2016 Annual Report by JFGA

2016 ACHIEVING IMPACT

TOGETHER

COMMUNITY

ANNUAL REPORT

PARTNERS IN BUILDING COMMUNITY A message from our CEO

ERIC PHOTO

“This report is not simply about what Federation accomplished in fiscal year 2016; it’s a celebration of the community partnerships that help us fulfill our mission.”

When I came on board in August 2016 as Federation’s new CEO, I was already full of admiration for our Atlanta Jewish community — its long noble history and its tremendous track record of local and overseas impact. Yet, even after a dozen years living in and engaging with Jewish Atlanta, I’ll admit, I saw our community through a limited lens. I only knew a small slice of the agencies, institutions and programs that make it so remarkable. These past few months have broadened my perspective and deepened my appreciation. I’ve had the pleasure to reach out across our community and meet the people who lead and love Jewish Atlanta. My personal conversations with our rabbis, volunteers, agency heads, older adults, teachers, students, and hundreds of “just Jews” who are the fabric of our community, make me even more excited about what we can accomplish together. This report is not simply about what Federation accomplished in fiscal year 2016; it’s a celebration of the community partnerships that help us fulfill our mission. It shares stories about how our agencies change, improve and uplift people’s lives. It documents how we’ve allocated funds and been good stewards of your philanthropy. It honors the role every agency and program plays, from the biggest to the smallest, to make Jewish Atlanta a place we’re proud of and a place our children will want to call home.

Eric M. Robbins, President and CEO

PARTNERS IN COLLABORATION

3-4

An intergenerational program involving The Weber School, NORC, The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, StoryCorps and Federation shines a light on whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible through collaboration.

PARTNERS IN EDUCATION & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Investments in formal and informal education build leadership across our community. This is how we plan for a community where our kids will want to stay!

PARTNERS IN ENGAGEMENT & INNOVATION

5-6 7-8

The Jewish world is changing, and so are the strategies for reaching out to engage our community. Big ideas find support at Federation.

PARTNERS IN CARING & INCLUSION

9-10

Meeting human needs and opening our arms to everyone is the heart of what we do. We are here to help in powerful ways.

PARTNERS IN ISRAEL & OVERSEAS

PARTNERS IN SHARED SERVICES

Caring for and empowering Jewish people worldwide takes us to amazing places. Federation partnerships help amplify our overseas impact.

As community conveners, Federation leads, protects and advocates for every Jew in Metro Atlanta. Through shared services, we handle things no institution should have to handle alone.

PARTNERS IN PLANNED GIVING

13-14

Federation does more than fundraise; it is a custodian of community resources. Read how Atlanta Jewish Foundation elevates personal philanthropy and helps our community thrive.

PARTNERS IN IMPACT

15-16

The allocations process is a genuine partnership engaging all of our partner agencies and programs. More than 100 volunteers from across the community spend months assessing the impact of every program.

FEDERATION AND THE JEWISH FUTURE

We are setting the stage for transformational change as we rethink the ways Federation can best serve our 21st-century Jewish community.

Manuela

Aliza

PARTNERS IN COLLABORATION What can happen when teens and older adults break through age boundaries? Aliza Abusch-Magder is an active Weber School sophomore who takes vocal lessons, lifts weights and loves to write. Manuela Bornstein is an 82-year-old Holocaust survivor from France. Their worlds are far apart, but thanks to a project called Ageless Interaction, the two are now friends. As Aliza tells it, “I first met Manuela in the kitchen of the JCC, cooking a meal together. Our relationship brings together so many things I care about — family, feminism, history. Manuela’s family lived in Paris during the Nazi occupation, and she wore a yellow star to school. Through a series of incredible accidents, or maybe miracles, her family was smuggled to the south of France and survived the war. Manuela was nine years old and had no idea she was fleeing danger. While in hiding, her mother had a son, so they left Paris as four and returned as five. That was another miracle. Manuela is a role model for me and I’m excited to see where our friendship goes.” “I love the happiness in these young people, and how they express themselves,” Manuela reflects. “Too often our friends are similar to us in age and experience. I have grown from knowing Aliza.”

This priceless encounter would not have occurred without input from a non-profit called Ageless Interaction, and the vision of Janie Walker, Federation’s NORC Coordinator. What can happen, Walker wondered, if high school students and Jewish older adults meet through hands-on activities like cooking at the JCC? What if they really break through age boundaries and share their most personal stories? Ageless Interaction brought six different community organizations together — the MJCCA, the Atlanta History Center, StoryCorps, The Weber School, the Cuba Family Archives of The Breman Museum, and the Meyer Balser NORC. Together they shaped powerful intergenerational experiences for Weber School students and seniors from around our community.

“Since my return less than a year ago to Jewish communal professional work, I’ve been struck by the significant collaborations that are happening among Atlanta’s Jewish institutions.”

Each of the Ageless Interaction conversations was recorded by StoryCorps and is now preserved at the Cuba Family Archives and at the Atlanta History Center.

—Faye Dresner, CPO, Jewish Family & Career Services

Federation is proud to support projects like Ageless Interaction that build bridges of understanding in our community.

PARTNERS IN EDUCATION & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Why invest in Jewish education? Because today’s children are tomorrow’s Jewish community leaders. We support formal and informal education opportunities across Metro Atlanta including Jewish camps, day schools, and all kinds of learning programs, because the return on investment for future Jewish identity and involvement is simply undeniable. We grow and nurture leadership across the age spectrum and connect talented emerging leaders to our agencies so that they can guide and grow our community with skill and confidence.

The gift of a Jewish education My husband and I grew up in tight-knit Jewish communities in the Northeast and Miami, both with public schools that were a good fit for us. When we moved to Atlanta, part of the culture shock was a growing awareness that public schools might not be the best option for our family here. We looked at several public and private schools and ultimately settled on The Epstein School. It has turned out to be a fantastic choice, not only for Nathan (4th grade) and Jillian (2nd grade), but for our whole family.

For the Skor family, Jewish day school builds identity and community.

Hebrew to each other when they don’t want us to know what they’re talking about, just like my Yiddish-speaking grandparents did! But what I also love is that no matter what your level of Jewish observance, it’s a comfortable and nurturing place. Day school makes Jewish Atlanta feel like the towns we grew up in.

The academics are above and beyond my expectations. And what my kids bring home about every Jewish holiday is incredible. Their Hebrew skills are impressive. Nathan happens to be great at languages, so he’s already fluent in Hebrew. In fact, the kids sometimes speak

“I was invited to join Federation’s Jacobson Leadership Institute (JLI), representing Atlanta Jewish Music Festival. It was the educational opportunity of a lifetime — like getting an MBA in leadership.”

$20.7 MILLION RAISED IN SCHOLARSHIPS FOR JEWISH EDUCATION THROUGH THE ALEF FUND SINCE 2008 FIRST-TIME CAMPERS WHO ATTENDED JEWISH OVERNIGHT CAMP IN 2016

236

- Bram Bessoff past president, AJMF

2,000 3,000 STUDENTS IN JEWISH DAY SCHOOLS

STUDENTS IN JEWISH SUPPLEMENTARY SCHOOLS

PARTNERS IN ENGAGEMENT & INNOVATION Federation funds multiple and diverse portals for people to meaningfully engage with Jewish life in Atlanta. Whether it's traditional opportunities to connect through music, books, clubs, interfaith programming, or Jewish cultural events, or cutting-edge programs that break new ground, we help ensure that there are dynamic and relevant organizations to engage every generation.

2,700 STUDENTS

PARTICIPATE IN JEWISH STUDENT CLUBS IN THEIR HIGH SCHOOLS

73%

OF BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL PARTICIPANTS FEEL "MORE JEWISH" FOR HAVING VISITED ISRAEL

29,944

– The Young Family: Michelle, Rick, Avi, Max & Noa

3,000

SHABBAT MEALS

ARE SERVED ON CAMPUSES EACH YEAR THROUGH HILLELS OF GEORGIA

– Matt Goldberg

IN 2016

When Rick and I learned we were moving to Atlanta from New York, we drew a circle with a 10-mile radius around the Marcus Jewish Community Center (MJCCA) and told our realtor, “This is where we need to live.”

When I moved into Moishe House, my Jewish life took off. It is important for the post-college group to have places like this for Jewish connection and community. Moishe House makes Jewish living effortless again.

VISITORS TO THE BREMAN MUSEUM

BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL

2016 INNOVATION GRANT WINNERS

“PJ Library helped build our Jewish family.”

CREATING CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

When you’re the daughter of a rabbi, falling in love and marrying a Gentile isn’t exactly in the script. It called for some big conversations, and I’m very lucky that Mike enthusiastically converted to Judaism and that together we’ve built a Jewish family life. Before having kids, we were active in the MJCCA’s young adult group, and we knew one day we’d send our kids to Gesher L’Torah’s preschool, but I wondered, how would we both transmit the Jewish values and traditions that were still new to Mike?

provides volunteer opportunities and mentoring for Atlanta Jewish teens to build their leadership skills.

HONEYMOON ISRAEL provides immersive trips to Israel for Atlanta-based cohorts of couples with at least one Jewish partner, early in their committed relationship, creating communities of couples who are building families with deep connections to Jewish life and the Jewish people.

Somewhere along the way I heard about PJ Library, where every month your child receives a free Jewish book or CD. Each book comes with notes about how to share the story with your child, plus activities related to the story. It means the world to me that Mike is sharing PJ Library with our three girls.

JCRAFTS

It fills me up to see Mike and Maya, who’s now five, both get excited when a PJ Library book arrives. One of their favorites is Dear Tree, about the holiday Tu B’Shvat, the Jewish New Year of the Trees. Mike thinks PJ Library brings the Stinson family it’s incredible that together, teaching Jewish holidays and observances through stories. there’s an entire holiday devoted to taking care of the earth and thanking G-d for shade and fruit. These values really resonate with him.

provides holiday-related mobile programming, such as a shofar factory for Rosh Hashanah, a matzah factory for Passover, an olive press for Hanukkah and a mobile sukkah for Sukkot.

IN THE CITY CAMP provides a culturally-Jewish experience for Jewish campers of all backgrounds, building Jewish friendships and bolstering identity.

IN ATLANTA

PARTNERS IN CARING & INCLUSION Federation support helps people stay on their feet when lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s storms hit. We empower our agencies to address mental and other health needs, to enable interest-free loans for emergencies and education, and to improve self-sufficiency through vocational and career counseling. We are champions for inclusion and envision a day when everyone who wants to can feel a part of our Jewish community and has access to the things they need.

212

HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS LIVING IN ATLANTA HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED BY THE HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR SUPPORT FUND

2,100

SENIORS IN ATLANTA RECEIVE COUNSELING, HOSPICE CARE, HOUSING OPTIONS AND REHABILITATION SERVICES

694

JOB SEEKERS GAINED EMPLOYMENT IN 2016 SUPPORT FOR OVER

515

ATLANTANS WITH DISABILITES AND THEIR FAMILIES

"They’ve found friends, role models and Jewish mentors for life." By the time my twins Megan and Brett were 14 months old, my marriage to their father was over. Their Dad isn't Jewish, and after the divorce he was pretty detached from the kids. Suddenly, I was their everything. I realized it was up to me to keep Judaism alive in my little family. Even before my divorce, I signed the twins up for PJ Library and took them to Tot Shabbat at Kol Emeth. Later on I started looking into Big Brother programs for my son. You have to be at poverty level to qualify for most of these mentoring programs – but, luckily, not for PAL, Atlanta's only Jewish Big Brother/Big Sister program.

Bennett Ginburg, Brett Bowen, Marni Bronstein & Megan Bowen

A Big PAL fills in huge gaps for a single parent. They are friends in a way a parent can never be. Brett has ADHD and dyslexia and Bennett really understands it. Megan was nervous about going to Camp Coleman next summer, and Marni handled her anxiety beautifully.

Amazing things happened the minute I met the PAL Program Manager, Carly Sonenshine, at JF&CS. She encouraged me to put both kids in the program and then matched us with our Big PALs — Bennett Ginburg for Brett, and Marni Bronstein for Megan. They take the kids to events, out for ice cream, and just have fun with them. To say my twins have bonded with them is an understatement.

Megan’s and Brett's PALs give them one-on-one time I can never provide enough of. After three years with Bennett and Marni, they've found friends, role models and Jewish mentors for life.

“We cannot protect our kids from everything, so we have to let them try, and fail, and try again and again until they ultimately succeed. Inclusion isn’t a “program,” it’s a philosophy. Programs cost money, but inclusion is a mindset that doesn’t have to cost a thing. When we open our arms and our minds to inclusion, our hearts open too.” – Sheryl Arno Founder, Ability Matters

& Friends of Yemin Orde

PARTNERS IN ISRAEL & OVERSEAS As part of our commitment to the Jewish people worldwide, Atlanta joins other federations in contributing to a pool of funds that is distributed to three leading international partners: American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), and World ORT. These dollars address the needs of Jewish communities in Israel and around the globe.

400 PEOPLE IN CUBA

ENJOY TRADITIONAL SHABBAT CHICKEN DINNER

4,000

AGING JEWS IN MINSK, BELARUS

RECEIVE FOOD, CARE AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT

440

CHILDREN AT RISK FROM FRANCE, NORTH AFRICA, EASTERN EUROPE AND SOUTH AMERICA

RECEIVE SHELTER, SUPPORT AND EDUCATION AT YEMIN ORDE YOUTH VILLAGE IN ISRAEL

Bringing Israel home Adult learners who have been studying together for two years through the MJCCA’s Melton program traveled to Israel and Federation’s sister city, Yokneam, to meet their counterparts — 16 adults who have followed the same Melton curriculum. Soon after, the Yokneam adults paid a reciprocal visit to Atlanta. The trips deepened friendships and created powerful, personal bonds. In Atlanta, the Israelis visited The Temple, Federation, The Breman Museum, Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Center for Civil and Human Rights, several Jewish day schools, the MJCCA, and CNN, and attended a Hawks game. They learned together with Atlanta rabbis and educators, and enjoyed home hospitality over Shabbat. Said one participant, “Kesher has connected our communities in the most intimate and human way possible. We’re not just study partners, we’re family now.”

PARTNERS IN SHARED SERVICES Federation leads, protects and advocates for the entire Jewish community. We are proud to fund these important community-wide services: community lobbyist, community grant writer, community grant evaluator, and a community security services director.

“I love working with Federation. I can proudly walk into any legislative office knowing that my advocacy will help and serve the most vulnerable within our community.” — Rusty Paul, Federation-supported Jewish community lobbyist

In June of 2016, Federation fielded the #IamJewishATL Community Study. This pioneering market research study was funded by Federation for the benefit of all Jewish organizations in Metro Atlanta, including synagogues, schools, and agencies. While the goal was 2,500 respondents, 3,473 people responded to #IamJewishATL. The data provides critical information on what people are looking for in Jewish Atlanta, and results are being shared with community organizations in 2017 to help shape initiatives for the next decade.

Jewish venues protected over the High Holidays MORE THAN

3,000,000

in Jewish education scholarships safeguarded by our community lobbyist

PARTNERS IN PLANNED GIVING

ATLANTA JEWISH FOUNDATION A service of Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta

Atlanta Jewish Foundation (AJF) Atlanta Jewish Foundation is a vibrant and trusted custodian of community resources, overseeing investments of more than $213M in assets, and providing a wide range of tools that encourage our donors to strategically craft philanthropic portfolios that achieve their goals. Through a variety of creative giving options, Atlanta Jewish Foundation helps donors customize and diversify their philanthropic portfolios, with the objective of helping them realize their own financial goals and making the world a better place. AJF enables donors to invest philanthropically – for their future, for their family, and for the returns on community that we all want to see.

As experts on the needs of the Atlanta Jewish community, Atlanta Jewish Foundation has the capacity to educate and engage donors in giving opportunities of which they may otherwise not be aware. And for those who already know the causes they want to support, AJF has tremendous depth of experience in portfolio diversification and strategic management of philanthropic assets.

“The way the Atlanta Jewish Foundation structures investment offerings allows for a unique partnership between Federation, its agencies, and donors. A strong mission alignment allows the Foundation to add value for every investor, in addition to delivering solid risk-adjusted returns.”

— Cort Haber, Financial Advisor

FACT

OVER $213 MILLION IN ASSETS

678 FUNDS & FOUNDATIONS UNDER MANAGEMENT* *AS OF 6/30/16

AJF and its donors awarded

AJF and its donors supported

IN GRANTS TO NONPROFITS

ORGANIZATIONS

824

$28.7 MILLION

IN 2016

“Our giving has more impact through our donor-advised fund. The fund grows in value and helps us consolidate gifts to charities outside of Federation. At the end of the year we get one letter from Federation summarizing all the donations. It’s terrific.”

– Evi Resnick, fund holder

2016 GRANT DISTRIBUTIONS NATIONAL

12%

JEWISH

84%

OVERSEAS

29%

LOCAL

59%

NON-JEWISH

16%

$14 MILLION

SUPPORTING LOCAL JEWISH CAUSES IN 2016

PARTNERS IN IMPACT Federation allocations are based on measurable indicators of impact that are reviewed annually. The allocations process is a genuine partnership engaging all of our partner agencies and programs. More than 100 volunteers from across the community spend months assessing the impact of every program and organization we fund.

GRANTS THROUGH ATLANTA JEWISH FOUNDATION $28,694,257

GRANTS THROUGH FEDERATION CAMPAIGNS $12,012,136

TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES & OTHER* $6,661,806

*Includes credit card fees, reserve for shrinkage and JFNA Fair Share

TOTAL GIVING

$40,706,393

GRANTS THROUGH FEDERATION CAMPAIGNS $12,012,136 JEWISH EDUCATION & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT ENGAGEMENT & INNOVATION CARING & INCLUSION RESPONSE FUND ISRAEL & OVERSEAS SHARED SERVICES

$2,749,591 $2,402,631 $3,031,015 $63,000 $3,491,876 $274,023

RESPONSE FUND

ISRAEL & OVERSEAS

CARING & INCLUSION

ENGAGEMENT & INNOVATION SHARED SERVICES

JEWISH EDUCATION & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

GRANTS THROUGH ATLANTA JEWISH FOUNDATION $1,014,451

ARTS, CULTURE & SPORTS

$3,327,069

EDUCATION & LEADERSHIP

$8,378,153

CARING & INCLUSION

$2,101,704

JEWISH ENGAGEMENT

$4,064,638

SYNAGOGUES/CHURCHES

$1,557,648

SOCIAL ACTION

$8,250,594

OVERSEAS

For more detailed financial data, please see the Form 990 on our website, which is published on the site each year after the tax return has been filed. JewishAtlanta.org/fiscal-transparency

FEDERATION & THE JEWISH FUTURE Setting the Stage for Transformation With new leadership on board, and a commitment to change the way we do business, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta has been in a reflective mode. In addition to the accomplishments you’ve just read about, we are setting the stage for transformational change as we rethink the ways we can best serve our 21st-century Jewish community. Why transformation? Because the Jewish world is already in a time of transformative change. Old assumptions about organizational affiliation and old patterns of giving and engagement are falling away. New family structures, new norms about interfaith marriage, and new ways to express one’s Jewish identity are ascendant. These changes in behavior are challenging Federations all over the country, not just our own.

As the metrics by which we have traditionally measured Jewish identity and affiliation become less meaningful and less accurate, it is clear that Federations need to rethink the way we engage and embrace donors and the community. Armed with data from the 2016 Jewish Community Study, we’ll share new insights with our agencies, synagogues and partners. It will be a powerful new tool for understanding what Jewish Atlanta wants and needs. From being a stronger convener of community resources, to strengthening our ties to Israel, to thinking creatively about engaging our community in service opportunities, Federation is looking forward and imagining a transformative future. Partner with us!

2017

2016 Board of Trustees Executive Committee

Chair Designees

Howard Feinsand, Chair Joel Marks, Vice Chair Mark Satisky, Secretary/Treasurer Robert Arogeti, Past Chair Gerry Benjamin, Past Chair Betty Sunshine, Campaign Chair Eydie Koonin, Atlanta Jewish Foundation Chair Kellee Rosenberg, Community Planning & Impact Chair Belinda Morris, FRC Chair Mike Wien, Marketing Chair Carolyn Oppenheimer, Women’s Philanthropy President Avery Kastin, Under 40 Chair

Seth Cohen Andy Deutsch Ina Enoch Renee Evans Keith Greenwald

Woody Alpern Cherie Aviv Marcy Bass Joanne Birnbrey Ted Blum Beth Brown Steven Cadranel Noah Levine Lori Kagan Schwarz Lewis Shubin Mark Silberman

Trustees at Large

Organizational Trustees Debbie Kurzweil – The Alfred & Adele Davis Academy Ian Ratner – Atlanta Jewish Academy Rabbi Peter Berg, Rabbi Joshua Heller Rabbi Paul Kerbel Atlanta Rabbinical Association Darrin Friedrich – The Epstein School Tonia Sellers – The Felicia Penzell Weber Jewish Community High School Michael Coles – Hillels of Georgia John Perlman – Jewish Family & Career Services Steve Merlin - Jewish Home Life Communities Doug Kuniansky – Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta Harold Stiefel - Temima, The Richard and Jean Katz High School for Girls Sara Robbins – Torah Day School of Atlanta Craig Frankel – The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum

Harry Heiman Michelle Leven Mark Rosenberg Judy Stolovitz Jennifer Tetrick

Special Trustees Beth Arogeti, Women's Philanthropy Campaign Chair Lisa Haynor, Immediate Past Chair, Planned Giving & Endowment David Herskovitz, Audit Committee Chair Peggy Roth, Atlanta Jewish Foundation Vice Chair Elana Satisky, Immediate Past Under 40 Chair Ramie Tritt, Immediate Past Campaign Chair

Lauren Abes Ronnie Agami Amy Arogeti Liann Baron Billy Bauman Vicki Benjamin David Birnbrey Tova Cohen Stephanie Covall Leah Davis Betsy Edelman Jonathan Epstein Vicki Freeman Shel Friedman Hilary Goldberg Dara Grant Lisa Greenberg Benjamin Halpern Paul Heller

Erica Katz Jeffrey Kess Ron Kirschner Dee Kline Ross Kogon Kimberly Kopelman Mark Kopkin Debbie Kuniansky Debbie Levinson Billy Medof Susan Newman Steve Pepper Michael Plasker Carol Ratner Lynn Redd Ron Rosen Ruth Rosenberg Robert Rothberg Samantha Schoenbaum

Ted Schwartz Cathy Selig Karen Senft Jason Sheffield Joanie Shubin Andy Siegel Linda Silberman Michelle Simon David Skid Jodie Sobel Alana Sonenshine Tamar Stern Kimberly Swartz Arin Tritt Jordan Tritt Garrett Van de Grift Nancy Weissmann Helen Zalik

Jack I. Freedman Phyllis B. Freedman Elaine Gruenhut Jack N. Halpern Gerald D. Horowitz Betty Ann Jacobson Fred N. Katz Marty Kogon David L. Kuniansky Noah Levine Mark J. Lichtenstein Bernie Marcus

David N. Minkin Arnold B. Rubenstein Arthur Jay Schwartz Linda Selig S. Stephen Selig III Marilyn Shubin Harriett Zimmerman

Trustees for Life Eliot Arnovitz Robert Arogeti Jack Balser Gerry Benjamin Henry Birnbrey Arthur M. Blank Lois Blonder S. Perry Brickman Carol Z. Cooper Jay M. Davis Larry Frank Lois E. Frank

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