[This letter below was sent out to Rady JCC Friends by Rady JCC Executive Director Rob Berkowits on December 30, 2020. In it he outlines the resumption of cultural programming ,sponsored by the Asper Foundation, which will be at no charge to the attendee]

Dear Rady JCC Friends,

When the clock strikes midnight tomorrow, for the first time in our lives, hindsight will actually be 2020. 

Throughout this past year, I shared stories about how we as a community rallied around each other in order to ensure Rady’s sustainability for years to come; how the ongoing generosity of our entire community during these dark times lit our path forward; how the heartbeat of any great organization is its members and how Rady’s heartbeat is stronger than ever.

For my final communication in 2020, I want to take a moment and look forward toward the next year, right on our doorstep.

We have a number of exciting initiatives happening in 2021. On the fitness front, while the doors to our facility currently remain closed as mandated by the provincial government, our virtual Rady@Home interactive community continues to grow every day. Your favorite Rady trainers and instructors continue to professionally film a variety of different classes that are made available to our members. These videos continue to be updated weekly. If you have not already checked it out yet, I encourage you do so by clicking here.

Cultural programming is part of the fabric that makes up the storied history of the Rady JCC. When the pandemic hit, we were sadly forced to cancel all our cultural programming that our community members look forward to and depend on year after year. With that said, the Rady JCC has an intrinsic duty to make arts and cultural programming available once again to our community. 

I am excited to tell you that beginning in 2021, thanks to the unbelievable generosity of The Asper Foundation, arts and cultural programming here at the Rady is coming back - virtually. The Asper Foundation understands the importance of this type of programming and the need for it now more than ever. They have partnered with us to ensure programming be available to anyone who wishes for it over the next six months at no cost to the attendee. Their leadership during these difficult times is inspirational.

Kicking off in January, we will be launching our 2021 virtual Music ‘N’ Mavens concert and speaker series, produced once again by the amazing Karla Berbrayer. Full details about this will be announced next week. 

We are also planning to launch our virtual 2021 Izzy Asper Jazz Performances, produced once again by the dynamic Charlene Diehl, with some amazing musicians and artists starting in February. We are also working out the logistics for a virtual Winnipeg International Jewish Film Festival in the coming weeks as well as a partnership speaker series with the Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre. Details on all these fantastic events will be released as we move into the new year.

Finally, I want to take a moment and thank all our members who made the decision to donate their December membership fees to the Rady. Though our facility is shut down and we have greatly reduced our overhead including mass layoffs to staff, many of our normal operating expenses remain. Your gift of one month’s membership dues greatly assisted as we continue to work together to get through the pandemic. 

Now that we know our doors will remain closed beginning in January, I ask you to consider donating your monthly membership dues once again. If you choose to convert your payments during our closure into donations, you will be issued a charitable donation receipt in full. Please contact us directly either by calling us at 204.477.7510 or by replying to this email if you are wishing to do so.

Finally, to our members, our partners, and our community: please know your ongoing love, outpouring of support, and constant generosity allows us to continue to push forward and work tirelessly, ensuring that when we can reopen our doors, we will be ready to welcome you home. 

We will get past this. We will persevere. We will be together again, stronger, and better than ever before.

Afterall, hindsight is 2020.

Happy New Year.

Rob Berkowits
Executive Director
Rady JCC