Weekly Round-up September 16-20
Dear Colleagues,
Thousands of communication devices of Hezbollah members were detonated remotely this week. The attack compromised Hezbollah’s military command and control system, but Israel is on high alert for a potential retaliation. Defense Secretary Yoav Gallant announced a new phase in the war with Hezbollah that has displaced thousands of Israelis from their homes in the north.
We invite you and your communities to join us in sending a message of hope and solidarity to the people of Israel, which we will deliver to President Isaac Herzog during the week of October 7th. Click here to submit your message and here for social media posts. Messages must be submitted by Sunday.
We are grateful to our funding partners for partnering with us in the October 7th microgrant opportunity to support community and campus commemorations. We have awarded approximately $1 million of microgrants to nearly 400 community and campus organizations across 180 cities in the US and Canada, including 113 Jewish Federations.
We continue to add new assets to our October 7th: Marking One Year toolkit. Visit it to download the video or submit a local customization form. We have also added communications resources to the toolkit, including a media kit, press release template and sample speech.
Jewish Federations, along with ADL, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Orthodox Union, and Secure Community Network, held a pre-High Holiday security briefing this week on Capitol Hill to educate lawmakers on the increased threat level to Jewish institutions and to urge more funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), and Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC) were among those who pledged to work for a higher level of federal security funding, given that fewer than half of requests for grants were approved last year. Jewish Federations hailed Sen. Schumer’s promise to achieve this lofty goal.
Jewish Federations also brought 40 Jewish medical professionals to Capitol Hill this week to meet with 25 congressional offices about the alarming rise of antisemitism in the field of health and human services. Medical associations, including professional mental health organizations, have issued virulently antisemitic statements, and stories have emerged of Jews being denied counseling and mental health treatment. The attendees urged Congress to hold an oversight hearing to bring national attention to this issue. See background information here.
Jewish Federations are demanding that Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington State take immediate legal, disciplinary, and other steps to remedy the situation last week in which anti-Israel protesters disrupted—and were permitted to cause the cancellation of—a meeting of the university’s Board of Regents in which Jews were shouted down and forced to leave. At the meeting, Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle CEO Solly Kane and others, including Jewish students, were speaking about the problem of antisemitism on the campus. For our letter to the governor, click here. To send your own email to the Board of Regents, click here.
We also sent a letter to lawmakers this week in support of a resolution to bring the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia under the auspices of the Smithsonian. For more, click here.
Mimi Kravetz, Chief Impact and Growth Officer, co-authored a Forward op-ed this week with Tulane professor Ilana M. Horwitz about the need for Jewish organizations to make it possible for low-income Jews to connect to the Jewish community, especially at this time of year. The recent Surge in Jewish involvement, they write, has still too often left those Jews with fewer resources at the margins of Jewish life.
For additional updates and reminders, please see below.
General Assembly Beginning November 10: Register now at www.GeneralAssembly.org. General Assembly attendees will also receive premium access to the exciting Unity event on Sunday, November 10. Click here for preliminary descriptions of the diverse array of featured sessions and workshops.
Emissary: Emissary™ is a new, free app that will empower you to counter false and dangerous messages on social media with accurate information from trusted sources. The app enables people of all backgrounds and abilities to post on their own social media accounts. Just launch the app, choose stories and posts that interest you—fresh content is added daily—and share the information. You can use it to post on Facebook, Instagram, X, Tik Tok and LinkedIn. Use this link to download the app and get started.
Serve Israel: This new initiative, featured here, offers funding and logistical support for Federations and partner organizations to organize volunteer trips to Israel. We are eager to work with every Federation and its partners to develop meaningful volunteer experiences. Please contact Sophie Hearne for more information. Click on this updated FAQ document for a list of this and many other volunteer opportunities.
Rosh Hashanah Toolkit: Rosh Hashanah is just around the corner! Inspire your community to imagine a brighter future together with our marketing toolkit, including engaging social media posts, a stirring video that celebrates unity and hope, and a direct mail letter to spark meaningful conversations and drive donations.
Global Volunteer Hub: We are recruiting virtual volunteer doctors (family doctors or doctors of internal medicine preferred) fluent in Russian or Ukrainian on behalf of NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief, to aid one of the clinics they support in the eastern part of the country in the war zone. Any interested Russian and/or Ukrainian-speaking candidates available to provide 3-4 hours/ month of virtual volunteer service should email Dr. Albina Rotshtein at albinart@gmail.com with subject line, “JFNA Global Volunteer Hub referral.” Click here to learn more.
Campus Webinars: Please join our weekly webinars on Thursdays from 2 to 2:30 pm ET on how to deal with anti-Israel protests on campus. Although registration is required, we encourage you to share the links. The Thursday webinar series is in addition to the ongoing leadership briefings that have taken place on Mondays at 2 pm ET since October 7. Reach out to Hindy Garfinkel for more information.
Overview of Professional Development Opportunities: We offer Jewish Federation professionals across North America a robust schedule of programs. Bookmark the page and check back often as new ones are added weekly! Don’t miss the upcoming session on Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed Principles in the Workplace on Tuesday, September 24 at 1pm-2:30pm ET. Click here to learn more and register.
Drop In Jewish Learning-High Holiday Focus: Meet with Rabbi Brent Chaim Spodek on Wednesday, September 25 anytime from noon-1 pm ET to reflect on the holidays and ask questions you have not had the opportunity to ask. Click here to learn more and register.
Fundraising Institute Learning Session: Join us virtually on Wednesday, September 25 from 1-2:30 pm ET for a session on “The Art of the Ask.” Perfect for both new and seasoned fundraisers, this session offers tools and tips to have easy, comfortable, and successful conversations. Click here to register. Email Leslie Pomerantz with questions.
JDC Program for October 7 Anniversary: The October 7 attacks on Israel reshaped our global Jewish community, our hearts, and our future. Join us for this solemn occasion as we come together to reflect on the past year and stand united in support of Israel. The program will take place on Tuesday, October 8 at 1 pm ET. Click here to register.
Simchat Torah Challenge: The goal of the challenge is to encourage 10,000 Jews of all backgrounds, with a focus on those new to Torah study, to commit to reading the weekly portion every week for a full year. All participants will receive an email each week, along with an offer to receive a free Simchat Torah Challenge Kehot Chumash, with the hope of building an inspired community dedicated to reading the weekly Torah portion. Click here to sign up. The Challenge is co-sponsored by Sefaria, Chabad, Yeshiva University, UJA/Federation, Tablet Magazine, and others.
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 at no cost. 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, 2025. For questions, please reach out to Rebecca Gerbert.
Board Chair-CEO Onboarding and Continuous Education: All Federation Board Chairs, incoming Board Chairs (should you have one) and CEOs are invited to the Fall launch of the Federation Board Chair Onboarding and Continuous Learning Series. This is for Federation CEOs and Board Chairs to learn together. You can read more about the program’s goals, schedule, and learning opportunities here. The first session is on Wednesday, October 30 from 3 to 5 pm ET with Joan Garry from Joan Garry Consulting. Please register here. For questions, reach out to Rebecca Gerbert, Managing Director, Lay Leadership Training and Development. Click here to register.
Shabbat Shalom,
Shira Hutt
Executive Vice President
Jewish Federations of North America