Arthur Rotman,
11/29/1926-5/10/2007
The death of Arthur Rotman, president emeritus
of JCC Association, is a great loss to his family, his colleagues,
and the entire JCC Movement, which he served so ably and with
such dedication. His deep commitment to Jewish life and community
made him a giant in the field.
Rotman earned an M.S. degree in social administration
from Western Reserve University in Ohio in 1949, and then
returned to his native Montreal. He entered the JCC field
there, working at the Montreal YM-YWHA until the late sixties,
rising to the position of associate executive director. He
moved on to become the executive director of the JCC of Greater
Pittsburgh in 1968, and then joined JCC Association as the
organization’s chief professional officer in 1976.
From then until his retirement in 1994, he
worked tirelessly to enhance the Jewish nature of the JCC
and to support the status and professionalism of Jewish communal
work. He introduced Israeli shlichim to North American JCCs,
and maintained a deep interest in Israel throughout his life.
His leadership on the Commission on Maximizing the Jewish
Educational Effectiveness of Jewish Community Centers transformed
the JCC, making it a premier institution of Judaic engagement.
His concern for the integrity of his profession led to his
membership in the Association of Jewish Center Workers, the
Conference of Jewish Communal Services, and the Council on
Social Work Education. He served as consultant for the then-named
Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York to examine
the structure of YM-YWHA’s and JCCs in the New York
metropolitan area.
An avid swimmer, Rotman used the pool at the
92nd Street Y, preferring to get even his exercise in a Jewish
milieu. He exhibited an early sensitivity to the environment,
growing trees at his country home in upstate New York, and
enjoying a variety of outdoor pursuits.
A long-time resident of Manhattan, Rotman
had recently moved to New Jersey. He is survived by his wife
Anita, a former teacher at the Wurzweiler School of Social
Work, his children Laurie, Stephen and Mina, and Carol and
Labe Richman, and grandchildren Daniel, Rachel, Maia, Zoe,
Anna, Katie, Carly, and Ben.
###
JCC Association
is the leadership network of, and central agency for the Jewish
Community Center Movement, which is comprised of 350 JCC,
YM-YWHA and camp sites in the U. S. and Canada. JCC Association
offers a wide range of services and resources to strengthen
the capacity of its affiliates to provide educational, cultural,
social, Jewish identity-building, and recreational programs
to enhance the lives of North American Jews of all ages and
backgrounds. Additionally, the movement fosters and strengthens
connections between North American Jews and Israel as well
as with world Jewry. JCC Association is also the U.S. government
accredited agency for serving the religious and social needs
of Jewish military personnel, their families, and patients
in VA hospitals through JWB Jewish Chaplains Council.
Miriam
Rinn
Communications Manager
JCC Association
520 8th Ave., NY, NY 10018
212-786-5092
fax: 212-481-4174
send an e-mail
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