Tomorrow is the 249^th birthday of our country. Although not a Jewish holiday, it could be viewed as a revolution in Jewish history. With the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the United States of America became the first country in modern history to give Jewish men (yes, only men at that time) full citizenship.

Fun fact: The first design for the official seal of the United States recommended by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson in 1776 depicted the Jews crossing the Red Sea. The motto around the seal read: “Resistance to Tyrants is Obedience to God.”

Above -- the current Great Seal of the United States

Let me first acknowledge the passing of Karen Diamond (z”l) on Monday. On June 1, she gathered in Boulder for a peaceful demonstration demanding the release of hostages held by Hamas when she, along with more than two dozen people, was violently attacked by an antisemitic extremist. We extend our deepest condolences to her family and the entire community. May her memory be a blessing, and may we honor her by continuing the fight against antisemitism and hate in all its forms.

Gali Cooks, CEO of Leading Edge, which helps Jewish organizations improve their workplace culture and leadership so that they can better achieve their missions, recently wrote, “Great leaders don’t deny the realities around them. They channel their agency to respond to events they cannot control in new and creative ways. They step beyond their limitations, trying on new approaches or even new ways of being.”

I am blessed each day to work with an incredible group of professional leaders at the Jewish Federation who “go beyond” and find “new and creative ways” to support our community. Without their hard work and effort, I know we could not do the things we do. This week, I want to honor and thank the following incredible professionals working on your behalf every day.

Please note I had to abbreviate each person’s “bio” due to space – they do far more than what is listed.

Julie Alferez has been with the Jewish Federation for seven years, works in our finance department, and also serves as our office manager. If you ever call the Federation office or have a question about your pledge statement, you will hear her cheerful voice and feel her friendly personality.

Jessica Anderson has served as our Director of Community Security since February 2022. Jessica brings over 24 years of law enforcement and security expertise to this role. She provides safety trainings and risk assessments for Jewish organizations across the state, assists with applications for non-profit security grants from the Department of Homeland Security, and is our liaison to law enforcement.

Daniel Berger is our Marketing Director and has been at the Jewish Federation for almost three years. Daniel’s role continues to expand by overseeing our general marketing, social media, overall messaging, and graphic design.

Bob Horenstein has worked at the Jewish Federation for almost 31 years and serves as our Chief Community Relations and Public Affairs Officer. These past 21 months may have been the most challenging of his career. He (along with Rachel Nelson) has worked tirelessly to combat antisemitism and anti-Israel hate in our schools, universities, and community.

Laura Jeser is our Associate Campaign and Engagement Director. She joined our team two years ago to expand our campaign reach, leadership development, and engagement with young families and young adults.

Wendy Kahn is our Chief Development Officer and has worked at the Jewish Federation since early 2017. She brings incredible knowledge and passion to her role from her many years as a volunteer leader. She continues to build out our volunteer campaign team and works tirelessly to raise additional dollars to meet our community’s needs.

Rachel Nelson has been at the Jewish Federation for almost twelve year and serves as our Director of Jewish Educational Initiatives and Associate Director of Community Relations. She convenes the Portland Area Jewish Educators (PAJE), oversees our multiple incentive grant and scholarship programs (One Happy Camper, Chai Israel, Sussman-Shenker Fund), and takes a leadership role within the JCRC.

Jakob Rich-Levin has been at the Jewish Federation for one year and manages our campaign donor database. I cannot reinforce enough the importance of this role.

Rockne Roll has been the editor of the Jewish Review for two years. Not only has he expanded the coverage in the paper, he now also hosts and produces the bi-weekly Jewish Review Podcast.

Caron Blau Rothstein and I worked together at the Jewish Federation in Baltimore many years ago. Fourteen years ago, she joined me at the Jewish Federation and now serves as the Chief Planning and Engagement Officer. Caron currently oversees our community allocations process, outreach initiatives, and manages Rachel’s Well – Community Mikvah.

Ben Winkleblack serves as our Chief Financial Officer and has been at the Jewish Federation since 2006. He ensures all community dollars donated are used wisely and for the purpose intended. Under his leadership, the Jewish Federation continues to be under or at budget year after year and that we maintain “clean audits.”

The following new positions were created in the past year based on data from the 2023 Community Study. We created what we call the “Catalyst Fund” and raised $1.5 million to make these new positions/initiatives possible for the next several years:

Gadi Golan starts at the Jewish Federation in two weeks as our new outreach coordinator on the eastside. This is the first time we have had a professional specifically focused on the eastside. He will also use his background to assist with our technology needs.

Shiri Grinfeld is our new Community Shlicha (emissary from Israel) and will arrive in mid-August. Her focus is to “bring Israel to Portland” through educational, social, and cultural programs.

Merit Pinker joined our team in December 2024 as our new Volunteer Coordinator to expand our volunteerism efforts (both in and outside the Jewish community). Merit is a former Peace Corps volunteer and worked at the Hillels of Georgia for five years before coming to Portland.

Yosef Rosen became our Director of Jewish Life and Learning in November 2024. Yosef’s focus is on creating new Jewish learning opportunities throughout the community.

This is a tremendous group of professionals! They do this work to make sure our Jewish community meets your needs. They are special people who are also wonderful colleagues and friends.

What this group makes happen on a daily basis (we have the smallest professional team of any federation of our size in the country) with no department silos and an “all for one” mentality is truly special. Our Jewish community is blessed to have them work on our behalf. Feel free to send any of them a note of thanks (click on their name above).

Have a safe and wonderful July 4^th holiday weekend and an early Shabbat shalom.