The Alexander Grass Campus for Jewish Life is a major development for the Jewish community of Harrisburg – and the Harrisburg community at large. The 6.4 acre property will soon become THE centralized hub for Jewish life, providing space for a variety of programs and organizations, room to meet and convene, and a safe and nurturing space for our community to learn, celebrate, and connect. The campus will house the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg and the JCC, the Silver Academy - Central PA’s Jewish Day school, and Jewish Family Service (JFS) of Greater Harrisburg.

The following organizations, programs, and services will be located here:

Education: Brenner Family Early Learning Center (infant-PreK), Silver Academy (grades PreK-8), and Hebrew High School (grades 8-12), as well as educational programming for all ages

Senior Services: Senior Center to serve seniors regardless of religious affiliation

Health & Wellness: High-end fitness center, Sports Center complete with a basketball court, and wellness programming

Social services: counseling and therapy, food assistance, and adoption services

Community Programs: arts & culture, interfaith, social justice, and more

The Campus is located at 2986 N. 2nd Street in Harrisburg, PA (formerly Dixon University), a few blocks south of the current Jewish Federation/JCC facility. The property is 6.42 acres, 135,000 square feet, and comprises six buildings.

In 1999, Alexander Grass z’l said: “We didn’t have much when I was growing up. As I became successful, it became important for me to give something back to the community.”

Alex Grass was involved in extensive philanthropic activities and invested a great deal of his life in leadership roles of civic and educational institutions in the United States and in Israel. He was appointed by the Prime Minister of Israel to be Chairman of the Jewish Agency, the most significant non-governmental agency in Israel, serving from 1999 to 2003. Alex Grass chaired the Board of Governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, from which he received an honorary doctorate in 2000. He was also National Chairman of the United Jewish Appeal and a past president of the Israel Education Fund. In Harrisburg, he served as President of the United Jewish Community.

As of the end of 2023 and early 2024, The Silver Academy, Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg, and the Brenner Family Early Learning Center have moved onto Campus. They will be followed by Jewish Family Service, Jewish Community Foundation, and the new JCC Fitness Center in 2024. The Campus continues to host special events and programs and bring community members to our grounds to learn, gather, celebrate, and more.

Many of the buildings will be multi-purpose. Current plans include:
• Grass Center (admin building) – fitness center, Federation staff
offices, and event space
• South Hall – Silver Academy classrooms/offices
• Richards Hall – expanded senior programming and additional
studio spaces
• Duncan Hall – Brenner Family Early Learning Center, with
additional structure to house future Sports complex
• McCormick House – Jewish Community Foundation of Central
PA staff offices, offering charitable giving services
• Lehrman Hall – Jewish Family Service staff offices, offering
social services like counseling, adoption and foster care, refugee
resettlement, and more

The purchase of the Alexander Grass Campus for Jewish Life is made possible thanks to the generosity of the Alexander Grass Foundation. To build the Grass Campus into our community’s “forever home” with a Kosher commercial kitchen, gymatorium, pool, security infrastructure, and more, we’ll secure $10M in additional funding through our multiyear Comprehensive Campaign with gifts from community members and grant organizations and through the sale of our current facility. Learn more at www.grasscampus.org/support.

The Campus has 100+ parking spaces in an underground garage and there are above-ground parking lots behind what are currently Lehrman Hall and Duncan Hall. The lot between the Grass Center (admin building) and Richards Hall will be fully reserved for handicap parking

Community security is paramount to creating a welcoming and safe campus for all. Our comprehensive security plan is already in motion as our team works with local, state, and federal law enforcement to ensure our plans are consistent with best practices. We’ve allocated 15% of our campaign funds toward security and infrastructure, and our campus and community safety will be bolstered by our participation in JFNA and SCN’s LiveSecure campaign.

Yes! A Kosher commercial kitchen will be built as an extension of the administrative building and will give us the ability to welcome and serve Jews of all backgrounds both on and beyond our campus. More details to come on Kashrut policies throughout the campus.

Yes. We are currently in the process of renovating spaces across the campus to meet the needs of the agencies and the community. The property has been well-maintained and there are no structural issues.

Yes. We are looking forward to making both the indoor and outdoor spaces available for celebrations, events, and meetings. Please contact us at grasscampus@jewishfedhbg.org to inquire about space rentals for your event!

For information on joining the Harrisburg JCC, please visit www.jewishharrisburg.org/membership or contact us at membership@jewishfedhbg.org.

Yes. Our new fitness center will be a high-end facility, with state of-the-art equipment overlooking the Susquehanna River and multiple fitness studios to accommodate your favorite classes.

Yes. The gym will be a PIAA-sized regulation basketball court. This is the most significant renovation on the Campus, and will come at a later construction phase

No – the Dixon University Center has not been impacted by flooding in any of their finished, aboveground spaces. In fact, the Silver Academy students moved to the Dixon University Center for several months when the JCC was flooded in 2011.

The facility at 3301 N. Front St. is currently listed for sale and we are providing tours and information to interested parties. For more information, contact GrassCampus@jewishfedhbg.org.

Yes! The gymnasium/basketball court can be converted to 4 pickleball courts.

Yes! Our new plans include a swimming pool which will be used for swimming laps, physical therapy, aquatics classes, and swimming lessons (but will not be a competition pool).

Yes. The new gymnasium will have the ability to be converted to an auditorium space with a stage and plenty of seating for large events

Yes. There are many examples of similar Jewish life campuses across the country, from the Dell Jewish Community Campus (Shalom Austin) in Austin, TX to the Millstone Campus in St. Louis, MO. We have worked with our parent organizations – JCCA and JFNA – to learn about these other campus examples and connect with both their professional and lay leaders. We will continue to look to and learn from other communities as we develop plans for our new Campus

While the Campus is undergoing renovations, our current facility will be fully open and running so that we can continue to offer all of our programs and activities. An arrangement will be made with any buyer that we stay at the JCC until we are ready to move to the Campus.

Please contact GrassCampus@jewishfedhbg.org for more information on how to volunteer to help!

• Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @grasscampushbg
• Sign up for email updates at
jewishharrisburg.org/grass-campus-updates
• Learn more at www.grasscampus.org