ABOUT US
JEWISH HERITAGE

The mission of The JCA is to provide the highest quality health care and supportive services for older adults, within a warm and nurturing environment that respects Jewish values and traditions, and to care for the aged without regard to individual resources, within a framework of fiscal responsibility.

To fulfill this mission, The JCA has a commitment to foster opportunities for advancement, security and fulfillment for all employees; to serve as a center for gerontological education and research with strong professional affiliations; and to share resources and knowledge through a network of community agencies.

"Honor thy father and thy mother."

One the most important of the Ten Commandments, this one means many things - respect them, love them, care for them. That is one of the oldest Jewish traditions. It is something we have always done; but approximately 100 years ago, in St. Louis, the tradition found a home. In 1907, a small group of Jewish men, members of the Beth Moshav Zekenim Society, purchased an old mansion at the corner of Grand Boulevard and Blair Avenue. Named The Jewish Orthodox Old Folks' Home, its mission was to provide services for the aged who needed assistance.

It would be almost 70 years before the Jewish Home for the Aged, as it was renamed, would move its location. In 1974, the JCA board of directors purchased land on South Outer Forty Road; and a year later it added the St. Louis Geriatric Center, a facility adjacent to the land. Residents moved into the Center during May and June of 1975. In 1978, the building was expanded to include six divisions and additional services, including rehabilitation care. The first full-time medical director was hired in 1978. In 1988, an adult day-service program, Every Day Counts, was opened on the Center's campus. It began with eight residents.

By the mid-nineties, it became apparent that the old building would have to be replaced. Planning for a new one began, and ground was broken in February 2001. The new building was funded by bonds and insured by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Cedars at the JCA officially opened it doors to residents in September 2003.

What began with 10 beds in the city of St. Louis is now a 252-bed, state-of-the-art facility on more than 34 acres in West St. Louis County. The Cedars at the JCA also provides 24 Adult Day Services.

Situated in the heart of the Jewish Community, the Cedars at the JCA is one of the foremost Jewish geriatric campuses in the United States. Its programs and services cover a wide spectrum of medical care and include religious services for reformed, conservative, and orthodox; observance of Shabbat and all Jewish holidays; the only in-house prepared kosher and non-kosher gourmet dining on-site in St. Louis; and a permanent, on-site Rabbi who provides spiritual support to residents, families, and staff of all denominations.