Jewish Community Alliance

1342 Congress Street

www.mainejewish.org

The modern 19,000 square foot building that is the Jewish Community Alliance (JCA) houses some remarkable social and educational programs serving both Jewish and non-Jewish communities in Portland and Southern Maine. The JCA programs and activities demonstrate its commitment today to the traditional gemilut chasadim (acts of loving kindness) in the service of tikkun olam (repairing the world). Or, as the organization’s leaders have put it, “First we established programs for Jews. Now we establish programs because we are Jews.”

Formed in 1999 and headquartered at this Congress Street location since 2017, the JCA represented the merger of three legacy organizations: the Jewish Federation (formerly known as the United Jewish Appeal), the Jewish Community Center, and Jewish Family Services. Today, the JCA serves as the central hub of all things Jewish life in Maine: convening partners, supporting agencies, raising funds to support Jewish life and vitality locally and around the world, and responding to urgent needs—from rising antisemitism here in Maine to emergency relief efforts overseas. The JCA also offers a wide range of programs for folks of all ages, including a popular preschool, afterschool care, and the much-loved Center Day Camp (CDC). Also at the JCA, the Michael Klahr Jewish Family Services provides a diaper bank (the largest in Southern Maine) and essentials pantry, runs the Joe Bornstein Winter Warmth Drive, and houses the HIAS Refugee Resettlement & Newcomer Services program. Together, these programs and services meet vital needs in the broader Portland community.