Blog

Direct from Israel: The needs we must meet

It is Monday night, and I am about to return to St. Louis after attending a Jewish Federation of North America mission of 120 people from around the United States to see firsthand how the work we do helps those in need in Israel and abroad.  None of us could have ever...

YPD Seeks Passionate Young Leaders for At-Large Board

Candidates in their 20s and 30s with demonstrated Jewish leadership encouraged to apply The Young Professionals Division (YPD) of Jewish Federation of St. Louis is now accepting nominations for the 2014–15 seats of at-large board members. YPD is seeking young leaders...

St. Louis in Israel – Circus Edition

This past week, Circus Harmony’s St. Louis Arches, an inspirational youth circus troupe, traveled to Israel with their Peace Through Pyramids program. This program is a collaboration between Circus Harmony’s St. Louis Arches and the Galilee Circus, a Jewish/Arab youth...

From Israel: the situation here and now

I am sitting in Jerusalem watching the light of the setting sun reflect against the walls of Old City.  Children are playing in a full pool beneath my hotel window.  I have been on a Jewish Federations of North America mission of 120 people from around the United...

Operation Protective Edge: A Federation Update

Source: JFNA Update on Operation Protective Edge and Federation Response July 9, 2014 Dear Friends, I have just arrived on the ground in Israel. The atmosphere here is what we have grown to expect.  Israelis are resolute, focused and committed to both protecting those...

The Mission Begins

We arrived safely and had a wonderful day walking around Athens yesterday. The mission began today with a talk by the community's president Minos Moissis at the Beit Shalom synagogue in Athens (first two pics below).  The talk focused on the growing needs of the...

Senior Prom and Investment in Human Capital

I have spoken a lot about the likely exodus of young professionals from our community over the last 20-25 years.  One consequence of this trend is that we now have seniors whose children and grandchildren are no longer living near them.  This means they are aging...

JFNA Statement on Murder Arrests

The Jewish Federations of North America condemn the brutal murder of 16-year-old Palestinian, Mohammed Abu Khdeir, and is appalled by the heinous nature of this crime. We commend the Israeli Police for the swift arrests, and have full confidence that the Israeli...

Reflections

On Wednesday night our community gathered at to pay tribute to the memory of  Naftali Fraenkel, Gilad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach, the three boys abducted and murdered in Israel.  The event was a powerful demonstration of our connection to the Jewish people in Israel and...