Dear Friend,
We are deeply shocked and saddened by the hate crime that took place this week in Jacksonville, Florida, in which a gunman targeted black people with a swastika-decorated weapon. Our hearts and prayers are with the families of those whose lives were senselessly lost.
Shabbat Shalom,
Nora Gorenstein, CFRE
Chief Executive Officer
Community Opportunities with Federation:
The Jewish Changemakers Fellowship engages young Jewish adults ages 20-25 in a six-week, online leadership experience. Participants will meet inspiring professionals and peers in a fellowship designed to expand their networks, hone their leadership skills, and jumpstart their careers. They will leave with a clear path to making a difference in their community. The Fall session begins on Tuesday, October 10. Please help spread the word to your friends and family, and encourage applications through jewishchangemakers.org.
For moms raising Jewish children ages 18 and under, please consider joining our Federation for a year of growth together with our partner organization Momentum, including a highly-subsidized trip to Israel this Nov. 27 – Dec. 4! For more information, please email me or click here to visit the website.
There’s something special just for the kids too: It’s not too late to sign up your family for The Children’s Ambulance Campaign! This campaign is open to all children who want to help purchase an ambulance to save lives in Israel–plus, donations are eligible to be MATCHED up to $1,000!
We are also looking forward to our very first Ride to Provide bike fundraiser. This event brings together families, individuals, and organizations from across Western Massachusetts (and our partners in Israel and overseas) to raise money for the many needs of our community and partner organizations. Registration is now open but if riding is not your thing, you can also volunteer, sponsor the event, or make a donation to your favorite participating Jewish organization. Your support is crucial, and we look forward to your participation in any capacity!
Updates from Jewish Federations of North America:
The death toll from the catastrophic wildfires in Hawaii still stands at 115, with hundreds of people still missing. Jewish Federations have raised more than $650,000 to date from a total of 120 Federations and Network communities and from our Emergency Fund. Click here for information on where to send additional donations.
On Capitol Hill, Jewish Federations are organizing a pre-High Holy Day security briefing to educate lawmakers on the security needs of the Jewish community. The event, which will be held in conjunction with SCN, ADL, the OU, and six other major Jewish organizations, will take place at the US Capitol Visitors Center on Tuesday, September 12 at 4 pm ET. Register here for this exclusively in-person program.
We are thrilled to announce that the latest episode of our podcast The Glue has taken us into the top 10% of podcasts! Thank you for helping make the podcast a success, and if you haven’t yet, please subscribe and review the podcast (on Apple and Spotify), which helps others find it.
Eric Fingerhut also appeared on the latest episode of the popular podcast Identity/Crisis, where he discussed criticism of the Jewish “establishment,” the Jewish Federations approach toward Israel, and what makes Jewish Federations stand out from the “alphabet soup” of Jewish organizations.
JEDI Learning Circle: During a seven-week immersive educational opportunity on racial identity and Jewish equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI), participants will engage with experts on questions that are relevant to modern Jewish life. The course begins on Monday, October 9. Register here.