The Impact of Partners Fund

Because of Hillels of Georgia, a Partners Fund program, Emma discovered her Judaism.

Emma had discovered her and her family’s Jewish heritage only a few years before enrolling at KSU. When she arrived on campus she began attending Hillel events. Through our programs, Emma began learning about her heritage and developing her own connection to her Jewish heritage. She was eager to explore her Jewish identity and see firsthand the land that held such significance for her ancestors. Emma applied to go on Birthright with Hillels of Georgia and attended the program in May of 2023. Throughout the trip, Emma transformed into an inquisitive and proud member of the Jewish community, engaging in deep conversations with fellow participants surrounding Jewish practice and meaning, exploring Jewish history, and even becoming a Bat Mitzvah on our Shabbat in Jerusalem. Emma’s journey in Israel is a testament to the power of community to bring us closer to our roots.

Thanks to Federation’s support of JIFLA, a Partners Fund program, a mother was able to send her child to preschool.

“I am thankful to JIFLA for the opportunity to support my daughters preschool at a time where we had spent a lot of our financial cushion on medical emergencies. The right decision for us was to build back our reserves before continuing to give back to our community, and it feels great to be able to do both with a sense of security.”

JTeen (formerly known as JumpSpark), a Partners Fund-funded Federation initiative, provides life-changing resources for Jewish teens and their families.

“JTeen (formerly JumpSpark) has perfectly tapped into what the needs are in navigating the transition to high school and the myriad of experiences we need to be prepared for throughout the high school years.  I have learned from various renowned professionals and feel I can now more confidently understand the processes. JTeen is a fabulous program that the Atlanta Jewish community is so lucky to have!” – Traci Flome, parent 

Life has not been easy for Zhanna and her family in Belarus. The family of four share a rundown state-allocated apartment which, though clean, is in desperate need of repair and new furniture.

Zhanna is an administrative manager for a kindergarten, while her chronically ill husband works in security at a factory. Neither job provides much of an income, especially with two children to raise and when around one quarter must go towards utility bills. Maintaining health is a constant worry and source of financial strain. Though their 12-year-old son, Daniil, is healthy, Uliana, the couple’s 10-year-old daughter, has developmental disabilities and speech disorders requiring expensive treatment they can ill afford. Because of Federation’s support to JDC, the family receives support from JDC’s Children’s Initiative (CI) in Minsk. As well as the support of a dedicated CI coordinator who works with Zhanna and her husband to identify and build a plan to address their most pressing needs. The family’s CI coordinator encourages them to attend Jewish community programs and events, such as the ‘Mom’s Club’, and Family Retreats which has been a great source of comfort for the family. Fully subsidized thanks to Federation, this year’s Family Retreat offered them quality time together away from the pressures of their daily lives, and an opportunity to meet and share experiences with other young families.

“Before our involvement with JDC’s programs, our days were relentless and unchanging: home-school-work-clinic,” Zhanna recalls. With Federation’s support, however, their lives have taken on a hopeful – and less isolated – new dimension: “Now, my family and I have diversity, thanks to help from our CI coordinator,” says Zhanna.