Mission & History

The Miami Beach JCC opened its 4221 Pine Tree Drive site in 1980, though it had been operating for decades in other areas throughout Miami Beach. In the early and mid 1990’s, the Miami Beach JCC underwent a transition from an independent agency to an agency with program staff that was almost entirely funded by The Greater Miami Jewish Federation. The MBJCC closed its main facility on Pine Tree Drive in February 2010 to prepare for the building of a new facility that would serve Jewish life in Miami Beach. The Board of Directors, under the leadership of President and Capital Campaign Chair Jerry Sokol, kicked off an ambitious $14 million capital campaign to build a new 35,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility on its Pine Tree Drive property and broke ground in June 2011. The renaissance of the Miami Beach Jewish Community Center is a testament to the emerging need for expanded activities for all ages and a quality facility to house such programs.