After traveling the past few weeks, I feel like I need to catch up on several community things of interest:

The Jewish Federation 2025 Campaign for Community Needs currently stands at $3 million! This is a wonderful achievement to date, but we have more work to do. We will soon begin discussions about funding allocations, and we base those decisions on pledges (payable by December 2025) to date. We are grateful to everyone who has already made their pledge. If you have yet to make your commitment to Campaign 2025, please click here to help sustain our vibrant Jewish community.

The Jewish Federation made a commitment to follow-up on the data from the 2023 Community Study. We quickly developed a list of recommendations and raised an additional $1.5 million to fund those new initiatives. In a few weeks I will share everything we have accomplished, yet today I want to focus on two timely programs.

First, this past week we held three sessions with Resetting the Table, a national organization that “equips and activates leaders from all corners of American life to transform toxic political divides and build a shared future.” One of the more challenging issues today is Israel and the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

We all accept that there is a diversity of opinions within the Jewish community. One of the things made clear from our community study is a widespread desire for the creation of “safe spaces” to express our respective views on Israel. Thus, the Jewish Federation brought in Resetting the Table and invited 72 participants to participate in one of three cohorts of 24 individuals each, including one exclusively for young adults.

Let me address a concern that was raised. Some people who were not selected for the cohorts claimed the Jewish Federation was deliberately leaving “voices” out of these groups. We received 120 applications for the 72 slots. The application mattered – less about one’s views and more about how thoughtful and serious the applicant was about why they wanted to participate. In the end, we had people from all across the spectrum – pro-Israel supporters to proclaimed anti-Zionists. And, for those who noted membership at a synagogue on their application, we had the following represented: Havurah Shalom (14), Neveh Shalom (9), Congregation Beth Israel (9), Shir Tikvah (2), Shaarie Torah (2), Ahavath Achim (2), P’nai Or (1), and Chabad (3).

This program is not about espousing one's views and then convincing people to “take your side.” It is an opportunity to learn skills and tools to actually have constructive and respectful dialogue with those with whom we disagree and hopefully find commonality.

One participant shared -- “Just returned from the Federation program with Resetting the Table⁩. The was exceptional. It was hard work, but there were breakthroughs, new friendships, new perspectives, and a bevy of new diplomatic and relationship skills that will last a lifetime. I find myself less judgmental, more open to feedback, with a renewed sense of wonder as to what’s possible in Israel/Palestine.”

We are proud to bring Resetting the Table to our community. It is incredibly powerful to witness people experiencing strong reactions to others' perspectives, listening to one another, and then finding common ground in their discussions.

One of our other major new initiatives is our Gather Grant program, funded by both the Jewish Federation and the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation Community Endowment Fund. Simply put, the Jewish Federation will reimburse you up to $120 to host an event at the place and with the people you choose. Since its launch two months ago, we have provided 41 grants touching over 300 people.

We are now accepting Gather Grant applications for April to June 2025 experiences (Passover anyone?). This upcoming quarter we are accepting grant requests on a first-come, first-serve basis -- applications must be submitted prior to March 31. These grants are open to anyone in our community – so gather your friends and we will pick up the tab.

This week we launched our annual Passover4All campaign, which provides Passover food for those in need. Due to the rising cost of groceries, this year we have raised our goal to $15,000. We are grateful for an anonymous donor who will match the first $6,000 raised. Your support is needed and we hope you will donate here.

Purim begins next Thursday night with the reading of Megillat Esther. As always, there are wonderful Purim shpiels happening around Portland. I encourage you to look at the calendar of Purim happenings here.

Speaking of Purim, for the second year in a row, members of the Jewish and Hindu communities are coming together to celebrate Purim and Holi. Please join us for this family friendly program -- click here to learn more and register here to join the fun.

Hard to believe it has been three years since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Immediately following the invasion, Jewish communities, including ours, raised over $100 million to help support the Jews in Ukraine. We helped those who wished to flee (with several coming to Portland and more than 40,000 refugees leaving Ukraine for Romania, Moldova, Poland, and Hungary) and supported the 150,000 who remained.

Our partners, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and Chabad continue to provide essential food and medicine, housing assistance, homecare for the elderly, trauma support, online and in-person educational opportunities, and financial and employment assistance to more than 55,000 vulnerable Jews around Ukraine.

We saw the recent meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky. We will watch to see if talks can get back on track and we see an end to the war.

David Fuks, former executive at Cedar Sinai Park, has written a masterful new play, Conciliation. The play is focused on two families impacted by the Holocaust – one is a German family, descendants of Nazis, and the other is an American Jewish family, descendants of Holocaust survivors. There will be a staged reading on April 6 at 1:30 p.m. at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. This will be followed by a “talkback” with the audience. Purchase your tickets here.

Finally, today is National Cereal Day. Since you read this far, let me take a quick poll – please reply to this email and let me know what your favorite cereal is – either now or while growing up. Personally, I always enjoyed Frosted Flakes with no milk (I do not like soggy cereal).

Shabbat shalom.