With focus on meeting modern needs, JParent fosters Jewish community
'Parents want to be able to build real connections with other Jewish families who are in a similar place in life'
A program aimed at filling gaps in Jewish life is helping Pittsburghers deepen their spirituality and create new communal connections. JParent, a cohort-based experience for individuals with children ages 1-7, meets regularly at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. The get-togethers feature text study, adult-centered conversation and crafting.
Most importantly, Greer Donley, 38, told the Chronicle: “There’s free child care.”
“People with this age kids need child care,” she said. “If you want us to engage and be able to really connect with other adults, we need child care to do that.”
Between November and February, Donley and fellow cohort members came to the Squirrel Hill JCC for various programs. During one meetup, the group made Shabbat candles. On another occasion, they described their Jewish journeys.
Since formally wrapping that cohort last month, the JCC has encouraged participants to remain active through Shabbat dinners and even a spa and spirituality event.
“It was kind of like after hours at the JCC,” Donley said.
Led by Cantor Kalix Jacobson, of Temple Emanuel of South Hills, the program focused on text study and self-care.
“Everyone did the steam room, sauna, hot tub, and hung out,” Donley said. “It was really nice.”
Funded by the Tepper Foundation with a $1.9 million grant, the initiative — referred to by the Foundation as the Early Childhood Parent Engagement Program — is offered at several JCCs nationwide.
Aimed at fostering social and educational benefits, the program seeks to meet critical needs.
“We know that many young Jewish families would like to become more involved in their community, but they may not have the time or resources to prioritize this in their day-to-day life,” Randi Tepper, CEO of The Tepper Foundation, said. “For parents who don’t have a babysitter to get time away to engage in their faith, for parents that want to engage their local Jewish community more but don’t know where to start — we hope they can see the Parent Engagement Program as an avenue that makes Jewish life more accessible.”
Rachael Speck, chief program and innovation officer at Pittsburgh’s JCC, praised the initiative for addressing the realities facing Jewish communities.
“Parents are seeking ways to connect to Jewish life on their own terms,” she said. “And, as we are seeing in our community and in many North American Jewish communities, parents are less likely to join congregations or enroll children in religious schools than they once were.”
Donley said JParent fills a communal vacuum.
“Who wants to go to services where your children are going to cry and scream, and then you’re going to be looked at for being loud and difficult,” she said. Creating spiritual and social connections “when you are actively caregiving your children” is challenging. “It just means you’re parenting in an uncomfortable space.”
Although several local congregations offer Tot Shabbat or other parent-child programs, intergenerational formats don’t appeal to every parent.
“Some people like that. I don’t personally want to do that. That’s not interesting to me,” Donley said. “I want to go to synagogue to feel something or learn something for me. I don’t want to sit with my 2-year-old and clap hands and sing a song. I would like them to do that while I can get something out of it for grown-ups.”
JParent “hits on very specific deliverables that parents are looking for,” said Speck, who not only oversees the program but is also a cohort member.
“Parents want to be able to build real connections with other Jewish families who are in a similar place in life,” she said. “I think what resonates for myself, and what resonates for other parents, is that right now those conversations are about family life and parenting.”
About 46,000 Jews live in Greater Pittsburgh, according to the 2025 Community Pulse Survey. Funded and led locally by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh in partnership with the Jewish Federations of North America and the research firm Burson, the survey does not offer age-related demographic breakdowns, but notes that “enhancing the convenience and quality of Jewish learning resources is crucial for stimulating increased engagement and translating
interest into action.”
Donley hopes communal decision-makers recognize current realities.
“It’s not just about us individually,” she said. “It’s also about ensuring that this religion remains sustainable over time, and that requires young families to be invested.”
JParent, which welcomes 12-15 participants per cohort and is seeking new participants, is predicated on an awareness, Speck said.
“Most importantly, regardless of being engaged or connected to the JCC, the real hope is that they are creating a vibrant Jewish life for their families in whatever way that looks and feels like for them,” she said. “JParent is not meant to tell them how to do that. It’s meant to help them figure out what that looks like for them in a way that is meaningful and resonates.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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