The situation in Venezuela is a dire humanitarian emergency. The cyclone in Mozambique, devastating. The synagogue shootings in Pittsburgh and San Diego and multiple arson threats in communities like Boston and Chicago have forced us to look inward at our own security protocols and do everything we can to strengthen our local communities. All the while, we look on in despair as, again, rocket fire falls in Israel.
The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley could have opened an emergency campaign for each one. We have not, and here’s why:
The truth is, opening an emergency campaign for each incident would be reactive, when we want and need to be proactive.
How can we best help the Jewish community of Venezuela, which is suffering under ongoing political turmoil? We can strengthen our overseas partners, the Jewish Agency for Israel and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), who are “quietly” providing support that is required for the most basic material needs. This includes providing food and sending regular shipments of critical medications for illnesses including high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. JDC is also supporting programs for elderly people, as well as initiatives to strengthen Jewish communal life.
How can our community help in Mozambique? Our annual support for the JDC means their emergency response team was on the ground providing emergency medical supplies through its partner the Afya Foundation and deploying a response and assessment team, including a disaster relief expert and field medic, to the devastated nation before one dollar was specifically allocated toward that situation.
Because of the strong support to Federation that we receive each year from our local community, from generous donors like you, we are able to embark on new security training and implement a system that connects our Jewish institutions with each other and with emergency personnel at the click of a button.
It’s why when four Israelis were killed and many more injured in recent rocket fire, the Jewish Agency’s Fund for the Victims of Terror was at the ready, providing Israel’s terror victims with direct, immediate financial assistance after the attack.
That is why, at this time, we are choosing to ask for just one gift this year—your gift to our 2019 Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs. We are asking you to be proactive, too.
By making a gift to our Annual Campaign, you are not just helping the people of Venezuela, of Mozambique, of Pittsburgh, San Diego or Israel. You are helping the people living in the next place to face a crisis—and the next, and the next.
We hope you will make your gift before June 30 to address these pressing needs. Our Federation campaign slogan is It all starts with you—you exemplify and give meaning to that slogan. Your support enables our community to be at the ready. Please take this opportunity to be proactive.
Thank you for your strong and continued philanthropic support.
It all starts with you, improving the lives of those who count on us.