From the president Our many tribes contribute to a vibrant Rhode Island Jewish community

BY ADAM GREENMAN

The following remarks were delivered June 15 at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island’s 12th annual meeting. They have been lightly edited.

TONIGHT MARKS our 12th annual meeting. As you may know, the number 12 has great symbolism in Judaism. Almost all of that symbolism derives from the 12 tribes of Israel, each connected to one of Jacob’s sons. After the exodus from Egypt, the Israelites were organized by these 12 tribes. In fact, we learned a few weeks ago in Bamidbar that each tribe had a specific place around the mishkan, around the tabernacle. Each tribe had uniqueness, but they all shared a common identity and a shared faith and mission.

Much like our ancestors, our community has its tribes. It has distinctive groups that all come together to form one community. And when we look back on the work of the Alliance this last year, the impact of each tribe in our community is abundantly clear.

There’s the tribe that includes our synagogue partners and agency partners. These groups form the foundation of what makes our community go. The Alliance is so proud to work with each synagogue and each agency to make this community vibrant and thriving. Last year the Alliance invested $1 million to support our core organizations. To make sure we have amazing day schools to educate our children. To make sure we have strong social services through Jewish Collaborative Services to support every community member in moments where they need a hand up. To make sure students at each of our colleges have access to Jew- ish life.

And what I’m most proud of this year is the work we’ve done at the Alliance and with each of these agencies to work together. Through our microgrant programs, our community’s synagogues and agencies have done such great work together. We’ve funded programs like the multifaith poetry night, a collaborative grant between Congregation Beth Sholom, Temple Beth El, and Wildflour Bakery, where the reading was held. In running this program, the temples aimed to deepen existing conversations and sharing in our community, as we consistently find people thirsting for meaning and deep experience. The event was a chance for geographically proximate communities that rarely interact in this way to share poems from the heart.

No day exemplified the power of our agencies and synagogues more than the Israel at 75 celebration. I was blown away that over 600 people came together to celebrate Israel, but also to celebrate our community.

It was so wonderful to walk down the hall of Farm Fresh RI to see so many agency and synagogue tables. To see the wonderful work they do on display. It was truly a highlight not just of my year, but of my six years in this role. The Alliance is proud to provide financial support for all of this work, but it happens because of the great members of this tribe in our community. Thank you to our synagogue and agency partners.

Of course, we wouldn’t be able to invest in these great agencies and synagogues without our community’s tribe of donors and contributors to the Alliance. This year, over 1,300 people formed this tribe. Together