Dear Friend,
In these challenging times, it is even more important to join together in community and support one another.
Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing highlights from local Jewish nonprofit partners and celebrating together the work that we have done, even as we continue to move forward in creating a better world for the future.
Every day, the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts, together with our partners, addresses the immediate needs to today while preparing for whatever the future might hold.
Right now, we each have a responsibility to care for not just ourselves, our family and friends, but those in need around the world and especially those in Israel who continue to be bombarded by terror, grief, and loss of life. I urge you to consider giving what you can to these ongoing relief efforts. Every dollar you donate now will be matched, thanks to the generosity of Harold Grinspoon and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. We will share more in the weeks ahead about what these efforts and your generosity have already made possible, but please remember that the needs are great, and the work continues. Thank you for your support, strength, and solidarity.
Shabbat shalom,
Nora Gorenstein
Chief Executive Officer
Updates from Jewish Federations of North America
The International Court of Justice in the Hague today declined to call on Israel to end its military operations against Hamas and called for the immediate, unconditional release of all hostages, but also said that Israel must “take steps to prevent genocide” in Gaza. To read our response to the ruling, click here. Click here for today’s dispatch on the ruling.
Jewish Federations’ Advocacy Fly-In will take place next week with more than 400 participants from around the United States. The group will participate in and represent the System in over 140 meetings on Capitol Hill to advocate for the military support package for Israel, for a higher level of funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), and for the passage of the Antisemitism Awareness Act. For more, click here.
Tomorrow is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. As we remember the six million who were murdered, we must redouble our efforts to fight antisemitism wherever it lurks. Read this op-ed in the Jerusalem Post by VP, Community Relations Evan Bernstein on how city councils have become the latest battlefront.
Finally, on Wednesday, our webinar on the unprecedented legal, ethical, and humanitarian challenges faced by Israel in conducting an urban war attracted more than 800 participants. For a recording, click here. Also, to watch the inspiring four-minute 2018 video by Koolulalm that we shared at the conclusion of the program, click here.