During the past six months as the new Executive Director of the Jewish Federation, I have been thinking a lot about the community we want to see when we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. In coming to know the 75 year history of the Federation, I can say with confidence, moving forward, our giving must support the evolutionary change needed in our Jewish community.
Rosh Hashanah is a time for renewing our personal and community commitments. One important way to build on this ancient Jewish wisdom in the New Year is to think differently about how our philanthropy shapes the fabric of our community.
For many of us, our grandparents and parents gave money to the Jewish community because it was expected of them. The core belief in our Tzedakah giving was implicit in that Jews should pass on some of whatever they had (large or small) to others in the Jewish community. Today however, we are seeing a growing trend to not fund organizations in the traditional way; in fact, ‘tradition’ and ‘obligation’ are not values that generally motivate givers.
Today, many donors would rather fund outcomes and programs tied to results than to pay a “Jewish tax” to belong to the Federation and to other Jewish institutions. Unlike the older models of community support where everyone gave at their capacity and received the services they needed, many Jewish communities entered a more transactional mode. The nexus in this new model asked people to pay for the services they wanted: preschool, Hebrew school, adult education, camp, and in some communities, weddings, funerals, and everything in between.
As a student of business and through my love of Judaism, I see merit in both giving models. My construct of giving is based both on TRADITION ─ one Jew doing a mitzvah, a good deed, to help other Jews ─ an expression of love for our community and the Jewish people; and on VALUE CREATION that goes beyond outcomes and participation ─ many times with the same folks attending.
In my view, instead of making a traditional “ask” in our Annual Campaign, I think now we need to reframe our thinking to fund people, ideas, and community programs that we want to see and be a part of. I am committing to this type of support. The pandemic, the isolation it has caused, and the need for our community to continue to evolve along with our giving practices are fueling new ideas for moving our community into the future.
Let us not become a fragmented Jewish Community. We are immeasurably richer and stronger as part of a vibrant and diverse community ─ A Tree of Life to all who grasp it.
If this is the community we wish to see, that is the community we need to create and support.
Shana Tova U’metuka,
(May we be blessed with a good and sweet year)
