Oct 8, 2013

Create a Jewish Legacy Adds Five Organizations After Raising Nearly $12 Million During First Year

Create a Jewish Legacy (CJL), the innovative philanthropic investment program of The Foundation of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, has begun its second year of community fundraising with five additional Miami-area organizations participating in a second group.

The second unit or “cohort 2” follows Create a Jewish Legacy’s highly successful inaugural year in which 12 Partner Organizations together received declarations of intent for legacy gifts valued at a promised nearly $12 million from 147 members of the local community.

New CJL Partner Organizations in Cohort 2 include Kesher L.D., Lehrman Community Day School, Galbut Family Miami Beach Jewish Community Center on the Simkins Family Campus, Scheck Hillel Community School and Talmudic University.

All of the newly participating institutions kicked off their involvement in CJL with an October 14 introductory orientation program, and will join in five additional training classes throughout the coming year.

“We have been highly successful in our first year because people have been receptive to the idea of making long-term philanthropic commitments that reflect their charitable priorities,” said CJL Chair Barbara Black Goldfarb. “As we begin our second year, we’re finding that new organizations are delighted to join us for the same reasons. With this kind of positive response, we expect Create a Jewish Legacy to experience substantial growth in the years ahead, which will benefit our community greatly.”

CJL represents a shared commitment by area agencies, synagogues and day schools to work together to secure a more vibrant Jewish future. Each organization in the cohort provides a core group of volunteers and professionals who are thoroughly trained in understanding and soliciting CJL legacy gifts.

A CJL donor can make a commitment, either through a current or future gift in a will, estate plan or insurance policy to create a legacy gift to benefit one or more organizations.

A gift of any size can be customized and structured to fit a CJL donor's philanthropic aspirations, lifestyle, family and financial situation. He or she can provide support for a particular institution, such as a synagogue or social service agency.

Alternately, the donor can designate support for an area of interest, such as caring for the elderly, educating children or advancing Jewish cultural programs. The ability to customize each legacy gift to the individual donor's wishes has proved to be the program's most appealing feature.

Agencies and institutions that joined Create a Jewish Legacy’s Cohort 1 last year and remain involved are Beth Torah Benny Rock Campus/Hochberg Preparatory School, Dave and Mary Alper Jewish Community Center on The Jay Morton-Levinthal Campus, Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Hebrew Academy (RASG), Jewish Community Services of Florida, Miami Jewish Health Systems Foundation, Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center on the Sanford L. Ziff Campus, Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth Am Day School, Temple Beth Sholom, Temple Israel, University of Florida Hillel and University of Miami Hillel.

For more information about The Foundation of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s Create a Jewish Legacy program, contact Coordinator Ilana Saposnik at 786.866.8435 or [email protected].