Dear Friends,
It has been an honour to be president of Federation for the past two years. As my term comes to an end, I want to thank you for the support you have shown the organization and the community.
When I became President in December of 2019, it was a time of optimism and stability. Our beneficiary agencies were in good financial standing, our campaign was on-track to raise a record amount, and the community was prospering.
In March of 2020, our world changed, seemingly overnight and threatened to derail all that we have built together.
Despite the hardships we collectively experienced, we did what Jewish people do when times get tough -- we banded together and demonstrated our strength and perseverance.
I am immensely proud of the way our community came together and helped one another in unprecedented ways. We quickly assembled biweekly beneficiary agency meetings, where I heard first-hand how strong our community’s agencies. are. They adapted to the new environment exceedingly well and provided assistance where it was needed without question.
Our beneficiary agencies endured, despite the unprecedented operational duress and financial vulnerability they experienced over the past 18 months.
I have always been a believer in looking for the positive especially in tough situations. Going virtual offered us the opportunity to learn and be more adaptable than ever. While it is challenging to brainstorm the best ways to communicate, commemorate, and celebrate virtually, we demonstrated agility and creativity, minimizing disruption to the facets of Jewish life that we hold so dear.
As our community emerges from the greatest upheaval the current generation has seen, I am proud of all that we have accomplished together and remain optimistic about our future. I have valued the support of the Federation board and Josh Blatt as Vice President and would like to welcome Gustavo Zentner as the incoming President. The community will be in good hands under his capable leadership.
To the executive, board, staff, and volunteers of the Federation – you have my sincere gratitude and respect for the tenacity you have demonstrated despite untenable circumstances. Our community is lucky to have you.
Thank you all for the trust you have shown me over the past two years.
Zei gezunt,
