According to VCJC’s Board of Trustees, the sale was proposed to ensure the local Jewish congregation’s sustainability and the center’s continued operation as a place of worship, albeit on a smaller scale, with the congregation expected to become partial tenants under the new sale arrangement. According to the board, and as previously reported, the building which houses the center originally served a congregation of 700 members but this number has dwindled substantionally in recent decades.

 

“Today, the VCJC has less than 60 members,” the board said in response to previous requests for comment by Norwood News. “The aging building and significantly reduced membership make it financially challenging to maintain the current facility without facing potential bankruptcy. Several years ago, the membership voted 29 to 5 in favor of selling the building. The circumstances regarding the building’s condition and the congregation’s size remain unchanged.”

 

Some VCJC members and some residents of the local community are alarmed and dismayed by the proposed sale, as reported.

 

Local Norwood resident Sirio Guerino recently shared a copy of the petition with Norwood News and others, writing, “I just signed the petition ‘Save the VCJC’ and wanted to see if you could help by adding your name. Our goal is to reach 500 signatures and we need more support. You can read more and sign the petition here: https://chng.it/vVL6GSzSTR.”

 

This prompted a number of others to sign up and respond. Justin Lerner, later wrote, “Thanks everyone who signs this petition. My Jewish brothers need all the support we can get during these dark times.”

 

To read our latest coverage and a recent op-ed on this proposed sale of the center, located at 3880 Sedgwick Avenue, which we understand may not yet be finalized, click here, here, here, and here.

 

To access the petition, click here.