Home Away from Home
For Lowell Fine, the Marcus JCC of Atlanta has never been just one chapter of life. It has been the throughline.
His earliest memories are summer days at JCC camp — running with friends and absorbing Jewish community the way children do: naturally and joyfully. By middle school, Sundays meant youth group gatherings at “the Center” — meeting friends, eating before the program, playing ball afterward. In his teen years, AZA, part of BBYO, deepened that sense of belonging.
“The JCC was my home away from home,” he says.
Adulthood followed — law school, a career, building a family. When Lowell returned to Atlanta in 1968, he said joining the JCC was “a no-brainer.” His children attended preschool at Zaban Park, and the family lived close enough to walk. As he watched how the campus was used, his instincts kicked in — not as a critic, but as a builder.
There was an open-air shelter on the property, unusable in winter and too hot in summer. Lowell saw potential: a gathering place for adults beyond the pool. A space for speakers, learning, and community. He brought a plan to then-CEO David Dubin. The board didn’t just approve the idea — they expanded it. That practical suggestion helped spark what would become a building.
It marked his shift from member to leader.
Over time, he joined the board, chaired committees, and eventually agreed to serve as president. He wasn’t seeking a title — but he understood responsibility and the need to think long-term.
As President from 1997 to 1999, Lowell helped lead the sale of the aging downtown JCC as the community shifted north — a necessary but difficult decision in a moment of transition. Leadership, he learned, means making hard choices with the community’s future in mind.
What stands out most to him today is what the MJCCA represents.
“It’s a meeting place,” he says — a place where Jews of all backgrounds, and non-Jews, gather. Where friendships last 50 or 60 years. Where Jewish life can be lived with comfort and confidence, especially when the world feels uncertain.
Years after his presidency, Lowell still shows up — at gatherings for past presidents, at the Book Festival with his wife, and in a full-circle return as chair of Jerry’s Habima Theatre, helping ensure individuals with special needs are not only included, but celebrated on stage.
When he walks into the MJCCA now, he pauses. “Wow. Look at this place. It’s unbelievable.”
Then he adds the line that says it all: “It’s alive!”
That aliveness — the steady movement of community across generations — is what Lowell has spent a lifetime protecting. For him, legacy isn’t about having been president. It’s about making sure the next generation gets what he got — only better.