As a teenager, Sylvia Schwartz spent many weekends at the Jewish Educational Alliance playing basketball, participating in social clubs and learning more about Jewish culture.

"It gave you the feeling of being part of something," said Schwartz, 86, a retired educator and the daughter of Russian immigrants. "You formed friendships. These were the people you grew up with. The JEA shaped our lives and attitudes, culturally and socially."

This weekend, Schwartz of Sandy Springs will get to renew those bonds. Nearly 400 JEA alumni will meet from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, for a centennial celebration.

The JEA, which was formed in 1910 and operated on the site of what later became Atlanta- Fulton County Stadium, was once the hub of Jewish life in Atlanta. Families congregated there for social, educational, sports and cultural programs. The JEA ran camps and held classes to help some new residents learn to read and write English.

It gave people, some of whom were recent immigrants from Poland, Russia and Hungary, a strong sense of community. For newcomers, it became a refuge, with programs to help them acclimate to a new home.

"It's certainly a meaningful get-together of those people for whom the JEA was a vital part of their lives growing up in Atlanta," said Michael Wise, chief executive officer of the MJCCA in Dunwoody. Organizers said the oldest people likely to attend are in their mid to late 90s, the youngest in their late 60s.

Schwartz said the center had one of the earliest preschool programs in the city. She returned to work there as a teacher and later as director of the preschool program.

The JEA stayed at that site until the late 1940s, when it evolved into the Atlanta Jewish Community Center and moved to Peachtree Street. It stayed there until 1998, when the building was sold and the group moved to Dunwoody. In 2000, it was renamed the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta and was housed in renovated and expanded offices. Bernie Marcus, a co-founder of Home Depot and philanthropist, donated significant funds to renovate and expand the existing building.

Alumni met last year for a reunion. Pam Morton, marketing and communications manager for MJCCA, said although they knew about the centennial, many wanted to meet because many JEA alums were getting older.

"It was the consummate meeting place," said Harry Maziar, former president of the Atlanta Jewish Community Center who attended JEA activities as a youngster. "It broke all the barriers socially, economically as well as religiously. It created a true melting pot where Jewish boys and girls and men and women found friendship, activity and a sense of belonging."