President’s Message
by Rebecca A. Gold
It’s been almost 15 years since I went to my first Women’s Philanthropy event at the Barnes & Noble on Route 10 in East Hanover. Our then Federation Campaign Chair, Ellen Goldner, delivered a powerful message of Jewish communal responsibility and several light bulbs went on over my head. Fast forward through innumerable events, several local and overseas missions, JFNA (Jewish Federation of North America) National Young Leadership Cabinet, two years in the Wexner Heritage Program and nine years as a Women’s Philanthropy VP, and here I land as your newly installed president. What a journey!
I am honored and thrilled to hold this position and I will do my best to move Women’s Philanthropy in a direction that will make us even more united, engaged, and impactful. I have seven phenomenal vice presidents who make up a cohesive and dedicated team. We are as focused on outreach, engagement, and education as we are on campaign. We women know that Federation is not “just about the money.” Defining moments for me (just to name a few) have occurred in a room of individuals with special needs creating amazing art at the WAE center, making hundreds of challahs at a local food bank, meeting teachers and social workers in Israel who help at-risk children, and talking to young IDF lone soldiers on a base at the Gaza border. When I meet people on the ground and, literally, in the trenches, I am confident that our contributions are being well spent. Our investment is a solid one. We need to protect that investment and help it grow.
The 2016 Women’s Campaign of Greater MetroWest raised and helped allocate $7.5 million. That’s one third of the general UJA Campaign – nothing to sneeze at! Together we made a world of difference to our community locally, in Israel, and in 70 countries around the globe. Where there are Jews – there we are. Women’s Philanthropy’s goal is to help more and do more. That takes money and time. Our mandate is to inspire ourselves and as many other women as possible to make this happen.
This past July, I was fortunate to go on the JFNA Campaign Chairs & Directors Mission to Paris and Israel. It was terribly upsetting and scary to hear the stories and visit the sites of terror at the Paris Hypercacher, a kosher market, and in Sarcelles – a Jewish and Muslim community that has lived with a delicate harmony for more than 60 years, but whose Jewish residents are now fearful for their lives and the future of their families. Your UJA dollars offer them protection and a means for making Aliyah to Israel if they feel they must go. We said Kaddish at the Savona market in Israel and visited with Holocaust survivors who have found a powerful means of expression through the art of photography. Every day we were witness to unimaginable struggles along with incredible perseverance. How do we do what we do to help? The strength of our partnerships is at the core of our success, and our presence and solidarity with others in our global and local community goes far beyond our financial support.
The theme of the JFNA mission was “resilience” – as a people we have been resilient for thousands of years. It is at the core of our Jewish survival. We suffer together and we forge ahead together. We also celebrate every chance we get – in big and small ways. That too will be central to my presidency. We literally need to be together – face-to-face – to make this work. Every one of us matters and each of you is valued for whatever you can do and give.