The Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey (JFHNJ) held its annual meeting and Celebration of Caring on Thursday, November 7, at the Freehold Jewish Center.
The evening started with a reception for the Federation’s Life and Legacy program, featuring a champagne toast for Eric Wallenstein, recipient of the Seymour St. Lifer Award for outstanding life and legacy achievements. The Life and Legacy program, led by the Federation in collaboration with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, works to establish a culture of legacy philanthropy via an endowment of funds to Jewish community organizations to guarantee their long-term financial health. Established in 2016, the program provides financial incentives, training and coaching sessions, staff support and marketing resources.
Federation Executive Director Susan Antman noted how much has been accomplished in the few years since the Life and Legacy program started. Since its inception, more than $13 million has already been allocated to benefit the community, with 450 people committing to a future value of $12.5 million to 30 local organizations, another 700,000 committed to other local Jewish institutions and incentive grants of $280,000 for community work.
Marlene Herman, incoming Life and Legacy program chair, noted that the weekly parsha of Lech Lecha can be interpreted as “go into yourself,” which the Life and Legacy participants have done to ensure community organizations are supported for future generations.
Wallenstein was honored with the Seymour St. Lifer Award for his efforts on behalf of Rutgers Hillel and the Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva, as he leveraged the support of donors to benefit both organizations. In addition to a plaque honoring his efforts, Wallenstein was presented with a Rutgers Hillel T-shirt and kippah, a sweatshirt from RPRY and a Federation tote bag in honor of his dedication and commitment to the Jewish community.
The group then adjourned to the sanctuary for the annual meeting portion of the evening to elect. new board members and chairs, and review the year’s accomplishments. The Federation received $4.2 million for security enhancements for local Jewish institutions, initiated programs to build bridges between groups of differing backgrounds to unite them to stand against hate, added programs for drug and alcohol treatment and added to the PJ library to connect to more children in the area.
Attendees were then divided into four groups to attend panels to learn more about the Federation’s efforts in various areas. Panel members rotated through the assembled sessions where presentations and Q&A sessions were offered for the following topics: “Strengthening Jewish Cultural Life,” “Investing in Our Future Through Education,” “Combating Hate” and “Caring for the Vulnerable.”
To strengthen Jewish cultural life, Federation invites families for Shabbat dinners and also works to connect in other ways, both in person and through social media.
“Combating Hate” included an interfaith panel that noted the importance of education and dialogue in fighting hate on local, state and national levels.
During “Investing in Our Future Through Education,” statistics showed that attendance at Jewish summer camps helped maintained young people’s connections to their Jewish community throughout their lives.
“Caring for the Vulnerable” enlightened audiences about economic needs locally and in Israel.
Following the sessions, the entire group reconvened for a lavish dessert spread where panelists and Federation leaders were available to answer questions and participate in further discussion.
JFHNJ serves the Monmouth and greater Middlesex county areas. For more information go to https://www.jewishheartnj.org/
By Deborah Melman
