In an effort to support the State of Israel, a group of local African Christian clergy from two Philadelphia churches recently held a fundraiser and are donating the proceeds to our partnership communities in Netivot and Sdot Negev, on the border of Gaza. These clergy members have worked with Rabbi Aaron Gaber from Congregation Brothers of Israel in Newtown, PA and our Jewish Community Relations Council to donate $3,000 in support of the Jewish Federation's Partnership Region.

“The Jewish Federation’s message to Carry the Light feels especially personal to me. I have always enjoyed living in my mother’s light. Her bright and positive energy has swirled around me my whole life as have the many compliments and words of gratitude from those whose lives she has touched.”
– Sarah Vogel, Lion of Judah Event Co-Chair and
Mary’s daughter

At this year’s Lion of Judah event, Mary Relles was honored with the 2022 Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland award, a nationally noted accolade for a woman in our community who exemplifies philanthropy and volunteerism. Award winners across the Federation network will be recognized during the upcoming International Lion of Judah conference.

Mary has been a guiding light for the Jewish Federation for decades, passionately devoted to our mission of ensuring a vibrant Jewish community. She ardently serves on a number of Jewish Federation boards, including the Board of Trustees, Women’s Philanthropy Board, Women of Vision Executive Committee, Endowments Committee, and more. She has inspired a similar passion within her family and with so many people in our community, which will help our Jewish communities thrive for generations to come. 

“Now – more than ever before – members of Young JFRE are in need of mentorship as they navigate this turbulent time. Disruption brings opportunity. The deep talent pool from the JFRE community is the perfect source of mentors. When we first launched the program we paired over 50 mentors and mentees together and we’re looking forward to another successful program this year!”

– Jessica Morgan, Young JFRE Chair

Young JFRE is a great way for young real estate professionals to become more engaged in our Jewish community through networking and community building opportunities. The JFRE Executive Committee recently met with members of Young JFRE at the Fitler Club for an evening of connecting, networking and socializing, and to promote the second year of the Young JFRE Mentorship Program. This enriching program pairs a leader in the industry with a young professional, a fantastic opportunity to receive one-on-one guidance from a business expert and build your network in the real estate and related industries.

Know someone who should get involved in the program? Have them sign up here to become a mentee and here to become a mentor.

Last year, Women of Vision awarded Ta’amod: Stand Up, a national organization committed to building accountable and psychologically safe Jewish workplaces, organizations, institutions and communities, a two-year grant to bring their programming to the Greater Philadelphia community. Ta'amod launched their programming in January, 2021, providing two-day free workshops that reached more than 60 professionals from our local synagogues. Earlier this week, they hosted a community-wide workshop for communal professionals and lay leadership on living our Jewish values in the workplace and beyond. Synagogue teams are invited to participate in virtual and in-person training opportunities for supervisors and employees in February and March. Click here for more information. Agency leadership interested in similar training is encouraged to contact alewis@jewishphilly.org.

Earlier this year, the Jewish Federation’s Campaign Chair, Sherrie Savett, worked with a group of lay leaders to establish the Jewish Emergency Preparedness Project (JEPP). This initiative focuses on educating local Jewish organizations on how best to plan for and respond to emergency situations. Recently, leaders from 25 Jewish organizations came together for a daylong seminar to discuss decision-making and analysis of how to respond to a myriad of crises, including severe weather, overt antisemitism, missing persons, active shooters, immigrant needs and riots.

Funding to conduct training and improve security is available through the Jewish Federation system nationally and locally, as well as through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. JEPP, in conjunction with our Jewish Federation, is developing training programs to help Jewish institutions prepare to effectively respond in the case of an emergency.