By Nancy B. Greer
President & CEO
In a few days, the calendar will turn over. Many of us, myself included, will be happy to take down those 2020 calendars, put up 2021 calendars, and look forward with renewed hope.
Together, we’ve pulled through a year that turned our lives upside down. Thanks to generous supporters like you, your Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle has laid a foundation for an exciting year for Jewish life in 2021. I’d like to share with you a few examples of the programs that we have in store in the year ahead, programs that YOU make possible. We are dedicated to keeping community strong and vibrant in the “new normal”—whatever the new normal turns out to be.
The key to our work in 2021 will be the same as it has been since the Federation’s founding: strengthening community by strengthening relationships.
First, I am excited about the possibilities for community building that will come out of the learning initiative that we are about to undertake with leaders from across Jewish Puget Sound, in collaboration with the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. Lay, professional, and rabbinical leaders will be gathering in conversations, rooted in our tradition’s timeless values, to share perspectives and explore ideas for securing a vibrant future for Jewish life. The power running through this critical work will be the strengthening of relationships, the enduring basis for community cohesion and strength.
The importance of relationships also holds true for another exciting program that will hit its stride in 2021. The Jewish Community Relations Council has brought together a broad spectrum to speak with one voice on issues of vital concern to our local Jewish community, to strengthen Israel-America relations, and cultivate mutually beneficial ties with allied communities. The council will be a powerful tool for advocacy during the Washington State Legislature’s 2021 session, which opens in just over two weeks.
Throughout the coming year, our community engagement work will be founded on nurturing relationships through micro-communities, group learning experiences, and immersive Jewish experiences. Together with partner organizations, we look forward to holding more of the welcoming, engaging, and inspiring gatherings that brought people together in 2020.
We are so thankful to YOU for making all this and more possible. Please consider making a gift by December 31 and making an impact that will ripple across the community.
We have been through a year of trials, and no doubt, 2021 will bring its own set of challenges. Yet I have every confidence that Jewish Puget Sound will shine. With our resilience and our relationships, together, we will go from strength to strength.
