I am proud to share the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland’s 2024 Annual Report. Please take the time to read about our accomplishments during this most challenging year. The report highlights our fundraising success and impactful allocations for the year, as well as shares a special thank you to our generous contributors to both the Annual Campaign and our Israel Emergency Fund.

As President and CEO of the Jewish Federation, I am very proud of our professional team in how quickly we are able to produce this report. Our fiscal year ended just five short weeks ago and our report is available to you. Moreover, it is our commitment to you and our community that we will continue to be transparent in our work.



Earlier this week, four members of the Jewish Federation professional team went to Seattle to spend two days with our colleagues there. It was an opportunity to learn more about each other’s Jewish communities, how our Jewish Federations operate (we are different), and to share common challenges and new ideas to positively impact Jewish life. It was time well spent and we realized that there is much we have in common here in the Pacific Northwest.

Last week, The New York Times published a Conversation with Melinda French Gates. She was interviewed on a full range of issues, including her thoughts about philanthropy. I found this exchange quite enlightening:

There is this debate in philanthropy right now about how money should be disbursed. The Gates Foundation is known for one way of doing it, which is data-driven. It’s known as strategic philanthropy. I’m wondering about the second model. That’s called trust-based philanthropy, and you give money to organizations closest to the issues that you care about, no strings attached. Are you moving in that direction? 

I’m probably somewhere a little bit more in the middle of that, still leaning toward data-driven but certainly a little bit more in trust-based model, because I don’t intend to build up a large organization and I do believe that there are many, many partners on the ground who do incredible work but often don’t get funded. And I feel like this work, when done closer to the ground, sometimes can have an even larger lasting impact.

You and MacKenzie Scott are giving in ways that aren’t necessarily contingent on your names being emblazoned on the side of a building, which is, you know, what we think of with perhaps more masculine giving. I can see the argument both ways, because putting a face on philanthropy, which happened with you and Bill, helps bring awareness to causes, helps increase trust because you know who the person is behind the organization. But then there’s also this other argument that anonymity or more low-profile giving keeps the focus on the work. How do you think about that balance? 

For me personally, I don’t need my name on the side of a building in perpetuity. That’s not what I’m about. I’m about: How do I move society forward for the betterment of everybody and so that my grandchildren and my grandchildren’s grandchildren get to live in an even better world than I do now? But it doesn’t take my name on a building to change society, nor do I actually think it’s helpful.

I work in the philanthropy world, and my interest was piqued by her comments. Philanthropy continues to evolve. Someone once shared with me their are “four rationales” (and there are more) of why people give to non-profit organizations. She called it the "HTDT model."

• History. My family gave to charity. I give because we have always given.

• Trust. I believe in the organization and the good work they do.

• Data. I want to better understand the impact of my charitable dollars. I want to see the numbers of people served and outcomes.

• Transparency. I want the organization to make public as much information as possible and be responsive to any questions I may have.

The Jewish Federation is grateful to all our donors, including the 436 families who have been contributing for 40 years or more. We strive every day to earn your trust. We are focused on data-driven decisions based on our recent Jewish community study. We work hard to be as transparent as possible with our annual report and financials accessible on our website. And, we are truly focused on improving our Jewish community for today and meeting its needs in the future.

In September, we will begin our 2025 Annual Campaign for Community Needs. Your support is appreciated and needed.

If you did not already, I encourage you to read last week's Jewish Review cover story about our campaign leadership’s recent visit to Germany and Israel. Moreover, listen to their experiences on the Jewish Review Podcast. They do a wonderful job explaining the importance of our campaign and the impact we have around the Jewish world.

Allow me to share with you the start of summer camp in Israel by our funding partner, the Freddie Krivine Initiative. The program runs empowerment, shared society, coexistence, and social equality programs for Arab-Israeli and Jewish children through the sport of tennis.

Sadly, at the start of camp, what was the first activity the Arab and Jewish campers did? They practiced running together to the closest bomb shelter. (Not how I would want my children to experience camp.) Despite the challenges and current situation, the children who attend the camp -- and the parents who send them -- share a common hope for everyone to come together in peace. Children who play together learn to live together.



Monday night, we commemorate Tisha b’Av (ninth of Av). The holiday is the culmination of a three-week period of mourning and is often regarded as the saddest day in Jewish tradition. It commemorates several tragedies throughout early Jewish history — specifically the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem (586 BCE and 70 CE).

Shabbat shalom and I encourage you to read our Annual Report.