Weekly Round-up December 4-8
Dear Colleagues,
This week, in concert with other major Jewish organizations, we launched the 10/7 Project to promote bipartisan support for Israel. The initiative will disseminate the most up-to-date and accurate information about the Israel-Hamas war both to both policymakers and to the American public. A daily newsletter, The 10/7 Project Daybook, is now available by signing up on the project website. You can read more about the project on our blog post.
We have now raised more than $711 million systemwide for emergency humanitarian aid to Israel, with more than $211 already allocated to the needs on the ground. For the latest report, click here. Please see today’s update from our Israel office.
Also this week, Federation leaders joined hundreds of others at a UN hearing, organized by the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), the Schusterman Family Philanthopies, and others on the heinous sexual violence committed by Hamas on October 7. Former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg was one of the speakers at the hearing; her powerful November op-ed on CNN helped to bring attention to this issue. You can find a video of the hearing here. Please help to spread awareness of this issue by sharing the #UnitedAgainstRape video on social media. For a sample caption (and to share NCJW's posts) see our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter posts here.
We also participated this week in the National Mobilization Week to ensure that our Members of Congress continue to stand up for Israel and not be misled by the barrage of anti-Israel propaganda from pro-Hamas activists that has attempted to turn them against our staunchest ally in the Middle East.
After months of work, we are proud to share our Ukraine Impact Report, which details our efforts and response to the war in Ukraine and was completed shortly before October 7. The report includes what we learned by providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine in the first year of the war — including fundraising methods to disseminating data about grants to enhancing our system-wide communications. These learnings have been invaluable in our response to the current crisis in Israel. As we continue to respond to crises around the world, we hope that what we accomplished in Ukraine will give you and your communities pride and confidence in our system’s ability to overcome the challenges of the present and future. To read the report, click here.
Finally, ignite your community’s flame and expel darkness both here at home and in Israel with our Chanukah Toolkit, featuring marketing materials like designed emails, direct mail letters, social posts, and more. For questions, please reach out to Laura Berke Hausman.
Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram at handle@jfederations and don’t forget that we are still updating our Israel at War Resources daily with social posts, reels, videos, and talking points. Click here for video customizations and here for graphic customizations. Also, check out the videos here to round out your social media feeds, e-blasts, in person events and more. If you would like to request any edits to make the content ready for your local community please submit them here.
For additional updates and reminders, please see below.
Important Update about Washington Conference 2024: Due to the quickly-evolving situation in Israel and Washington, we are adjusting our advocacy plans. We are now planning a Jewish Federations’ Advocacy Fly-In from January 30 to 31, 2024, while the Washington Conference, originally scheduled for February, will be folded into next year’s General Assembly, which will take place in Washington, DC from November 10 to 12, 2024. Details and registration information about the Fly-In will be released soon.
Solidarity Missions to Israel: Jewish Federations is planning three upcoming Missions to Israel. Anyone with Federation involvement can join the December 18-19Mission. In January, we have scheduled two missions for those donors who have given $250K or more to the Israel Emergency Fund; the mission on January 8-9 will be chaired by Julie Platt and the mission on January 15-16 will be chaired by David Heller. Please contact Lindsay Matloff for more information.
Free Year-Long Membership to BoardSource: We are pleased to provide a year-long individual BoardSource membership to every Federation board member and staff member. BoardSource is a nationally recognized curator of outstanding resources on governance-related issues. To register, please use this link. Your free membership will be in effect through September 1, 2024. These valuable tools will support your Federation’s efforts to identify the people and governance processes that will maximize your ability to achieve your strategic goals. For questions, please reach out to Rebecca Gerbert.
Community Speakers: If you would like to bring a speaker on Israel, please see this updated speaker list, intake form for planned and in-process events, and speaker recommendation form for a post-event recap. If you are interested in bringing in someone for a speaker swing in partnership with other Federations, please note that on the intake form. After an event, please fill out the speaker recommendation form to assist other communities. When reaching out to speakers, please cc your Federation-size liaison (Bev, Debbie, Ed, etc.). For questions, please reach out to swordsofironspeakers@gmail.com or to Rebecca Gerbert.
LLD Cohort Gathering: For professionals who work directly with lay leaders, pipelining, and organizing leaders on their leadership journeys, please join us for an in-depth conversation on Thursday, December 14 from 11 am–noon ET as we learn from three colleagues in the field. Please share this invitation/registration linkwith anyone in your Federation who might benefit from this learning opportunity. Please see the agenda here. For questions, please contact Rebecca Gerbert.
Making Management Easier: Join Rachel Wallins, Founder of Accelerate Talent Management, for a taste of the forthcoming Management Essentials Framework being launched for professionals at Jewish Federations. In this two-part series, participants will experience best-in-class models, breakouts, surveys, and other hands-on activities to ensure they can immediately take back to the job. While we encourage participants to attend both sessions, each session also works as a stand-alone. The next and final session will take place on Thursday, December 14 from noon-1:30 pm ET. Please register here.
Seeking Mental Health Professionals to Volunteer in Israel: Jewish Federations are partnering with the Israel Ministry of Health, the Israel Trauma Coalition, and Birthright Israel to recruit qualified volunteers to provide in-person and remote support to affected populations and local mental health professionals in Israel. Second Line is prioritizing native Hebrew speakers (and, as a second priority, speakers of French, Russian, Ukrainian, Arabic, Amharic, and Spanish). Volunteers must be able to travel to Israel for six weeks to offer individual and group counseling. We encourage you to view this as an opportunity for engagement, particularly for communities that can recruit a small group for a cohort. To apply, click here. For more information, contact Hannah Miller.
Community Mobilization Center: The Community Mobilization Center is monitoring major developments in Israel and North America related to the war, rapidly disseminating resources, and mobilizing our local communities to ensure that Israel has the civic and political support necessary to defend herself. You can find the CMC’s dispatches and supports in the Resource Hub linked in our toolkit’s resource section. Contact the CMC for support in your community relations, political advocacy, and communications efforts. For today’s CMC action dispatch, click here.
JEDI Leadership Certificate Program: Jewish Federations certifies Jewish lay and professional leaders in Jewish organizations by increasing leadership competencies, providing a national network of support, and coaching organizations through the process of building a multiyear strategy. You will join 20 other communities that are actively working on their local strategies and implementation plans. Program begins on Thursday, January 18 and applications close on Monday, January 8. Click here to apply.
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. Please share this link with your team and with all new hires. Please contact Sari Kreines with any questions.
Shabbat of Love: Join Jewish Federations as we set the table for the largest Shabbat dinner celebration in North American history, now scheduled for Friday, January 19. We welcome Jews of all ages, backgrounds, and identities to come together with their family, friends, and neighbors, to experience the sacred joy of Shabbat. Shabbat of Love is an opportunity for your Federation to engage its constituents, affinity groups, and local partners in spreading a message of love and light during this dark moment. To learn more about how your Federation can participate, visit shabbatoflove.org. Please contact Elan Kramer with any questions.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Chanukah,
Shira Hutt
Executive Vice President
Jewish Federations of North America