What You Need to Know: 

1. Thanks to the generosity of this community, our Emergency Fund has grown to $800,000. Together with Federations across the country, we have raised $27+ million for Ukrainian relief efforts including essential humanitarian aid on the ground and helping individuals and families escape to safety. Click here to learn more about the Emergency Fund or to donate.

2. President and CEO Michael Balaban, and Co-Chair of the Board, Gail Norry, will travel to the Poland -Ukrainian border on Sunday, as part of a delegation from The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). Read more about their upcoming trip in WHYY, KYW and the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for live updates from the trip. 

3. We continue to reach our local Ukrainian community by providing critical support through our ongoing partnerships with agencies like KleinLife, RSJ Moishe House, and the Mitzvah Food Program, who provide for thousands of Ukrainian immigrants living in the Greater Philadelphia area. Our friends at KleinLife discussed the importance of these efforts during an interview on CBS3 this week.    

4. Learn how Jewish Federations are working both near and far in this video. In it, you can find our Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) Chair, Danielle Weiss, and Lauren Danneman, new JFNA Cabinet Chair, who joined Federation leadership to lobby Members of Congress in support of extraordinary aid for Ukraine.

Jewish Federations across America woke up to the wonderful news on March 9 that Congress passed the 2022 Spending Package. This bill includes important investments that Federations advocated for including nonprofit security, Holocaust survivor services, Israel, health and education, communal life, non-profit support, and aid for Ukraine.

Our JCRC was part of the effort to push this bill through. "The package makes critical investments that we’ve strongly supported, and it is good to see that Congress included nearly $14 billion of combined military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine at this time,” said JCRC Executive Director Jason Holtzman. “We also applaud Congress for prioritizing issues of health and education, communal life, and non-profit support in the package." Click here to read about the bill.

The Jewish Federation is thrilled to announce that Sarah Solomon has been promoted to Interim Chief Development Officer. Sarah began her career at the Jewish Federation in 2010 in NextGen and grew into broader roles within Women’s Philanthropy, Major Gifts, the Sharon and Joseph Kestenbaum Legacy Philanthropy Program, and most recently as Campaign Director. "I am grateful for the opportunity to lead an incredible team of professionals and volunteer leadership to continue and expand our organization's role to serve as the primary philanthropic resource for the Jewish community of Greater Philadelphia," said Sarah. We look forward to her continued success in her new role. Mazel tov!

The Jewish Federation’s Board of Trustees member, Fred Strober, was honored for his professional accomplishments, pro bono efforts and contributions to the quality of life for Greater Philadelphia residents with the prestigious Judge Learned Hand Award on March 9. This award has been presented annually since 1981 by American Jewish Committee (AJC) Philadelphia and recognizes professional excellence and community leadership. Fred has joined several past honorees, many from the Jewish Federation. Learn more about Fred’s work in the community here.

Rabbi Peter Rigler, Rabbi at Temple Sholom in Broomall, will join in the third cohort of the Rukin Rabbinic Fellowship. He will be one of 15 rabbis from around the country starting a two-year fellowship with 18Doors, an organization that empowers people in interfaith relationships to engage in Jewish life, make Jewish choices and encourage Jewish communities to welcome them. This fellowship will bring rabbis together and deepen their practice of working with Jewish interfaith couples and parents of young children. Fellows will participate in group coaching sessions and professional development programs.

The 18Doors organization is a grantee of the Jewish Federation. We’re excited for Rabbi Rigler to represent Greater Philadelphia on a national scale.