London’s American-Style JCC Seeking Lead Role in Anglo Jewry ‘Renaissance’

JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY
By Cnaan Liphshiz

Models portraying Adam and Eve at the Genesis-themed opening of
London’s JW3 Jewish community center, Sept. 29, 2013. (Blake Ezra Photography)

PHILANTHROPY---Built with a one-time $56 million grant by a single donor, the philanthropist Vivien Duffield, daughter of the late business magnate Charles Clore, initiated the project after visiting the JCC in Manhattan a decade ago and deciding that London’s approximately 200,000 Jews also should have a one-stop shop for all things Jewish. The London center has space for a kindergarten, movie theater, sports facilities, kosher restaurant and a library. All that space requires a paying customer base, and for the past two years, JW3’s staff of 45 has been working to build one. A huge banner that says “JW3 The New Postcode for Jewish Life” hangs from the building’s facade. [link]