Weekly Round-up June 3-7

Dear Colleagues,

Pride Month is in full swing. Join us at noon today for a special briefing on how to deal with potential antisemitic and anti-Zionist activities at Pride marches and other celebrations. Watch our previous webinar on the topic and see our PrideSafe 2024 Checklist. Reach out to Nate Looney or Evan Bernstein with any questions.

This week, Jewish Federations expressed our profound sorrow over the deaths of Chaim Peri, Yoram Metzger, Amiram Cooper, and Nadav Popplewell. The four Israelis were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 and murdered while in captivity. May their memories be for a blessing.

Our Israel Emergency Fund has now reached a total of more than $846 million, with more than $454 million allocated to date. For recent developments in Israel, see our Israel update.

Jewish Federations have partnered with JDC for over a century to support flourishing Jewish communities worldwide. In 2023, we continued to save lives in Israel, in Ukraine, and around the globe. JDC's 2023 Core Funding Report delves into the details of where the funding goes and the impact that it makes.

As we announced last week, we are taking a high-level delegation, led by David Heller and Eric Fingerhut, to Warsaw and Kiev from Monday, June 17 to Thursday, June 20. Please contact Serena Young for more information.

The House Appropriations Committee released four bills that would fund Jewish Federations' priorities. These include $305 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), matching the Fiscal Year 2023 funding levels. While we appreciate the increase from 2024's reduced levels, Jewish Federations will continue to urge Congress to fully fund this program for 2025. Read the coverage in Jewish Insider. 

We have started building a Talking Points library for internal Federation use. While these documents should not be posted publicly, feel free to use their language to inform your communications on various issues. The toolkit can be found here. Included in the toolkit are Talking Points on the recent strike on the UNRWA school in Gaza, which can be accessed here. If you have any questions, please contact Niv Elis.

For additional updates and reminders, please see below.

Strategic Health Webinar: The Jewish Federations of North America, the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies, and the Association of Jewish Aging Services (AJAS) are hosting a webinar on Friday, June 14 at 11 am ET about two key administrative rules, both of which have been a focus of our advocacy: the 80/20 Medicaid Access Rule and the Nursing Home Minimum Staffing rule. Learn more about the impacts they could have on your communities, agencies, and clients.  

General Assembly 2024: Please take a moment to 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: Please register 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.

Professional Development Opportunities: The Mandel Center has a robust schedule of classes and workshops over the next few months. Please join as many of them as you can. 

Executive Accelerator Cohort II: Nominations are open for the second cohort of the Jewish Federations’ Executive Accelerator, with a deadline of Friday, June 14 at 5 pm ET. 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. Email Rebecca Ruberg with questions.

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.

Honeymoon Israel Juneteenth Celebration: 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.

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.

Quarterly Virtual Orientation for New Hires in Federations: Jewish Federations are running quarterly virtual orientations, to which all new hires are invited. The next orientation will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, July 24 at 1 pm ET. The orientations provide an opportunity for newly-hired professionals to ask questions, connect with colleagues in other Federations, and access support and resources. Please visit jfeds.org/virtualorientation for more information and be sure to share the link with your team and all new hires. Please contact Sari Kreines with any questions.

Torah With the Times: For over a year, Jewish Federations staff have met as a community to learn, sing and connect on the last Friday of every month. We are now opening up this opportunity to all our Jewish Federation professional colleagues! This is a monthly gathering space for us to spend half an hour exploring both Jewish wisdom and the wisdom of the world.

Shabbat Shalom,

Shira Hutt
Executive Vice President
Jewish Federations of North America