Dear Friend,
In the final hours of 2022, we are approaching the end of the 2022 Annual Campaign, which will fund the needs of our community and our partners in 2023. This funding is crucial not only for our own operations, but to support community-wide and collaborative initiatives, to support Jewish organizations in Western Massachusetts, Israel, and around the world, and to meet the needs that can only be addressed by working together as a community. We are especially proud of connecting our community to the national and global initiatives of our Jewish Federation network, supporting Jews in need wherever they live, and connecting people of all ages with meaningful Jewish engagement opportunities in our local community.
I am proud of all that we accomplished this year, and all that we can look forward to doing in the year ahead–together, as a community. Thank you to everyone who has already contributed to make our work possible, through your time, ideas, and financial support. At this time, please consider making a new or additional contribution to support our work in the year ahead. There is just a short time left to be part of a very special matching opportunity before midnight on December 31: if you give now through B Generous, your gift will be multiplied by FOUR! Please consider a donation today to help us make the most of this incredible opportunity. You can also send me an email with the amount of your pledge, and make a payment later next month.
I would like to give an extra special shout-out to our Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts trustees and volunteers who spent countless hours this year ensuring that we made progress every day toward our mission and our shared goals. In particular, we would not be here without the support of our past presidents (and current president) of the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts and their strong leadership. Please join me in gratitude for all of our presidents, listed below in chronological order:
Dr. Bernard J. Klien (of blessed memory)
Samuel G. Simon (of blessed memory)
Joseph H. Markson (of blessed memory)
Samual B. Black (of blessed memory)
Max Katz (of blessed memory)
Joseph B. Cowett (of blessed memory)
Simon J. Katz (of blessed memory)
Harry Fieldman (of blessed memory)
Walter Aranow (of blessed memory)
Maurice Kurn (of blessed memory)
Edward Schaffer (of blessed memory)
Irving M. Cohen (of blessed memory)
Arthur Paroshinsky (of blessed memory)
George M. Koplin (of blessed memory)
Philip E. Saks (of blessed memory)
Hugo Roth (of blessed memory)
Jack Levine (of blessed memory)
Alexander Hirschhorn (of blessed memory)
Irwin Swirsky (of blessed memory)
Joel A. Leavitt
William Foggle (of blessed memory)
Richard Gaberman
Harold Rosen (of blessed memory)
Alan Curtis (of blessed memory)
Belle Rosen (of blessed memory)
Jay Loevy
Betsy Gaberman
Diane Troderman
Kenneth Abrahams (of blessed memory)
Elliot M.L. Bloom
Gerald B. Berg
Jeffrey H. Mandell
Donna Feldman
Ann Pava
Edward Greenbaum
Steven Dane
Susan Weiss Firestone
Susan Kline
Susan Goldman
Ronda Parish
Ben Falk
Lara Curtis
Robyn Newhouse
We are especially fortunate to have many past presidents still deeply involved in the work of our organization, and look forward to the first meeting of the Past Presidents Advisory Council, a new group which honors these leaders and provides for their ongoing involvement in the work of our Jewish Federation.
There are many ways to get involved in the Western Massachusetts Jewish community, so please consider taking the next step forward and letting us know how you want to be a part of our work in 2023!
Shabbat shalom,
Nora Gorenstein
Chief Executive Officer