Young Men's-Young Women's Hebrew Association

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted February, 2010

On Spadina Avenue, on the southwest corner with Bloor Street, is a 2009 Heritage Toronto plaque. It's visible in the second photo on a post on the sidewalk under the "Second Cup" sign. Here's what it says:

Plaque coordinates: 43.666504 -79.403837

Early in the last century, athletic and social clubs were established to offer recreational opportunities to Toronto's Jewish young people. In 1919, a number of these clubs joined to form an umbrella organization that developed by 1936 into the Young Men's-Young Women's Hebrew Association (YM-YWHA).

At first dedicated to sport, the YM-YWHA expanded to offer cultural programs and community services, and to serve children and adults as well. Larger facilities were constructed at Bloor and Spadina in 1953 and in North York in 1961. The 'Y' was renamed the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) in 1978.

Although primarily a Jewish association, the YM-YWHA welcomed people of all faiths and cultural traditions. Now encompassing the Miles Nadal JCC, the Prosserman JCC (Bathurst-Sheppard area), and the Schwartz-Reisman Centre (York Region), the JCC continues to offer vital centres of community, support, and recreation for all.

Related web pages
Jewish Community Centre (JCC)
Prosserman JCC

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