Jul 20, 2016

Federation Leaders Witness Firsthand Community Dollars at Work

“I was amazed to see the cutting-edge nature of our programs,” said Federation General Campaign Chair Jeffrey Scheck, who recently returned from The Jewish Federations of North America’s Campaign Chairs and Directors Mission to Paris and Israel. “I am so proud of the work we do: helping Arab/Israeli relationships; job assistance for the unemployed; helping 30,000 olim make aliyah; micro loans; women’s issues; food co-ops, and more.”Accompanied by Annual Campaign Director Abbey Feinberg and peers from other communities, they saw firsthand how Federation funds are helping to support and strengthen the Jewish community abroad.

During the trip, the group accompanied new French olim on their journey to Israel, attended a memorial service at Tel Aviv’s Sarona Market, and spent time with Israel Defense Forces soldiers and MASA and Birthright participants. One highlight of the trip was meeting children from Youth Futures, a mentoring program for at-risk youth supported by Federation’s overseas partner, The Jewish Agency for Israel. The organization allows more than 300 mentors to reach 4,500 children across 36 sites, including one in Miami’s partnership city of Yerucham. Scheck added, “Thanks to our members' donations, we are changing so many lives. Federation is truly the heartbeat of our lives.”