After more than a decade of transformative leadership, Sid Jacobson JCC announced that Executive Director David Black will retire Oct. 31, ending a 14-year tenure defined by growth, innovation and service to Long Island’s Jewish and broader community.
Black will be succeeded Nov. 3 by Michel Schlank, a seasoned nonprofit executive and Long Island native who most recently served as CEO of NJY Camps, the nation’s largest residential Jewish summer camp organization.
“I have never worked with a more responsive, generous, or caring community in my 50 years of non-profit community work. Every day has been a gift,” Black said in a press release.
Black assumed the JCC’s top post in 2011 and quickly reshaped the center into a regional hub for Jewish life, wellness and culture. His leadership was marked by ambitious expansions and new initiatives that broadened the organization’s reach far beyond East Hills.
Among his achievements, Black spearheaded the launch of Long Island’s only Center for Israel, which now partners with more than 40 organizations and draws more than 5,000 attendees annually to Israelfest, the area’s largest celebration of Israel.
He also established Center for Community Engagement, which combats food insecurity through Nikki Schwartz Memorial Community Needs Bank and mobilizes more than 15,000 hours of volunteer service each year.
Black expanded Nancy Marx Cancer Wellness Center into a full-time facility, providing free support to thousands of patients and their families.
Under his direction, Gayle Berg Center for Resilience was founded, offering innovative mental health and wellness programming. He also helped organize the Long Island Jewish Coalition, the region’s first Long Island Jewish Conference, and the Beresheet Festival, all designed to strengthen Jewish identity and community ties.
“David’s humanity and deep love of Jewish life shaped our community center from a local gathering place into a true powerhouse organization,” said Stuart Tauber, senior vice president of UJA-Federation of New York in a press release. “Under his leadership, the center grew into a hub that not only enriched Jewish life on Long Island, but also touched the very best of our community’s spiritual, cultural, and social offerings.”
Black said he was confident in his successor: “I am leaving content in the knowledge that my successor is a gifted, talented professional with a large heart. My legacy will not live on in any center I brought to life. Rather I hope it will be in carrying forward and uplifting the proud tradition of our local Jewish community.”
Sid Jacobson JCC’s Board of Directors named Schlank following an extensive search.
Schlank, who has also held leadership roles at Oasis Children’s Services and served as an OnBoard Legacy Heritage Fellow at NYU Wagner School of Public Policy, brings decades of experience in education, policy, and Jewish communal service.
“It’s truly the honor of a lifetime to return to Long Island, the place where I was born and raised, to lead an organization as special as Sid Jacobson JCC,” Schlank said in a press release. “SJJCC is a place where Jewish values are not just taught but lived, and shared with all who walk through our doors.”
Nancy Waldbaum, president of Sid Jacobson JCC’s board, said the center was poised for its next chapter under Schlank.
“With the full faith of our Board of Directors and staff, we are excited by the possibilities this new chapter offers us and our community,” she said.
As Black steps down, the JCC celebrates his 14 years of accomplishments while looking ahead to Schlank’s leadership during what community leaders call a time of great change for Jewish life on Long Island.
