2021/22 Impact Report

OUR MISSION

Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville is the central voluntary communal organization of the Jewish community. Through its fund-raising, planning, and community relations efforts, independently and in partnership with other Jewish organizations, the Federation works to promote the general welfare, viability, and cohesiveness of the Greater Nashville Jewish community and ensures the continuity of the Jewish people locally, in Israel and around the world.

Why Federation? In a world where we can quickly give online to any and every organization under the sun, why should donors choose to give through the Federation? This report illustrates why.

Our 2021-2022 Impact Report is a journey through the past year. It highlights the impact of your generous support and serves as a testament to the power of community and working together to make our world a better place. Thanks to the spirit of cooperation that is a highlight of our Jewish community, we have improved the lives of thousands of people locally and globally.

Our annual Impact Report provides a glimpse into how our community of donors, volunteers, and professional staff are making a difference in Nashville and across the world. You’ll learn how we care for aging adults, educate our children & strengthen Jewish identities throughout our community, build the next generation of Jewish leaders, support Israel and Jews globally, address economic uncertainty, and foster Jewish culture and community.

The Jewish Federation is a living manifestation of the fundamental Talmudic principle Kol Yisrael - that each Jew is responsible one for the other. Both through our own direct work and through our network of beneficiary agencies and international partners, we are able to quickly identify emerging needs, share information, and mobilize a rapid response. Never has the need for Federation resources been clearer than in the past few years when we have joined together to respond first to the COVID-19 pandemic and then to the crisis in Ukraine. And never has the strength of the Federation been clearer than in those responses, locally, nationally, and globally.

Moving forward, we will continue to evolve our response to community needs in new and non-traditional ways, focusing on new community impact areas. We will utilize data-driven program evaluation so we know what works and what doesn’t, and we will shape our funding priorities accordingly.

Why Federation? Because when Jews are hurting anywhere in the world, we show up. Because in addition to exciting and innovative new projects, we also focus on strengthening the safety net for those most vulnerable in our community. Because together we are stronger and have more impact. When you give to Federation, your gift makes a difference. Join us in building a more connected, caring, and vibrant Jewish community in Nashville and around the world.

Sincerely,

Leslie Kirby President

WHEN WE COME T GETHER GREAT THINGS HAPPEN

impact at a glance

$2,379,042

Annual Campaign Total

$39,138

was provided for our community’s youth to experience Jewish camp

2,774

attendees at Federation events and programs in 2022

$69,655

Invested in Next Generation of Leadership programming and events

29 People traveled on Federation-led Missions including Israel and Poland

$728,708 in grant dollars received to keep our synagogues and Jewish institutions safe and secure

144 Newcomers welcomed

caring

Caring for the generation that once cared for us, is our responsibility and honor. We value the leaders who paved the way for the next generation. Financial support, programming, transportation, and companionship leave a lasting impact on a generation who have earned our respect.

$155,834 was distributed to provide help for our community’s aging adults.

You are caring for our aging adults by supporting the following services:

• Jewish Family Service, Helping Hands Volunteer Program, and Senior Services match volunteers with homebound seniors, isolated seniors, seniors in assisted living, and with people with disabilities for companionship and support.

• Congregation Micah’s Serving Our Seniors enhances spiritual, educational, and social experiences.

• Gordon Jewish Community Center Shalom Taxi provides needed transportation services for seniors 62 years or older.

• West End Synagogue Sandi Goldstein Learn and Lunch program provides socialization and a nutritious hot kosher lunch in a Jewish learning environment to seniors.

• Gordon Jewish Community Center Senior Adult Newsletter is inserted in The Jewish Observer newspaper and provides information geared specifically for those over age 65.

• Gordon Jewish Community Center Senior programs focus on social connection and hot Kosher meals weekly through Thank Goodness It’s Thursday (TGIT) and Prime Time which provides interest-based programming.

“A test of a people is how it behaves toward the old. It is easy to love children. The affection and care for the old, the incurable, and the helpless are the true gold mines of a culture.”

- RABBI ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL

Knowledge is power, and an education supplemented with Jewish values can help youth prepare for their future. Programs that reward academics, scholarships, and innovative education grants are just a few ways we help impact a student and prepare them for success. Education is also an integral piece of building a sense of community and helps to build Jewish Identity.

you are education and strengthening Jewish identity

nurturing

You are nuturing Jewish Life:

• Early Childhood Scholarship funds are given to Jewish Early Childhood Centers throughout Nashville, including programs at Chabad of Nashville, The Temple, Congregation Micah, West End Synagogue, and The Gordon Jewish Community Center. These grants are to be used for scholarships for those families in need of financial assistance.

• Gordon Jewish Community Center PJ Library is an outreach program that engages Jewish families with young children and provides age-appropriate books each month centered around Jewish values.

• The Gordon JCC’s Camp Davis serves campers from kindergarten through 10th grade and is built on Jewish values delivered through five central venues: sports, art, music, nature, and Israeli culture.

• Jewish Federation One Happy Camper program provides grants to send kids to Jewish overnight camp.

• Scholarships are given to Akiva ( K-6), Jewish Middle School (5-8), and Kehilla Jewish High School (9-12). Nashville’s Jewish Day Schools provide an exceptional academic experience while fostering critical inquiry with a focus on Judaic Studies and informed Jewish living.

• Congregational Grants are for every synagogue in the Nashville Jewish community to be used for educational and Jewish programming for its members.

• Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools is the network for Jewish day schools across North America that partners with day schools, yeshivas, philanthropists, and communities from all denominations, helping them grow and tackle the challenges on their path to success.

• Jewish College Campus Life including Vanderbilt Hillel, Chabad Vanderbilt, UTK Hillel, Hillel International, and Taglit Birthright helps pave a pathway for college students to celebrate and participate in Jewish life.

“The Nashville Jewish community should be proud of its Jewish Day Schools, grateful that they exist, impressed by their success, inspired by their teachers and students, and committed to their future.”

- RABBI SAUL STROSBERG Founder of Jewish Middle School and Kehilla Jewish High School

$476,583 was distributed to support education, Jewish life, and Jewish values.

developing and supporting

“I grew up watching my parents and grandparents help develop the Nashville Jewish community, and they showed me what it meant to be part of something larger than myself, as well as how to create pluralistic spaces. Furthermore, the community they built allowed me to explore and love my Jewish identity through Akiva School, BBYO, and the synagogues, to name a few. Now back as a young adult, I’m honored to continue their legacy in fortifying the Nashville Jewish community.”

NowGen,

Jewish Federation, is

in greater Nashville. Through NowGen, Jewish Professionals have the opportunity to participate in social, educational, philanthropic, and network initiatives.

Other Supported Programs geared toward Young Jewish Professionals:

• East Side Tribe is a grassroots Jewish community with Shabbat dinners, Torah studies, holiday celebrations, and other casual events hosted in members’ homes and in local businesses throughout the vibrant neighborhood of East Nashville. East Side Tribe is a welcoming environment for anyone interested in learning about and participating in Jewish life.

Federation helps the next generation of leaders under age 40, build community and discover new and innovative ways to celebrate Jewishly. We help build community and strengthen relationships to ensure our Jewish community thrives for generations to come.

• Moishe House residents provide a vibrant Jewish community for young adults by creating meaningful homebased Jewish experiences. Located in Cleveland Park in East Nashville, they provide a welcoming space for all of Music City’s Jewish community to gather, meet, and eat. The house is passionate about making the world a better place and is eager to build partnerships within Jewish Nashville and the community at large.

• Jewsic City Shabbat creates a space for people to come together for Shabbat services in the style of Jewish summer camps. The goal is to maintain a thriving, growing group of young professionals who want to experience their own Judaism in a meaningful way through music, prayer, and community.

- MICHELLE BIESMAN

the young adult division of

a hub for young Jewish life

strengthening

With overseas partners such as the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), our Nashville community has strong connections with Jewish communities across the world. Through P2G (Partnership2Gether) we build people-topeople relationships with Israeli teens and adults alike in our partnership region, Hadera-Eiron.

The Women’s Journey to Israel brought 16 diverse women to Israel for 10 days experiencing unique programs led by women, visiting museums, schools, and historical sights, and hearing from women leaders, innovators, business owners, and government officials.

Israel and overseas funding go exclusively to non-governmental organizations,

such as:

• Krembo Wings is a youth movement and a leader in social change for children and youth with and without special needs. Krembo Wings holds weekly social-educational, informal activities that are mostly led by teens. The joint activity contributes to increased awareness of special populations and social accessibility while integrating those with special needs into society.

• Maksam network of neighborhood centers is committed to improving the future of Hadera’s young children of Ethiopian origin and children of other immigrant communities by promoting their successful integration into Israeli society. Maksam delivers educational reinforcement and enrichment to elementary-aged school children, providing them with the skills and tools they need to complete elementary school with confidence and ambition.

• Ethiopian National Project Hadera Space Program works to reduce scholastic gaps and realize the full potential of Ethiopian-Israeli schoolchildren, thereby enabling their fullest integration into Israeli society while helping them emerge from the cycle of poverty.

• Hadera Young Adults Center focuses on the personal development of Hadera’s young adults ages 18-35 social and cultural development.

• Hand-in-Hand builds partnership and equality between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel through a growing network of integrated Jewish-Arab schools and communities in Israel.

• Leket Israel, the National Food Bank focuses on rescuing healthy, surplus food and delivering it to those in need.

“I am just so grateful for the Federation and everything that was done to make the Women’s Journey to Israel happen. It was so special to share this incredible experience with my mom and so many amazing women from our community.”

- RACHEL WHITNEY

helping

$782,708 invested to keep our community safe.

“Federation leads efforts to improve the safety and physical security of our Jewish facilities. In 2022, we received more than $700,000 in Federal grants to fund improvements in camera systems, fences, gates, window coverings, upgraded doors, bollards, and other equipment to help better secure our community’s synagogues and schools. Additionally, an Alertus Network system has been installed community-wide to share vital information quickly and efficiently in times of emergency.

Our security committee has established a close working relationship with local, state, and federal law enforcement for assistance in threat identification and alerts as well as training on security matters.”

- STEVEN HIRSCH Chair, Security Committee

Federation spearheaded the successful effort to receive security grants.

Regular Security and Active Shooter training sessions teach agency leaders and community members what to do to help protect themselves and others.

“I am thankful for the security funding provided to Akiva through Jewish Federation. Knowing that this funding has enabled additional layers of security gives me greater peace of mind that my children are safe.”

- STEPHANIE KIRSCHNER, Akiva Parent

you are our community strengthening

We are stronger together, and we must continue to grow, strengthen, and secure our local Jewish community and provide meaningful ways to be involved. We advocate for Jewish interests and values and foster constructive relationships within the Jewish community and among people of all faiths and cultures to promote a just, democratic, and pluralistic American society.

Jewish Federation Community Relations Committee (JCRC)

represents Jewish interests locally and serves as the connecting point between the Jewish community and the general community. Each year, hundreds attend the JCRC Seder for an abridged Passover Seder designed to bridge the Jewish and general communities in greater Nashville.

No Hate in Our State

virtual event brought together over 200 people dedicated to taking a stand against antisemitism. Guests and speakers included Tennessee State and local Legislators and Community Leaders.

We are stronger together and advocate for Jewish interests and values.

addressing

No one should have to wonder where their next meal will come from or if they will be able to keep their lights on. Caring for others is central to what it means to be Jewish. Through our partnership agencies, your donation provides emergency services and vital needs such as food, shelter, and medical care to those who are in need.

Federation provides funding to Jewish Family Service to support:

• Kosher Food Boxes

• Emergency Financial Assistance

• Information and Referral

• Case Management Program

Crisis in Ukraine Emergency Campaign raised $128,345.

2 Delegations consisting of 6 community members each, traveled to Poland to deliver humanitarian aid items and to provide support and services to Ukraine refugees.

You welcomed the stranger by helping Afghan refugee allies resettle in Nashville.

With the help of partners and volunteers, 5 Afghan ally families were resettled in Nashville. Families were helped with securing safe housing, jobs, medical care, English tutoring, school registration, transportation, and more.

“Rather than reacting to disasters and emergencies after they occur, Federation is always prepared to jump in in times of need. Through continuously raising money, providing resources, and organizing leadership, Federation can be among the first to respond when a crisis happens. Jewish Federation is vital to our community’s well-being.”

- ALEX BROWN

you are making a financial impact

$2,047,441

2021 – 2022 Current Board Policy for Grants and Distributions

Caring for Aging Adults - 7.6%

Fostering

Jewish Culture

Jewish Foundation enables you to invest in the values that matter most to you.

Jewish Foundation is the endowment arm of the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville. We have years of experience; we provide you and your family with unique Jewish philanthropic expertise and support to make your charitable planned giving personalized and thoughtful. We offer a variety of tax-wise estate planning and charitable giving opportunities to meet your individual financial and estate planning needs, realize your philanthropic dreams, and create a legacy for our Jewish future.

Jewish

Foundation of

There are 15 partner organizations participating in the LIFE & LEGACY™ program in Nashville. These organizations, including Jewish Federation, ask supporters to commit to afterlifetime gifts through a will, trust retirement plan, or life insurance.

LIFE & LEGACY™ program is underwritten and administered by the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville in partnership with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

Since 2017 when our community joined the program, we have attained the following:

• 839 letters of intent, 73% have been formalized

• $25,438,212 estimated value of Letters of Intent

• $743,336 realized (received) by the named organizations

“LIFE & LEGACY™ is both a gift and a responsibility. We give to those organizations that we supported just as they supported us. Our generation and future generations are where we are because of our parents and grandparents. We in turn set the foundation for our children and grandchildren.”

- STEVEN AND ESTHER REMER

you are impacting through our future

2,774 registered event participants

28 campers were awarded Jewish Camp Scholarships

for fueling more Thank YOU

57 people accessed the Annette Levy Ratkin Jewish Community Archives

87 students received early childhood education scholarships

Jewish moments