The Federation plays a convener role to help enhance communication and coordination, increase effectiveness and impact, and build strong individual and organizational relationships.

It was a fantastic but emotionally challenging Annual Meeting last night. Our FEDTalks addressed personal healing, healing for the helpers and communal healing after a tragedy.

Shinshinim enjoy their first two weeks in Pittsburgh.

While serving as a Board member should be taken as an honor, it also comes with incredible responsibility. Last night, our Federation Board convened for nearly four hours to better understand their roles as fiduciaries of our organization.

I want to call your attention to an article in the Post-Gazette this week about the community’s one year commemoration of what happened on October 27th. The day provides each of us with the opportunity to do what may be personally meaningful: Torah study, hands on volunteering, prayer, attending the gathering, or not doing any of these things.

A Jewish community commemoration planning committee today announced initial plans for the upcoming one-year commemoration of the lives lost when three Pittsburgh Jewish congregations

Our Federation established a theme after the October 27th shooting: “Stronger Together”. I know that when organizations work together on common goals, we achieve more.

We are devastated and outraged by the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio this weekend, which resulted in the deaths of at least 29 innocent people.

The reach of our work is profound. I feel so lucky to have been part of this year’s Cabinet retreat because it reJEWvenated me.

As we were driving along a curvy, single lane road, we passed a sign that we were entering Newtown, CT and Sandy Hook. My heart sank.