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By Donald H. Harrison
 SAN DIEGO—There are those ideas that come and go as a sudden inspiration, and those that are defined, refined and redefined into viable programs through methodical market research.
Potentially in the latter category are two ideas generated by leaders of the Lawrence Family JCC and the Center for Jewish Culture. These ideas, now going through preliminary market testing, are 1) offsite JCC facilities and/or increased programming in other parts of San Diego County, and 2) creation of a Jewish museum.
It’s not known whether either of these ideas will withstand the rigors of market analysis, but of all the suggestions that one might make about potential programming by the Lawrence Family JCC, these are the ones that made it past the stage of “it might be nice if…” to the stage of “let’s see what people out there might think of it…”
According to Dan Shapiro, marketing director for the Lawrence Family JCC, some 13,000 individuals have received survey questionnaires asking whether they would take advantage of such programs if they were developed.
As of last week nearly 1,000 people had responded by e-mail, which was about a 7 percent return. Many marketers consider even a 5 percent return to be quite productive – and answers to the survey still may be coming in.
The survey was constructed with the help of Paul Van Dolah, a former chief operating officer of Children’s Hospital, who now runs a consulting company based in the Elfin Forest area. One of the programs at which Van Dolah is a presenter is a symposium conducted annually at the University of San Diego for professional and lay leadership of non-profit agencies. David Wax, who attended such a symposium during his term as president of the Lawrence Family JCC, recommended Van Dolah’s services to his board.
Thereafter, Van Dolah conducted focus group sessions not only with the JCC staff and board but also with the staff and board of the Center for Jewish Culture, which though housed at the JCC, has a separate, yet overlapping, board of directors.
An important part of these focused sessions was for board members and staff to suggest possible new initiatives, and then for these ideas to be culled by an executive committee, and eventually put into a questionnaire.
Survey results are expected to be tabulated and placed into a briefing book prior to a planning retreat that will be held at the JCC on Tuesday, October 13, in a room where there will be no telephonic interruptions.
Senior staff and members of the executive committees of the JCC and the CRC will hear the results of the survey and then decide together what next needs to be done.
Besides answers to the questions about potential programs – including an open-ended question in which members of the public were asked to make their own suggestions—the survey will provide demographic data so policy makers can better understand who is asking for what.
For example, is there support for new JCC facilities or programming in the North County Inland area, near the Interstate 15, but not in the southern part of the county? Are
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those people who strongly favor a Jewish museum primarily of any specific age bracket? And so forth.
If there is sufficient support for any given program, there still is a long way to go before that program could become a reality.
“We would put together study groups for specific ideas,” Van Dolah said. “Here’s the recommendation; should we go forward with this or not? This is a careful process. What is the best value to pursue? Who would be involved in it?”
Future analysis might take the form of a more detailed feasibility study. How much would this program cost? What resources are available? How would it be paid for?
So if you have a family heirloom that you are anxious to donate someday to a Jewish museum, don’t start filling out donation papers just yet. It could be a long time before a Jewish museum is created – if in fact it is created at all.
Whatever results the surveys generate, said Van Dolah, “the bottom line is that both organizations (the JCC and the CJC) want to make certain that they are relevant to the community—both geographically as well as programmatically.”
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I sent in one suggestion in response to the open-ended question. I’m sure others—particularly members of our Mexican Jewish community—have raised the issue before.
As it is now currently configured, the Lawrence Family JCC encourages people to come for specific programs or activities, but not necessarily to remain and spend leisure time there. Although Elijah’s Restaurant operates a small counter with a few tables for quick meals in the lobby, there is no place where an entire family or group of friends might meet for a meal, and then perhaps remain for conversation while different members temporarily depart to attend a lecture, or play a game of tennis, take a swim in the pool, or take a class.
I’m told that in Mexico City, the Jewish community’s Sports Center serves as such a social gathering place, where families get to intermingle and socialize not only among themselves but with other regulars. It’s a way for people from all over the city to meet informally.
However, as good as this idea may sound, it’s not just a matter of the JCC providing space for such a restaurant, and then staffing or leasing it. If people used the JCC in such a fashion, where would the people who are coming for one specific activity or another park their cars? If those people were regularly frustrated when trying to find a place to park their cars, would they drop their membership at the JCC?
So a corollary question is, if we do this program, how will it impact upon other programs?
Personally I am delighted that the JCC has sent out the survey and is thereby involving much of the Jewish community in the decision making process.
It’s possible that the survey may turn up unexpected information and unmet desires within our community.
Or, the results may simply verify what planners had assumed all along. Regardless of how it turns out, the survey reinforces the idea that we all have ownership of the Jewish community and we all can play a role in its development.
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