Social & Recreational Programs
Discover a world of fun at the Katz JCC through our new Community Inclusion Programs! Throughout the year, we offer an array of social and recreational opportunities designed for individuals with special needs. Embrace the opportunity to forge new friendships, celebrate your uniqueness, and make a positive impact on our community. Unleash your creativity with our Arts and music classes, cultivate a healthier mind and body through fitness and cooking classes, or simply stay connected to the community through our social gatherings – at the JCC, there’s something for everyone!
Exciting news for the 2023-2024 Program season: Wednesdays are your days to shine at the J! Experience the entire duration of a program or drop by week by week, just remember to give advanced notice. Spaces for these programs fill up quickly, and you won’t want to miss out!
Bowl-a-Thon
We’re thrilled to announce that our Bowl-a-Thon slots are completely full! But do not worry you can still support Community Inclusion!
All proceeds go towards creating quality engaging programming for individuals of all ages with special needs.
Click Here for Sponsorships
Click Here to Donate
Event Details
Sunday, April 7th, 2 – 4 pm
Laurel Lanes
Cartooning Workshops:
Let your creativity soar as you dive into the vibrant world of cartoons and comics! This course will teach you the essentials of character design, storytelling, inking, coloring, and more. If you have ever been curious about the wide world of cartoon design, this is the class for you!
Clay Sculpture Workshops:
Join our friends from Clay Mobile as they end out our year of art by bringing different mediums of clay to life! We will be sculpting, modeling, and designing beautiful clay creations with the help of our instructors from Clay Mobile. We cant wait to see what you create!
Dates held: 2/7/24, 3/6/24, 4/3/24, 5/1/24, 6/5/24
Register here for all sessions
Drop in and try it out:
3/6/24 – Register Here
4/3/24 – Register Here
5/1/24 – Register Here
6/5/24 – Register Here
Cooking at the J
Sold Out
Join our friends from Lil Sous Chefs as they are back for their second year with us! They will be guiding us through recipes each class while teaching helpful tips and tricks in the kitchen. We cant wait to see and taste all of the delicious recipes that we will be making together.
Dates held: 2.14.24 , 3.13.24 , 4.10.24 , 5.8.24 , 6.13.24
Register Here
Look Who’s Dancing
Limited Space Available
Look Who’s Dancing is back at the J! Please join us for another year of fun filled Look Who’s Dancing sessions to make you jump, move and groove to your favorite songs. We look forward to dancing with you this year.
Dates held: 2.21.24 , 5.15.24 , 6.19.24
Register for all sessions here
Drop in and try it out:
2.21.24 – Register Here
5.15.24 – Register Here
6.19.24 – Register Here
Music & instruments from around the world:
Limited Space Available
Music is back at the J! Come experience this new music workshop that brings in music and instruments from around the world. If you have ever ben curious about worldwide instruments, beats, and songs this is the place for you!
Dates held: 2.28.24 , 3.27.24
2.28.24 – Register Here
3.27.24 – Register Here
Functional Fitness:
Continuing our partnership with Fitness and Wellness at the Katz JCC, Functional Fitness is back! This class will prepare your body for the most important type of physical fitness, the kind that helps prepare you for everyday life.
Dates held: 4.24.24 , 5.22.24 , 6.26.24
Register for all sessions here
Drop in and try it out:
4.24.24 – Register Here
5.22.24 – Register Here
6.26.24 – Register Here
New to Community Inclusion:
Destination Days! New to the Community Inclusion Department this year will be Destination Days! We will be on the move this year, as we bring fun and exciting outings to our community throughout the year. These trips will include activities like bowling, local park trips, dinners out, and much more! We hope you will join us as Community Inclusion goes on the road.
When will these take place? These trips will take place throughout the course of the year. They will take place during months where we have an extra spot in the week that we do not have a class set time. More information will come soon for our first trip!
Small group inclusive training sessions! New to the Katz JCC this year will be our small group training sessions. In collaboration with fitness and wellness, we are offering these small group classes to individuals aged 18+. These classes will be led by a member of our personal training staff and are a great way to stay fit in a small group setting.
When will these take place? These sessions will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:15-7:15 and will be held in the J-Fit Studio. The classes will be starting soon and more details on how to sign up will be made available soon!
Jewish Holiday Programs! This coming year Community Inclusion is focused on the Jewish Cultural Celebrations that make our community so special. We will be hosting a number of holiday programs throughout the year including our Hannukah dance, Passover Seder, and much more.
When will they take place? These cultural celebrations will be held throughout the year around those Holidays. We look forward to celebrating with you and will have more information to share as those dates get closer.
Year-Round Events and Workshops
Community Inclusion wants you and your family to feel welcome at the JCC and to feel part of a bigger community. We host a variety of special events throughout the year including a Dance Party, Passover Seder, Tess Norton Purim Basketball Classic, Art Gallery Reception, Bowl-A-Thon, and Community Resource Fair. Additional community outreach events include a Friendship Connection Walk, Workshops for parents of teens through young adults, and special presentations. For further information please contact Nina Staiman at nstaiman@jfedsnj.org.
Community Inclusion Passover Seder
Join us for a new take on traditional Passover!
A classic Seder with family and friends, featuring a traditional passover seder and catered dinner
Thursday, March 30- Register Online
Special Needs Resource Fair
On Monday, May 16, 2022, stop by the J to meet representatives from exciting special needs programs, organizations and services for all ages in South Jersey. This event is free and open to the community. Discover camps, creative arts, sports, fitness, social and recreational services, therapeutic services, disability resources, transition and life skills, and more!
Community Inclusion Art Exhibit
Our annual art exhibit features original artwork by members of the Katz JCC Community Inclusion program and the Samost JFCS Special Needs Programs in our Appel Art Gallery. Light refreshments will be served.
Registration assistance and questions on our ongoing workshops and specialty programs, please contact Matthew Lever at mlever@jfedsnj.org or 856-424-4444 Ext. 1247
Our program is funded by the generous support of The Raymond & Gertrude R. Saltzman Foundation and The Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey.