San Diego Philanthropists at Work

Over 100 philanthropists in San Diego joined Jewish National Fund-USA at its Legacy Society Luncheon at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront on March 15, 2022, to hear from worldrenowned American diplomat, Ambassador Dennis Ross. The event also served as an opportunity to thank those who have committed to, or who are considering, leaving a lasting legacy gift through flexible gift planning during life or through their estate plan to Jewish National Fund — ensuring a strong, secure, and prosperous future for the land and people of Israel.

Ambassador Ross provided a unique and historical perspective on the war in Ukraine and what motivated Russia’s President to invade the country and adopt policies that are effectively turning Ukrainian cities into rubble. He commented on Israel’s involvement in the earlier attempts at negotiation with Putin. Ambassador Ross then demonstrated how we are living in a truly global environment with his discussion on Iran and Russia’s relationship and interactions, as compared to the developing relationships and continuing common interests among Israel and a growing cohort of Arab countries.

San Diego Planned Giving Co-Chairs, Myra Chack Fleischer and Robert Ganz, joined Cynthia Hizami, Esq., JNF-USA’s Planned Giving Director, West Coast, to kick off the luncheon with remarks about the organization’s critical projects in Israel’s Negev and Galilee regions that will impact the global Jewish community, as well as the various types of legacy gifts helping to build a nation for present and future generations.

Hizami spoke about the varied options available to JNF-USA’s partners (donors) in terms of helping themselves and helping the land and people of Israel. Hizami mentioned, “It is possible to make a gift, receive a fixed income for life as high as 9%, get an income tax deduction, and ultimately help ensure the strength and perseverance of Israel.” She indicated with JNF’s Donor Advised Fund program, you can easily create your own family charitable account, streamlining your philanthropy with very little cost to you and your family. Hizami also discussed JNF-USA’s partnership with Jewish Future Pledge, which calls on all Jews to pledge that half or more of any charitable giving in their will or trust go toward supporting the Jewish people and/or Israel.

The audience of philanthropists also got a deeper look into Jewish National Fund-USA’s innovative Zionist education and advocacy efforts as the largest provider of Israel education programs in the U.S. One of JNF-USA’s key Zionist education initiatives is its Alexander Muss High School in Israel (Muss), which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The one-of-a-kind study abroad program has transformed the lives of 35,000 high school students.

“Due to record demand, we have outgrown our current campus and plans are underway to create our World Zionist Village in Be’er Sheva, which will increase global student enrollment from 1,500 per year to 5,000 per year, and will provide gap year programming for students between high school and college,” said Jewish National Fund-USA President, Dr. Sol Lizerbram. “Additionally, it will include a technology internship program with Fortune 500 companies in the area. This Village will be a game-changer for Zionist and Jewish educational engagement.”

The luncheon also highlighted various opportunities to travel to Israel with JNF-USA, including its upcoming Sunshine Tour for active adults 55+.