The Mitzvah of Tzedakah

Shabbat Shalom and Happy New Year. 

While we mark the secular New Year, I want to take us back to Rosh Hashanah and the opening chapters of Bereishit. There, God says of Abraham: “For I have loved him, because he instructs his children and his household after him to keep the way of God, to do tzedakah and justice” (Genesis 18:19). Our tradition teaches that this commitment to tzedakah is not incidental; it is the reason Abraham was chosen, and the legacy he was charged to pass forward. 

More than 3,500 years later, we, Abraham’s descendants, are still living that charge. Tzedakah remains a defining value of Jewish life and the very core of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. 

With that grounding, I am proud to share truly extraordinary news. This year, our Annual Campaign, chaired by Galia Movitz and Janie Roodman Weiss, surpassed its goal and raised more than $10.55 million. As a community, we have not seen generosity at this level since 2009. 

This achievement belongs to all of you. 

Because of your generosity, we are expanding our new Federation Impact Grants program so more resources reach our community partners and those who need them most. We are strengthening the safety and security of Jewish life, increasing our capacity to combat antisemitism, and investing in programs that sustain Jewish continuity, connection, and care locally, nationally, and globally. As you have heard me say many times over the past year, “Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh,” all of Israel is responsible for one another. Your giving makes that responsibility real. 

Pirkei Avot reminds us, “It is not upon you to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” Over the past year, we have accomplished so much together—and yet, we know the work continues. 

As we enter our 125th year as a Jewish Federation in St. Louis, we do so with gratitude for our past and confidence in our future. In the coming weeks, we will introduce special programs and new opportunities for engagement that elevate our shared story and celebrate the strength of our Jewish community. From meaningful experiences to powerful storytelling, I am confident that 2026 will build upon this momentum, reaching new heights for our community and for generations yet to come. Please join us at the  Evening of Impact on February 17th to celebrate our past year and ignite our future. 

I am proud to be Jewish. I am proud to serve as your CEO. And I am deeply proud of this community for carrying forward Abraham’s mitzvah of tzedakah with such generosity, purpose, and heart. May we continue to give, to lead, and to lift one another, waking each day with gratitude for the impact we are making together. 

With deep appreciation and admiration,
Shabbat Shalom.