By coming together, families also grow together, said Maya Thiellen, who has two children, Mackenzie, 5, and Noah, 3.
“Our family has been given opportunities to connect with other Jewish families who have kids the same age as ours,” Thiellen said. “And as we connect, our kids are introduced to Jewish customs and stories in an age-appropriate way,”
Each program is hands-on and accessible, designed to create community for the whole family, and sometimes, just for parents.
There are also a number of adult-only programs. Readers can be a part of Pages and Perspectives, a book club that recently read and discussed “The Amen Effect,” a national bestseller by Rabbi Sharon Brous. The monthly Divas and Diners program for women usually centers around food and games. And dads have their own get togethers, Guys’ Night. The most recent gathering, “In a Pickle” (which sold out), creatively combined pickling and pickleball for a fun night out.
Participant Rachel Birns said these outings, as well as ones geared for parents and their children, have helped her and her son Jack, 3, make new friends through doing.
“There are many different kinds of activities where my son and myself are able to connect with other young families in the area and wider community,” Birns said. “And because of that, we feel more connected to the NoVa Jewish community.”
Finding and engaging new faces usually goes something like this: Pozez JCC connects with families through PJ Library®, Jewish events or programs, a quick email, the newsletter, an online form for new parents, or on a playground with their own children. From there, J-Family Ambassadors, who welcome newcomers and schedule family-fun events, reach out to set up a coffee talk.
There are six ambassadors, all of whom are moms and have participated in Growing Jewish Families themselves. Each serves a different area of NoVa, from Arlington to Aldie.
Somewhat of a neighborhood concierge, the ambassadors provide families with information on preschools and synagogues, introduce them to Pozez JCC and other community programming, connect them with other families, and get to know their interests.
One of those ambassadors is Faith Plavchan, a mom of three with more than 15 years of experience in early childhood education. She recently connected two new moms, one in Arlington and one in Alexandria, who registered their children for the only Jewish infant program in the area, run by Pozez JCC.
“This is what we do, we make those connections to make an impact,” Plavchan said. “By bringing more families together in our Jewish community, we go beyond the boundaries of our JCC building.”
More than 900 families have been engaged this past year through 12 or so programs per month, along with individual coffee talks between ambassadors and families.
To meet people where they are — geographically and Jewishly — a majority of the programs exist outside of the walls of the Pozez JCC. And this month, many will be happening outdoors.
Throughout the summer, Brie Ribner, ambassador for Prince William County, has been organizing two recurring programs: Trail Tuesdays and Water Wednesdays.
Families gather on Tuesday mornings, before temperatures climb too high for comfort, to hike one of the many trails snaking through Northern Virginia. On Wednesday afternoons, parents are taking their children to cool off and splash about at a creek or water park. The location of these events and others are never listed online, ensuring the safety of all participants.
“There’s a real hunger for a sense of belonging, and we create that belonging in a secure environment,” Ribner said. “Once families are here, they keep coming back.”
Among those who keep coming back are NoVa resident Heather and her daughter, her only child. One of their favorite programs was Pajamuary Planetarium Havdalah, where they experienced outer space, up close and personal.
Just before Havdalah, an astronomer welcomed attendees into a large, inflatable planetarium, a dome-like structure. Once inside, he projected and explained a video of our entire solar system. Heather and her daughter sat in darkness and watched planets spin across the ceiling of the planetarium.
“This sparked our interest in astronomy, and soon after, our family visited the George Mason University telescope for the first time,” Heather said. “We’re thankful for Growing Jewish Families for their hard work and attention to details and our J-Family Ambassador for building outgoing, caring, and positive connections.”
Danielle Arthur, an ambassador in Alexandria, said Growing Jewish Families is creating a Jewish engagement pipeline, with the first touchpoint rooted in early childhood. Every parent is seeking something different, and no matter what that something is, there are friendly faces ready to point them in the right direction.
“We are a resource for raising Jewish children,” Arthur said. “This is a flexible program, where people get out of it what they want to get out of it.”
At programs, she gauges success by the number of families who connect themselves, without her prompting. When she notices parents trading phone numbers and then sees them post photos from their playdates, those are wins.
Arthur was in their shoes just a few years ago. A former program participant, she and her daughter Norah met some of their closest friends through Growing Jewish Families.
Now, Norah goes to elementary school with some of them, including one boy who she says she’s going to marry, often telling her mom, “I can’t believe I met the boy I’m going to marry in preschool.”
“These connections we make between families are so important,” Arthur said. “Oftentimes, they’re life-changing.”
