by Matt Bronfman, Board Chair
I am constantly amazed by the good Federation does. Last year between the Campaign, the Atlanta Jewish Foundation, and other giving programs, we helped infuse roughly $53 million into the community. Many of our efforts are high-visibility programs that people can see and participate in. But much of our work is indirect, from providing community-wide security to supporting innovation and community planning with our partner agencies. That is why to me, Federation reminds me of the BASF commercials from the ‘80s and ‘90s: We don’t make a lot of the products you buy or use, we make them better.
I continue to be inspired by so many things that happen because of Federation, whether through funding, direct programming, or just the connections we foster. Here are just a few that impressed me recently:
- Federation’s AgeWell Atlanta platform offers customized resources for older adults, plus an amazing calendar packed with 18-20 programs a week to engage them. Get on the AgeWell mailing list for upcoming events.
- Through Federation’s funding of Moishe House and our Making Jewish Places initiative, programming has expanded beyond the four residential houses to impact young adults in Kennesaw, Smyrna, and Cumming “without walls.” Read about it here.
- Federation’s education initiative, the Jewish Education Collaborative (JEC), continues to transform the face of supplementary Jewish education in our city. Read about Atlanta Hebrew Connection, a new online Hebrew language pilot program starting this fall.
- Federation and JF&CS have become partners in KAVOD SHEF, a funding initiative to help meet the home care needs of Holocaust survivors in Georgia and the Southeast. It will supplement Claims Conference funding and the impactful work of the Holocaust Survivor Support Fund (HSSF) improving the lives of survivors who need assistance.
- I love how we connected these two: Rabbi Micah Lapidus of The Davis Academy met Eliad Eliyahu Ben Shushan, the liaison for our partnership region in Yokneam and Megiddo, Israel. Their work to build bridges between Atlanta and Israeli students led to a deep interpersonal connection over their shared love of Jewish music. It led to the production of this beautiful song.
