Jewish Family Services

Every financial gift, both great and small, makes a tremendous difference in the work we do.

Diaper Bank

Lifelong learning is at the heart of Jewish life. At the JCA, you’ll find classes, lectures, and discussion groups that open up Jewish texts, history, and thought, while also exploring how Jewish wisdom speaks to contemporary life. We invite everyone—from those with deep knowledge to those just beginning their exploration—to learn together in an open and inclusive spirit.

Essentials Pantry

Jewish life thrives in community. The JCA offers ways for people at every stage of life to connect with peers, build friendships, and share in Jewish experiences. Jewish life is also celebrated through music, film, literature, and the arts. The JCA presents cultural programs and special events that highlight Jewish creativity and storytelling, inviting the wider community to engage with Jewish perspectives and voices.

Volunteer

Jewish life at the JCA extends beyond ritual and celebration into acts of service, justice, and care for one another. Through volunteer opportunities and partnerships, we put Jewish values into practice, working to make our community and world more compassionate and just.

Host a Diaper Drive or Period Supply Drive

This is a fun and easy way to involve friends, co-workers, classmates, book clubs, or just to host on your own!

Set a date, set your donation drop points, and get the word out that you are looking for supplies!

KJFS can assist with details and hand-outs, as well as promote your drive on our social media accounts. This is a great way to both collect products for distribution,

as well as raise awareness in our community around diaper need and period poverty.

JCA programs explore the vibrant intersection of diverse cultures and ideas that make up our community through a lens of Jewish values and shared universal principles. Together with our community partners, we aim to nurture mind, body, and spirit through a range of programming for all backgrounds, ages, and interests.

Programming & Arts & Culture

Center Day Camp

In its idyllic setting on Sebago Lake, CDC proudly continues its 65-year history of providing a classic summer camp experience to campers ages 3-15. Anchored by Jewish values, activities like swimming, archery, theater, hiking and Israeli Culture bring campers closer to the natural world, to one another, and to themselves. Scholarships allow us to welcome campers whose families cannot afford to send them to camp, and also to help families lengthen the amount of time a camper can spend at camp each summer. Awards are made based on need and historical relationship to camp.

Early Childhood Education

Our accredited and acclaimed preschool program in Portland continues to grow, with over 80 children this year in five classrooms (including, for the first time, infants and 1-2 year old's!) The program draws on the “High Scope” curriculum, a Reggio-Emilia based, student-led approach in which teachers and students to work together to create an active and joyful classroom where learning and play intersect. Through scholarships, we help defray the cost of additional days of care. Scholarships are awarded based on need, taking into consideration a family’s total financial circumstances.

Adult Jewish Learning

Our programs support adult Jewish learners to embrace and explore the richness of Jewish tradition from a pluralistic, dynamic and energetic perspective. Faculty are drawn from the local community, and courses range from biblical text study to Jewish legal ethics.

Community Leadership Development

As a member of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), the Jewish Community Center Association (JCCA), and the Association of Jewish Family and Children’s Agencies (AJFCA), the JCA benefits from many opportunities to join with the national Jewish Community for trainings, conferences and retreats. Where possible, we provide scholarship support to lay leadership who wish to attend these programs and are committed to bringing resources and ideas back into our community. Scholarships may be in the form of travel stipends, conference fees, or help to defray the cost of books and other course materials.

Charlie Miller Award

The Charlie Miller Award was established in memory of Charlie Miller, whose leadership helped to define and shape our community for decades. Charlie was a true mensch, bringing joy, support, and care to everyone with whom he interacted. He was a larger-than-life figure, with a tremendous personal presence, a searching and seeking intelligence, and an incredibly generous spirit. He spread happiness to his family and to everyone surrounding him. He was an accomplished and well-respected attorney, a strong advocate for justice, and a leader of legendary song circles that captivated generations of children in our community.

The Charlie Miller Award is given each year to a high school senior who represents the best of our community; someone who freely shares their talents and gifts, and whose kindness and care for others spreads joy and helps to bring healing to the world.

All donations received in Charlie's memory will be applied toward endowing The Charlie Miller Award.