LIFE & LEGACY® at Buffalo Rev. Sarah Buxton-Smith’s Jewish Journey

Total Legacy Commitments Received: 377

Total dollar amount: $11,526,181

Total Number of Donors: 203 Through 6/16/2023

LIFE & LEGACY® is a partnership with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation that promotes after-lifetime giving to benefit Jewish synagogues and organizations. Legacy giving ensures that you will be remembered by those who directly benefit from your generosity as well as those who will be inspired by your example for future generations.

In 2021, the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies, in collaboration with the Buffalo Jewish Federation, was selected to join more than 70 other communities across North America in this Jewish legacy giving initiative. To-date, the initiative has secured more than 30,000 permanently endowed commitments amounting to more than $1 Billion. The four-year LIFE & LEGACY® program provides coaching, training, and resources to ensure that a culture of philanthropy and legacy giving becomes an integral part of the Buffalo Jewish community. Together, the Foundation and Federation are committed to helping secure the future of Jewish Buffalo. Each month, please visit this LIFE & LEGACY® @ Buffalo section to learn about the local agencies and synagogues partnering in this effort.

For more information, please contact Linda Barat, LIFE & LEGACY® Coordinator for the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies at linda@jewishphilanthropies.org or 716-204-2259.

Ordained as an Episcopal priest in 1995, in 2010 Rev. Sarah BuxtonSmith spent her sabbatical as Chaplin on a cruise around the world. As well as providing pastoral care and leading worship services with a multi-faith group of travelers, at each stop she was drawn to the places where the three Abrahamic religions shared traditions, service and worship.

Upon returning to Buffalo, having read about a trip to Cuba the following year, she called to make a reservation. Finding the trip booked, she was told “we have the same trip to Cuba but with a Jewish group later in the month - would you like to go?”

“I’m not Jewish,” Sarah replied, “and more so, I am an Episcopal priest!”

“All the better” she was told. Soon, Sarah found herself on an educational mission traveling with Jews of every type and meeting with the Jews of Cuba. Sarah was complimented during her Cuba trip when an Orthodox Jewish grandmother stood up on the bus, pointed to Sarah and said: “you are mishpacha (family)!”

Thus began more time traveling with the Jewish Heritage Society through Poland, the Baltic nations, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Northern Spain and the Czech Republic. When non-Jewish friends ask why she travels on Jewish trips, Sarah answers, “Jesus was born a Jew, taught as a Jew and Christians need to know their roots.”

After returning from each trip, Sarah’s husband Stephen gave her a book on Judaism about the Baal Shem Tov, a Jewish mystic and healer who is regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism. A central tenet in the Baal Shem Tov’s teaching is the direct connection with the divine, which is infused in every human activity and every waking hour.

Sarah’s education has included the Washington School of Theology, Georgetown University, and Yale School of Divinity where she studied with a Christian Scholar of Hebrew Scripture. She met her husband, Episcopal Priest Stephen Smith, in 1992. They married in 1994 and moved to Connecticut where they both worked in New Haven. In 1998, they moved to Buffalo, where Sarah’s ministry has included Trinity Church and St. Andrew’s, University Heights.

Rev. Sarah Buxton-Smith’s relationship with the Jewish community continues with giving back. She has made a LIFE & LEGACY® at Buffalo gift with commitments to the Buffalo Jewish Federation, Jewish Family Services, and Temple Beth Zion, institutions representing values she believes in: Tikkun olam, connection with the divine, and performing mitzvot

Kadimah Scholars at Park: Investing in Jewish Buffalo’s Future

As members of a vibrant Jewish community in Buffalo, we have a unique opportunity to shape the future by supporting the education of Jewish Buffalo’s next generation. Through the LIFE & LEGACY® Initiative at the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies, you can help sustain Kadimah Scholars at Park, a program that leaves a lasting impact on the lives of preK-12 Jewish students, while fostering a welleducated, skilled, and engaged Jewish community in Buffalo.

Financial commitments can be challenging, and that is why it’s important to understand the LIFE & LEGACY® commitment does not require an immediate monetary donation. Instead, you are invited to consider leaving a gift in your will, allowing you to make a meaningful contribution without impacting your current financial situation.

The beauty of a LIFE & LEGACY® commitment is that you have full control over the level of your commitment. You can decide to set a specific dollar amount or a percentage of your estate in support of Kadimah Scholars at Park. Or you can use a life insurance policy or annuity. This flexibility ensures that your commitment aligns with your personal circumstances and desires.

Every gift, regardless of its size, has a major multi-generational impact. Even a small contribution can make a significant difference in the lives of future Kadimah Scholars, creating a ripple effect that extends far beyond a single generation. By making a LIFE & LEGACY® commitment, you become part of a community of individuals dedicated to securing the educational future of Jewish Buffalo. Remember, every small gift has a major multigenerational impact, shaping the future of our community. Together, we can ensure a brighter tomorrow for Jewish Buffalo.

For more information about Kadimah, go online to www.kadimah.org or https://theparkschool.org/academics/ kadimah-academy. To speak to someone about Life & Legacy for Kadimah, email linda@jewishphilanthropies.org.

Kehillat Ohr Tzion Greets Summer with Learning, Good Food and Good Works

Kehillat Ohr Tzion (KOT) and Kadimah Scholars celebrated Lag Ba’Omer at Park School with a traditional barbecue and bonfire replete with games and fun. Shavuot was especially meaningful this year as several KOT members made presentations on a wide variety of subjects followed by interesting discussions.

A sold-out crowd attended Fire on Ice, an interactive cooking presentation by Chef Ben Loomis in early June. Wonderful food was served with opportunities for socializing with friends on the menu

Other activities continue throughout the summer at KOT. The Social Action Committee has arranged for the members to build a bed together for needy children under the auspices of Sleep in Heavenly Peace at Eastern Hills Mall on July 23. The following week KOT will be collecting items for recently arrived refugees in conjunction with Jewish Family Services and Journey’s End.

Virtual and in person classes with Rabbi Ori Bergman will take place throughout the summer. For information about services and learning opportunities email oribergman@gmail.com