Adapting to Meet Our Community's Needs During the Pandemic

How Federation and Foundation Have Adapted to Meet the Needs of Our Community During and After the Pandemic

The story of Noah, which we read this week, provides a powerful reminder that even after the most horrific plagues, there can be hope. We have all witnessed and experienced trauma in the past many months, from sickness to hunger to wildfires to civil unrest to loss of life. As time passes, and we continue to endure these challenges, it may feel as though we are being tossed about on rough waters without a safe haven in sight.

The Federation and Foundation pride ourselves on building the ark that sustains and supports our community in anticipation of times such as these.

Perhaps the greatest lesson we learn from Noah is that you can't build an ark the day you need it. On the contrary, visionary and disciplined leadership is required to prepare for the day the rains come and flood abounds. At the Federation and Foundation, we have built and prepared the ark that sustains and supports our community for generations.

Our professional staff and volunteer leaders have fastidiously developed a framework to allow for conscientious, intentioned giving from all who wish to and are able to contribute in this way. The foresight and generosity of donors like you have enabled us to weather the storm so that we can survive through these harrowing times, and thrive when the seas are calm again. Of course, Noah and his family did not survive the great flood, together with their animal companions, without sacrifice, rationing of resources, and deep collaboration. We too have committed ourselves to making necessary cut-backs, carefully stewarding resources, and deeply investing in collaboration to deliver us through the pandemic.

The challenges of the pandemic have called upon us to be nimble in our offerings, and to adapt our approach to communicating, engaging, and interacting with our community. We have updated our practices to allow ourselves to meet evolving needs and capabilities, and are excited to share some of the ways in which we have evolved to be better partners now and in the future.

It is a humbling challenge and a sacred honor to lead the Federation and Foundation through these times. Speaking with community members, we hear every day the deep-seated and heartfelt commitment that they have to the future of Jewish life. As we close out our 2020 campaign and begin anew for 2021, we are optimistic about the power of what we can accomplish together. Our motto, "stronger together," has never been truer.

With joy, strength, and hope from our families to yours,

Jewish Community Pandemic Relief Fund Makes an Impact

The generous outpouring by donors to our Jewish Community Pandemic Relief Fund has allowed us to work with organizations across Southern Arizona to assist the vulnerable during this critical time. We set out to distribute our funds in a phased approach to meet the most essential needs of those impacted by the pandemic. At this time, we have begun phase 2 of our grantmaking priorities.

The newest grants pending distribution include $20,000 in funding provided by the Lovell Foundation to support needs for Southern Arizona's Tribal Nations.

As of October 20, 2020

Total contributions: $405,000

Total grants: $213,000

Grants pending distribution:

$20,000 to Our Family Services
$10,000 to Step Up to Justice
$20,000 to Jewish Family & Children's Services
$20,000 to Interfaith Community Services

Additional Grants Made Possible by David & Lura Lovell Foundation:

$10,000 to Tohono O'odham Health Care and Sunrise House Family Resource Center
$10,000 to Pascua Yaqui Charitable Organization

The AJP re-launched after a brief summer hiatus in an all-digital format this fall. Our online publication arrives in a monthly email newsletter and an upgraded web presence. We are thrilled to be partnering with advertisers and community members to continue to evolve the "look and feel" of the digital AJP to best meet community needs. We are committed to continuing to feature simchas, report on stories about remarkable community members, highlight important happenings, and promote local events.

Arizona Jewish Post

Is Back And Online

Subscribe to the Digital AJP

We can't wait to honor Nancy and Stu in style at our socially distanced soiree! Drive in to our biggest event of the year for swag bags, performances, and camaraderie with your community.

All are invited, free-of-charge, but space is limited so please register to reserve your spot.

Surprises in store!

Community Events Newsflash Returns Along with Updated Community Calendar

We recently debuted a new and improved online community calendar. This calendar is synced to our revamped weekly email newsflash, which provides regular updates on community events from synagogues, agencies, and organizations. Community members can access the calendar online at any time and/or sign up for the newsflash to be delivered straight to their inboxes on Monday mornings.

As part of this transformation, we also updated our planning calendar, which is an internal tool facilitated by the Federation that is used by Jewish community professionals across Southern Arizona to coordinate and streamline events.

Weintraub Israel Center Connecting You to Israel in 2021 and Beyond

In light of the pandemic, both our shlicha and shinshinim (emissaries) were halted this year as they returned to Israel. The inability to gather in person has proven a challenging obstacle to meaningful Israel programming - particularly as we know many are experiencing 'Zoom fatigue'. The pause in events has afforded our professionals time to explore Israel engagement strategies around the country to prepare us to re-invigorate, inspire, and re-engage our community meaningfully as soon as we are able to be together again. We will be excited to recruit a new Weintraub Israel Center Director and new Israeli emissaries when our activity can again resume in earnest.

We have worked with our partners at the Tucson J to provide increasing Israel offerings online, including cooking classes and lecture series, to help bridge the gap before in-person restrictions are lifted.

Simultaneously, we are continuing to provide support for critical offerings in our Partnership region in Israel and for Jewish communities in need in Israel and around the world through our partners at the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Joint Distribution Committee.