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June 10, 2026

Microgrants for Security Personnel 

In response to the continued rise in antisemitism, we recently awarded $244,600 in security microgrants from our Joan and Stanford Alexander Family Community Security Program, with generous support from our Board of Trustees, to help our local synagogues, schools, and organizations cover the cost of security personnel. This is a challenging time for our community, and the cost of keeping everyone safe continues to rise. Fifty local organizations received grants ranging from $2,500 - $10,000 depending on the size of the organization and scope of work. We received many heartfelt thanks and are pleased to share some of these testimonials with you. 



Impact Moment: Kolot Visit

Last week, we hosted Kolot's Restart Cohort, which the Federation supported with a Rebuild Israel grant. Kolot is a leadership organization that nurtures Israeli civic leaders from all sectors to shape a more just, compassionate, and cohesive society. Fifteen leaders from the Gaza Envelope (Otef) region, who were directly impacted by October 7th and are actively leading initiatives to rebuild and revive their communities, shared their projects with us. Our Israeli visitors met leaders of the Houston Jewish community, from rabbis, antisemitism round table, young leaders, and Federation board members. Hear directly from a Kolot leader.  



Houstonjewish.org Resources 

We hope you are enjoying the new user-friendly website features, including the enhanced Community Calendar, Organization Directory, and Community Job Board. We also now have search functionality that helps with faster, more relevant results across resources, news, and programs. Try it out today! 

• Community Calendar: Easier to add, search/filter, and share events.  
• Organization Directory: A unified view of Jewish organizations and programs. Easily shareable and filtered by interests. Organizations can also submit their information via that webpage.  
• Community Job Board: Supporting those seeking employment opportunities within Jewish organizations and institutions. If your Jewish organization has a job to post, let us know through the Submit a Job form. 

Women’s Philanthropy Volunteers

at Feeding the Lonestar 



Women’s Philanthropy closed out a banner season with a service project at Feeding the Lonestar. Lions of Judah and their families came together to cook and package 208 nutritious meals that were delivered to organizations serving Houston families in need. See photos from the event here. Women’s Philanthropy will be back in the fall with a new calendar of events. Contact Director of Women’s Philanthropy Rebeca Barvin Kalontarov or 713-972-6781 to learn more.

Feeding the Lonestar was a 2025 Local Impact Fund grant recipient for their Teen Leadership & Service Initiative.

Teen Education and Engagement Updates 



You can register your 8th through 12th graders now for Kehillah High, which starts in the fall! If you are a member of Congregation Beth Israel, Congregation Beth Yeshurun, or Congregation Brith Shalom, register directly through your synagogue. Hear straight from the students themselves on what an impact Kehillah High has had on their lives. Our Teen Education and Engagement effort also has a dedicated Instagram channel for students and parents – follow along at JFEDHTX-TEENS.

Stay up to date on current Federation events and happenings in our community:



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