Kehillah means “community” in Hebrew. And the mission of Kehillah, the special needs program of the Springfield JCC, is to create a community here at the J - a fun and welcoming community for individuals of all abilities.

Our Kehillah friends can ‘get social’ in a variety of ways:

Tween/Teen Social Group | Mondays, 4:30 - 5:30 PM

Tween/Teen Social Group brings together middle and high school students with different abilities to enjoy recreational and enrichment activities every Monday afternoon. The activities and environment are designed to help participants develop independence and self-esteem while fostering social and life skills and cultivating meaningful relationships.

Music With Rusty | Every other Tuesday, 3:30 - 4:15 PM

Rusty, Board Certified Music Therapist, has a unique way of engaging all children through music. In his groups, he uses music to increase social skills such as speech, non-verbal communication, and interaction, and to build confidence. Musical instruments are used to increase sharing skills, following directions, and emotional expression.

Best Buddies | meets monthly on a Sunday, 12:00 - 1:00 PM

Best Buddies fosters one-to-one friendships between high school students with and without intellectual disabilities. The program helps break through social barriers at a time of heightened social and emotional development in a young person’s life that can be difficult even for teenagers without IDD. Our Best Buddies chapter is run by students at Longmeadow High School - check out their Instagram here.

New Year's Eve Eve Dance

During the year, we also host special events that bring our entire Kehillah community together for an evening of fun, food, and sensory-friendly celebration. This includes our New Year's Eve Eve Dance when we ring in the New Year, Kehillah-style! View all the photos of last year's dance on Facebook here.

If you are a friend with different abilities and are inspired to get social, we'd love you to join us soon.

If you would like to support our Kehillah programming, you can do so by making a donation here or at the Welcome Desk during March. Thank you!