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HEALTHY COMMUNITY EMERGENCY FUND

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts has been working to help Jewish institutions, individuals, and families to weather the storm. Central to this effort was the establishment of a Healthy Community Emergency Fund (HCEF).

Thanks to the generosity of donors, and funding from the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Western Massachusetts, the Federation has raised $416,921 to help our community.

We have already distributed aid to 24 individuals and families. Additional funds are being used to safeguard community institutions; to ensure that even during a crisis, Western Massachusetts is home to vibrant Jewish life. Funds have already been distributed to 12 local Jewish agencies.

The Federation has partnered with Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts (JFS), an independent third-party, that will be reviewing and evaluating applications for individual and family assistance. JFS provides exceptional social services, grounded in Jewish values, to support individuals and families from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds. Their involvement will help to ensure that aid is distributed appropriately.

Additionally, the Federation’s program Rachel’s Table has set up a specialized Healthy Community Emergency Food Fund, and a Feed the Front Lines initiative. These efforts are helping to alleviate the food insecurity problems in our community that have been exacerbated by the economic impact of the pandemic, and are giving support to those who are putting their lives at risk every day to keep us safe.

We have received requests for over $1,000,000 in aid from our community organizations, individuals, and families. Please help us to meet that need by going to our website.

Or if you are in need, please also visit our website to request aid for yourself or your family. jewishwesternmass.org

THE RESULTS ARE (NEARLY) IN!

Thanks to the outstanding participation rates of the Jewish population in Western Massachusetts, and the hard work of the team at Brandeis University’s Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, our community will shortly have its first community demographics study in 60 years. As we work to refine the data and analyze the results, we will be sharing these insights with the community, culminating in a detailed final report. Today we are sharing a glance at the answer to one important question:

Where are we?

As it turns out, the Jewish population of Western Massachusetts, particularly the population of Jewish children, is slightly greater in the Upper Valley than the Lower Valley.

Upper Valley LowerValley Total

Jewish households (%)

55 45 100

Jewish children (%)

57 43 100

Jewish individuals (%)

54 46 100

People in Jewish households (%) 55 45 100

How will this help us to grow as a Jewish community? How will it help us to plan our activities and future programs?

Thanks to your participation, we now have a wealth of knowledge to guide us. j

This map represents the distribution of the approximately 12,200 Jewish households in the Pioneer Valley. Of the 12,200 Jewish households, approximately 6,700 are in the Upper Valley and 5,500 are in the Lower Valley. Each dot represents 10 households, placed randomly within the zip code in which those households are located.