Dear Friends,

Last Wednesday evening I had the privilege of being with and addressing nearly 200 members of our community at our Shine On, A Night by the Sound community gathering. It was a wonderful evening celebrating our community and the work of our Federation.

I expressed my hope for the new year: that we find ways to strengthen, secure and build a safe, flourishing and robust Jewish community, and that together we find ways to become more deeply connected to Jewish communal life. That doing so will bring a sense of meaning, purpose, and connection, and a desire to explore with vigor the riches we have in our community.

Since October 7th, 2023, the experience of being Jewish in America became not just about being Jewish. Our identity and the identity of those close and important to us have become intimately connected to how we now choose to live Jewishly in a world that is vastly different than it was before October 7th.

For me, my Jewish engagements are now about being part of a vigorous community, creating and encouraging bonds with one another, celebrating when we can and being present for those who are experiencing sorrow.

It is my hope that our upcoming Days of Awe bring us all a path to renewal, healing, and reconciliation, and a promise to share in a commitment to build as strong a sense of community as we can. That we find ways to share both celebrations and sorrows and that we face them together.

On Sunday October 5th, we will have the opportunity to gather in remembrance of the sorrow and tragedy of October 7, 2023, one of many ways to show our connection to one another and to Israel. Your presence will indeed bring that sense of meaning, purpose and connection we all need as we face what is in front of us.

Until then, please accept my warmest wish for Ketivah V’chatimah Tova…. that you be inscribed and sealed for a great year filled with good health, much happiness, peace, and blessings.

With warm regards,

Joel Weiss

Chief Executive Officer

Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County

Come together with our community for a moving tribute to the lives lost on October 7th and the resilience of those who survived - through art, conversation, and community.

We are honored to welcome back Supernova music festival survivor Shye Klein, who will share his powerful journey of recovery.

Shye first visited our community in November 2023, bravely recounting his harrowing experience at the festival. Nearly two years later, he returns with new perspective - offering powerful imagery and storytelling that bring clarity, humanity and context to events too often misunderstood. Through his photography, advocacy, and speaking engagements across over 200 cities in North America, Shye amplifies survivor voices, confronts rising antisemitism and inspires audiences with honesty and empathy. His work helps communities understand the lived realities of survivors today and challenges audiences to engage, reflect, and stand against hate in all forms.

Join us on October 5th to witness how trauma can transform into healing—how creation can be born from chaos—and how art can sustain lives and livelihoods. Pre-Registration is required.

RSVP HERE for Commemorating Two Years Since October 7th

Thank You for Shining On with Us!

What a night of joy, inspiration, and community as we honored Alan Feldman and Bryan Bierman — and listened to Julie Platt, Immediate Past Chair of JFNA about raising the necessary funds to secure our community.

Because of YOU, Federation leads the way:

• Secured critical state and federal grants

• 736 people trained in 23 sessions

• 7 building assessments completed

Our seed support for our SCN initiative expires in 2027. We must sustain the Annual Campaign but also build permanent long-term support to keep our synagogues, schools, and community safe for generations.

Already gave? Thank you.

Haven’t yet? Give today at: tinyurl.com/fed-security

Support our Gala Security Initiative Here

We hope you will enjoy some of these photos from our evening. We will be posting all of the remaining images at ShalomCT.org after the holiday.

De-Escalation Training

Federation was proud to host Community Security Director Mike Butsch at Or Hadash, Temple Israel, and Congregation Beth El Norwalk for a De-Escalation Security Training. Participants gained valuable interpersonal skills and techniques to help reduce tension, defuse hostility, and manage conflict in challenging situations.

Mike guided attendees through strategies rooted in active listening (pictured below), demonstrating how empathy, rapport, and influence can help shift the behavior of an agitated individual—transforming a potentially volatile moment into one of understanding and calm.

This workshop is part of Federation’s ongoing commitment to community safety. Our Community Security Directors have previously led sessions on The Power of Hello, Stop the Bleed, and Countering Active Threats.

Stay tuned for the next training in this important series later this year.

Rebuilding Israel

Israel’s Tkuma administration, responsible for post-October 7 rebuilding, reports that nearly 90% of Israeli residents from the Gaza border area have returned to their communities. However, many are not yet back in their original homes due to widespread destruction. In Kerem Shalom, adjacent to Rafah, 88% have returned, and in Re’im the figure is even higher at 95%. Nir Oz remains an exception, with fewer than a third of residents back or planning to return in the coming months.
Israel’s Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Department published a summary in the lead up to the two-year anniversary of October 7. According to its report:
Since the October 7 massacre, the department has begun treating 20,000 new wounded IDF soldiers, and is expected to receive another 20,000 by 2028.
There is a severe shortage of caregivers, with a caregiver-to-patient ratio of 1:750.
55 percent of wounded soldiers suffer various psychological conditions, such as PTSD. And when it comes to a return to normalcy, they are struggling even more than those who are physically wounded. Only 48 percent of psychologically affected soldiers have returned to work, compared to 67 percent of physically injured soldiers.
In what likely only compounds the problem, wounded Israelis are waiting on average for three to four months for a psychiatric appointment.
Before October 7, 2023, the department was responsible for 11,000 people with psychological issues. That has since increased by 180 percent to 31,000 and is expected to reach 50,000 by 2028.