January 2016

Newsletter volunteer staff:
Editor: Laura Queller
Staff Writers: Jane Gomez, Beth Manes Lax
WP Staff: Beth Levin
WP VP: Jody Caplan

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80 Years of Women’s Giving

by Jody Caplan, Vice President, Community Engagement

Women’s Philanthropy is celebrating 80 years of women’s giving in our community. In 1936, a group of empowered Jewish women joined together in Newark with our first campaign chair, Rose Kussy, to build what is now known as the women’s campaign of United Jewish Appeal or UJA of Greater MetroWest New Jersey. Over the years our name has changed and our geographical reach has expanded, but we have maintained our commitment to collecting and contributing dollars to build a strong Jewish safety net.

In this e-newsletter, we look at Women’s Philanthropy’s past, present, and future. We reminisce with long-time volunteers who recall leaders and events that created a culture of giving and a vibrant Jewish community. We asked CHOICES attendees to share a favorite Women’s Philanthropy memory and we have selected a few of their stories to share with you. President Joan Schiffer Levinson highlights the state of Women’s Philanthropy today and offers ways to find personal growth, reward, and friendship through the work we are doing here, in Israel, and around the world. We also consider what we can do to ensure that our values endure and to secure a bright Jewish future for our children and their children.

We hope that while reading these articles you remember what first motivated you to attend a Women’s Philanthropy event and participate in the UJA campaign. Perhaps a look back on your own experiences will move you to strengthen your connection to Women’s Philanthropy and to be a part of the story we are building for women to come.

I leave you with an excerpt of remarks that Joan shared at CHOICES on October 29 when 300 women gathered together to mark this important anniversary:

“Every dollar counts. We knew that then and we know that now. And we continue to ask and we continue to give to the annual campaign, to emergency campaigns, to special projects, and to create an endowed gift that will live on forever.”

“For the last nine decades we’ve built a strong and vibrant women’s campaign. Our women have gone on to become general campaign chairs and serve on the Board of and assume the role of president of National Women’s Philanthropy. They have become presidents of our Federation.”

“We’ve gone through restructuring and name changes. We were a women’s campaign, then Women’s Division, Women’s Department, and now Women’s Philanthropy. We’ve gone through two Federation mergers and three of the four Federation presidents at the time of the mergers were women.”

“Our women have met with world leaders. Our women leaders have become legends in their own right and created legacies for others to follow in their footsteps. And our women have continued to give.”

B’shalom,
Jody Hurwitz Caplan