For a list of participating organizations and events, visit:

Transcription

1 Happy Passover! 2018

2 Dear Community, Pesach is here! Just as Moses led our people out of bondage, YOU are helping lead the way by supporting our Jewish community through the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. We are excited to share with you the many ways you are making a difference for Jewish Puget Sound as we carry out our mission: to serve as a community voice, to strengthen connections with Israel and World Jewry, and to make investments in Jewish life for today and the next generation. And we cannot do it without you the future of our Jewish community is powered by YOU! Inside, we are focusing on your impact in Israel and overseas. Read about just some of the real lives you are touching through your gift to Federation, and the profound impact you make possible here in Seattle, in Israel, and around the world. Throughout the year, we will be highlighting some of the BIG ways you are making a difference. We hope your Passover is filled with love, family, and the joy of freedom. Chag Pesach Sameach! Thank you, Nancy B. Greer, President & CEO Sarah Boden, Board Chair

3 SAVING JEWISH LIVES IN ISRAEL It s been more than 30 years since the first mass emigration from Ethiopia to Israel began, but Ethiopian Jews in Israel are still struggling to fully integrate into society. Yav is an Ethiopian Israeli boy who recently celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at the Kotel in the presence of his family and school friends. He and his two younger siblings, orphaned when they were very young children, are being raised by their aunt in Be er Sheva, who took the kids in when their elderly grandparents became too frail to care for them. Thanks to a Federation-funded organization, SELAH, Yav has been provided a helping hand every step of the way since he and his siblings lost their mother, giving them financial and emotional support. Surrounded by friends and family, Yav s carefree smile filled the Kotel with happiness. The Bar Mitzvah was a very joyful event for the boy, his siblings, and their aunt, says Ruth Bar-On, SELAH s Founder and Executive Director. Federation-Supported Organizations Assisting Jews in Israel and Abroad: American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee SELAH: Israel Crisis Management Center Jewish Agency for Israel Taglit-Birthright Israel Kiryat Malachi Endowment Fund World ORT Leket Israel YEDID Learn more about how you are impacting lives abroad at:

4 FOSTERING CONNECTIONS WITH ISRAEL Federation brings young Israeli emissaries, or shinshinim and summer shlichim, to Seattle to give Jewish Puget Sound an up-close and personal taste of Israeli life and culture. Tal Bronstain and Lidar Efrati, this year s shinshinim, have been making a big impact on our community since they arrived by working in partnership with our day schools and synagogues. Bringing shinshinim and shlichim to Seattle is one way the Federation is strengthening connections with Israel and World Jewry through the power of relationships. Whether it is a child under five, a religious school student, or an adult, the shinshinim s engaging personality draws our community in, and through them we are building a connection to Israel. Rachel Wachtel, Congregation Beth Shalom We speak a different language, but we re still people we re all Jews, with the same customs and the same prayers. We have a lot in common. Lidar Efrati, 2018 Shinshin Learn more about how you are bringing Israel to our area at:

5 INSPIRING LOCAL JEWISH TEENS Thank you for helping send Jacob to Israel. As many parents feel, there is nothing I would not do for my kids. Choosing to apply to Alexander Muss High School was a conscious decision that I know would have an impact on helping to shape my son at this stage of his life. Connecting with the land of Israel is a gift that I wanted Jacob to experience before going off to college, which is why we applied. It is a gift that will allow him to explore his connection to the land of Israel and Judaism in a way that no 16 year-old can do here in the United States. Jacob s great-grandparents on both sides survived the Holocaust. The experience of visiting Poland and seeing where his great-grandparents parents perished is a part of who he is and how he has the privilege to live a Jewish life today. I truly hope you know that the Federation s efforts to help make this experience possible for my son are truly appreciated. Learn more about how you are inspiring teens at:

6 Join us for #NWIsraelFest, where you can connect with our Jewish homeland right here in the Puget Sound region. From music to food, from learning experiences to holiday ceremonies, #NWIsraelFest offers many touch points to Israel. There is something for everyone! #NWIsraelFest illustrates the diversity of Jewish Puget Sound through our shared connections to Israel. And to cap off the third annual #NWIsraelFest, you re invited to attend Celebrate Israel at 70, a community-wide festival hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, the Stroum Jewish Community Center, and the Israeli American Council-Seattle Chapter that brings our community together for live music, children and teen programming, Israeli art, shopping, and so much more! You ensure #NWIsraelFest is a part of our community every year. Together we are bringing Israel home! For a list of participating organizations and events, visit: