Wonderful things happen when people come together as a community. This is especially true of our Louisville Jewish Community and the programs and services that are supported by the Annual Federation Campaign.
Doug Gordon, chair, and Ariel Kronenberg, co-chair, of the 2015 Federation Campaign, and the Campaign Committee have designated the week of December 7-11 as the Week of Giving. It will culminate with a Million Dollar Dinner on December 13, at which we will celebrate our Jewish Journeys and all the extraordinary things we do as a community.
Guided by the Talmudic principle, “kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh,” all of Israel are responsible for each other, our community ensures that children have the opportunity to attend JCC Summer Camp or Jewish overnight camp where they can have positive Jewish experiences and develop strong Jewish identities.
We also subsidize every student in Louisville Beit Sefer Yachad, The Temple Religious School and the High School of Jewish Studies with $250 to help keep Jewish education accessible and affordable, and support adult Jewish learning and social opportunities such as Chavurat Shalom and Melton.
Together, we ensure that engaging Teen Connection and BBYO programs are available to Jewish middle and high school students, encouraging them to socialize, learn leadership skills and forge lifelong connections to the Jewish community.
Through Jewish Family & Career Services, we ensure that families, children and individuals dealing with the most difficult of life’s challenges, have the help and support they need, whether it be counseling, employment coaching, food, affordable transportation or services to help a senior adult continue to live independently.
As a community, we can take pride in knowing that through the JCC’s Senior Adult program we provide hot kosher meals five days a week in congregate meals and delivered through the only kosher Meals-on-Wheels program in Kentucky, asking only a donation in return. In addition, the JCC offers programming to help seniors stay physically, mentally and emotionally fit.
In addition, we welcome newcomers, run the Hillel program for college students, which this year has over 50 participants, advocate for the Jewish community and engage with other faith and civic groups through the Jewish Community Relations Council and provide Community, eletters and other communications vehicles that let all our Jewish agencies and congregations share their news and invite the all to their events.
We also administer the Jewish Foundation of Louisville, that helps many of our community members support Jewish and other philanthropic activities, while preserving and protecting these precious resources to ensure the future sustainability of our community.
And, especially in light of recent terrorist actions in Israel, let’s remember that a portion of the funding we raise as a community goes directly to support Israel and our fellow Jews in need in Ukraine or wherever they may be.
These programs and services and many more like them form the fabric of our community. We are all touched by one or more of them. They weave together to make the Louisville Jewish community warm, welcoming and responsive.
It is also our responsibility, as a community, to provide the support needed to offer these critical programs and services and to enable our family of Jewish agencies to thrive, innovate and meet the ever-changing community needs.
You have expectations of the Jewish community, and the Jewish community has expectations of you. All of these wonderful programs and services that we have come to expect from our Jewish community depend on the financial support of the Annual Federation Campaign; and the dollars raised by the Campaign come from you, the generous donors.
Gordon and Kronenberg encourage all donors to make their pledges before or during the Week of Giving and invite all donors of $1,000 or more, as individuals or couples, to celebrate our community’s success at the Million Dollar Dinner. The dinner will include local stories of Jewish Journeys and how your Campaign donors have made a difference in people’s lives.
• Hear how a music student at U of L became an active member of the Jewish community on campus and went on to become a leader in Hillel.
• Discover how an unaffiliated teen connected with BBYO and, through BBYO, her own Jewish identity.
The Million Dollar Dinner will feature Hollywood writer David N. Weiss, who will share his Jewish journey and how it has given him a sense of joy and inspiration in learning and living Torah values. The Emmy-nominated Weiss has written or co-written some of Hollywood’s most endearing and successful family films, from Academy Award-nominated features, Shrek 2 and Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius to the Rugrats movies, the surprise hit, The Smurfs and Smurfs 2. Weiss’ combined box office now exceeds $2 billion, worldwide.
Also at the dinner, after being dragged out of retirement, is Louisville’s own Jonathan Wolff, composer of the music for some of TV’s great hits including Seinfeld and King of Queens, will perform some of his music.
The Million Dollar Dinner will be Saturday, December 13 at 7 p.m. at Standard Country Club. A Vaad-approved option is available upon advance request.
A couvert of $36 for the dinner will be charged to event attendees to ensure all Campaign donations go directly to support the 2015 Federation Campaign.
RSVP by December 4 to Kristy Benefield, 238-2739 or kbenefield@jewishlouisville.org.
