These remarks were originally delivered at the Annual Meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor on May 25th, 2022.
Outgoing Federation Board Member Babette Levy Daskin referred to me at our Board meeting last week as the first—and, one hopes, the last—pandemic president of Federation. JCC president Bruce Moyer and I have in fact occasionally joked about our shared fate, to be remembered this way (if we’re remembered at all, of course). But it’s not really all that amusing—especially as the pandemic is still keeping us—even if more vaguely, and inconsistently—apart.
It’s also not especially humorous since I think we all still vividly remember those earliest days—and I mean the long, grinding days at the very beginning, when everything was frightening, and moving fast, with the ground constantly shifting and the nights often sleepless—and it’s not too much to suggest that we sometimes wondered whether we were fighting for our very survival. Not just physically—though the virus did of course seem ubiquitous and deadly, and the only sure strategy was literally to hide from it—but also psychologically and, more practically, fiscally.
But what I choose to remember most about those first days and weeks and months of my tenure as President is how we all banded together. How we gathered constantly by Zoom, asking, “How are you doing? What do you need? Who needs help? How can we help?”
We were present. We were focused. We were there for each other. And we got through it.
There were casualties. And we cannot forget them. But we survived. And many of us are now thriving again. We did that—and we did it together. And we shouldn’t forget that, either—nor how we did it.
We looked out not just for ourselves but for each other. And if there’s a silver lining to this pandemic, I’d like to think it’s that we’ve become closer—and in fact I do believe that, because I’ve had the privilege of witnessing it in real time.
Also, we gave. YOU gave, especially early on, to our COVID Emergency Fund, which Federation seeded and the community more than matched. Almost overnight. And we were able to efficiently and effectively funnel those funds to the organizations and individuals and families that needed them most.
We also pooled our knowledge, and our resources, and we received guidance from Jewish Federations of North America to collectively and successfully obtain PPP loans, which turned into grants that not only kept many of our organizations’ doors open but also enabled them to keep and continue to pay their employees.
And through it all, we continued, somehow, to accomplish one milestone after another:
- We’ve reached new heights—in various respects—with the management of our Foundation and its growing assets.
- We introduced the Life & Legacy program, which the entire community has warmly embraced, and which has already helped us make great strides toward ensuring a more secure future for all.
- We raised more money for this year’s Annual Community Campaign than we have in nearly a decade and a half—and we’re not done yet! I think I should say that again: The most we have raised since 2008! And this during a pandemic that persists, while closing gifts during this last month or so of the Campaign during a sharp downturn in the market. So let’s just say… that’s a very special accomplishment!
- And this on top of the separate, additional funds you committed to a specially created Fund for Ukraine. And the success of our own Campaign has enabled us to provide an additional allocation to that cause as well.
- In the areas of engagement and convening, we managed—against all existing conditions—to host extremely well-attended and successful gatherings for Major Gifts and for our Main Event this year. Our Women’s philanthropy group is growing by leaps and bounds, with their events gaining in both popularity—and apparent rowdiness. And our Jewish Young Professionals continue to set the bar for creating safe and engaging events that seem to defy even the very idea of a pandemic. And, finally, you can expect our Israel programming to grow in the coming year, as Israel celebrates its 75th anniversary.
- We also have made great strides with our own Organizational Wellness, having hired some terrific new members for our team, and making sure to retain them by treating them with kindness and integrity, and by offering tremendous flexibility and other intangible benefits. And with an additional allocation due to this year’s successful Campaign, we hope to bring matters closer to market levels in more tangible ways as well.
- And then of course there is the Community Study—with emphasis on community. This study, the first of its kind in our community’s existence, has been much talked about for years… and it is finally underway. Many of you already know a good deal about it, and all of you will undoubtedly learn much more as we officially kick this process off next month.
- And, finally, we were able to help to facilitate the passage of an Ann Arbor City Council resolution condemning the actions of those who have gathered over a period of nearly two decades outside Beth Israel Congregation as “anti-Semitic,” and as a “weekly show of aggressive bigotry.” This resolution further demanded that the group cease and disband. I give much credit to Mayor Christopher Taylor, who took the lead in bringing this resolution to the City Council, and for delivering strong and moving remarks in support of its passage during the meeting at which the vote was held. And nearly every other Council member followed suit with equally welcome remarks before the resolution was passed unanimously. I believe this was a significant and cathartic event—perhaps especially for congregants of Beth Israel and for those living within the congregation’s immediate vicinity—but also for the entire greater Ann Arbor community, Jews and non-Jews alike.
- This watershed event—along with the undeniable rise in antisemitism everywhere, including locally—has made some in our community hungry to create momentum for doing more to actively address and combat bigotry and hatred in our midst. And thus was born a round of discussions this spring among a group of interested members of this community to develop a series of antisemitism seminars to be rolled out this fall.
Some of you have probably already heard me say this many times over, but no matter how much time and effort I put into this role these past two years—and I am willing to make the claim that I have put in a lot of both—at every turn I have always felt that I was receiving more in return. I think of all the new friends I have made—and I know that I will miss serving in this role. And so it is with decidedly mixed feelings that I give way—though I will continue to stay involved as a member of the Board, on the Executive and Governance committees, in the Campaign—and especially in seeing the Community Study through.
And so I thank you all so very much for the opportunity. I thank our board, Executive Director Eileen Freed, our dedicated and hardworking staff, and our legion of volunteers. It’s been an honor. A privilege. A blessing for which I will remain ever grateful.
But it’s time for me to say goodbye for now. And thank you again.