Dear Colleagues,

Sunday will mark the 100th day since the October 7th attack by Hamas on Israel. Our system has raised close to $770 million and allocated a quarter-billion dollars to date.

Our Israel Emergency Impact Package includes comprehensive data and firsthand stories on the impact of Federation dollars during this terribly tragic and tumultuous time. The package includes a high-level report that you can share with your communities, along with supporting social posts, emails, and photos. Click here for the latest update from our Israel office, and read Eric Fingerhut’s op-ed in the Times of Israel here.

South Africa is baselessly accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice in the Hague. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a press conference in Tel Aviv on Wednesday in which he denounced the charge of genocide as “meritless,” adding that it is “particularly galling, given that those who are attacking Israel…continue to openly call for the annihilation of Israel and the mass murder of Jews.”  For the text of his remarks, click here. Also, see our recent Community Mobilization Center (CMC) dispatch on the true definition of genocide. And for a deep dive into the issues, click here.

City councils across the country are attempting to pass pro-Hamas resolutions. Jewish Federations are launching a large-scale community engagement effort to fight back, setting International Holocaust Remembrance Day (IHRD), which falls this year on Saturday, January 27, as a key milestone for action. We have created an IHRD Advocacy toolkit and Social Media Guidelines for IHRD Advocacy, as well as an issue brief on the subject. For the video of this week’s training webinar, click here. 

As reported this week in eJP, Jewish Federations have launched a new fund to help Israeli loan providers to aid small business owners affected by the war in Gaza. We salute Jeff Schoenfeld, co-chair of the allocation committee for our Israel Emergency Fund, for spearheading this initiative, which is aimed at raising an additional $75 million to supplement the $25 that has already been allocated for this purpose.

President Isaac Herzog met with participants during one of our fly-ins to Israel this week, which was led by Julie Platt. "Thank you for your visit, your activism, your support, and your generosity,” he said. “You epitomize the mutual responsibility which we have seen mobilized in Jewish communities around the world." To see our tweet with the photo of the gathering, click here.

National Young Leadership Cabinet is proud to announce Beth Wayne (Palm Beach County) and Bobby Gibbs (Dallas) as its incoming Co-Chairs for 2024-2025. Beginning on July 1, 2024, they will further their commitment to strengthening participants’ ability to serve the Jewish community at a moment when inspired leadership is needed to face once-in-a-generation challenges. For more, click here.

For more updates and reminders, please see below:

Marking 100 Days Since the Hamas Attack: Join UJA-Federation this Sunday, January 14, at 10 am ET for a special briefing to mark the 100 days that Israeli civilians have been held in captivity and to call for their release. In addition to wearing #BlueRibbonsForIsrael, participants are requested to follow Rachel Goldberg’s lead and put a strip of masking tape over their hearts with the number 100 on it. Please post a picture of yourself and tag it with #Bring_Hersh_Home and #BringThemHomeNow. To register, click here. To read about additional actions that you can take to help bring the hostages home, click here.

MLK Day Morning Fuel: Our Jewish Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Initiative invites you to the Fourth Annual MLK Day Morning Fuel and Call to Service on Monday, January 15 at 11 AM ET. We'll discuss Jewish values as they relate to civil rights, explore action steps for bridge-building and combating hate in our communities, and understand how Zionism is a cause fueled by justice and equity. To register, click here.

Shabbat of Love: Shabbat of Love takes place next Friday, January 19. Don’t miss this golden opportunity to engage your constituents, affinity groups, and local partners in spreading a message of love and light during this dark and difficult time. Visit shabbatoflove.org to learn how you can participate. Contact Elan Kramer with any questions.

Combating Disinformation in the Israel-Hamas War: Join Jewish Federations on Wednesday, January 24 at 1 pm ET for a webinar to help you push back against disinformation around the Israel-Hamas War. The program will feature an expert in urban warfare, Major John Spencer, along with an expert in the law of armed conflict, Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey S. Corn. This program is open to the public—please invite both Jewish communal professionals and our civic and interfaith partners. To register, click here.

Advocacy Fly-In to DC: More than 250 Federation leaders are already registered for our Fly-In to Washington, DC, on Tuesday, January 30, and Wednesday, January 31. We will advocate for our top communal priorities and strengthen relationships with key decision-makers in Congress. To join us, click here. For a sheet of FAQs, click here. For questions, contact Melody DeSanto Goodman.

National Bikkur Cholim Conference: This year’s conference theme, "Expanding and Strengthening Our Circles of Caring" will address how our communities can be more inclusive of people with disabilities, those dealing with addiction and trauma, Jews of Color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and others. The virtual conference will take place over the next five months on select Monday nights from 8 to 9:30 pm. Eric Fingerhut will speak in the first session, this Monday evening, January 15. To register, click here.

Quarterly Virtual Orientation for New Hires in Federations: Jewish Federations are running quarterly virtual orientations, to which all new hires are invited. The next orientation will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, January 31 at 1 pm ET. The orientations provide an opportunity for newly hired professionals to learn about Jewish Federations, ask questions, connect with colleagues in other Federations, and access additional support and resources. Click here for more information, and please share the link with your team and with all new hires. Email Sari Kreines with any questions.

JEDI Leadership Certificate Program: Featuring some of the top nonprofit, philanthropic, and strategy professionals, this program provides monthly leadership coaching, training, and a network of support as Federations build multiyear domestic engagement strategies and support for Israel.  Applications close on Monday, January 15; the program begins ten days later, on Thursday, January 25. To apply, click here.

Urgently Seeking Mental Health Professionals to Volunteer in Israel:  As part of the Second Line initiative, Jewish Federations are partnering with the Israel Ministry of Health, the Israel Trauma Coalition, and Birthright Israel to recruit qualified volunteers to provide both in-person and remote support to both affected populations and local mental health professionals in Israel. Native Hebrew speakers are particularly in demand, although speakers of French, Russian, Ukrainian, Arabic, Amharic, and Spanish will also be considered. Volunteers must be able to travel to Israel for six weeks. This is a golden opportunity for engagement, particularly for communities that can recruit a small group as a cohort. To apply, click here. For more information, contact Hannah Miller.

Shabbat Shalom,

Shira Hutt
Executive Vice President
Jewish Federations of North America