12/06/2024
‘Here For Good’: A Community United in Giving and Gratitude
Amir Jaffa | SPECIAL TO THE CJN
Article reprinted with permission from Cleveland Jewish News
When we talk about the critical needs in our Jewish community, how many of us have the full picture of what that really means? I have been involved with the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and supported our community’s annual Campaign for Jewish Needs for decades, so when I took the helm as campaign chair this year, I thought I knew what I was getting into.
As we prepare to bring our 2025 campaign home to record-breaking results (with the support of everyone who has yet to give), I am humbled and awed by the sheer depth of our community’s efforts to help one another. In a time when it seems so much attention is focused on how divided we are, as a Jewish community or as a nation, our communal campaign brings us together to just do good. While we are saving and changing lives through our support, we are also changing our own lives by strengthening our connections and reinforcing the resiliency of a community that truly has our backs, no matter our differences, no matter what.
While I felt like I knew Jewish Cleveland like the back of my hand before, I am amazed at how much I have learned about our community these past months working alongside the dedicated volunteer and professional workforce from the Federation and our agencies. Addressing issues both comprehensively and intensively is nearly impossible, yet I’ve seen firsthand how our campaign funds fuel solutions that cover all angles both effectively and profoundly.
We are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to fighting antisemitism. We continue to build one of the leading community security forces in the Jewish world. We are countering rampant disinformation and bias with facts and outreach. We are working throughout our region and our country to build civic partnerships and organizational alliances we can rely upon for solidarity and support. From Pre-K through college, our day schools and Hillels are empowering our children to forge strong, confident paths in life as proud Jews, ready to meet the world with an unwavering belief in the bright promise of our shared future.
We will never back down when it comes to standing up for our Jewish family around the world – especially in the face of brutal war and terrorism. In Israel, our dollars are going to support victims of terror in their long road to recovery, bring innovative STEM education to students on the periphery of society, mentor at-risk youth to help them and their families flourish, and help our new partner community of Kibbutz Kissufim find their way out of the wilderness of uncertainty to rebuild their lives.
And we are doing all this while making sure basic needs are met here at home – that our neighbors can afford kosher holiday meals, find shelter in the storm of a personal crisis, access mental health services in critical moments, get guidance for navigating complex medical or financial decisions, and receive comfort and care when they cannot leave their home. Together, we do so much more than I ever imagined before diving into this role. More probably than any one of us can ever know.
As Chanukah approaches, I see our Campaign for Jewish Needs as similar to the legendary jar of oil that kindles the darkness, drawing us together in dedication, illuminating not only our challenges but also our solutions, lasting longer than we thought possible, going further than we thought possible, burning so bright that it’s hard to explain in words alone but through the profound act of giving of ourselves and asking others to do the same.
I am so grateful to the thousands of generous people like you for coming together from across Jewish Cleveland to be “Here for Good.” Thank you.
Make your gift today to the Federation’s annual campaign at jewishcleveland.org. The 2025 Campaign will conclude on Dec. 11.
Amir Jaffa is the Jewish Federation of Cleveland general campaign chair.
