CU Boulder Program in Jewish Studies

Boulder Jewish Commons & Boulder JCC Reach Historic Milestone

Jonathan Lev February 2, 2012 News 2 Comments

Susan Rona and Butch Weaver sign the land transfer papers.

On Thursday, February 2nd, the Boulder Jewish Community Center’s efforts to build a new facility took a major step forward as Susan Rona, representing the JCC, and Butch Weaver, representing the Oreg Foundation, owner of the future site of the new JCC, signed a donor agreement whereby the Oreg Foundation will transfer a roughly ten-acre parcel to the JCC.

The Oreg Foundation (originally the Weaver Family Foundation) purchased a thirty acre parcel at the corner of Cherryvale and Arapahoe over a decade ago, with the intent that Jewish nonprofit agencies could establish a Boulder Jewish Commons on the site. The JCC will be the first organization to do so. The JCC has raised $16,600,000 towards its goal of $18 million to construct its new facility, has finalized its architectural plans, and has worked closely with the Oreg Foundation to work out the details of its future on the Boulder Jewish Commons site. Together, the JCC and the Oreg Foundation have begun to submit the JCC’s plans to the City of Boulder for zoning approvals. The land transfer agreement signed on February 2nd marks another step forward for the project, as the Oreg Foundation formalized its commitment to the JCC.

l-r :Susan Rona, Butch Weaver, Francine Lavin Weaver, and Jonathan Lev

To celebrate, the Oreg Foundation and the JCC held a signing ceremony on the site of the future JCC, complete with a champagne toast. Butch Weaver, President of the Oreg Foundation, was joined by Julie Shaffer, Executive Director of the Foundation, as well as Francine Lavin Weaver, the President of 18 Pomegranates Foundation. Each spoke of the original vision the Weaver Family Foundation had of a Boulder Jewish Commons and of their pleasure at seeing the JCC move forward towards construction. The JCC was represented by Susan Rona, President of the Board, Jonathan Lev, Executive Director, Wendy Aronson, Assistant Executive Director, and several members of the JCC’s Board and staff. “This is an incredible day for the JCC, the Oreg Foundation, the Weaver family, and the entire community,” said Jonathan Lev. “It is a truly historic milestone.”

The JCC and Oreg Foundation will now work with the City of Boulder to seek the necessary approvals and permits for the project. The JCC will break ground after the city and permitting process and is dependent on the City’s timetable for approvals.

For more information about the JCC’s project, please see www.boulderjccbuilding.org

Members of the Boulder JCC staff and Building Committee, Oreg Foundation, and 18 Pomegranates Foundation gather on the future site of the Boulder Jewish Community Center to celebrate this milestone.

The JCC will break ground after the city and permitting process and is dependent on the City’s timetable for approvals.

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About Jonathan Lev

Jonathan Lev, MPA, joined the Boulder JCC as Executive Director in 2010. He is a passionate educator and entrepreneur who combines his experience at Jewish summer camp and involvement with the startup of Boulder based Renewable Choice Energy to influence his leadership as a nonprofit executive and Jewish professional. He was certified as high school teacher and Summa Cum Laude graduate from the University of Colorado in Boulder. For more than six years, Jonathan was a leader in the field of Jewish summer camp where he worked to enhance the level of supervision and mentorship for both campers and staff through innovative summer and year-round trainings. In 2007, Jonathan continued his studies and was selected as a Taub Fellow at New York University in the dual-master’s degree program for a Master in Public Administration in Nonprofit Management and Master in Hebrew and Judaic Studies. Since starting his role in 2010 at the Boulder JCC, Jonathan has led the community's $30M capital campaign to build a new JCC campus, which opened in summer 2016. He speaks regularly about making philanthropy fun and the role that inter-generational giving has on creating a legacy. Outside of work, he and his wife, Lyndsay, and their daughters, Mira and Susanna, can be found hiking, skiing, practicing yoga, listening to music, and planning their next great adventure. Follow him @jonathanlev on twitter.

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2 comments

  1. Sylvia Angert
    February 3, 2012 at 1:50 pm

    The Boulder Jewish community is fortunate to have such an outstanding Director !!

  2. Janet Lavin Grant
    February 4, 2012 at 11:23 am

    Mazel Tov to the Oreg Foundation, 18 Pomegranates, the Boulder JCC and the entire Boulder Jewish Community on moving forward in making this dream of a Jewish community campus a reality. I remember the Weavers talking about this project with such passion years ago. It's so great to see it now coming to fruition! ~Janet Lavin Grant

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