Alice and Gene Kavadlo
40 Faces of the J
We joined the J before it was the Levine JCC. We joined in 1978 when it was located on Sharon-Amity Road.
The current JCC that we know and love opened in 1986. Our daughter, Ilana, swam for the JCC swim team from the age of 5 through high school. She represented the JCC at the Baltimore Maccabea Games in 1992, winning several gold medals. She also competed in those games in Israel in 1993 and 1997, again coming away with the gold. She was generously sponsored by Harry Swimmer for those events.
I am at the J almost every day of the week, sometimes two or three times in the same day. My wife, Ali, has taken water aerobics and step aerobics classes as well. The J has played an important role in our lives.
The J offers so many opportunities for participation in sports, well-being and fitness activities, and educational classes, all designed to enhance quality of life. We feel it is one of the best facilities of its type in the nation and are so proud that it is available to the Jewish community as well as the larger Charlotte community.
Everyone is welcome. The one word that I would use to describe the J is “inclusiveness.” I believe it sends a very positive message about Jewish people to the non-Jewish community.
