The Hub of Jewish Life and Culture for the Wyoming Valley
The Friedman JCC is the hub of Jewish Life and Culture for the Wyoming Valley’s vibrant and engaging Jewish community of approximately 2,000 people.
Our warm and growing Jewish community includes nearly 2,000 affiliated Jews. We are doctors and lawyers and teachers. We are entrepreneurs, children, young adults, at-home parents, retirees and so much more. All of us make a positive difference in our Jewish community and the larger community. Many of us have lived in the Wyoming Valley all of our lives; some of us have recently relocated.
We enjoy lifestyles with exceptionally low housing and other living costs. We are within minutes of five regional universities and colleges and enjoy highly rated private and public school systems.
We are within minutes of pristine state and county parks, lakes, waterfalls and rivers to kayak, canoe, fish, and swim. We are minutes from major Interstates and just 2 hours from NYC and Philadelphia proper. You’ll be leaving behind urban traffic jams and gaining access to any urban, suburban and rural pleasure within 15 minutes.
We worship at the Conservative, Orthodox and Reform synagogues. We enjoy a myriad of cultural, athletic, and religious activities at our JCC and celebrate holidays together. Our children study at both public and private schools and in after-school programs. They play together at our JCC Day Camp, the longest-operating, largest day camp in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
We gather at the JCC for annual holiday events and commemorations, like the Chanukah Torch Run and Dinner, the Purim Celebration and the Yom HaShoah Commemoration; for Friday Night Live services and Community Kiddush ; for special events and speakers of particular interest to the Jewish community and continuing programs offering Jewish education, like the Jewish Institute of Learning and Yiddish Class.
Our JCC is unique in that it offers tallis weaving in the Davidowitz Weaving Room where members and guests can create a tallis or a chuppah for a loved one or themselves.
The region’s Jewish Youth Group, B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO) for Jewish teens from eighth grade through high school is run out of the JCC. Those interested in joining can contact advisors Rachel Kislin or Hal Levine.
We also have a kosher kitchen supervised by the Va’ad HaKashruth, which offers lunch service on weekdays in the Cohen Social and catering for private events, such as bar and bat mitzvahs, weddings, and other life-cycle events, as well as private or corporate meetings.
The JCC delivers Kosher Meals on Wheels and offers food to those in need at Sara’s Table at the Kraus Chaiken Food Pantry.
If you are considering relocating to Northeastern PA call ahead and schedule a of tour our beautiful new facility! See all that we have to offer you and your family!