On behalf of the Officers, Board of Trustees, and staff of Federation, we wish you and your family L'Shanah Tova, a happy, healthy and sweet New Year.

Rosh Hashanah is a time for reflection on the past year and an opportunity to look toward a new year of growth and opportunity.  For Federation, we will continue to work with our agencies and community to ensure the strongest and most vibrant Jewish community in Western Massachusetts.  This past year has been a challenging one, but we are poised to meet a new year with renewed strength and purpose.  Through the annual campaign and in our role as community convener, we look toward a year full of opportunity and growth for Federation and for our community.

May your new year be filled with purpose and meaning, health and happiness.  And may we all achieve success in our endeavors.

The entire community is invited to the Annual Meeting of the Jewish Federation on Wednesday, September 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the JCC. The event will feature the installation of officers and new Board members for the 2009-2010 fiscal year, as well as the presentation of the Philip E. Saks Young Leadership Award and Harold Grinspoon Foundation Unsung Hero Awards.  For more information, click here.  R.S.V.P. by September 23 by calling the Federation office at (413) 737-4313 x137 or emailing beab@jewishwesternmass.org.

The Gleaning Project is one of the signature programs of Rachel's Table which promotes the values of tzedakah that are so important to all of the work of the Jewish Federation.  Webster's defines gleaning as "the gathering of grain or produce left after harvest." 

 

The Gleaning Project provides an opportunity for teens to glean produce from local farms and deliver it to Rachel's Table agencies and Western Massachusetts shelters.  It teaches our youth the ethics and values of feeding the hungry and taking care of the land, and gives them the powerful experience of rescuing food and delivering it directly to those in need.

 

Youth groups and classes from synagogues, churches, schools and other teen organizations are bussed to local farms, where they pick produce, weigh it and deliver their bounty to an agency that serves the hungry.  An educator teaches the groups about ethics and values of feeding the hungry and taking care of the environment.

 

The first two years of the Gleaning Project have been a wonderful success!  During this time, more than 15,000 lbs. of fruit and vegetables that would have otherwise gone to waste were harvested, and 12 agencies in Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee, Northampton and Amherst received more than $20,000 worth of produce.  Over 350 young people and chaperones, ranging in age from 6 to 76, devoted more than 100 hours to picking and donating produce.

Six years ago, Ekaterina Gudkova ("Kate") lived in a modest but comfortable apartment in Rustavi, Georgia.  There was a kitchen and a private bath, as well as a piano and other precious possessions that had been in the family for years.  Suddenly Kate's childhood world was stripped from her when crushing debts forced the family to sell their belongings and move.

 

Today, Kate is 15 and lives with her mother and grandmother in a two-room dormitory in Rustavi.  Past comforts are a memory.  The building is in serious disrepair, missing doors and windows.  The communal areas reek of the sole, unsanitary toilet serving each floor of 10 apartments.  The tap near the toilet is the only source of water for the entire floor.  The small room of their dorm is missing an outer wall, leaving it exposed to the elements.

"In the winter it is extremely cold," Kate says.  "We heat with a wood-burning stove, and since wood costs a lot, my granny and I collect pieces from the forest nearby.  In winter, I do my homework wrapped up in a blanket."  Making matters even more challenging, all three family members have serious health problems.  Aside from the change they get from collecting and selling scrap metal, the family's only source of income is her grandmother's $37/month pension.

 

Despite these hardships, Kate is a bright and capable student entering 10th grade, popular with her teachers, and dreams of one day becoming a doctor, lawyer, or teacher.

Fortunately, Kate's aspirations--and her family's well-being--are nurtured with the help of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).  "I started coming to the Hesed," she said, referring to the JDC-sponsored welfare centers that are located across the former Soviet Union.  "Hesed provided medical help to my mother and grandmother.  Our family has received medication, clothes, hot meals, and many other necessary things.  I've received school supplies, a debit card for food, regular medical check-ups, and winter relief, including clothes, bed linens, and blankets."  Kate also attends classes at the center in Hebrew and English, mathematics, and computers.  "I try to have only excellent marks, because good students have an advantage."

 

Kate has known hardship in her young life, but she has hope.  With the support of JDC, she is laying a firm foundation for the life of opportunity she knows lies ahead. 

 

Thanks to your gift to the Federation Annual Campaign, we are able to provide vital funds for JDC, one of our overseas partners.  Your gift makes a difference to Kate and more than 220,000 of the most vulnerable Jews across the former Soviet Union who depend on JDC for lifesaving relief efforts, enabling them to live lives of dignity even under the most desperate circumstances.  As we enter a new year, let's celebrate our tradition of compassion and tzedakah.  For more information, contact
Pearl-Anne Margalit at (413) 737-4313 x157.

The sound of the shofar alerts--it's time to prepare for the new year.  We look inside and ask, what will we accomplish?  How will we make a difference in the world?  The last time we heard the shofar, some families in our community were beginning to feel the impact of the recession.  We at Federation are proud of everything we've done in the past year to keep our Jewish community strong, and to help so many people who have faced hardship.

 

Funds raised through the Annual Campaign save lives, and our main focus has been to address basic needs such as food, utilities, housing, medication, and emergency financial assistance.  We have also provided assistance for people at-risk--employment services, mental health and financial counseling, legal assistance, and family support. 

Many of our donors have stretched to support our 2009 Annual Campaign.  To date, 1,768 individuals have contributed, raising $1,385,187.  While this is a wonderful accomplishment, we are hoping to reach our goal of $1.5 million by the end of September so that we can fulfill our promise to our beneficiary agencies.  If you have not yet made a pledge to the 2009 Annual Campaign, you can do so online at www.jewishwesternmass.org or call Pearl-Anne Margalit at (413) 737-4313 x157.

Highlighting the Federation's Impact on Individuals
We continue to welcome your feedback about the Federation Connection, the new e-newsletter of the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts.  Click here to let us know your thoughts.  If someone you know isn't receiving this e-newsletter but would like to, please forward it to them so they can subscribe.

In each issue, we'd like to profile stories of individuals from our agencies whose lives have been changed thanks to the support of the Federation's Annual Campaign.  (See "Helping Our Borderless Jewish Community" article for an example.)  If you have a story to tell about yourself or someone from one of our beneficiary agencies, please contact us with more details.  We look forward to your input!