Ice cream should definitely be served and jazz music should fill the air at the grand opening of the Jewish Community Center of the East Bay’s new East Bay Jewish Community Campus in Rockridge. After all, the celebration in Spring 2027 will officially welcome the community to the campus on land that once housed the corporate offices of Nestle-owned Dreyer’s ice cream. And, among many other highlights, an expansive arts center occupies the space that was once the Yoshi’s Jazz Club. In a nostalgic nod, the original green tile facade the building had when Yoshi’s acquired it in 1977 has been preserved.
Lest anyone think the campus’ roots are merely local, a shipment of Jerusalem Gold limestone arrived in early August. Making its way miraculously from the Negev Desert to Oakland despite major obstacles, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the limestone is a symbol of the Holy Land. The entry path where it is being placed links the Jewish community and visitors to thousands of years of Jewish history.
Supporting the move from the JCC’s former Berkeley location on Walnut Street (some programs will continue in Berkeley through the 2026-27 school year), project funding came through grants and individuals, including a $41 million land purchase by founding donors Moses Libitzky and Nathan Petrowsky. Meeting the $125 million campaign goal will bring the major elements to completion and include a $20 million endowment fund. As of August 2026, $66 million had been secured.
Among the array of remarkable deliverables: the primary building renovations; the Pavilion event center; a fully equipped, commercial-grade, kosher-style teaching and catering kitchen; a health and wellness studio; a library; the early childhood education center; classrooms for adult learning; a teen center; a kosher café; and a central courtyard meadow and garden with secure outdoor bike-parking spaces with e-power charging stations and other quick-repair amenities.
Above the first floor early childhood education center, the main building’s second and third floors will provide office space for up to 20 partnering Jewish organizations that will operate on site and at times collaborate with the JCC. The fourth floor will house the JCC offices. This campus is fully accessible and only two blocks from Rockridge BART.
Already, the Early Childhood Education Center opened as of late August 2026. Most notable is the Kitat Yam Hebrew and English Dual Language Classroom. Chief education officer Yafit Shriki Megidish says Hebrew is a vital part of Jewish identity and education. Research she and her team referenced while developing the program shows a dual-language classroom most effectively supports students. Children in Israeli families for whom Hebrew is their first spoken language and non-Hebrew-speaking students benefit equally.
“They all engage in language through everyday experiences,” says Megidish. “There will be two teachers, one fluent in Hebrew, one in English, and instruction will happen in both languages.”
Megidish cites studies that show young students in Hebrew-only classes graduate with their English not as strong as expected. “With hands-on book reading, games and celebrations of holy holidays, we provide opportunity to learn Jewish culture and language. Bi-lingual learning also leads to more empathy. There is less disconnect with other students who come from different backgrounds,” she notes.
Throughout the organization, connecting Israeli culture to Jewish-American culture means the JCC holds Jewry and Judaism as the core for all events and education. With a solid understanding of what is central, they encourage people of different faiths, traditions and lifestyles to participate and interact.
“There is space for LGBTQ+, Latino, and Asian Jewish people, non-Jewish people, people of all ages, anyone interested in all the ‘messiness’ of Israeli culture,” says Megidish. “As long as we’re able to listen to each other, we embrace that. We welcome guests to come and not change but learn and hold empathy. It’s about creating a Jewish house. A caring home for all.”
CEO Susie Cohen Crumpler says the 200-seat event center’s programs are in development. “We plan a robust arts and ideas program. The central space can accommodate live music and dance performances, film screenings, book talks, a lecture series, live cooking programs, art workshops, panel discussions. The remodel includes a deck that opens up and can be rented for weddings, birthdays, bar or bat mitzvah celebrations,” she explains.
Crumpler is most enthusiastic about having the partnering organizations in one building. “We’ll collaborate on programming, share resources and better serve the community,” she says. Asked to provide a theoretical example, she mentions an event formerly held called Israel in the Park.
“We have a big meadow,” says Crumpler. “One idea is to host Israel on the Meadow, with organizations [offering] food stations and booths. That’s not something already planned—I don’t want to over-promise—but an example of something that will bring [cross-culture] perspectives and activities to the campus.”
She is confident the JCC in its new home will continue to be “a multigenerational, welcoming, joyful space for people of all backgrounds to connect to Jewish inclusivity.” Celebrating Jewish life and serving as a hub for the community at large, the new campus, she says, is “an accessible, inclusive gathering space for learning and building relationships.”
With its many features and partners operating in close proximity to each other, Crumpler calls the campus a “one-of-a-kind” destination that encourages casual and deliberately curated interactions. She notes, “We want to accommodate everyone. That means a Jew at any level of observance can come in and feel welcome, and a person who’s not Jewish can experience the same inclusivity and participate in our programs.”
East Bay Jewish Community Campus, 5957 Chabot Rd., Oakland, 510.848.0237. jcceastbay.org/communitycampus.
