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With your help, we are able to be Here for Good for our community, and for other communities; in Israel and around the world. 

The number of programs we offered to the community last year.

Because of your support, we offered a range programs on topics and interests - from our Community Chronicles series, Community Town Halls, Advocacy, Legislative and social programs - to keep our community connected.

The number of community members we engaged through our programming last year.

We connected and built meaningful moments with our members through our programming.

The number of community agencies we helped throughout the year.

COVID put a strain on our community agencies, but we were able to step in and help with resources, technology and grants when they were needed most.

Funds raised through the Emergency Relief Fund

The Emergency Relief Fund allowed us to support our community and community agencies when they needed us most.

The Federation is grateful for its many donors who allow us to support a wide variety of agencies for our community (Beth Sholom Senior Living, Jewish Family Services, Rudlin Torah Academy and Weinstein JCC to name a few). These agencies offer programming for all stages of life.

Federation also supports a variety of other connections to Jewish Life:

  • We support 8 University Hillel programs around the Commonwealth
  • We support local youth groups who offer middle and high school students a place to explore their connection to the Jewish community
  • We fund collaborative educational programs developed and run by the Richmond Coalition for Jewish Education

Over the past 7 years Federation has funded our local agencies and synagogues through programmatic grants. These are grants to local community partners that offer programming focused on Jewish priorities. Building on the framework of Impact Grants, these are not limited to new, innovative programs. These funds help meet gaps in services and unmet needs of the Richmond Jewish Community. Some examples of these types of programs include: Scholarships, Education, Security, Interfaith, Seniors, Leadership opportunities, and Special Needs.

When the world was hit with the COVID pandemic, we were able to leap into action quickly (because we are here everyday) as a resource for supplies and money to our agencies to ensure that there was minimal disruption to Jewish life in Richmond and for our partners in Zaporozhye, Ukraine and Hadera, Israel.

  • Early grants provided 20 iPads to Beth Sholom and JFS. The iPads allowed family members to stay connected with their loved ones and for JFS to provide virtual therapy and remote check in on homebound members of our community.
  • We collected and distributed 1,000+ pounds of food, medical, and basic household supplies to Beth Sholom Woods low income housing and other members of the community in need.
  • We assisted local Jewish organizations in securing Federal Paycheck Protection Program loans, infusing our community with a total of $3.6 million at a critical time.
  • Our Emergency Fund Allocations expedited grants to agencies and synagogues and additional funding assisted our overseas partners with their own COVID response.
  • We mobilized our network to secure over 350 vaccine appointments in a period of 4 hours. We assisted Holocaust survivors, the homebound, and isolated elderly, Jews, Catholics and Muslims.

Federation is there in times of crisis when you need us most. 
For decades we’ve ensured humanitarian relief for those who’ve needed it most. Federation holds out a safety net. And we’ll never let it fall.

We provide a lifeline for Jews and non-Jews in distress, at home, in Israel and across the globe. Whether it’s in response to attacks on synagogues and Jewish life, missiles raining down on Israel’s south, Hurricane Harvey in Houston or the COVID-19 global pandemic, Federation is there to help — and to rebuild.

By joining forces with Federations across North America and our international partners we are able to respond quickly and effectively. We fund urgently needed basics like food and medicine, and long-term needs like trauma counseling. We provide resources to emergency service providers so they can help where they’re most needed. 

We also enable trained staff to expand their support of the most vulnerable populations, whose needs escalate during emergencies.

Community Mental Health

 

Last year, our mental health was affected by the isolation, worry, and coping with various challenges that life offers. Because we have been there since day one, and will continue to be there, we were able to still make an impact during a very trying time.

 

  • JFS Richmond partnered with us to personally call and connect with over 300 elderly members of our community, providing check ins, resources and connection.
  • To combat the isolation that all of us felt, we held hundreds of hours of virtual programming connecting Richmond to the Jewish world. Federation shared thousands of hours of partner programming, showcasing Jewish experiences and virtual opportunities.
  • In partnership with Henrico County and Richmond Health Department, we launched the Jewish Volunteer Center connecting our community to opportunities throughout the region. Our volunteers also assisted in making vaccine appointments for thousands of elderly in our region.

 

A huge THANK YOU for making it possible for me to get my COVID-19 vaccination today! My husband is 76 and has lung cancer, so I have been very anxious to be inoculated. We are thrilled. I have no idea how you organized this so quickly. They should put you in charge of the distribution program for the state!

Jewish Community Relations Committee (JCRC)

 

The JCRC, as the public affairs and government relations arm of the Jewish Federation has spent the last year and a half advocating, educating, and taking action on issues vital to the Jewish community.  Much like the rest of the world however, we have had to find new and creative ways to connect to our legislators, connect to our community partners, and connect to each other.   

 

  • Over the past year, we have engaged over 1500 participants through over 15 major virtual advocacy and educational programs.
  • We connected our Richmond community to their local and Federal legislators on multiple occasions.  These programs included legislators from both sides of the aisle and included our Governor, Speaker of the House, and Attorney General. 
  • We also brought to our community journalists and authors from Israel - like Haviv Rettig Gur and Yossi Klein Halevi.  We were also honored to host the Ambassador of Israel to the United States, Ron Dermer.
  • All the while, we continued to work to enhance Holocaust Education in our schools and provide non-profit security grants to assist our Jewish community partners here in Richmond. 

 

Through all of our conversations, programs, and meetings – our goal is to make sure the interests of the Jewish community are promoted in the wider Richmond community and throughout the Commonwealth. 

Israel & Overseas 

 

While we were unable to travel and host our partners from Israel and overseas, we still found a way to make meaningful connections with our friends and family all over the world. We continue to support our partners JDC and the Jewish Agency for Israel.

 

We support and strengthen Jewish life around the world. The global reach of our Jewish community and the Jewish Federations network is unparalleled. Together, we’ve built and sustained programs in more than 70 countries, ensuring that Jewish communities everywhere are vibrant and resilient.

 

We create strong connections with Israel, our Jewish homeland, educate about our shared economic and cultural ties, support programs in struggling communities worldwide, respond to crises, and empower people to advocate for Israel.

 

  • Holiday and learning opportunities with P2G Zoom Programs
  • Connections over Zoom with Zaporozhe
  • Three P2G Leadership Participants
  • Teens leadership programs with Israeli peers
  • COVID Emergency Funding to support seniors in Ukraine and Israel
  • One to One English program – teachers from the states helping Israeli teens improve their English

But there is still so much more to do in our community, in our nation, in Israel and around the world.  We need your help to do it. No matter the size of your gift, it makes an impact.

 

 

Your gift to the Federation allows us to be

Here for Good.

Now and for generations to come.

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