This October, the Weinstein JCC invites the community to come together for a month filled with stories, reflection, laughter and celebration—from programs exploring memory and resilience to the launch of a new Arts + Ideas season and a community-wide celebration of the JCC’s 80th anniversary.
As the JCC marks eight decades in Richmond, October offers a fitting reflection of what those 80 years have really been about: people and connection. Generations have come through the JCC’s doors to learn, celebrate, play, build friendships, nurture Jewish life and create memories. Together, those individual experiences have become the story of the Weinstein JCC.
“Our story is not simply about a building, programs or milestones. Our story is about people—our community,” said Brad Finkel, CEO of the Weinstein JCC. “This anniversary gives us an opportunity to honor the generations who built the JCC while continuing to build a welcoming, vibrant community for the generations still to come.”
And throughout October, that story continues to be written.
Seeing the People Behind the Headlines
The month begins with a powerful exploration of contemporary Israel through the work of internationally acclaimed photojournalist and TEDx speaker Erez Kaganovitz.
On Monday, October 5, from 6:30–8:30 p.m., Kaganovitz brings Humans of October 7th: Stories of Resilience, Hope, and Humanity to Richmond for an evening of photography and storytelling. Through portraits and personal narratives, the project shares the experiences of individuals whose lives were forever changed by the attacks of October 7, 2023.
Rather than focusing solely on the enormity of the tragedy, Humans of October 7th brings the focus to individuals—their grief and loss, but also their courage, resilience and hope. The program invites participants to look beyond headlines and statistics and encounter the human stories behind an event whose repercussions continue to be felt throughout Israel and Jewish communities around the world.
Kaganovitz is also the creator of Humans of Tel Aviv, his broader photographic storytelling project documenting the diversity and complexity of everyday life in Tel Aviv and Israel. Together, the projects demonstrate the ability of individual stories to challenge assumptions, create empathy and reveal the humanity that can disappear when people and places are viewed only through the lens of current events.
“October 7 is an enormous event that can sometimes feel impossible to comprehend in its totality,” said Pinina Morgan, Jewish Life & Engagement Manager at the Weinstein JCC. “Erez brings us back to the individual—to a face, a family and a story. That human connection creates space for us to bear witness while also recognizing the resilience, courage and hope that continue to emerge.”
Humans of October 7th is presented in partnership with the Jewish Community Relations Committee.
The following evening, Tuesday, October 6, from 6:30–8:30 p.m., that exploration continues through film with My Beloved Son, a deeply personal story exploring family, faith, love, loss and the reverberations of October 7.
Presented in partnership with Richmond Jewish Learning Experience and Keneseth Beth Israel, the screening offers another way to encounter history through the people living it. Together, the October 5 and 6 programs create space not only to consider what happened, but to recognize the individual lives, families and relationships behind history we are still living through.
A New Season of Arts + Ideas—and a Reason to Laugh
On Thursday, October 15, at 7:30 p.m., the mood shifts from reflection to laughter as the Weinstein JCC kicks off its 2026–2027 Arts + Ideas season with Interfaith Comedy: God, We’re Funny.
The premise sounds like the beginning of a familiar joke: a Jew, a Muslim and a Christian walk into a room.
This time, however, they walk onto a stage.
The evening brings together comedians of different faiths who turn the humor on their own religious traditions, using comedy to explore faith, culture, community and the wonderfully relatable experiences that connect people across differences.
“There’s something uniquely powerful about laughing together,” said Leslie McGuigan, Senior Director of Programs at the Weinstein JCC. “God, We’re Funny captures what we want Arts + Ideas to do at its best—bring people with different experiences and perspectives into the same room, give them something wonderful to experience together and create connection along the way.”
The October 15 performance launches another exciting year for Arts + Ideas, with a diverse lineup of authors, performances, exhibitions, theater, music and interactive experiences designed to spark curiosity, conversation and connection.
Whether you come for laughter, literature, music, theater, food or an unexpected new idea, Arts + Ideas offers a season of opportunities to experience something new—and experience it together.
Explore the complete 2026–2027 Arts + Ideas lineup and subscribe today at weinsteinjcc.org.
Celebrating 80 Years—and Writing the Next Chapter
October culminates on Sunday, October 25, from 3–6 p.m., when the Weinstein JCC celebrates a milestone eight decades in the making with its 80th Anniversary Block Party.
JCC members, families, alumni, friends and neighbors are invited to this free celebration open to the community, featuring entertainment, children’s activities, food, community partners and plenty of opportunities to celebrate the people and memories that have shaped the JCC.
For eight decades, the Weinstein JCC has been a place where generations have gathered, celebrated, learned, played and built community. But the 80th anniversary is about more than looking backward.
“The greatest tribute we can give to the generations who built the Weinstein JCC is to continue building,” Finkel said. “We want this anniversary to be an opportunity to tell our story, reconnect with members and alumni, celebrate the people who shaped the JCC and invite our entire community to imagine what the next 80 years can look like.”
It is an invitation to share a memory, reconnect with an old friend, bring someone new through the doors—and help write the next chapter.
Windows of Light
That spirit of l’dor v’dor—from generation to generation—comes to life in Windows of Light: The Legacy Project, opening October 25 during the JCC’s 80th Anniversary Celebration.
Created in collaboration with RTA – Richmond Hebrew Day School and the Virginia Holocaust Museum, the project begins with an object found in countless Jewish homes: the menorah.
Yet every menorah has a story.
Some have traveled across countries and generations. Some belonged to parents or grandparents. Some survived upheaval and displacement. Others are new, marking the beginning of traditions a family hopes will continue for generations.
Through photographs and the histories connected to these treasured objects, Windows of Light will illuminate the stories of Richmond families and explore the ways Jewish identity, tradition and memory are carried forward.
Richmond-area families are invited to participate by sharing the story of their own menorah, helping create a collective portrait of Jewish memory and tradition in our community.
The project will culminate on December 5 with a Community Menorah Lighting and Chanukah Celebration, bringing the community together to transform the individual stories gathered through the project into something shared: memory, connection and light.
Something for Mind, Body and Community
October also brings new opportunities to invest in personal well-being.
The JCC’s new three-part Interactive Wellness Seminars begin Thursday, October 15, with Fuel Well: Macros, Fiber, and Eating for Energy. Led by National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coaches and grounded in behavior-change science, the series explores nutrition, strength and stress through practical education, discussion and strategies participants can incorporate into everyday life.
It is another expression of what has sustained the Weinstein JCC for eight decades: creating opportunities for people to strengthen themselves while strengthening their connections to one another.
From bearing witness to laughing together, from caring for ourselves to preserving family stories and celebrating 80 years of community, October reflects the many ways the Weinstein JCC brings people together.
For 80 years, those connections have shaped the JCC. This anniversary year offers an opportunity to honor that legacy while continuing to create it—to share a memory, make a new one, bring someone new through the doors and help write the next chapter.
Here’s to 80 years of community and connection—and to all the stories still to come.
Learn more about October programs, the 80th Anniversary Celebration and the complete 2026–2027 Arts + Ideas season at weinsteinjcc.org.
Questions? For more information about Humans of October 7th, My Beloved Son, Windows of Light or the Community Menorah Lighting and Chanukah Celebration, contact Pinina Morgan, Jewish Life & Engagement Manager, at pmorgan@weinsteinjcc.org.
For questions about Arts + Ideas programs, contact Meg Oberhand, Cultural Arts & Community Engagement Coordinator, at moberhand@weinsteinjcc.org.