Weekly Round-Up November 6-10
Dear Colleagues,
The March for Israel will take place on Tuesday, November 14 at 1 pm on the Mall in Washington, DC. This will be a once-in-a-generation gathering to demonstrate the depth of connection and commitment that the American Jewish community has toward Israel as she defends herself against Hamas. We will also call for the release of the hostages and condemn global antisemitism in all its forms. Click here for the marketing toolkit. Click here for a video of the informational webinar that took place on Wednesday. Please ask your community members to use the #MarchForIsrael hashtag. For further information, visit marchforisrael.org.
We were outraged and sickened by the attempted firebombing at Federation CJA West Island & Congregation Beth Tikvah in Montreal this week, as well as the shootings at the doors of two Jewish schools in Montreal. We hope and pray that these perpetrators will be swiftly brought to justice. We were also heartbroken to hear of the death of a 69-year-old Jewish man, Paul Kessler, after he was struck in the head by a megaphone wielded by a pro-Hamas protester in the Thousand Oaks section of L.A.
For the latest report on the war from our Israel office, click here. We have allocated a total of more than $175,000 to date from the Emergency Fund; for our blog post on the subject, click here and for the updated list of recipients and amounts, click here. Also, for a list of volunteer opportunities, click here.
We wrapped up an extraordinarily successful FedPro Conference on Tuesday. Thank you to the close to 1,000 professionals who joined us in Chicago to increase your skills, expand your knowledge, support each other, and gather strength for the challenging weeks and months to come. A special shout-out to Jessica Balboni and Pam Kurtzman for the amazing work they did in organizing the conference! Session materials/presentations, including videos from the three plenaries, are downloadable from the FedPro app. Please complete the post-conference survey by clicking here.
We just released the results of an alarming new survey, which was conducted for Jewish Federations by the Benenson Strategy Group and featured in today’s eJP, that shows that 70% of American Jews feel less safe since the outbreak of Israel’s war with Hamas, and that 75% are worried that their communities are more likely to be attacked because of the war. For more, including links to the survey results, click here. For information on the remainder of the survey, which has yet to be released publicly but is available for internal use, please e-mail David Manchester.
Also this week, we supported Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in his recommendation that Congress allocate $1 billion in long-term emergency funding for the NSGP, which is more than triple its current annual funding level. We also requested that Congress allocate $200 million in funding for the immediate needs of our communities. For more, click here.
The Community Mobilization Center is 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 communitymobilization@jewishfederations.org for support in your community relations, political advocacy, and communications efforts. For the most recent CMC action dispatch, click here.
For additional updates and reminders, please see below:
Unity Shabbat for Israel: Join with Jewish Federations, ADL, AJC, and Jews around the country to come together for a Shabbat of Unity next Shabbat, November 17-18 (Please note change of date.) We ask that all Jews light a memorial candle in honor of those who were murdered in Israel and those who have sacrificed their lives fighting for the Jewish State. We also suggest that you light an extra pair of Shabbat candles, that you recite prayers for Israel and for the hostages, and that you end Shabbat by reciting Psalm 121. Please refer to AJC’s Everything You Need To Know About The Attack on Israel. Find suggested discussion materials and copies of prayers at www.adl.org/unity-shabbat. Also, please visit BlueRibbonsforIsrael.org.
Shabbat 25K: Next Friday, November 17, join Shabbat 25K, an initiative that empowers young leaders to host Shabbat dinners to foster conversations about the current situation in Israel. Hosts will receive a gift card for nourishment through OneTable, a Shabbat essentials box, and a toolkit to help spark discussion. In this difficult moment, help build community by learning and engaging together. Register to be a host here.
Story Bank of Humanitarian Aid to Israelis: Need stories for your Israel-related fundraising, e-blasts, blog posts, impact reports, social posts, etc? If so, please click on this poll and rearrange these categories to rank the stories that you perceive as the most impactful for your audiences and we will get to work collecting them for you! For questions, email Rachel Calman.
Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) Intro Webinar: Need basic info on how to apply for a grant from the NSGP? Join SCN and guest panelists on Thursday, November 16 at 2 pm ET as they discuss the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to guide your organization through the application process. To register, click here. For a schedule of upcoming SCN webinars, all of which will be held on Thursdays at 2, click here.
Guide to Providing PCTI Care: Our Holocaust Resource Center has just published a guide to assist family caregivers who are providing Person-Centered Trauma-Informed (PCTI) care to older adults. For more, including links to the guide, click here.
The Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI): Daily webinars sponsored by Jewish Federations and the Jewish Agency are offered. A rotating team of analysts of Israeli military affairs, the US-Israel relationship, Israel’s political system, and of the country’s diverse society will speak every Sunday to Thursday from 11-11:30 am ET. No registration is required. Join here.
Speakers on Israel: Looking for a speaker to support your Israel fundraising and community mobilization efforts? Please consult our new speaker list, intake form for planned and in-process events, and speaker recommendation form for a post-event recap. If you are interested in bringing in a speaker in partnership with other Federations, please note that in the intake form. After an event, please give feedback via the speaker recommendation form. For questions, reach out to speakers@jewishfederations.org or contact Rebecca Gerbert.
Key Concepts in Zionism and the History of Israel: Join Rabbi Mike Uram, Chief Jewish Learning Officer at Jewish Federations, on Wednesday, November 15 at 3pm ET (note new date!) and Tuesday, November 21 at 3pm ET to unpack Israel’s history and gain a better understanding of the key features of Israel and Zionism. No prior knowledge needed; questions of all kinds are encouraged. To learn more and register, click here.
Connect for Good: Chat with Ukraine: Jewish Federations’ Global Volunteer Hub is proud to launch a new virtual volunteering initiative that matches Ukrainians with English speakers for one-on-one conversation practice and cultural exchange. This program is open to any English speaker, with no prior teaching or tutoring experience required. Volunteers will participate in monthly Jewish learning sessions to ground their service in Jewish values. Join us for a virtual information session on Friday, November 17 at 1:30 pm ET. For a flyer, click here. To volunteer, click here. For questions, contact Hannah Miller.
Executive Accelerator: We are accepting nominations for the inaugural cohort of Jewish Federations’ Executive Accelerator. This year-long program for mid to senior level professionals will combine professional development, applied learning, cohort experiences, and coaching—all of which will support professionals as they chart their path forward in the Federation system towards executive leadership. To nominate a colleague, click here. The nomination period has been extended to today, Friday, November 10. Learn more about cost, eligibility requirements and the application process here. For more information, email Rebecca Ruberg.
Washington Conference: This gathering is being reoriented to address the current crisis in Israel. Please stay tuned for changes in the messaging and schedule. It's crucial that we rally as many participants as possible for the conference, as this will enable us to present a unified front to the federal government and effectively advocate for our priorities. Click here to sign up for the conference.
Amazon Business Program: The Amazon Business Associated Accounts Program now has an exclusive arrangement with JFNA that allows Federations and their associated agencies and synagogues to receive special benefits. These include discounts on Business Prime membership plans, 10% off on over 2,100 Business Essentials, and pre-approval for a Pay by Invoice line of credit. The program is free and everyone who joins will still maintain their own business account. JFNA affiliate organizations that sign up will gain exclusive access to discounts on thousands of commonly purchased products. A Canadian program will be launched later this month. Amazon Business is hosting two informational webinars; the first one will take place on Thursday, Nov 16 at 1 pm ET and the second on Wednesday, December 6 at 1 pm ET. For the flyer, click here. For questions, email Stani Monova. If you would like to speak to an Account Executive about joining the program, please email Tucker Snedeker at tucksned@amazon.com.
Shabbat Shalom,
Shira Hutt
Executive Vice President
Jewish Federations of North America