JFed Connects - June/July '14

JFED CONNECTS AN UPDATE OF WHAT’S HAPPENING AT JEWISH FEDERATION

JUNE/JULY 2014

INSIDE From Ruth Raskas ............. 2 Summer in the City ........... 2 Community Briefing.......... 2 Innovation Grants ............. 2 Inclusion Coordinator........ 3 Flexing Your Muscles ........ 3 Sixth Annual Shower......... 3 Social Media in Business ... 3 NORC Wellness Day ......... 3 Coaching Skills Program ... 4 Writer Sholem Alechem Celebrated........................ 4 2014 Annual Campaign .... 4 Millstone Fellows Applications...................... 4

JFedSTL.org

From our Chair, Patricia Croughan

SHARING OUR STORIES Stories have always been an integral part of our Jewish tradition—stories that inform our lives and define our values.

Stories are gifts to us from our parents and grandparents, and so many generations who have gone before. They teach, guide, challenge, and entertain us.

They record our history. And when we hear the stories of others, we usually find common threads that, woven together, create our community tapestry.

You may not think that your own story is unique or special, but everyone’s story is important. This year, the Jewish Federation is celebrating stories—your stories—the stories of lives touched by our community campaign. Some of these stories are already

From our CEO, Andrew Rehfeld

highlighted in our print ads and collected at our website (www.JFedSTL.org/OurStory).

Exploring it, you may connect to Bobbie, who learned the mitzvah of giving from her father. You will learn from Mendel, a survivor of the Holocaust, who overcame his own nightmares to help children challenge hatred. And you will come to understand how a family trip to Israel helped Jen feel more connected to her Jewish identity.

These are just three stories; we want to hear many, many more. Through telling and sharing the stories of our lives, we will find common threads that bind us all together. On behalf of Federation, I'd like to invite you to share your own story with all of us. Just click on the site above.

Remember, our story isn’t complete without you.

BRING BACK OUR BOYS

As I’m writing this article, I watch with grave concern the events in Israel surrounding the abduction of three young men—Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar and Naftali Frenkel.

Our hearts go out to them and their families. Our community and all decent people worldwide stand in solidarity in condemning this action.

We join together to express our hopes and prayers for their speedy and uneventful return.

Along with our Jewish Community Relations Council, synagogues and other area organizations, Federation will be monitoring the situation closely.

Updates will be posted to our websites JewishinStLouis.org and JFedSTL.org.

There is something practical each of you can do. In this age of social media you can like and share the “Bring Back Our Boys” Facebook page. You can also tweet with the hashtag #BringBackOurBoys and #EyalGiladNaftali on Twitter to show your support and demonstrate solidarity with the people of Israel.

Facebook and Twitter have already facilitated revolutions—they are a powerful way to demonstrate the connectivity of our community to others.

And, of course, you can gather with your own synagogue communities to talk, pray and express your concern.

Federation remains committed to the support of a safe, strong and democratic Israel and the recognition that we are all one people. May the boys’ safe return home be hastened.

From our Chair, Planning & Allocations, Ruth Raskas

GIVING TO CREATE A GREATER WHOLE It has been a pleasure to serve as the chair of Planning & Allocations for Federation. I have enjoyed the opportunity of working with the leadership of the Planning & Allocations committee, including the outstanding subcommittees, their chairs and the dedicated staff.

The idea of the individual giving to create a greater whole is a strong theme in Jewish history. Consider the individual contributions to the Tabernacle, the portable house of worship, which not only enabled the building of this important structure, but also helped transform the individual givers into a nation. As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks stated, this process gave the Jewish people “the dignity of labor and creative endeavor. It brought to closure their birth as a nation, and it symbolized the challenge of the

future.” (www.rabbisacks.org/terumah5774-home-build-together/) With the generous donations from each of you, Planning & Allocations has worked to help build and sustain our Jewish community. We will share the highlights of our work in the 2014 Committee Report, which will be available soon. The report contains extensive detail around each of the allocations Federation has made, and we hope that you will share your feedback so we can continue to improve the allocation of these important community resources.

Thanks to each of you for being a part of our community, for your philanthropic contributions, and for your time and energy. Through dedication, collaboration and optimism, we can work for the future we know we can build together.

JEWISH FEDERATION SUMMER CITY HOSTING SUMMER EVENTS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS AND RECENT GRADS IN THE

For the second year, Jewish Federation of St. Louis is hosting “Summer in the City,” a series of free events for Jewish college students and recent college graduates (ages 18 to 22 years) who are spending the summer in St. Louis. The events will give young adults the chance to connect with new friends and explore the local Jewish and social scenes.

For more information, go to www.jfedstl.org/summerinthecity, or contact Lee’at Bachar at lbachar@jfedstl.org or 314-442-3817.

LEARN ABOUT THE ISRAEL TRAUMA COALITION Join community members on Wednesday, June 25 for a Community Briefing at Jewish Federation of St. Louis to hear from Omer Egozi and Tali Levanon from the Israel Trauma Coalition.

They will share information on the current security situation on Israel’s home front and Israel’s preparedness, as well as the work being done with refugees and the injured in Syria. This is a wonderful chance to see Federation’s dollars at work. The program begins at 5:30 pm and a reception will follow. The briefing is open to the community and will be held at the Jewish Federation Kopolow Building, 12 Millstone Campus Dr., 63146.

Please contact Emilie Docter at edocter@jfedstl.org for more information.

FEDERATION INNOVATION GRANTS BACK FOR 2014 Jewish Federation of St. Louis will fund another cohort of Innovation Grants in 2014. The grants are designed to stimulate the growth of new ideas that address Jewish education or engagement in the St. Louis Jewish community. In 2013, $30,000 was awarded to eight projects, chosen from 73 submissions and serving a broad spectrum of the community from teens to senior citizens.

The 2014 grants will range from $200 to $5,000 and will provide innovators opportunities to experiment and/or test the feasibility and strength of their ideas. Awards may be eligible for subsequent funding. In addition, Jewish Federation will provide support through mentor connections, publicity and marketing efforts, peer consultations and brainstorming sessions, and strategic planning consultation. The grant application can be found at www.JFedSTL.org/innovation-grants. Applications will be accepted through July 31, 2014.

INNOVATION GRANTS

Designed to tap the creativity that exists beyond Jewish community congregations, agencies and organizations, the grants are available to individuals or groups of individuals who live in St. Louis.

While applicants may work for a Jewish agency, congregation or institution, the project itself should not be a part of their professional work. Grants will not be awarded to established organizations and will not be awarded as seed money for a start-up business or nonprofit. Funds cannot be used for professional fees or services provided by grant applicants/Recipients.

For more information, email mfredman@jfedstl.org

FEDERATION WELCOMES INCLUSION COORDINATOR Jewish Federation of St. Louis is pleased to announce the hiring of Rinat Kisin as its new Inclusion Coordinator. Rinat has experience working for the Disability Rights Commission in Israel and recently earned her master’s degree in nonprofit management from Washington University.

Rinat will staff the Inclusion Initiative Committee, which is co-chaired by Betty Berger and Julie Yawitz. She is already busy with the Initiative’s next planned event, a public forum that will take place on June 29. Rinat will explore a variety of strategies to make the Jewish community more inclusive for individuals with disabilities, and she welcomes input from community members.

Contact her at rkisin@jfedstl.org or 314-442-3801.

FLEXING YOUR BOARD MUSCLES How do you build a better board? Save Wednesday, August 20 from 6 to 9 pm for “Board Boot Camp.” Open to all board members from throughout the Jewish community, the program features Leslie Peters, MBA, CEO of Elements Partnership. This intensive and interactive session will engage and empower your board members as you revisit your organization’s priorities for the coming year. Stay tuned for more information.

SIXTH ANNUAL SHOWER A GREAT SUCCESS Women’s Philanthropy held its sixth annual “Shower Our Community With Love” event on April 26 at the JCC Arts and Education building.

One hundred seventy-five women gathered to do a hands-on service project to benefit the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry. Women who attended donated items to fill the shelves at the pantry as well as gently used purses. Sample-size beauty items were collected before the shower by a 35-member committee, and during the shower, attendees filled the purses with beauty items, chocolates, and tied on handwritten Mother’s Day notes. More than 340 purses were assembled for the pantry’s women clientele!

They were thrilled to receive such a generous gift!

SOCIAL MEDIA IN BUSINESS WITH RABBI JASON MILLER Come hear Rabbi Jason Miller speak about social media in business from a Jewish point of view. The event is open to all Jewish Federation Professional Society members and will take place on Wednesday, August 6, at 5:30 pm. The program, which will be held at LockerDome at 1221 Washington Ave., 63103, includes a reception (dietary laws observed).

Rabbi Miller is an entrepreneur, educator and blogger. He is an ordained Conservative rabbi whose personal blog has been viewed by close to one million people. The Detroit Free Press called him “the most tech-savvy Jewish leader,” and Huffington Post ranked him among the top Jewish Twitter users in the world. A social media expert, Rabbi Jason is a popular speaker and writer on technology and its effect on the Jewish world.

Please contact Emilie Docter, edocter@jfedstl.org for more information.

LEARNING, RELAXATION, HEALTH AND FUN ABOUNDS AT ST. LOUIS NORC’S “TOTAL YOU WELLNESS DAY” The stormy weather didn’t keep older adults from participating in the first of the St. Louis Naturally Occurring Retirement Community’s (NORC) two anniversary events made possible through the generosity of Bill Solomon. (The second, a big celebration party, will take place on August 7.) Both events were designed to showcase the program’s mission of health, wellness and socialization. Several local companies supported the events including: St. Louis University Hospital, Healing Arts Center, Nancy Le Clair, JCC Catering, Dr. Susy Stark, Cheryl’s Herbs, Home Care Assistance, Dr. Cindy Haines, Walgreens, representatives from Dr. Hay’s Foot and Ankle Center, and AARP. There were so many activities that most attendees stayed for the entire four-hour event. It was a perfect anniversary celebration kick-off.

JEWISH COACHING ACADEMY'S

Coaching Skills Training Program™ For volunteer leaders, board members and professionals throughout the St. Louis Jewish community

COACHING SKILLS PROGRAM COMING The Jewish Coaching Academy's Coaching Skills Training Program™ is coming to St. Louis as the newest initiative of Jewish Federation’s Millstone Institute. The program teaches ways to enhance listening and discern the message underneath the words, skills to make a question powerful enough to unlock new thinking, ideas and perspectives, and tools to help others advance as leaders.

The program features one full day of training with Deborah Grayson Riegel, either Sunday, November 16 or Monday, November 17, which integrates Jewish values, stories and experiences to guide and inspire. Additionally, the program includues three follow-up webinars personalized for St. Louis participants and ongoing evening group training throughout 2015 facilitated by Sylvia Nissenboim.

Participants will develop as an ongoing cadre to work together to continue to improve their effectiveness and advance their leadership impact through peer coaching, problem solving and networking.

For information, contact Marci Mayer Eisen at 314-442-3810. To apply, go to www.MillstoneSTL.org/Coaching. Applications are due by August 15, 2014.

WRITER SHOLEM ALECHEM CELEBRATED IN MUSIC AND ON FILM AT THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM Will Soll’s Klezmer Conspiracy will perform a concert titled “Varshavski Cabaret” on Sunday, June 29 at noon in the Holocaust Museum Theatre in the Jewish Federation Kopolow Building, 12 Millstone Campus Drive. The program will precede a 1 pm screening of Sholem Aleichem: Laughter in the Darkness, the next film in the museum’s Sandra and Mendel Rosenberg Sunday Afternoon Film Series.

The film, a riveting portrait of the great writer whose stories became the basis of the Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof, portrays a rebellious genius who created an entirely new genre of literature. Introductory remarks and a post-screening discussion will be facilitated by Dr. Ethan Schuman, dentist and chazzan by profession, Yiddishist and violinist by avocation. Dr. Schuman has traveled the world seeking out remnants of Jewish communities in need.

This program is free and open to the public.

The film has a running time of 90 minutes. For further information, call 314-442-3714 or email dreich@jfedstl.org.

2014 ANNUAL CAMPAIGN Jewish Federation of St. Louis has kicked off its 2014 Annual Campaign. Federation strengthens and enhances the Jewish Community in St. Louis, in Israel and around the world thanks to the continued generosity of you, our donors.

Together, we are greater than the sum of our parts. By making donations, we rekindle our commitment to our traditions and community. Please donate today at jfedstl.org/donate or by calling 314-442-3793.

APPLICATIONS SOUGHT FOR MILLSTONE FELLOWS The Millstone Institute is seeking applicants for the 2015 Millstone Fellows, the Institute’s signature program for emerging and established leaders from throughout the St. Louis Jewish community. Applicants should have demonstrated leadership through their professional or volunteer work and a commitment to the Jewish community and the St. Louis region.

This select leadership program will include skills to move the community forward, integration of Jewish values into decision-making, deepening personal commitments, engaging with local and national thought leaders, and building meaningful relationships that lead to community partnerships.

The program will be comprised of eight sessions from March through November 2015, including both evening sessions and half-day retreats. To nominate a participant, contact Karen Sher at ksher@jfedstl.org or 314-442-3824.

The Millstone Institute, an initiative of Jewish Federation of St. Louis, is a community-wide endeavor to engage and inspire volunteer leaders and professionals. Programs are made possible by support from the Lubin–Green Foundation, a supporting foundation of Jewish Federation of St. Louis, Millstone Foundation, Mont and Karen Levy, and the Bill Solomon Foundation.