Jeff Finkelstein
Change is so hard. What one is accustomed to (a house, a building, a route to work, etc) becomes ingrained into our memories and into our actions. Yesterday morning, as an example, my intention when leaving my house was to stop to buy a cup of coffee on my way to work. Without thinking, I […]
At a Federation program last night, Arielle di Porto, the Director of the Aliyah Division of the Jewish Agency for Israel, spoke about her work in helping Jews from areas of the world under distress and/or danger escape to Israel. The Jewish Agency’s efforts in this area are extraordinary and life-saving. They are monitoring the […]
December 25, 2017 – A volunteer serves meals on Mitzvah Day at Riverview Towers so regular staff can be home for the holiday. – Photo by Josh Franzos Federation’s Mitzvah Day was an unbelievable success by all measures: number of volunteers, number of organizations impacted and numbers of people helped by our volunteers. For those that have […]
Last week, I wrote a “P.S.” to my Shabbat message and I want to reiterate it here as my main message. The tax plan has been sent to the President for his signature and he will sign it into law, according to news reports, in early January or possibly before. Whatever your politics and your […]
This Shabbat we will read, Mikketz, my Bar Mitzvah Torah portion from 35 years ago. Joseph is asked to interpret to Pharaoh what his dream of seven fat cows eating seven lean cows and seven fat ears of grain swallowing seven lean ears of grain means. Joseph explains that there will be seven years of […]
My message this week is in the form of a short video. Federation’s reach is both local and international. Too often, we lose sight of the kind of impact all of us has on the Jewish world outside of the 412 and 724 area codes. This video will highlight the kind of social service and […]
Our Federation is so completely focused on having the kind of positive and transformational impact on our community and Jewish world that every one of our donors expects. At the same time, we strive to be a top functioning and highly effective nonprofit organization. This week, we held both a Finance Committee meeting and our […]
A group of about 20 Pittsburghers were in Los Angeles this week for the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) General Assembly. The GA gives us an opportunity to learn about the deep impact our Federation system has on the Jewish world. At the opening plenary, members of the Houston Jewish community talked emotionally about […]
I asked Rob Goodman, who has served as the founding Director of South Hills Jewish Pittsburgh, a program of the Jewish Federation, to write this week’s message: As Jews, our lives are tied to the calendar – our festivals, holy days, and Shabbat all are reflective of a combination of the lunar and solar cycles. This […]
Last Shabbat I was in Jerusalem. There is nothing like being there as the streets quiet down, the sun sets over the Old City and you see families spending time with each other walking to their synagogues, walking to the old city, walking to a park for a picnic or to a restaurant. The purpose […]
I see Federation everywhere. When this week’s Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle arrived (now being sent for free to every identified Jewish household due in large part to support from the Federation), I read a story about the Pittsburgh visit of the Israeli Consul General for Israel. Federation put together the public gathering with Dani Dayan and […]
One would probably expect me to write about Yom Kippur this week, but I will leave that to our skilled and inspirational Rabbis at our Pittsburgh area synagogues. I had planned to write about last night’s Shore Whitehill Award, an award established by the Federation that “celebrates volunteers who promote the inclusion of people with […]
There is so much I could write in depth about this week. There is a Shabbat dinner taking place tonight for young adults with many of our young adult community programs in collaboration. The Apples and Honey Festival put on by Federation this past Sunday at the Waterfront drew hundreds of families. Our Federation Draft […]
I was speaking yesterday to one of my colleagues from the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). He had traveled down to Houston as part of the ongoing effort by our national Federation system to help with the clean-up and relief effort there. He shared with us the devastation impacting the Jewish community, both to […]
I have to mention four things that happened this week. I will be brief with all, but I think all deserve mention: Hurricane Harvey – The national Federation system opened a mailbox over the weekend to collect donations to help flood victims including those in the Jewish community. Our Federation, through emergency funds that we […]
On Tuesday of this week, our entire Federation staff came to work in old t-shirts and shorts for a day of cleaning out. In fact, our garbage and recycling bins are literally overflowing right now. We felt it was important to be able to determine what really needs to be kept, what can be scanned […]
Last Sunday, the Federation’s new Jewish Community Security Director conducted the first of two training session for staff and volunteers of area congregations in preparation for the upcoming High Holidays. Over 100 attended and this Sunday morning at the second session, we are expecting over 90 participants. This newly created position of Security Director, conceptualized […]
Wednesday evening, in a small program at the Heinz History Center, a group of us gathered for the launch of the publication of a book entitled Buncher: 25 Years of Investing in People. The Buncher Family from Pittsburgh has been a driving force in Jewish communities around the world in training and cultivating both professional and […]
Last week’s Jewish Chronicle covered a Jewish Telegraphic Association (JTA) story about the powerful impact of the PJ Library program. Our Federation has been funding this incredible program in partnership with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation for many years. With over 1,300 current subscribers locally, the impact has been profound. While this article shares nationally aggregated data, we […]
Shiny new objects. Babies and even those of us a little older are attracted to shiny new objects. For some of us, it’s the latest piece of technology. For others, it could be a new watch, a new piece of clothing or even a new and exciting person. In philanthropy, many donors like funding the […]