In December 2019, founders Moses Libitzky and Nathan Petrowsky bought the Dreyer’s property at 5957 Chabot Road at College Avenue and later gifted it to the JCC East Bay. To steward the gift on behalf of the community, the founders and the JCC East Bay established East Bay Jewish Community Campus LLC and the Campus Board, which oversees capital fundraising, construction, operations, and management of the Campus.
With construction moving ahead, the Campus has entered a new chapter with the recent appointment of Robert Wise as Campus Executive Director. His appointment establishes a leadership structure with two full-time leaders: Wise overseeing the Campus and Susie Cohen Crumpler continuing to lead the JCC East Bay as chief executive officer. Cohen assumed that role after the previous CEO, Melissa Chapman, returned to Chicago.
For Wise, the appointment marks another return from retirement. After nearly 30 years in nonprofit management, including several years as chief development officer at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, he retired to Palm Springs. He returned for a three-month assignment to help with the JCC’s leadership transition, which stretched into a year. After retiring again, he is now back full-time.
“I’ve been here 24 hours a day for the last five weeks. I get in at six in the morning, and I leave at seven o’clock at night. And I love it. I go home exhausted. I wake up each morning thrilled. I don't know if you can tell, but I love this place,” says Wise.
Wise is focused on infrastructure and partnerships, with plans to bring campus organizations together to develop shared policies. He also oversees fundraising for the $125 million project. At the time of this interview, nearly $70 million had been raised, with another $15 million in the near term pipeline. He is confident the goal can be reached within five years.
Meanwhile, Cohen Crumpler and her team will expand the JCC’s operations and programming. The JCC occupies about 69 percent of the campus, leasing space for its offices, early childhood education center, and event center.
What’s Open Now, and What’s Ahead?
The JCCEB Early Childhood Education Center opened August 24, and the campus grand opening is expected in March or April of next year. The kosher cafe could open November 1, though December looks more likely. A reservation system is being developed that will help neighbors book meeting and event spaces at the Campus for gatherings and performances.
The campus is talking with more than two dozen Jewish organizations about joining current residents; these include Base Bay, the Jewish Federation of the Bay Area, Jewish LearningWorks, Moishe House, Ayin Press, Foundation for Jewish Camp, Jews of Color Initiative, Olamim, and UpStart. Some have been on location throughout the construction; the goal is to bring all current partners into the main building by year’s end.
These conversations will help resident organizations work through the practical questions that come with sharing a campus, from using common spaces to coordinating activities. Some of the resident partners have flexible licensing agreements rather than traditional leases—sharing utility and security costs based on square footage. Wise hopes to have 75 percent of available space assigned by year’s end, rising to 85–90 percent six months later, and potentially to 95 percent by the following year’s end.
While plans for broader public use are still taking shape, Wise wants the campus to be a creative, supportive home for its resident organizations and a lively gathering place where Rockridge neighbors feel welcome to participate.
“We have a room reservation system that we’re literally just unfolding right now. If community members who are not partners here want to use some of that space, they simply come up and talk to the campus representative at the reception desk and they'll go onto the system. They can call them, they can walk up, then they can access the space,” says Wise. “I hope neighbors will attend events, build connections, and see the campus as a lasting partner in Rockridge’s future.”
