July 21, 2017

Three days back from Kiev and Israel and I still can’t shake it. No – not the jet lag (although it still lingers), but rather the faces of those I met and the places we visited. 

For 10 days, I traveled through Kiev and Israel with Federation Board Chair, Debbie Gober; Foundation Board Chair, Esther Shacket and Foundation Director, Keith Goldmann. 

While there is so much to cover, this Shabbat I will focus simply on Kiev…

We began with a somber journey to Babi Yar – a ravine on the outskirts of Kiev where on September 29, 1941 the Jews of Kiev were summoned to appear.  They were forced to undress and marched to the ravine. Einsatzgruppen mobile squads killed 34,000 Jews that week tossing the bodies down below. Over the next several months over 100,000 were murdered. Through our tears, saying Kaddish, the only comfort was hearing from the local Jewish teens who led us in the memorial and showed us that Jewish life was once again flourishing.

From there we traveled to Hesed Bnei Azriel and JCC Halom.  Together they make up a one-stop shop for culture, socialization and social services.  Operated by the local community and the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) with funds donated by donors to the Federation, children come to celebrate Jewish holidays, seniors to socialize and engage in Yiddish, crafts and dance, and those in need of social services get counseled and receive services.

We then made house calls – delivering food and medicine to Bella Sobol who lives on the top floor in a one room apartment.  Bella is 92 and was born in Berdichev, in the area of Zhytomir.  Her mother died when she was young and Bella moved to Kiev to live with her aunt.  At university, she studied medicine.  Bella worked as a surgeon and later specialized as an ENT. Be it doctor or grocery worker, under soviet rule, all individuals earned the same amount. Bella has been a client of Hesed since 2001. She suffers from heart disease and her meager income of $62 per month doesn’t cover the basic necessities of food, let alone critical medicine.  Supported with funds from Federation, Hesed social services enables Bella (and 7,000 elderly Jews in need throughout the city) to live with dignity by providing homecare services as well as food and medical aid.

We heard from IDPs (Internally Displaced People) – Jewish families from Donetsk and Lugansk, just 400 miles from Kiev, coming from the heart of the conflict zone in the Ukraine where the fighting continues. Thousands of Jewish families have been relocated. Most fleeing during the night, leaving their homes and belongings behind.  2,511 individuals are receiving services such as housing, medicine, trauma counseling, and food and homecare assistance. 

We then traveled to a Jewish Agency summer camp where I met Max – a teenager who just a few short years ago was told by his parents that he was going to go to a 10 day summer camp program.  When he arrived, his counselors informed him that he was Jewish.  “It was the most beautiful time of my life.  I remember all ten days as if it were yesterday.”  Since then he has been on a path of Jewish discovery that has illuminated his life. Next year he will skip camp as he will be traveling to Israel for a MASA program. Click here to see video. 

We witnessed firsthand the work of our community’s Israel and overseas dollars on the ground in Ukraine and Israel. It was inspiring to see just a few examples of how our collective efforts help hundreds of thousands of Jews in 70 countries around the world. We fund our partners (JDC, JAFI, ORT) to connect young families with Jewish community and provide life-saving aid for the elderly, the disabled, and other at-risk populations. We enrich Jewish lives with a simple formula – one person, asking a second person to help a third. On behalf of Bella, Max, and everyone else we met during this journey – thank you and have a wonderful Shabbat!

Shabbat Shalom,

Michael Balaban
President and CEO

July 7, 2017

The Jewish Federation of Broward County is proud to work with our Community Partners that are making a real impact in our community. This Shabbat we want to give you the opportunity to hear from one of these partners, Goodman Jewish Family Services.

Thank you for your continued commitment to our community, through your support we are creating impact, one story at a time.

Shabbat Shalom,
Michael Balaban

In this week’s parsha, we find the Israelites camped right outside of Moab, causing Balak, the King of Moab, to fear that they will “eat up everything around us.” So Balak sends for Balaam, a known prophet from Pethor, to come and curse the Israelites. This, he hopes, will weaken the Israelites enough so Balak could wage war and drive them away.

Balaam agrees to come to Moab, but warns Balak that whatever comes from his lips will be directed by God. And indeed, when Balaam tries multiple times to curse the Children of Israel, blessings come flowing off his tongue.

One of these times, Balaam looks over the great assembly of Israelites and is struck by how the community is arranged to promote respect and harmony, and says, “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel! They extend like streams, like gardens by the river, like aloes which the Lord planted, like cedars by the water. (Numbers 24:5-6).

These words, which have become a prominent passage on the walls of our synagogues, could very well be describing the Jewish community of Broward County. Not only are we blessed with the physical beauty of waterways, gardens and aloe, we are also worthy of being blessed for all the tzedakah we provide to the less fortunate among us.

Approximately 4400 Jews in Broward County live below the poverty line, according to the Jewish Federation’s recent demographic study, and 1800 households report they don’t have enough to eat. We usually don’t get to see these people as they tend to live in the shadows of society. But they are there.

And so are the Jewish Federation and Goodman Jewish Family Services.

Through the generous support of Jewish Federation, Goodman JFS puts boots on the ground to care for, and provide emergency financial assistance to, the poor, elderly, and abused among us. We can also provide professional and affordable counseling services, care management for the elderly and disabled whose families live far away, food to the hungry (via The Cupboard, our new kosher food pantry), and life planning and referrals to families with adult children with developmental disabilities.

And thanks to a generous grant from the Claims Conference, Goodman JFS and Jewish Family Home Care provide in home care, emergency financial assistance and care management to 930 Holocaust Survivors to ensure they can live independently in their own homes with hope, dignity and joy.

“I fell behind due to a special diet needed for my diabetes…and I became hungry the last week of each month,” one woman recently told us. “ So I bought the food I needed, leaving me behind on my FPL bill. I have to utilize coupons to budget in the FPL bill and be more conservative with energy. And with the help of Goodman Jewish Family Services I am now caught up to date.”

How “goodly are our tents” in Broward, and how wonderful is our community that has the wherewithal and the commitment to help those in need.

Shabbat Shalom,
Jacob Schreiber, CEO, Goodman JFS
jschreiber@jfsbroward.org

July 14, 2017

The Jewish Federation of Broward County is proud to work with our Community Partners that are making a real impact in our community. This Shabbat we want to give you the opportunity to hear from one of these partners, Jewish Adoption and Family Care Options (JAFCO).

Thank you for your continued commitment to our community, through your support we are creating impact, one story at a time.

Shabbat Shalom,
Michael Balaban

Shabbat Shalom.  The Jewish people are a collection of unique souls, united in our mission to repair the world.  Our ability to fulfill this mission depends on each and every individual. This is why G-d took a census of the people now, in this week’s Parshat Pinchas, after 24,000 people were lost in the plague.

Each individual Jew has a role to play in perfecting the world, and therefore, to a greater or lesser extent, we are all “Jewish leaders”. Whether we are parents, friends, teachers, or colleagues, the opportunity to bring out the potential in others shows itself in many ways as we go through our days.  Our success depends on the caring, concern and efforts we put forth to truly understand and help the people in our lives and in our community.

It is due to the compassion of our community, the Jewish Federation, Jewish Community Foundation and Women’s Philanthropy of Broward County, that this year JAFCO will be celebrating its 25th anniversary caring for abused and neglected children and those with developmental disabilities and also helping families who would otherwise be alone in our community. Many of us lived in this community before JAFCO existed, before the Jewish Children’s Village and the Children’s Ability Center were created and we can’t imagine our community without those programs. As we begin our first JAFCO expansion in the Northeast, we pray that other communities around the country will also come together to be counted as leaders ensuring that every child in their communities has a place to belong. JAFCO is so grateful for our partnerships with the Fischer High School at the David Posnack Day School, the Soref and Posnack JCC’s, JFS, March of the Living, Hebrew Academy, Kesher, Friendship Circles, Cantor Senior Center, our synagogues and other local agencies as we all work together to make Broward County a compassionate community to live in. We are incredibly proud of our three recent Posnack graduates who are already settled into their college dorm rooms getting a head start on their college education.  Our younger children at the Village are enjoying a carefree summer at the JCC and we are preparing for yet another Bar Mitzvah of one of our precious children.  Many of our children at the village are waiting for a foster or adoptive family, so please let us know if you can help.

At our Ability Center, Camp Kehilla is filled to capacity with over 50 children who are enjoying the love and support of our one-to-one counselor-to-child ratio, allowing them to have a safe and successful summer, making friends and learning new skills. The fun and the friendship continues for the children 365 days a year, including Saturday’s and Sunday’s and overnights too, allowing parents to take a weekend getaway or even a full two-week vacation so they can be the best parent that they can be. The loving team of childcare staff, social workers, nurses, behavior specialists and community volunteers come together to keep all of the children in our community safe and happy.

I think G-d would be very happy if he were to take a census of our compassionate Broward Federation and JAFCO families today and we invite you to be one of those who make your lives count.

Sarah Franco
Executive Director
JAFCO

June 30, 2017

As the Jewish Federation of Broward County we are proud to allocate your generous dollars to our Community Partners that we know are making a real impact in our community. This Shabbat we want to give you the opportunity to hear from one of these partners, the David Posnack Jewish Community Center.

Thank you for your continued commitment to our community, we are creating impact, one story at a time.

Shabbat Shalom,
Michael Balaban

The David Posnack Jewish Community Center has the privilege of presenting this week’s Shabbat Shalom message.  It is a wonderful opportunity to speak to how we are accomplishing our purpose of “enriching lives by connecting people,” and explain how much these few words benefit so many.

This summer we are connecting 700 children enrolled in our Camp Kadima with the opportunity to make new friends and lifetime memories; to explore new experiences and embrace their Jewish heritage; and to learn sensitivity, sportsmanship and teamwork.

Of the 700 campers, 150 (ages 3 to 22) are campers in Giborim, the special needs division of Camp Kadima. Giborim has a 26-year history, beginning in 1991, with just 15 campers enrolled.  Thanks to scholarship dollars from the Jewish Federation of Broward County, we connect the families of special needs children with the financial assistance many of them need to send their children to summer camp. Judging by the emotional and heartfelt thank you letters received each year at the end of summer, Camp Giborim goes a long way to enrich the lives of these families and the children who attend.

This past spring, we launched the inaugural session of Giborim U (Gib U), our first year-round program for special needs children and adults.  For children ages 8-17 and adults ages 18 plus, Gib U offered a variety of classes in sports and wellness from basketball to yoga, in socialization from dance parties to beach outings and in the arts from painting to cooking.  Gib U will kick off the fall session with over 20 classes per week.  Thanks to a large allocation from Federation, much-needed life skills classes will be added to the curriculum.   

Weekdays in the lunch room of our adult services department, 50 to 100 seniors (ages 60+) may be found enjoying a nutritious hot meal. For many of them, this is their only opportunity to connect with others and socialize.  For others, this is their only nutritious meal of the day.  Throughout the week the senior lunch program also features free enrichment classes, music and entertainment. Lunch is basically free – a $2 donation is requested, but not required.  We have been told by many of the participants that the lunch program is their lifeline, that without it, their lives would be unbearably lonely. 

Four days a week because of a joint partnership between the Posnack JCC and the National Parkinson’s Foundation, free physical exercise classes are offered to anyone in the community with Parkinson’s.  There is much medical evidence that shows that physical exercise helps slow down the progression of the disease.  Classes include ageless grace, boxing, aquatic exercise, tai chi, music therapy and yoga (performed in a chair or standing).

Every day I walk our hallways and see firsthand the countless ways we enrich people’s lives. We provide activities that keep them healthy, programs that energize their mind and body and a safe, welcoming environment in which to interact with their family and friends.

 I see hundreds of children in our camp, preschool and afterschool programs, whose lives are being enriched, because they have received the benefit of scholarship dollars provided by Federation to attend those programs. 

Yes, it is a privilege to write this message as a beneficiary agency of an organization that enables us to fulfill our purpose of “enriching lives by connecting people,” in so many meaningful ways.

Shabbat Shalom,
Scott Ehrlich, Chief Executive Officer

June 23, 2017

This week we read Parshat Korach (Numbers 16:1-18:32).  In this Torah portion a dispute erupts among the Jewish people when Korach accuses Moses of corruption and he starts a rebellion.  The Rabbis understand that Korach and his cohorts create this dispute not for the sake of Heaven or bettering the community, but due to jealousy. This dispute is counterproductive to the Jewish people’s growing community. Eventually, G-d destroys Korach and his cohorts by opening up the earth and swallowing them.

Judaism regards disputing, for reasons other than to fulfill the meaning of Torah or to grow community, as a grave sin because it contradicts the essential unity of G-d.  Today, we spend too much time, energy and resources, disputing with one another for the wrong reasons.  Whether it is between individuals, groups or organizations, the act of arguing is only productive when the intention is to make our community complete.

Dispute should not be mistaken for well-intentioned controversy.  Any student of the Talmud knows that the schools of Hillel and Shamai always took part in disputes for the purpose of teaching and ultimately reaching a common understanding.  The Talmud states that “no two faces are alike, likewise no two opinions are exactly alike.” 

In contrast to the sin of disputing for the wrong reasons, peace is the most central theme of Judaism.  The word shalom is derived from the root shalem, which means whole or complete. Peace is not merely the absence of war.  Rather it is the cooperative and symbiotic relationship where parties assist one another, genuinely care for each other and ultimately complete each other.  The word shalom is also found in our most popular prayers and in our Talmud.  The amidah prayer ends with shalom, as does the grace after meals (birkat hamazon) and the priestly blessing (birkat kohanim).  The entire Talmud even ends with the word shalom.

As I begin my term as your Board Chair of the Jewish Federation of Broward County, I hope to create an environment where we dispute only with the purpose of fulfilling our Federation’s mission of “Enriching Jewish Lives Everywhere” and we create a true community of peace.  A community where working together allows us all to achieve our common goal of a united community.

Remember, as Aristotle stated, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

Shabbat Shalom,
Debbie Gober

June 16, 2019

As the Jewish Federation of Broward County we are proud to allocate your generous dollars to our Community Partners that we know are making a real impact in our community. This Shabbat we want to give you the opportunity to hear from one of these partners, the Soref JCC.

Thank you for your continued commitment to our community, we are creating impact, one story at a time.

Shabbat Shalom,
Michael Balaban

The number 40 is not only relevant in this week’s Parshat Shelach, but also to the Soref JCC, as we celebrate our 40th year.  In this week’s Parsha, Moses sends 12 spies to the Land of Canaan.  The spies return after 40 days and tell the people that it is a land “flowing with milk and honey.” But they tell the people that the land would be too difficult to conquer and that it is not worth the potentially fatal risks and instead demand to return to Egypt.

Although Hashem was angry and wanted to kill all the Jews, Moses begs him not to, reminding Him that He is a G d of mercy. G d agrees to spare the Jews but says that, because they complained they will all die in the desert. The Jewish people would have to remain in the desert for 40 years instead of going into the Land of Israel.

I wonder if spies were sent to the Soref JCC what would be the report they would bring back.

Would they tell them about the children in our 3 preschools who are being taught Jewish traditions and holidays? Would they tell them about our Judaic enrichments? Would they tell them about the renaissance that is taking place in the Plantation Jewish community and how these families are sending their children to participate in our preschool and camp programs?

How about our PAJE (Program for Afterschool Jewish Education) program that is led by Rabbi Zev Saunders?  He and the other teachers skilled in Jewish education impart Jewish values and emphasize Jewish identity including learning about the holidays and tefillot.

How about our camp program that began this week with a focus on fun and Judaism? Our camp provides a Jewish environment that includes weekly Shabbat celebrations, arts and crafts with a focus on Judaic projects, a sleepaway camp in the Poconos that provides a great Jewish experience for teens, Jewish comradery, and much more.

Would they tell you that we enable many children to attend our preschool and camp programs via our children’s scholarship program who otherwise could not attend?  High quality child care is very expensive, often amounting to 20% or more of household income.  Our parents seek a safe, secure Jewish environment for their children but they must have financial assistance to make it a reality.

How about the Israeli scouts and their families who participate at our campus most Sunday afternoons? Their programs develop and maintain a connection between the Tzofim (Israel Scouts) movement in Israel and North American Jewry.

Would they tell how we have campus wide Jewish holiday celebrations including the Lag B’Omer bonfire held last month with hundreds of attendees?

Would they tell about our WECARE food pantry that provides free non-perishable food to thousands of people in need including children and the elderly who together represent over 60% of recipients? And the holiday baskets or gift cards distributed to the elderly and others so they can enjoy Rosh Hashanah, Thanksgiving, and Passover?

How about our programs to help those with special needs?  These include JCCAD, a program for the elderly experiencing hearing impairment or the “Hear for Good” Program dedicated to assisting adults and children with hearing loss.  And the many children with special needs who are mainstreamed in our children’s programs.

Would they tell them about weekly Israeli dancing led by Mali and Moshe? Or the theatre that performs regularly at the JCC’s Soref Hall throughout the year? How about swim instruction and lifeguard training courses at our newly resurfaced swimming pool?

How about the Alvin & Evelyn Gross – My Jewish Discovery Place Children’s Museum? It is a hands-on, interactive museum of Jewish culture, history and values that provides a Jewish experience for preschool and elementary aged children?

We believe the spies would return and tell the people that the Soref JCC is like the ‘‘land of Milk and Honey”, serving many families with great passion. They would enthusiastically note that the Soref JCC has HEART and compassion to serve our Jewish community.

Thank you to the Jewish Federation of Broward County for their continued support to help us help so many throughout our local Jewish community.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rochelle Zenchyk
Soref JCC Assistant Executive Director

June 9, 2017

Each week we share with you interesting stories, insights into our community and global Jewry, and we explore our Jewish history, identity and traditions.  This week we bring to you a beautiful and powerful story written by JFNA (Jewish Federations of North America). 

This impactful story of Yafit, combines the resilient Jewish spirit and the true essence of an Eshet Chayil.  As the Jewish Federation of Broward County we are proud to allocate your generous dollars to the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) in hopes of supporting many more people like Yafit.

Thank you for your continued commitment to our community, we are creating impact, one story at a time. Shabbat Shalom Michael Balaban

 

Yafit: An Ethiopian-Israeli Woman of Valor

When Yafit was seven, she and her family began to walk. This journey to escape famine and persecution took them from their village in Ethiopia to Israel. For a month and a half, they scaled mountains and forded rivers, moving in silence to avoid the attention of robbers and kidnappers.

When they arrived in Sudan, the family slept in a tent city, biding their time and fending off mosquitos and dysentery. But when Yafit and her younger sister became too weak to travel further, their parents left them behind, promising that they could join them once their strength returned.

Time passed. Nothing happened. One night as they slept, a stranger came into their tent and nudged them awake. Thinking it was a dream, she boarded a truck and was whisked away to an airport. Next thing she knew, she was embracing her parents in the Promised Land.

Finding an Eshet Chayil

As a new immigrant who knew neither the language nor culture of her new country, Yafit faced significant hurdles to success, but she was scrappy and determined. She learned Hebrew, earned a degree in education and started teaching Hebrew to Russian immigrants in Ashdod.

Her skill and spirit soon caught the attention of Federation partner the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). Representatives invited her to run workshops for their Eshet Chayil (Woman of Valor) program, which helps Israeli women from disadvantaged backgrounds enter the regional job market. It surprised no one that she soon rose to become regional coordinator.

The Meaning of Success

Now, as head of JDC’s Southern Region’s Career Advancement Program, Yafit works with dozens of Israeli women one-on-one, assessing their potential and helping them plan and reach goals for a better future. The program is a part of TEVET, JDC’s comprehensive employment initiative forged in partnership with the Israeli government.

“Some women worry about childcare, and some already have many personal and communal responsibilities. They take care of everyone else and have no time to take care of themselves,” she says. “My work is to help show them that by improving their careers, they are in fact strengthening their families and communities.”

And it is in doing this work—helping others find success through wisdom she learned the tough way as an immigrant working mother of three—that Yafit truly shines as her own Israeli woman of valor.

Photo courtesy JDC

June 2, 2017

Following Shavuot, the holiday commemorating the day G-d gave the Torah to the entire Israelite nation assembled at Mount Sinai, we find ourselves this Shabbat reading Parshat Naso (Numbers 4:21-7:89).  Contained within is the repetitive description of the offerings brought by the leaders of each of the tribes in honor of the anointing of the altar. Each prince, beginning with Nahshon ben Ammindav of the Tribe of Judah, brings the same exact offering:

[O]ne silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty shekels and one silver basin of seventy shekels by the sanctuary weight . . . one gold ladle of ten shekels filled with incense; one bull of the herd, one ram, and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering; one goat for a sin offering; and for his sacrifice of wellbeing: two oxen, five rams, five goats, and five yearling lambs. (Num. 7: 13–17)

Interestingly, even though they are identical, the Torah repeats the description of the offering for each leader. Each name identified and then describing the same exact offering for each? What would lead Torah to choose the more arduous route of redundancy?

Rabbi Shmuel Avidor HaCohen writes, “There is no question that the offerings brought by each of the princes of the tribes are identical. Each of them brings the same sacrifices, the same bowl of silver, the same silver basin, and the same gold ladle filled with incense. However, even though the offerings and sacrifices were the same, the intentions and experiences of each prince were not identical.”

Rabbi HaCohen’s explanation is moving and insightful. Even though materially each offering is precisely the same, the spiritual and emotional dimension is a unique experience for each of the leaders. What we may initially perceive as redundancy is, in fact, an effort to give honor to each of the leaders of the various tribes. We, as readers of the text, are compelled to use our imaginations and hearts—and even to imagine ourselves in the role of “givers.” The essence is not simply what is given; rather, it is how it is given.

The same can be said for the giving of tzedakah – whether large or modest, as donors, for those who give of time, treasures and or talent, we are appreciative to all of your acts of loving kindness.  We as the Federation, know that each of your gifts, offerings, are given with unique intentions and emotional sentiments.   On behalf of the grateful men and women, families and children whose lives you have impacted each year with your acts of compassion and generosity  – We Thank You.

For those of you who have yet to contribute to this year’s community campaign, we ask that you put yourself in the role of a giver and imagine what your tzedakah, your gift, could mean to those in need.  As we here at the Jewish Federation of Broward County always say,     “Give a little.  It does a lot.”  Please donate today.

 

Shabbat Shalom 

Michael 

 

May 26, 2017

Each visit to Jerusalem is uniquely meaningful and this particular occasion will have a special place in my memories.

Jerusalem holds a fascination, as one of the holy sites, to much of the world’s population. Christians and Muslims visit as part of their destination. It is however just one place in their journey. For us, for the Jewish people, Jerusalem is the center of our spirit and being. We have no physical location more important.

Jerusalem is mentioned 660 times in the Tanach. The city was destroyed twice and besieged 23 times. It was captured and recaptured 44 times. Throughout all of this turbulence the Jewish people have never ceased to pray for Jerusalem, about Jerusalem and towards Jerusalem.

I am in Israel to celebrate Yom Yerushalayim- the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem. Celebrating Israel’s victory in 1967.

The context of this history is that Jordan and an alliance of Arab states rejected the 1947 UN Partition Plan under which Jerusalem was to be a corpus separatum. The Arabs nations chose instead to invade and conquer the Old City and East Jerusalem. While the Arab armies failed to capture all of the city, they succeeded in dividing Jerusalem and keeping us from the Old City. The city was divided along the 1949 Armistice Line.

In June of 1967, what is known as the Six Day War the Arab armies once again invaded Israel.

On June 7, just three days into the war, the joyful words were reported – “Har HaBayit B’Yadeinu” – the Temple Mount is in our hands – representing Jerusalem’s reunification under Israel’s flag.

I’ve heard the words many times before. Yet, being here for the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem has profound meaning for our work. It reinforces the necessity to ensure the next generation deepens its connections and commitment to stand and support the people of Israel. 

Shabbat Shalom!

Michael Balaban

“Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light Behold I am a violin for all your songs.”

Click here to listen to the full “Yerushalayim Shel Zahav” song with English subtitles.

Here are some pictures from the Yom Yerushalayim march and videos of the amazing sound and light show that opened the week’s celebrations.

May 19, 2017

May in Broward is a time filled with transitions.  Schools hold graduations, proms and moving up ceremonies.  Organizations are no different. This past Tuesday, at the Jewish Federation of Broward County’s Annual Meeting, our new Board of Directors was installed. We celebrated our leaders – both past and newly elected, and looked towards the exciting future of the Federation and the Broward Jewish community.

Part of that future includes a newly approved strategic plan that seeks to forge a new path for our organization and provide communal guidance.  Through our strategic planning process, we came to understand, in a world of unlimited choices, that one size simply does not fit all. Jews seek entry into the Jewish community for a multiplicity of reasons, at various times in their lives.

If individuals are to identify with Jewish life, they require compelling reasons for affirming their connection to the Jewish community. If individuals are to invest philanthropically, they require compelling and inspirational reasons.  The Jewry of today requires institutions that excite with passion, create solutions and advance opportunities.  The Jewry of today requires inspired thinking rather than rote learning.  It requires an awareness of the elements that make Jewish living joyful rather than obligatory.

The new strategic plan is focused on driving how we respond to the needs and interests of our donors. Our aim is to elevate the donor experience and create a world-class structure worthy of your investment. We will streamline decision-making in order to respond to the immediate needs of today and work to provide meaningful engagement strategies in all aspects of our work.

The Jewish Federation of Broward County is prepared to mobilize the community’s enormous intellectual, human, and financial resources in the service of the Jewish community and make history by providing the resources to:

o Insure the vitality of our community
o Reinvigorate our capacity to respond
o Energize Jewish life here, in Israel and overseas
o Renew our infrastructure

During our meeting we paid tribute and expressed our gratitude for outgoing Board Chair, Sammy Schulman.  Sammy has worked tirelessly for the past 5 years, the last three as our Board Chair and previous two as our Campaign Chair.  Sammy, together with the other past Board Chairs in the room, passed the gavel to the capable hands of our new Board Chair, Debbie Gober. Debbie has worked relentlessly for the past three years as Campaign Chair and I along with the entire Federation team feel fortunate to be working with her in this new capacity.

Along with Debbie, we ushered in, Doug Berman as Board Vice Chair/ Board Chair Elect, Bob Schneider as our new Campaign Chair, Lori Ben-Ezra, Alan Cohn, Lori Mizels and Lenny Samuels as Board Vice Chairs At-Large, Adam Davis as Secretary and Jeff Sopshin as Treasurer to complete our new Executive Board. Additionally, we want to express our gratitude to Doug Berman as his term as Jewish Community Foundation Chair ends and he passes the gavel on to Esther Shacket – to Lori Mizels as her term ends as Chair of Women’s Philanthropy and goes to Judy Spatz – and to Sam Eppy as he ends his term as Co-Chair of Young Leadership Division and passes it on to Todd Baker (Tammy Malvin is entering her second year as Co-Chair).

This Executive Board, together with the entire Board of Directors and professionals will build on our Federation’s mandate of enriching Jewish lives everywhere by not being risk averse, but by working restlessly to raise the bar of excellence across the breadth and depth of our community. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but together we will all go from strength to strength.

Shabbat Shalom,

Michael Balaban

Click here to see the complete slate of our new and returning leaders to the Board of Directors.