What is Kehillah?

Kehillah means “community” in Hebrew. The mission of Kehillah, the Special Needs Department of the Springfield JCC, is to provide quality recreational, social, and enrichment programs for children, teens, and adults with special needs. Our goal is to create a feeling of community at the J, while fostering a fun and welcoming environment for individuals of all abilities. All Kehillah programs provide a supervised, safe, and nurturing inclusive environment for participants to enjoy themselves, build self-esteem, increase independence, experience new places and things, improve social skills, and cultivate meaningful relationships.

Who can participate?

Kehillah programs are designed for preschoolers, children, teens, and adults with developmental delays, autism spectrum disorders, and social and emotional challenges. All classes are designed to enhance social, emotional and physical skills of our participants. The Kehillah program, like all programs at the J, is open to people of all faiths, ethnicities and beliefs.

Kehillah is supported in part by the Sadye Silver Fund, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, the Korn Family, and the JCC InFUND.