Rosh Hashanah is just 10 days away. The Jewish Federation has created this High Holidays resource page for you and your family to find ways to mark the new year in community.

For the High Holidays, we encourage you to participate in the Jewish Federation’s Gather Grant program. This program is open to the community and the Jewish Federation will help cover the cost of your gathering (between $120-$180). Make sure you apply for your grant – the deadline for this round of grants is this Sunday. 

Last night, the Jewish Federation held its annual Cornerstone Event for many of our community’s most generous donors. The evening featured Rabbi David Wolpe, regarded as one of America's most influential rabbis. He brilliantly spoke about combating antisemitism, the power of Jews coming together, and how we can and will get through this challenging time.

We also revealed that the Jewish Federation’s theme this year is “Moving from the Oys to the Joys.” We have been through so much these past few years with the pandemic, October 7 and its aftermath, political differences in our own country, and more. With this in mind, I shared how the Jewish Federation is reviewing its program and funding strategies for the next few years. I will explain more next week.

The evening also helped launch our 2026 Campaign for Community Needs. As of today, we have raised $643,000 towards the campaign with a donor-for-donor increase of 13%. This is an incredible start for our first 10 days! Thank you to our generous donors and for setting the tone for this year's campaign.

You, too, can help us maximize our campaign effort by making your generous increased commitment here (payment is not due until December 2026).

I just finished Dr. Jack Wertheimer’s (who earlier this year retired as Professor of American Jewish History at the Jewish Theological Seminary) book, Jewish Giving: Philanthropy and the Shaping of American Jewish Life. Granted, I do this for a living, but the book did an excellent job highlighting significant trends and challenges within Jewish philanthropy and Jewish communities in recent years.

There has been a dramatic increase in funds donated by Jewish individuals to Jewish causes since 2020. However, the number of donors to Jewish causes is shrinking, including a study showing less than half of Jews report giving to a Jewish cause in the preceding year.

Post-October 7, there are indications of a shift, with some donors directing more philanthropy towards Jewish causes, reflecting a possible rise in commitment among certain segments of the community. This dichotomy suggests a community with a more engaged core but also a disengaged segment less interested, making philanthropy more challenging for Jewish organizations.

Wertheimer posits that the future of the Jewish community faces uncertainty amid crises like rising antisemitism and strained relations with Israel. Some evidence suggests a resurgence in Jewish engagement, fueled by crises prompting a renewed interest in Jewish identity. Conversely, younger Jews are increasingly distancing themselves from Israel or disengaging altogether due to political and social tensions. We will see what the next few years bring.

There are many issues impacting the Jewish community – Jewish continuity, engagement, connections with Israel, and so much more. These issues are not new – but they are marked by new complexities that require thoughtful responses. American Jewish philanthropy, with the Jewish Federation being one recipient, remains resilient and impactful, demonstrating its continued importance in sustaining Jewish life through changing times.

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to meet with a community member with whom I shared multiple email exchanges regarding their passionate concerns about the Hamas-Israel war. Despite not always agreeing, we had a cordial in-person conversation. Following the breakfast, he wrote me: “I wish more people would take advantage of opportunities to sit down and talk about issues and differing opinions.”

Sadly, on Wednesday, we learned what can happen.

Charlie Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University. We learned this morning that a suspect is in custody.

I understand Kirk's views were polarizing -- he frequently characterized himself as a defender of Jews and Israel, while also being accused of spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories and advancing mainstream far-right voices. Regardless, his murder is only the latest reminder of the dangers of political violence.

Ezra Klein in The New York Times wrote, “The foundation of a free society is the ability to participate in politics without fear of violence. To lose that is to risk losing everything…We can live with losing an election because we believe in the promise of the next election; we can live with losing an argument because we believe that there will be another argument. Political violence imperils that.”

And Peggy Noonan of The Wall Street Journal shared, "For those of us who remember the 1960s and the killing of Medgar Evers, both Kennedys and Martin Luther King, it feels like we’re going through another terrible round of political violence...the assassinations of the 1960s took place in a healthier country, one that respected itself more and was, for all its troubles, more at ease with itself. Part of why this moment is scary is that we are brittler, and we love each other less, maybe even love ourselves less...Now political violence feels like something we do, which is a painful thought."

Our country is hurting -- I feel this polarized hatred building and building -- we must and can be better!

Fun fact for the week: Many of you may be familiar with Mikve Israel, the famous synagogue in Curacao with the sand floor. It was established in 1651 and is the oldest synagogue in the Americas in continuous use.

In the 1860s, several congregants petitioned the synagogue board to introduce reforms to Mikve Israel, which was an Orthodox congregation. The synagogue refused. In typical Jewish fashion, the pro-reform members left the synagogue to form their own, the Dutch Reform Emanu-El Congregation, which opened its new building on September 12, 1867, 158 years ago today. Mikve Israel and Temple Emanu-El co-existed near each other for a hundred years before merging in 1964. The synagogue is now called Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue and is a member of liberal and progressive movements of Reconstructing Judaism and the World Union for Progressive Judaism.

Shabbat shalom.