Advancing a Mission
Howie Hyman has been involved with Atlanta’s Jewish Community Center since 1972 in every form it has taken, every building it has occupied, and every role it has presented. With the Marcus JCC of Atlanta, Howie has been a member, volunteer, interim CEO, President, and Board Chair. Through it all, he remains a beneficiary of its intangible gifts, which he asserts are more than a half-century’s worth of treasured friendships and memories.
Those meaningful connections and times spent with the community are precisely what he feels makes the Marcus JCC extraordinary. “Magic happens at Zaban Park,” he declares.
“My parents instilled in me the importance of being active in and giving back to your community,” Howie explains. In the ‘70s, his initial involvement with the Jewish community center on Peachtree Street was encouraged by his University of Georgia TEP fraternity advisor, Harris Jacobs. Jacobs was a luminary among the foundation of Atlanta’s Jewish agencies and personal role model to Howie.
This involvement led to various leadership positions at the Marcus JCC, from coach to committee chair, and from board member to chief executive. During his tenure as the Marcus JCC President (1999-2001), Howie oversaw the Zaban Park expansion. “It allowed the JCC to offer more programs to more people in a state-of-the-art facility, so families moving to the suburbs could participate in the Jewish community,” he shares. “The highlight of my time at the JCC was the honor of affixing a mezuzah to [the Zaban-Blank] building during its dedication.”
From initiating an incubator program for children with special needs that developed into S.O.A.R. (Special Opportunities And Recreation), to receiving the esteemed Erwin Zaban Bridge Builder Award, Howie’s contributions and accolades are extensive. Still, he states, “all roles provided an opportunity to do something I enjoy, and I’ve received more than I’ve given.”
Privileged to have been mentored by many of Atlanta’s Jewish community pioneers such as Erwin Zaban, Harris Jacobs, Max Kuniansky, and Harry Maziar, Howie says he took the lessons they imparted, always “striving to make things better for the next generation.” After more than 50 years of personal time, effort, and sacrifice for the Marcus JCC, he believes he fulfilled his parents’ wishes and that the ‘founding fathers’ of the Atlanta Jewish community would be proud of their legacy.
After decades of service, Howie is still compelled to volunteer. “Helping others never ends,” he insists. “We must continue the responsibility to create programs and provide services that impact people’s lives in exceptional ways, to bring people together and create memories in a safe gathering place.
Our JCC provides programming for all demographics across the spectrums of age, geography, financial capability, and wellness. No other Jewish agency fulfills the mission of Jewish continuity to the extent that the MJCCA does. It’s a remarkable place.”
No other Jewish agency fulfills the mission of Jewish continuity to the extent that the MJCCA does. It’s a remarkable place.