The Jewish community center and its social work guests: A review of the literature

Abstract The Jewish Community Center (JCC) movement and social work share a common history and many common values. Jewish agencies were founded, staffed and maintained by social workers (Dubin, 1980; Greenfield, 1982; Rosen, 1985; Altman, 1988). Over time, a variety of phenomena have influenced and changed the nature of practice within the center field (Berger, 1966; Shafler, 1978; Reisman, 1981; Altman, 1988). This paper will review both empirical and theoretical literature related to the interactions and interrelationships between JCCs and social work, focusing on what is known about social work as a “guest” discipline in the JCC. In order to provide context and clarity, a review of literature related to the status of social work in other types of “host” agencies (i.e., hospitals and schools) is also included.