JFED CONNECTS AN UPDATE OF WHAT’S HAPPENING AT JEWISH FEDERATION OF ST. LOUIS
MARCH/APRIL 2015
INSIDE From Mindee Fredman... 2 Women’s Philanthropy Shower.......................... 2 Innovation Grants ......... 2 JPro Events ................... 3 Millstone Institute Staff Recognized........... 3 Armenian Genocide Lecture.......................... 3 Community Outreach Program........................ 4 Brodsky Library Screening...................... 4 Yom HaShoah ............... 4 HMLC Recognition ....... 4
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From our Chair, Patricia Croughan As I wrote this message, I was en route to Israel to attend meetings in our partnership region of Yokneam and Megiddo, and to visit programs in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv that Jewish Federation of St. Louis might consider funding next year. That same evening, the community met in St. Louis to hear the results of the Community Study and begin to understand the needs that may not be met through our current programming. Planning for the Jewish future, both in Israel and at home, is Jewish Federation of St. Louis' mission and challenge, and, as the spring begins, we have much to examine and evaluate. What are our current and most pressing challenges? How best can we meet them? And how can we know that our efforts have meaningful impact? One of the defining characteristics of Jewish Federation of St. Louis is its very
unique partnership between lay and professional leaders. The Community Study, led by volunteer Les Sterman and professional Susan Scribner, involved many hours of work, and I want to congratulate the team of volunteers who worked so closely with Susan. Similarly, our work in Israel, led by volunteer leader Sue Schlichter and professional Stephen Cohen, represents many, many hours of work and travel. Here at home, Jeff Sparks leads the committee on Ensuring the Jewish Future, and Burt Garland heads the committee on Community Engagement. All these committee chairs report to Ruth Raskas, our lay Vice-Chair of Planning and Allocations. As the 2015-16 allocations meetings begin, I want to take this moment to thank all the volunteers who bring so much energy, time and intelligence to this process. Our community is stronger and more effective because of you.
From our CEO, Andrew Rehfeld An excerpt from my remarks at the Community Study event on February 18, 2015. It is said that we are a people of the book. It might just as well be said that we are a counting people, for numbers and counting matter to our tradition in really important ways. There are two tablets, 10 Commandments, 50 days of the omer (the period between Passover and Shavuot). The names we give to our periods of mourning are shiva and shloshim–which in Hebrew literally mean “seven” and “thirty” denoting the number of days these mourning periods last rather than anything about what we do during that time. And it goes on. Our holidays are numeric–our Shabbat is over when we see three stars in the sky. And what about Chanukah?–it takes us eight days to light as many candles! And of course the seder of Passover: we drink four cups of wine, ask four questions, teach about our four children, and recall 10 plagues. Numbers can sometimes do more than just keep track of things, they impart meaning through Gematria, the practice of giving meaning to words by assigning a numerical value to each letter in them–A
or aleph equals one, B or Bet equals two–and so on. Numbers matter to the Jewish people, and they help shape the way we come to view and understand our Jewish world. So now we take a summary look at what may be the most consequential numbers that we have–a study in numbers of the Jewish Community of St. Louis. The study will help us identify the needs of our community and provide new pathways to be more effective. The study will help us do our work based not on what our gut tells us, or what we “know” must be right. But rather on the basis of how the world actually is no matter how hard or easy it may be to recognize. A study that allows us to address some of the most vexing problems facing the American Jewish community in a manner that is grounded in who we are in St. Louis, where we have been, where we now live and relate to the world, and who we have yet to become. We’ve done a lot of great work and we have a lot left to do. This study will take a strong step forward in maintaining a Federation based on a data-driven approach to community development so that we are in a stronger position to know our community, the real challenges we are facing and in order for us to forge a path based on knowledge to a stronger, more vibrant Jewish St. Louis ahead.