09/17/2025
The Maureen and Douglas Cohn Jewish Community Campus Will Be Closing.
By GARY GOULD CEO, Tampa JCCs & Federation
As the High Holidays approach, we’re reminded that this is the season of reflection, transition and renewal. It’s in this spirit that I share some difficult news: in the coming months the beautiful Maureen and Douglas Cohn Jewish Community Campus in Citrus Park will be closing its doors. This decision was made after a great deal of deliberation, and it comes with deep sadness and also profound gratitude.
For almost three decades the campus and the institutions on it (the Federation’s offices, the JCC, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Assisted Living Residence, the JCC North Preschool as well as our highly-valued tenants, Tampa Jewish Family Services and the TOP Jewish Foundation) have served our community with honor and distinction.
The Cohn Campus has been a home where children sang their first Hebrew songs, people of all ages made friends and the community gathered for many kinds of events, programs and celebrations. Weinberg Village provided compassion and superb care for our elders, providing them a space to live surrounded by Jewish values and traditions. Jewish Family Services has taken care of our community’s most vulnerable citizens and TOP has effectively assisted a large number of people achieve their philanthropic goals.
The impact of the campus will endure in the lives of the thousands of people who visited it every year and its legacy will not be forgotten. A special note of tremendous gratitude is offered to the ‘founders’ of the campus, Douglas Cohn, Blossom Leibowitz and Jack Roth (z”l); three exceptionally strategic change agents and extraordinarily generous individuals who worked with scores of others in the community to breathe life into the brilliant vision of building a flourishing Jewish facility in the North Tampa area. Their achievement was remarkable!
Sadly, however, with changing demographics there has been a steady decrease in the community’s use of many programs and services on the Cohn Campus and, starting with COVID, despite its first-class care, Weinberg Village has seen a serious decline in its number of residents – a phenomenon consistent with the ALF industry across the country. In addition, keeping the campus open would cost several million dollars. After being battered by the two hurricanes last year, the almost 40-year old facility needs a new roof as well as a new air conditioning system. At the same time, the costs for security at the campus in this era of vicious Jew hate continue to escalate radically and insurance expenses have skyrocketed dramatically.
When debating whether or not to launch a fundraising campaign to try to address these challenges a strong effort was made to try to engage the community about how the campus could potentially be reimagined. A questionnaire was sent to thousands of Jewish households north of Hillsborough Avenue to solicit ideas for renovating the facility. Unfortunately, the response was very tepid. We also advertised extensively to encourage people to participate in focus groups and hoped to hold at least 20 of them, but could recruit enough folks for only one group. Meanwhile, the facility continues to lose significant sums of money every month.
As a consequence of this situation, the JCCs and Federation’s board began to quietly explore different alternatives related to the Cohn Campus, including potentially selling it, which, among other things, would free up resources to expand programs and services as well as enhance the infrastructure at the already extremely robust Shanna and Bryan Glazer JCC (SBGJCC). After receiving many offers, the board signed a purchase agreement with a very reputable developer to sell the property and the plan is to build multiple family dwellings on it. The developer is currently in the due diligence phase of the deal.
The JCC on the Cohn Campus including the preschool, afterschool, camp, our Parkinson’s program and the gym will remain open throughout the school year and close at the end of May. Due to the precarious nature of the air conditioning system and the rising insurance costs, Weinberg Village will be closing at the end of November and, if they’re interested, we will be available to provide assistance to residents and their families in identifying new housing options to ensure a smooth and dignified transition for them. Our goal is to retain some of our tremendously talented staff members who work at the campus and to offer significant support to those who will be seeking other opportunities. We will always be exceptionally grateful to all of them for their incredible service, commitment and vast array of skills. Than you! We will also continue to provide some programming at synagogues and other venues in North Tampa and expect to rent new premises for our burgeoning Parkinson’s program. Our plan is to move most of our programs, services and some personnel to the SBGJCC and we’ve begun discussions with Family Services and TOP about possible rental options for them there and elsewhere.
I recognize this is absolutely heartbreaking news to many – myself included – and it will disrupt many lives, but the closing of this chapter also comes with a sense of renewal. The SBGJCC is continuing to grow and has a vibrant membership and world-class programs. With only one facility to manage, we’re confident that we’ll be able to take Jewish Tampa to a whole new level.
Very few, if any, federations in cities our size have two major facilities and while we operated both of ours successfully for several years, it’s now time to make a change. Despite the changing demographics, challenging finances and shifting priorities, including the ongoing and critical battle to combat the malicious spread of antisemitism, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that Jewish life in Tampa continues not only to survive, but to thrive. We’re fully invested in safeguarding the future of our community. We honor the vital legacy and the shining inspiration of the Cohn Campus not with silence, but with resolve to carry forward the values that made the campus such a sacred place for so long and we embrace 5786 with hope, faith and resilience.
L’Shanah Tovah!
P.S. We will continue to inform the community on all of these matters. We thank everyone for their support in these difficult times. If you have any questions regarding the closing, please submit them to cohnquestions@jewishtampa.com.
