MAKE THE WORLD BETTER! - Greater Miami Jewish Federation

NOVEMBER 2009
MOVING
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JEWS ON THE MOVE
Moving has always been part of the Jewish experi-
ence. And when Jews in North America move from one
community to another, their connections to the
Federation system are jeopardized more than any of their
other Jewish behaviors. That’s the key finding of a major
new report released by The Jewish Federations of North
America in November 2009.
The Jewish Federations of North America has already
begun tackling the challenge with its New Moves Project,
aimed at reaching former donors who have moved from
their original Federation to a new community. Since the
program launched in 2008, 69 Federations have participated,
and some have already had success reengaging former
donors who have relocated to their areas.
The study released in November, called “Moving:
The Impact of Geographic Mobility on the Jewish
Community,” found that connections to Federation are
weakened when people move. Donations to other Jewish
causes are also affected, as are memberships and connections
to synagogues and other Jewish institutions. In
contrast, other aspects of Jewish life—ritual observance,
connections with Israel, raising children to be Jewish—
are affected less or not at all.
Bill Berman, chair of the Jewish
Data Bank and one of the lead funders
of the study, said, “We can’t afford to
lose these future leaders of our community
and must make it a priority to do
outreach, find them and reconnect
them.”
The findings highlight the challenges
facing the Jewish communal system—Federations,
other Jewish philanthropic
causes, synagogues and
schools—in addressing how to engage
Jews on the move. Its major recommendations
include greater information-sharing
about movers among
communal organizations, and a new
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consumer-oriented focus on enabling
community members to participate in Federation activities,
events and programs on their own terms.
If you’d like to read an executive summary or the
full report, you can download them at www.jewisfederations.org/onthemove.
THE IMPACT OF GEOGRAPHIC MOBILITY ON
Sid Groeneman
and Tom W. Smith
THE JEWISH COMMUNITY
EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY
Nothing brings to life the needs we address and the
work we do as effectively as a compelling personal story.
The marketing materials produced by The Jewish
Federations of North America to support the 2010
Annual Campaign focus on “Stories of Love, Hope and
Optimism,” and you may have already encountered
some of these stories through the Annual Campaign
video or brochures.
There’s Sandy, a real estate assessor who lost his job
when the economy plunged, and would have lost his
own home if his Federation hadn’t offered him an emergency
check. There’s Ari, from a moshav near Sderot,
whose home was badly damaged by a kassam rocket and
who got emergency aid so that his family could get back
on their feet. And Miranda, a grandmother traumatized
by wartime experiences, living on practically nothing in
an abandoned office building in Tbilisi, Georgia, and getting
much-needed help from the Jewish community.
Now, their stories and others can be experienced
online, through video, photos, and words, at the
microsite www.jewishfederations.org/annualcampaign,
The Web site was designed to be innovative, inviting,
and as compelling as the personal stories it tells. We’ll be
adding additional stories throughout the year, so bookmark
the home page and visit often.
There’s More on the Web The National Women’s Philanthropy
Web pages are packed with resources for you.
Watch a video, find out more about endowing your gift,
meet the NWP professional team, or learn about what
other communities are doing. Please share the link with
your friends! It’s all at www.jewishfederations.org/nwp.