THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF SARASOTA-MANATEE INC

ISRAEL, OVERSEAS, ADVOCACY AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS: THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF SARASOTA-MANATEE (JFSM) WORKS TO ADDRESS HUMAN AND EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IN ISRAEL AND OVER 70 COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. EXAMPLES OF SPECIFIC PROGRAMS FUNDED INCLUDE: * THE HELLER COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE (CRC) WAS ESTABLISHED TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE JEWISH AND NON-JEWISH COMMUNITIES TO ADVANCE COMMON INTERESTS THROUGH EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY. THE CRC WORKS WITH OUR PARTNERS TO ADVOCATE FOR PEACE AND SECURITY IN ISRAEL, INCREASES COMMUNITY AWARENESS OF ISSUES AFFECTING THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITY AND ISRAEL; RAISES CONSCIOUSNESS OF, AND ACTIVELY CONFRONTS ANTISEMITISM ON A LOCAL AND GLOBAL LEVEL; AND, DIRECTLY ADDRESSES ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVITIES IN SARASOTA-MANATEE. ** FEDERATION STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS BUILD PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH CLERGY, CIVIC, AND COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP ** THIS INITIATIVE HAS SPONSORED NUMEROUS SPEAKERS AND PROGRAMS AND FIVE INTERFAITH MISSIONS TO ISRAEL. * THE WOMEN'S GIVING CIRCLE IS MADE UP OF WOMEN IN THE SARASOTA-MANATEE AREA WHO ARE DEDICATED TO FUNDING PROJECTS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN ISRAEL. MEMBERS MAKE A CONTRIBUTION AND HAVE A VOICE IN DETERMINING THE ALLOCATION OF FUNDS. HAVING JUST COMPLETED ITS NINTH YEAR, THE CIRCLE HAS 60 MEMBERS WHO, IN 2023, AWARDED EIGHT ORGANIZATIONS A TOTAL OF $39,000. AS AN EXAMPLE, TWO OF THE RECIPIENTS WERE DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN ISRAEL, WHICH PROVIDES FREE DENTAL CARE FOR UKRAINIAN REFUGEE YOUTH AND THOSE GOING INTO THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES, AND BEIT MICHA TEL AVIV, AN ORGANIZATION THAT CARES FOR OVER 700 INFANTS AND CHILDREN WITH HEARING LOSS, PROVIDING HEARING ASSIST DEVICES, COUNSELING FOR FAMILIES AND THERAPY FOR THE CHILDREN. * IMPACT THEATRE BEGAN IN AUGUST 2021 AND IS A COLLABORATIVE EDUCATIONAL EFFORT THAT CONNECTS AREA JEWISH AND AFRICAN AMERICAN TEENS TO BOTH HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS AND ELDER MEMBERS OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY WHO LIVED DURING SEGREGATION. INSPIRED BY THE LEGENDARY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. AND RABBI ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL WHO TOGETHER MARCHED FOR CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE. IMPACT THEATRE'S EFFORTS STRENGTHEN THE COMMUNITIES IN SARASOTA-MANATEE AS HISTORY HAS CONCLUDED THAT THERE IS A STRONG SHARED LEGACY BETWEEN THE TWO. AFTER PROGRAM PROVIDED TRAINING, 10 JEWISH TEENS INTERVIEWED 10 AFRICAN AMERICAN ELDERS AND 10 AFRICAN AMERICAN TEENS INTERVIEWED 10 HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS. THESE INTERVIEWS TOOK PLACE DURING THE 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR, ALONG WITH MONTHLY MEETINGS FOR THE TEENS TO DEBRIEF WITH PROGRAM STAFF TO PROCESS THEIR FIRST-HAND LEARNING FROM THESE SURVIVORS WHO BORE WITNESS TO THE SUFFERING FROM THE OPPRESSION, SEGREGATION, AND PERSECUTION. AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, A CULMINATING INTERPRETIVE PERFORMANCE PRESENTATION OF EACH OF THE 20 STORIES WAS HELD. * OVERSEAS GRANTS: ** AMERICAN FRIENDS OF LEKET ISRAEL: THIS GRANT SUPPORTED LEKET'S FOOD RESCUE EFFORTS AS WELL AS A PROGRAM TO ASSIST FARMERS WHOSE FARMS WERE DAMAGED AS A RESULT OF THE OCTOBER 7TH TERRORIST ATTACKS IN ISRAEL. ** NEVE MICHAEL CHILDREN'S VILLAGE: THIS GRANT PROVIDED PERSONAL ARRIVAL PACKAGES FOR THE NEVE MICHAEL CHILDREN'S EMERGENCY CRISIS CENTER. CHILDREN TYPICALLY ARRIVE THERE WITH ONLY THE CLOTHING ON THEIR BACKS, AND OFTEN TIMES IN THEIR PAJAMAS. THESE PERSONAL APPROVAL PACKAGES PROVIDE CHILDREN WITH NEW PAJAMAS, UNDER GARMENTS, CLOTHING AND TOILETRIES.

JEWISH EDUCATION AND PROGRAMMING:THE FEDERATION, IN COOPERATION WITH AREA SYNAGOGUES AND ORGANIZATIONS, OFFERS A WIDE RANGE OF INSPIRING OPPORTUNITIES THAT ENABLE TEENAGERS, ADULTS AND FAMILIES TO BECOME CONFIDENT AND COMFORTABLE LIFELONG JEWISH LEARNERS. THE FEDERATION PROVIDES A WIDE RANGE OF JEWISH PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE TWO-COUNTY AREA. THIS CATEGORY INCLUDES PROGRAMS CELEBRATING JEWISH HOLIDAYS, OUTREACH EFFORTS TO THE UNAFFILIATED AND ADULT PROGRAMS FOR ALL AGES AND INTERESTS. LOCALLY, THE FEDERATION CONDUCTS OUTREACH WITHIN THE JEWISH AND GENERAL COMMUNITIES, FOSTERING ISRAEL EDUCATION AND AWARENESS AND PROVIDES A FORUM FOR DEALING WITH ANTISEMITISM.EXAMPLES OF SPECIFIC PROGRAMS FUNDED INCLUDE: * YOUTH GRANTS ** JEWISH SUMMER OVERNIGHT CAMP GRANTS: STUDIES HAVE PROVEN, OVERWHELMINGLY, THAT JEWISH CAMPING EXPERIENCES SERVE AS A CRITICAL TOOL IN JEWISH CONTINUITY EFFORTS. IN AN EFFORT TO ENCOURAGE AREA FAMILIES TO SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO JEWISH CAMPS, THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF SARASOTA-MANATEE WAS THRILLED TO AWARD $60,985 TO 32 STUDENTS IN INCENTIVE GRANTS AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS IN 2023. CHILDREN FROM SARASOTA-MANATEE ATTENDED JEWISH OVERNIGHT CAMPS SUCH AS CAMP RAMAH DAROM, CAMP BARNEY MEDINTZ, CAMP JUDEA, CAMP COLEMAN, CAMP BLUE STAR AND KUTZ CAMP. ** S.K.I.P. SCHOLARSHIPS TO SEND KIDS TO ISRAEL PROGRAM: A SUBSIDY OF $12,500 WAS AWARDED TO ENSURE TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS ARE ABLE TO TRAVEL TO ISRAEL, THIS PROGRAM IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE FEDERATION'S COMMITMENT TO CONTINUITY AND IDENTITY FOR OUR COMMUNITY. ** RELIGIOUS SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS - FEDERATION PROVIDED 76 RELIGIOUS SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS TOTALING $30,000. ** COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS - FEDERATION PROVIDED 8 COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS TOTALING $50,000. * O FEDERATION-SPONSORED COMMUNITY-WIDE EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL PROGRAMS THAT ENSURE A STRONG JEWISH IDENTITY AND TO HELP BUILD A DYNAMIC AND ENGAGED JEWISH COMMUNITY FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. PROGRAMS FEATURE SPEAKERS ON A WIDE VARIETY OF TOPICS. * " SINCE ITS INCEPTION THE FEDERATION'S PJ LIBRARY PROGRAM HAS ENABLED OVER 500 FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN AGES 6 MONTHS TO 12 YEARS TO RECEIVE A MONTHLY MAILING OF JEWISH CHILDREN'S BOOKS, CDS, OR THE OCCASIONAL PARENT BOOK, FOR ONE YEAR. EACH BOOK AND CD CAME WITH GUIDES TO HELP FAMILIES USE THE SELECTION IN THEIR HOMES. BOOK AND MUSIC LISTS WERE CHOSEN BY THE FOREMOST EARLY-CHILDHOOD EXPERTS. THE LIST INCLUDES THEMES SUCH AS JEWISH HOLIDAYS, FOLKTALES AND JEWISH FAMILY LIFE. * " THE JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL, THE JEWISH FEDERATION'S LARGEST SINGLE OUTREACH PROGRAM, PROVIDES SCREENINGS OF FILMS AND EVENTS FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY ON TOPICS THAT APPEAL TO A BROAD RANGE OF INTERESTS, AGES AND POINTS OF VIEW. MORE THAN 1,000 PEOPLE ATTENDED THE 2023 JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL. * THE FEDERATION HONORS ITS COMMITMENT TO HOLOCAUST EDUCATION THROUGH: ** THE SPEAKERS BUREAU, WHICH ADDRESSES ISSUES PERTAINING TO HOLOCAUST EDUCATION IN LOCAL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS FOR THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS; ALONG WITH SPEAKING AT ROTARY CLUBS, TEMPLES AND CHURCHES REACHING HUNDREDS OF ADULTS AND STUDENTS. ** THE ANNUAL CHANUKAH SURVIVORS LUNCHEON, WHICH TREATED OVER 100 LOCAL AREA HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS TO A BEAUTIFUL CHANUKAH CELEBRATION LUNCHEON AS WE PAID TRIBUTE TO THEIR INNER STRENGTH, COURAGE, STAMINA, AND REMARKABLE DEDICATION TO OUR TRADITIONS. ** AND FEDERATION-SPONSORED HOLOCAUST EDUCATION PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY, INCLUDING A KRISTALLNACHT COMMEMORATION, A YOM HASHOAH HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY PROGRAM, AND AN INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY PROGRAM.