Weekly Round-up June 10-14
Dear Colleagues,
Our hearts were full following the miraculous rescue of four hostages from captivity in Gaza that took place last Shabbat. Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andre Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv, all of whom were kidnapped on October 7, were returned to their families after a successful covert operation by the IDF. We hope and pray that all the remaining 120 hostages will be released soon as well. However, we grieve the death of Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora, who gave his life during the rescue mission that has been dubbed "Operation Arnon” in his memory.
For more on the rescue, see this morning’s Israel Update and Monday’s Community Mobilization Dispatch. We also continue to update our Talking Points library, which you can find here https://jfeds.org/2024JFTalkingPoints. For feedback or suggestions, please contact Niv Elis.
Over 50,000 Canadian Jews took part in a March for Israel in Toronto this week. The event was the largest in the history of the UJA-Federation of Greater Toronto.
With Pride month in full swing and ongoing concerns about antisemitism, Nate Looney from Jewish Federations of North America and Ethan Felson from A Wider Bridge co-authored an op-ed in JTA on how to make Pride celebrations more safe and inclusive. Please share it widely and also access additional resources in the Pride month toolkit.
The Associated held a panel discussion on issues and work surrounding accessibility in Israel since October 7th that was moderated by Jewish Federations of North America’s Aaron Kaufman. To watch the panel, use password: Resilience1!
Interfaith ties are a core pillar of a healthy society, which is why Jewish Federations are so committed to building allyship and strengthening ties with faith leaders. This week’s civic engagement blog features New Golden Age, an initiative of The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and its Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) that is aimed at strengthening ties between the Black and Jewish communities, combating hate, and strengthening the local community’s social safety net.
Last week, Jewish Federations’ Center on Aging, Trauma, and Holocaust Survivor Careconvened stakeholders in the aging services field to find ways to infuse person-centered, trauma-informed (PCTI) care into their work. Participants came from Jewish organizations, community services, government and policy associations, foundations, and academia. Kari Benson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging, delivered the keynote address. The Guidance for Aging Services was made available and our upcoming online PCTI training course was publicized. For questions, reach out to Shelley Wernick.
Nominations are due today at 5:00 pm ET for the second cohort of the Jewish Federations’ Executive Accelerator. This year-long experience combines professional development, applied learning, and coaching aimed at equipping mid and senior career professionals who are identified by their Federations as demonstrating high potential for executive leadership. You can nominate either a colleague or supervisee. Contact Rebecca Ruberg with questions.
All are invited to join for a virtual Juneteenth program on Wednesday, June 19 at noon ET featuring Honeymoon Israel guest educator Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein and HMI alum and educator Rafael Lev. Explore how we, as a Jewish community, can foster deeper connections to racial justice and to the history of Juneteenth.
For additional updates and reminders, please see below.
General Assembly 2024: We hope you will register for the 2024 General Assembly. It will take place from Sunday, November 10 to Tuesday, November 12, 2024 in Washington, DC. The conference will include a powerful Evening of Unity event at Nationals Park Stadium on the first night of the conference. To learn more, visit generalassembly.org or check out the FAQs.
FRD Leadership Mission: Registration will close very soon for this year’s FRD Leadership Mission! We will travel to Berlin and Israel from Monday, July 8 to Saturday, July 13. Join us at this critical time to bear witness and to experience first-hand Federations’ impact on emerging needs during this perilous time for both Jewish communities. Please contact Serena Young with any questions.
Professional Development Opportunities: The Mandel Center has a robust scheduleof classes and workshops over the next few months. Please join as many of them as you can.
Annual Campaign Toolkit: Our Annual Campaign Toolkit showcases the powerful work that Federations are doing here at home, in Israel, and around the world. The toolkit is designed to drive fundraising efforts through a collection of customizable videos, photos, social media posts, and a direct mail package. It contains everything that you need to connect with donors and ignite the spirit of giving in your community.
June Resiliency Roundtable: One of the most powerful ways to promote youth wellbeing is by modeling healthy behaviors. This interactive, hands-on workshop, “From Head to Heart: Filling Your Cup and Honoring Spiritual Wellbeing,” will take place on Wednesday, June 26 from 2 to 3:30 pm ET. Learn embodied practices, regulation techniques and Jewish wisdom and bring them back to those with whom you work.
Summer Intern Series: Please invite your Federation summer interns to a three-part virtual series on Wednesdays that are designed to introduce them to the Federation system, connect them with other Federation interns, provide tools to deepen their learning, and envision and chart their professional path forward. Sessions will be held at 1 pm ET on June 26 (Virtual Orientation), July 17 (Making the Most of Your Internship) and July 31 (Career Next Steps). Interns can register for all three sessions at one time. For more information, please contact Rebecca Ruberg.
Creating a Culture of Candor and Safety: This two-part online series, which is open to all Federation pros, will take place on Wednesday, June 26 and Tuesday, July 23 from 1-2:30 pm ET; there will be a separate session for Senior and C-Suite Leaders on Tuesday, August 20. Jewish Federations have received a grant from SRE (Safety, Respect, Equity) Network to create “speak-up” cultures. Research shows that engagement, productivity, inclusion, and performance all increase when employees feel safe to raise concerns, share ideas, admit errors, and have constructive disagreements. These sessions, taught by workplace climate expert Fran Sepler, will offer both practical guidance and Federation-focused case studies. Learn more and register.
Shabbat Shalom,
Shira Hutt
Executive Vice President
Jewish Federations of North America