By Lenae Price
This year, the Trager Family JCC proudly celebrated 135 years of strengthening Jewish life in Louisville, honoring a legacy shaped by generations of members, families, and supporters.
Our 135th Anniversary was woven into several of the Trager Family JCC’s most iconic community gatherings, including the Fall Family Festival, Member Appreciation Week, and the Community Hanukkah Party. Each event offered families an opportunity to mark the milestone through familiar traditions that reflect the JCC’s enduring role as a place of connection and belonging.
One of the most meaningful milestones of our anniversary year was the installation and dedication of the JCC History Wall, a permanent tribute to the people, programs, and moments that have defined the JCC for more than a century. The celebration continued with the JCC Sports Reunion, which welcomed alumni back to campus to reconnect with teammates and coaches. As part of that gathering, historic JCC sports banners were re-hung in the Goldberg Family Gymnasium, a moment many attendees shared made the new JCC feel like home again—connecting past memories with the spaces where new ones are being made.
The year concluded with a powerful and reflective moment on January 14, 2026, when the JCC marked its 136th birthday with the launch of the My JCC Story project in the Trager Family JCC’s Weisberg Family Lobby. Long-time members and friends gathered to watch newly recorded video interviews featuring members, alumni, staff, and families sharing what the JCC has meant to them over the years. The videos sparked laughter, nostalgia, and heartfelt conversation, and are now being shared on a History Wall screen. Additional interviews are underway, with more stories to be shared on our website soon. Community members who would like to contribute their own JCC story are invited to do so using the QR code below.
This milestone year was made possible through the leadership and dedication of the 135th Anniversary Committee. We extend our sincere thanks to Co-Chairs Shane Shaps and Abby Tasman, along with committee members Shellie Branson, Cari Hatch, Liz Hemmer, Elizabeth Jones, Elizabeth McCrary, Benjamin Moore, Jordan Price, Mona Schramko, Helene Trager-Kusman and Amy Ryan, whose collective creativity and commitment helped shape a year that was both reflective and forward-looking.
We are also deeply grateful to our 135th Anniversary sponsors for their generosity and partnership, including Kosair for Kids, Jerry & Madeline Abramson, Bud & Sandy Schardein, Chester & Peggy Misbach, and the Behr Family.
As we look ahead, we do so with gratitude for the past, pride in the present, and excitement for the future. The story of the JCC continues to be written by the community, for the community, and we look forward to the next chapter—together.
Lenae Price is Vice President & Chief Philanthropy Officer at the Jewish Federation of Louisville.