Dear Colleagues,

In the wake of the resignation of University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill and Chair Scott Bok last weekend, the board tapped Julie Platt as its interim chair. Julie, who had been the vice chair, will serve in this role only until a new board chair is confirmed in January. Please read our blog post, which contains Julie’s statement.

Eric Fingerhut gave a stirring and timely speech last Friday to civic leaders at the Cleveland Club about the war in Israel and the need for all people of good faith to confront the dramatic spike in antisemitism that has arisen since October 7. To read the text of the speech, or to watch it on video, click on our blog post.

Ambassador Jack Lew met this week with Eric Fingerhut in Israel. Read the ambassador’s tweet, in which he praised the extraordinary work that Jewish Federations are doing to aid suffering Israelis. Our Emergency Campaign for Israel has now surpassed $762 million, with $266 million already allocated. For details, click here. For the latest update from our Israel office, click here.

On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of 33 senators called on the United Nations to launch an independent investigation of the horrific sexual violence committed by Hamas on October 7. For more, click here.

This week, National Young Leadership Cabinet proudly announced that its Annual Campaign total has exceeded $3.93 million. This is the largest amount Cabinet has ever raised, representing a near 6% increase over last year. Every penny goes to local Federations. For more information about Cabinet, please contact Ben Schindler.

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has signaled a willingness to negotiate the release of the paper’s journalist, Evan Gershkovich, along with another US citizen, Paul Whelan. Gershkovich was jailed in Moscow last March, while Whelan is serving a 16-year sentence. Both men have been accused, without any evidence, of espionage. We are following this situation closely and will provide updates.

In January, we are running two solidarity missions to Israel for those donors who have given $250K or more to the Israel Emergency Fund; the mission on Monday, January 8 to Tuesday, January 9 will be chaired by Julie Platt and the mission from Monday, January 15 to Tuesday, January 16 will be chaired by David Heller. Please contact Lindsay Matloff for more information.

Female-identifying philanthropists who have donated a minimum of $25,000 to the Israel Emergency Campaign are invited to participate in a special Fly-In to Israel, which will be chaired by Suzanne Barton Grant. It will take place from January 10-11 and will focus on how the ongoing war has impacted women and children. (There will also be an optional volunteer day on Tuesday, January 9.) For information, email Mandy Kaiser-Blueth, Associate Vice President, National Women’s Philanthropy.

On Tuesday, January 30 and Wednesday, January 31, we will have a Fly-In to Washington, DC to advocate for our top communal priorities and strengthen relationships with key decision-makers in congress. To register, click here. For more information, contact Melody DeSanto Goodman.

Looking for videos that bring the impact of your work related to Israel to life? We have amazing ones in multiple sizes for both events and social. Here you'll find first-hand stories of people in Israel who benefited from the generosity of donors in your community. You'll also find links to both informative and moving social media reels that you can use on all your channels. For questions, please contact Alexandra Coffey.

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram at handle @jfederations. We update our Israel at War Resources daily with social posts, reels, videos, and talking points. Click here for video customizations and here for graphic customizations. Also, check out the videos here to round out your social media feeds, e-blasts, in-person events, and more. If you would like help in customizing these videos for your Federation, please click here.

We are excited to share the 2023 Federation Talent Snapshot, which spotlights the professional workforce that supports flourishing Jewish communities. The report is based on data from a number of sources, including the Leading Edge Employee Experience survey and Federations across North America. We hope the report provides insight into those who work in our system, where they come from, why they stay or leave, and how that compares to the rest of our sector and beyond. For questions, please contact Rebecca Zuck Sowers.

For additional updates and reminders, please see below.

Urgently Seeking Mental Health Professionals to Volunteer in Israel:  As part of the Second Line initiative, Jewish Federations are partnering with the Israel Ministry of Health, the Israel Trauma Coalition, and Birthright Israel to recruit qualified volunteers to provide both in-person and remote support to both affected populations and local mental health professionals in Israel. Native Hebrew speakers are particularly in demand, although speakers of French, Russian, Ukrainian, Arabic, Amharic, and Spanish will also be considered. Volunteers must be able to travel to Israel for six weeks. This is a golden opportunity for engagement, particularly for communities that can recruit a small group as a cohort. To apply, click here. For more information, contact Hannah Miller.

Community Mobilization Center: We are monitoring major developments in Israel and North America related to the war, rapidly disseminating resources, and mobilizing our local communities to ensure that Israel has the civic and political support necessary to defend herself. You can find the CMC’s dispatches and supports in the Resource Hub linked in our toolkit’s resource section. Contact the CMC for support in your community relations, political advocacy, and communications efforts. For the most recent CMC action dispatch, click here.

Free Year-Long Membership to BoardSource: We are pleased to provide a year-long individual BoardSource membership to every Federation board member and staff member. BoardSource is a nationally recognized curator of outstanding resources on governance-related issues. To register, please use this link. Your free membership will be in effect through September 1, 2024. For questions, please reach out to Rebecca Gerbert.

Speakers on Israel: Please see this updated speaker list, intake form for planned and in-process events, and speaker recommendation form for a post-event recap. When reaching out to speakers, please cc your Federation-size liaison (Bev, Debbie, Ed, etc.).For questions, please reach out to swordsofironspeakers@gmail.com or to Rebecca Gerbert.

JEDI Leadership Certificate Program: Jewish Federations certifies both lay and professional leaders in Jewish organizations by increasing leadership competencies, providing a support network, and helping organizations develop multiyear strategies. You will join 20 other communities that are benefiting from the program. Program begins on Thursday, January 18 and applications close on Monday, January 8. Click here to apply.

Quarterly Virtual Orientation for New Hires in Federations: Jewish Federations are running quarterly virtual orientations, to which all new hires are invited. The next one will take place on Wednesday, January 31 at 1 pm ET. Newly-hired professionals will learn about Jewish Federations, connect with colleagues in other Federations, and access  a range of helpful resources. Please share this link with your team and with all new hires. Email Sari Kreines with questions.

Shabbat of Love: Join Jewish Federations as we set the table for the largest Shabbat dinner celebration in North American history, now scheduled for Friday, January 19.  Shabbat of Love is an opportunity for your Federation to engage its constituents, affinity groups, and local partners in spreading a message of love and light during this dark time. Visit shabbatoflove.org to learn how you can participate. Contact Elan Kramer with any questions.

Please note: We are closed next Friday for the holiday weekend, so the final Round-Up of 2023 will go out next Thursday instead.

Shabbat Shalom,

Shira Hutt
Executive Vice President
Jewish Federations of North America