From Exodus to Allocations

This month’s Super Funday event kicked off our 2019 annual Community Campaign. This is new—we have changed the fundraising schedule to coincide with the annual calendar, and we did this with you in mind. From now on, no more confusion as to when you pledged and to what campaign year your gift will be applied. An investment in our community in 2019 counts for 2019—refreshing and simple.

This past week I had the good fortune of attending two school benefits that reminded me why we conduct an annual campaign in the first place. At the Torah Academy and Heilicher Minneapolis Jewish Day School events, I met parent after parent who was concerned about their children’s future and the future of our community. Their concern extends beyond guaranteeing a good education for their kids—they’re wondering:

What kind of Jewish world will exist when these students come of age?

Will they be safe? Will they be able to thrive?

Will there be sustainable institutions in place to support meaningful Jewish life?

Our annual Community Campaign helps ensure positive answers to all these questions. It’s no secret that Jewish life comes with a cost. All of Federation’s partners face challenges day in and day out. The millions of dollars we allocate annually, thanks to your support of the Community Campaign, keeps the doors open across Minneapolis and around the world. This is as important today as it has ever been.

But I would like to suggest there is further significance to what you achieve through supporting the campaign.

At the Torah Academy benefit, guest speaker Rabbi Moshe Tuvia Leiff made a beautiful observation. He noted that the torah contains 600,000 words and that if one word is missing, or the calligraphy of one letter becomes illegible, the torah is not kosher and can no longer be used. Rabbi Leiff suggested that the 600,000 words correlate to the 600,000 Jews who left Egypt together. Had one Jew of the 600,000 not left Egypt, the exodus would have been incomplete.

This made me think of Federation and our campaign. Federation’s work strives to serve our entire community—each and every one of us. When a single member is forgotten, or their needs are not addressed, we do not fully address our mandate.

Now that our 2019 campaign has officially kicked off, I invite you to join us—so that by working together in Federated fashion, no Jew is left behind.
 

Shabbat Shalom,

Jim