In December 1973, a small group of Coney Island neighbors came together with a simple goal: to make sure no one in their community was left behind. Coney Island was in the middle of a difficult chapter; urban decay, failed renewal projects, reduced housing, and a wave of departures had left behind a population of residents who were too poor or too elderly to leave, and who needed somewhere to turn to for safety and comfort. That grassroots effort became the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island, and 53 years later, the organization it has grown into has achieved far beyond what its founders could have imagined. What hasn’t changed through five decades of growth, however, is the shared mission that unites us and drives us forward: transforming lives and strengthening communities all across New York City.

The organization continued to improve its reach throughout the 1970s until July of 1981, when Rabbi Moshe Wiener took lead as Executive Director, redefining our guiding principles and broadening the scope of our impact. Through his efforts, JCCGCI entered a transformative period of rapid expansion, turning a single government funding source into a citywide support network of city, state, federal, and philanthropic partners, and honing in on 5 core areas of service that clearly define and communicate how we assist New Yorkers. 

As time progresses the needs of communities grow and evolve, and it is the role of JCCGCI to continue to understand these needs and adapt our programs and services accordingly. What once began as a grassroots movement to provide relief to the poor and elderly of Coney Island has become a citywide platform focused on five pillars of support: older adult services, educational services, community support services, career services, and capacity building for nonprofits. These areas of focus allow us to target the specific needs of vulnerable communities across a variety of life stages and circumstances, whether that means an older adult aging in place, a teenager preparing for their first job, or a nonprofit trying to better serve the families of its community. 

Last year alone, that meant providing 5,179 older adults with transportation to medical and personal appointments, serving 237,454 congregate meals through our eight Older Adult Centers, delivering over 1.7 million hours of homecare to more than 1,200 older adults, preparing 1,113 New Yorkers for career success, contributing 1,713 hours of college and career readiness programming to students at Horizons Academy, providing 7,031 community service sessions through our Urban Neighborhood Services Center, and training 1,512 nonprofit professionals citywide through our NonProfit HelpDesk.

Now in 2026, we are proud to look back at the history of our organization and reflect on how far it has come, evolving from a localized effort from a group of generous individuals to a leading social service organization setting the standard for care in the greatest city in the world. From one program site to over forty, from a few members to over 400 volunteers and staff, and from zero to thousands of individuals and families assisted, JCCGCI has spent 53 years growing in nearly every measurable way, and we couldn’t be prouder of the road that brought us here. We’re especially proud to be home to one of the largest Holocaust survivor support programs in the world, delivering nearly 2 million units of service each year to more than 3,000 survivors through homecare, transportation, case management, and companionship. A milestone like this, however, isn’t just a moment to look back, it’s a moment to look forward. We are as committed as ever to improving and refining the way we care for our community and continue to adapt to its ever-changing needs, and are eager to explore what the next 53 years holds for the JCCGCI family.  

“As Executive Director of the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island, I am deeply moved and inspired by the profound impact our organization has made,” says Executive Director Rabbi Moshe Wiener. “These moments of connection and empowerment are the heart of our mission.”

Fifty-three years ago, a handful of neighbors looked at a community others had given up on and decided to stay. Everything JCCGCI has become since, every program, every partnership, every life touched across the city, traces back to that one decision. The scale of our work has changed almost beyond recognition, but the reason behind it never has: we show up for our neighbors because that is who we are. As we step into our next chapter, we do so with the same resolve that carried us through our first, grateful for every person who has trusted us along the way, and ready to keep earning that trust for the next 53 years and beyond.

👉 Want to learn more about JCCGCI’s history and the communities we serve? Visit https://www.jccgci.org/our-history/