As I woke up this morning preparing for the start of Chanukah, I was instead greeted with headlines of a mass shooting at a Chanukah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, and Jewish Federations across the country, are horrified by this antisemitic terrorist attack.
I wish you a bright and joyful Chanukah – may this season be a time of a little more light in our world.
Created by the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), this four-session cohort experience offers a structured, supportive space to listen, learn, and communicate across divides in our diverse Jewish community. If you are interested in sharing your perspectives with others and learning how to build connections across the differences we hope you will consider joining us at a Shared Table.
Each year, Lobby Day brings Jewish community members from across Washington State to meet with lawmakers and advocate for issues that impact Jewish life. This is a unique chance for our diverse community to come together to live our values and push for meaningful change.
The survey results help us create a unified Jewish advocacy agenda on behalf of the community, and we are excited to roll up our sleeves and prepare for the legislative season ahead.
On this Shabbat, we hope you will reach out if you need support and join us in gratitude for the food on your table while also fulfilling the Jewish imperative to feed the hungry.
The last two weeks have been a mix of joy, relief, and a tentative hope for lasting stability after two years of war in Israel and Gaza. Like many of you, I am holding on to hope for a continued ceasefire, the end of the war, and the beginning of a new era of peace and stability for both Israeli and Palestinian people.
Last month, Rabbi Jason Levine, Associate Director of the Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), joined regional faith leaders at the Interfaith Countering Hate Summit in Boise to strengthen these alliances and bring new strategies home to our community.
Together, with hope, we can make the year ahead a sweet one.
We were honored to welcome Amy Spitalnik, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, who spoke powerfully about the national landscape of antisemitism, the interconnection between Jewish safety and democracy, and why the work of JCRCs is so critical at this moment.
