Bathurst Jewish Community Centre

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The Bathurst Jewish Community Centre was a Jewish Community Centre for the Toronto area. It was located along Bathurst Street in the Bathurst Manor neighbourhood of Toronto and had over 100 programs and services, serving daycare to stroke recovery, seniors, Maccabi athletes, and campers. The BJCC was run by a non-profit charitable organization funded through UJA Federation, United Way, the government, fees and private support.HistoryThe BJCC was founded in 1930 as the YMHA, and it offered members various programming opportunities in rented rooms in the Brunswick Avenue and College Street area in downtown Toronto. In 1953 a new facility was built, the Bloor Street "Y" at Bloor Street and Spadina Avenue. It is still there today, but has been completely renovated and is now called the Miles Nadal JCC.As Toronto's Jewish community moved northward up the Bathurst Street corridor, so did the Jewish facilities and services. In 1958 saw the groundbreaking of the North "Y", which was the location of the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre.In addition to a fitness club, two pools, squash courts, gyms, running tracks, and an aerobics studio, the BJCC contained the Leah Posluns Theatre, Centre Camp, Kolel: The Adult Centre for Liberal Jewish Learning, the Family Resource Centre, and the Koffler Centre of the Arts. The BJCC property is currently under a large redevelopment. The new facility will be called the Prosserman JCC and is being constructed in phases.