Barshop Jewish Community Center

The Barshop Jewish Community Center of San Antonio (JCC) is committed to helping individuals develop to their maximum potential. We strive to inspire Jewish Journeys, while strengthening individual life, family unity, and community involvement. We achieve this through creative and constructive programs, which meet the cultural, educational, and recreational needs of individuals, families, and the community at large.

For more than 145 years, the JCC has developed an outstanding reputation as a “birth through life” institution, providing exceptional programs and services to individuals and families of all ages and stages from both the Jewish and wider communities.

Starting from six weeks of age, children in our community are able to enroll in the Block and Dreeben School for Young Children where they engage in an immersive “Learning Through Play” model. Such approach provides a supportive, nurturing environment that promotes the emotional, social, physical, cognitive, and spiritual development for young children that prepares them to be successful in kindergarten and beyond.

Their journey through the JCC doesn’t stop there. Serving hundreds of children annually, they can continue their growth throughout our after-school care programming, youth sports, enrichment programing, seasonal and summer camps that foster a sense of individuality and crucial cognitive development into their teen years. In addition, our inclusion camp services supports differently abled children and provides tremendous benefits for campers and their families. These various opportunities offer families peace of mind knowing their children can grow, thrive and be enriched in an active, loving and nurturing environment.

For our older adults, support starts at their front door. The JCC offers transportation services to and from the JCC for a wide range of programming opportunities. For older adults, they are actively fostering a lifestyle characterized by engagement, enabling them to fully embrace life’s opportunities. Ranging from over 1,700 subsidized healthy kosher meals, exercise that is tailored to individuals with limited mobility, to engaging activities that allow for meaningful connections.

And this is just a start, the JCC’s robust arts and culture programming offers unique and diverse programming that gives insight into the rich Jewish culture. With 20 films shown for the Jewish Film Festival, Summer Series and Lone Star Cinema, and ten Author Speaker Series events, the entire community can learn and celebrate Jewish culture and traditions throughout the year.  

The JCC is open to the community at large. We are driven by the Jewish values of kindness, respect and communal responsibility; and we warmly welcome people of all ages, abilities, faiths and ethnicities. 

Why give in multiples of $18? In Jewish tradition, gifts in multiples of $18 symbolize 'chai'—life—making your donation a meaningful blessing.