Taube Koret Campus for Jewish Life

The concept for the Taube Koret Campus for Jewish Life first emerged in 2000. The Albert L. Schultz JCC in Palo Alto, facing the loss of its 20-year leased site on Arastradero Road, began seeking a permanent home. Other local Jewish organizations (some of which had been housed at the JCC or relied on its facilities) also faced urgent space needs due to the expensive local real estate market. In addition, the San Francisco-based Jewish Home had looked for many years for a site that would enable it to serve the South Peninsula community, which does not have a Jewish older adult living facility.

As awareness of these needs grew among local groups, it also increased at the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties. Jewish campuses are being developed in many locations nationally. In addition to providing a central address for a Jewish community, campuses create synergy among organizations and the people they serve. A common physical location promotes a greater sense of community and allows for operating efficiencies that maximize the use of community resources. The intergenerational opportunities presented by a campus promote greater connections between children and older adults, teens and parents, young adults, families and singles.

The Taube Koret Campus for Jewish Life brings the campus concept to the South Peninsula community. Below is a brief history of events and milestones:

1960 – A semblance of a Jewish Community Center begins with a handful of people meeting in a storefront on El Camino Real. As participation grew, the JCC moved to a small house in downtown Palo Alto and later to another house on Middlefield Road.

1982 – To accommodate more children, the Center moves again to the former Ortega School site on East Meadow Drive.

1983 – The expanded Albert L. Schultz Jewish Community Center opens at 655 Arastradero Road, a site leased from the City of Palo Alto, which had acquired the former Terman Junior High School facility from the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD).

October 1999 – In response to a growing school-aged population, PAUSD notifies the JCC and the City of its need to re-open a third middle school at Terman.

1999 – 2000 – PAUSD and the JCC explore use of PAUSD land on Churchill Ave. Concerns about traffic impacts and potential loss of District-owned land are raised by the community.

October 2000 – Stanford University offers the City of Palo Alto use of a leased site on its land at Page Mill Road and El Camino Real (the former Mayfield School location) for development of a community center, with the possibility of the JCC as anchor tenant.

November 2000 – July 2001 – The JCC extensively evaluates the Mayfield site, including environmental issues, traffic impacts, lease restrictions and size constraints. Following this analysis, the JCC decides to pursue acquiring land, using privately donated funds. The Jewish Home and Jewish Community Federation join in the effort, with the hope of finding a permanent home for the JCC, co-located with assisted living residences for senior citizens and offices/facilities for other non-profits.

September 2001 – The JCC, PAUSD and the City announce an agreement that will provide an interim location for the JCC at Cubberley Community Center and the adjacent Greendell School, enabling PAUSD to open a middle school at Terman in fall of 2003.

October 2001 – A coalition of Jewish organizations announces that it has entered into an agreement with Sun Microsystems to acquire the company’s headquarters site in Palo Alto. The coalition later adopts the name, Campus for Jewish Life. The CJL Foundation is formed and fundraising begins for the land acquisition.

June 2002 – The purchase of the Sun site is completed, along with an agreement to subdivide and sell a portion of the land for residential development by BUILD, LLC (an affiliate of nonprofit housing developer BRIDGE Housing.).

August 2002 – The JCC moves to its interim location at Cubberley/Greendell.

June 2004 – Following completion of Master Planning and intensive program development by the JCC and Jewish Home, the Campus officially launches the City approvals process and resumes active fundraising to support development of the site.

November 2005 – The Campus receives a combined $15 million grant from the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life and Culture and Koret Foundation Funds and announces that the development will be named the Taube Koret Campus for Jewish Life. The Palo Alto JCC announces the largest individual gift in its 40-year history, $10 million from the family of M. Kenneth and Barbara Oshman. The new JCC at the Taube Koret Campus will be named the Oshman Family JCC.

June 2006 – The Campus receives a $10 million grant from the Jewish Community Endowment Fund, the largest capital grant in the Fund's history.

September 2006 – Following 18 public hearings over almost two-and-half years, the Campus receives unanimous approval from the Palo Alto City Council.

October 2007 – Ground is broken to begin construction on the new home of the Taube Koret Campus for Jewish Life.

April 2008 – Construction is well under way.

February 2009 – The Campus is taking shape! Construction is well along and on schedule for a September 2009 opening.

September 2009 – the Campus officially opens!

“Here in Silicon Valley, we are seeing renewed commitment to Judaism, to Jewish living and Jewish learning. The Campus is a unique community opportunity for us and its mission should reflect the realities of this place and time. The quality of what we do here will also serve as a beacon to the community at large.”

Carol Saal
Past President of the ALSJCC
Founding President of the TKCJL Supporting Foundation
TKCJL Campaign Chair