I’ve been amazed, inspired, and grateful for so many things this year in our Jewish Federation and in our community. But there were ten very visual things that stayed with me…

1. There was a moment in June at our Federation Annual Meeting, as several hundred members of our community celebrated the year past, where I thought to myself, “I need to capture this moment.” As one of our inspiring speakers stood up in the spotlight and delivered a message of hope, I pulled out my phone and took this photo, from the stage, seeing the bright future ahead.		2. Standing with my colleague Mike Hoffman, CEO of our sister Jewish Federation in Palm Beach, at the HyperCacher supermarket in Paris. A year after the terrorist attack there, we showed our solidarity and learned about the incredible support our emergency funds provided for French Jewish security.
3. Celebrating an incredible Super Sunday in New Jersey and Israel together, as we sang Hatikva and did community thousands of miles apart, but close together.		4. Launching our first-ever all-professional staff training day – “Ahead” – and seeing the caliber and commitment of my colleagues as they presented their work.
5. Participating in a unique Havdalah celebration to delineate between holy and holy, as the Partnership for Jewish Learning and Life became a department of our Jewish Federation.		6. Watching our own Mark Wilf at the Jewish Federations’ General Assembly in D.C. remind us that every Shoah (Holocaust) survivor is our responsibility.
7. Arriving at the brand-new train station of our partner community Ofakim and learning about the massive economic and social impact this new commuter line will make.		8. On a Federation mission to Israel, 100 feet underground, deep below the Southwest corner of the Temple Mount, precisely below Robinson’s Arch, I touched the lowest stone of the wall where it was placed on Mount Moriah. It was an incredibly moving experience, and a privilege to be part of a mission that could be there.
9. I just love this Campaign video because it shows the essence of who we are and what we do as a Jewish Federation…		10. … and this awesome video, which we showed at our Great Balls of Fire Young Leadership event to celebrate Lee Murnick and Ariel Nelson, last year’s Julius and Bessie Cohn Young Leadership Award Winners.

 

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