Fifty years ago, the “North Y” was inaugurated at Bathurst, north of Sheppard, on what was then an empty ravine. Nearly 25 years later, the Lipa Green Building for Jewish Community Services was erected on the same site.
Now at the heart of Jewish Toronto, these two landmark establishments are being rebuilt and refurbished, as part of the creation of Sherman Campus– a brand new “Jewish city” on the 27 acre site.
A bustling junction of humanity, theatre, music, art, health and wellness, Sherman Campus will represent the intersection of hope, opportunity, services and concern for all members of the Jewish community.
Anchoring the campus’ north end will be the renovated and enhanced Lipa Green Centre, featuring a new, state-of-the-art Conference Centre. At the south end will be the beautifully rebuilt Koffler Centre of the Arts and Leah Posluns Theatre.
Also included in the family of buildings and services will be the new Jewish Museum of Canada housing the Sarah & Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre and the Prosserman JCC which will include the Cynamon/Sokolowski Sports Complex and the Donald Gales Family Pavilion.
And uniting Sherman Campus will be the Jewish Walk of Fame, a series of indoor paths and bridges connecting these remarkable facilities to one another - and to the community they serve.
Martin Prosserman, the founder and CEO of Moore’s the Suit People, and his family, have donated $10 million to help fund the redevelopment of the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre (Bathurst, north of Sheppard) as part of UJA Federation’s Tomorrow Campaign.
The new facility, which will be known as the Prosserman Family Jewish Community Centre, will be built on BJCC land, and then the existing building will eventually be torn down.
The project – an initiative of UJA Federation’s Tomorrow Campaign – will be based upon four main anchors. In addition to the new Prosserman Family JCC, the site will include the new Koffler Centre for the Arts; the Latner Centre for Jewish Knowledge & Heritage and a completely renovated Lipa Green Building for Jewish Community Services.
The new Latner Centre will house the Holocaust Education & Memorial Centre, a new Jewish library, the Ontario Jewish Archives, and the Jewish Information Centre of Greater Toronto,
“My family feels very fortunate and blessed to have this opportunity to give back to the community,” said Ron Prosserman, one of Martin’s three sons. “The new Prosserman Family JCC – and all the centres of excellence on the central campus – will be world-class and something that the entire community we’ll be extremely proud of.”
The Tomorrow Campaign, chaired by Schwartz and Larry Tanenbaum, is the largest, not-for-profit Jewish community infrastructure project in North American history with a goal of raising more than $350 million for community projects across the GTA.
“Every strong Jewish community has leadership at the core of its strength, and Toronto is an example of that,” says David Engel, chair of the board, UJA Federation. “Now, our community is strengthened even more by the foresight, wisdom and generosity of the Prosserman family, whose gift will play a vital role in reenergizing Jewish Toronto.”
MEDIA CONTACT: Sally Szuster, public & media relations, UJA Federation of Greter Toronto. TEL: 416.840.2988 or 647.280.6017 (cell). sszuster@ujafed.org www.jewishtoronto.com
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