By Lori Haught
The Jewish Community Project is gearing up for a move to a new Tribeca location next fall.
It plans to relocate its administrative offices, currently at Broadway and Leonard Sts., and educational programs, which take place all over Lower Manhattan, to a new location at 146 Duane St. and West Broadway.
The new facility, about 10,000 square feet, will house the early childhood center, six classrooms for education, a café, multipurpose space, a library, and a youth lounge. The early childhood center, which is currently located at Sydney’s Playground, 66 White St., and has a capacity for 35 children, will nearly triple its capacity in the new facility, allowing for 100 children aged 22 months to four years old to be enrolled in the program.
“We are a community organization without walls right now,” Darren Levine, the executive director of the J.C.P., said. “[Our new home will be] a place for Jewish people and anyone who wants to celebrate Jewish life.”
He said many of the Sabbath events and classes are currently held in members’ homes and outside venues. One of the anchor programs, Bimbom – a music program for children – has four sessions, one held in the West Village and three held in Tribeca. This new building will provide a location for many of the programs.
The expansion was a result of the increased demand for J.C.P. programs and family oriented activities as the Downtown population grows, said Brian Kaplan, a representative of the J.C.P.
“It was a natural transition,” Kaplan said.
Levine, who also teaches many of the parent, family and adult education classes that the J.C.P. offers, said that the organization serves New Yorkers below 14th St.
“It’s a terribly exciting time for J.C.P. and what this new space provides is an open nondenominational home for the Downtown community,” he said.
