Values that have encouraged Jews to allocate their charitable dollars to the Jewish future 

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Values that have encouraged Jews to allocate their charitable dollars to the Jewish future 

As Jews, we are encouraged to pass on our values through the generations, l’dor v’dor. From the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, our values have endured, and sustained our people. We review our histories to do just that, such as at the Passover table, when we are instructed to recount the Exodus story with our family during the seder, and glean valuable insights into what being Jewish means to us, and how that guides our actions.

Today, we continue to pass along our values to the next generation through our traditions and mitzvot/commandments and through our tzedakah/charity. Every Jewish family actualizes their values in different ways, and one recently launched initiative, Jewish Future Pledge, provides a platform for Jews to express their values through a lasting gift to the Jewish people. The pledge calls on global Jewry, young and old, to allocate in their estate plans at least half of their charitable dollars to Jewish and Israel-related causes. But more than just giving, the pledge asks donors to share their pledge with friends and family, sparking conversations about Jewish legacy and the values that can be expressed through philanthropy.

Motivations for signing the pledge vary like the Jewish people itself.

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The Jewish Tool in the Freezer

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The Jewish Tool in the Freezer

Any Jewish professional or lay leader knows that sometimes you have to field complaints.  The optimist in me believes it’s because we come from a culture that thirsts for goodness, raised to believe we have the power to create the best scenario possible.  But do we have the tools we need to get us there?

In the past few years at GW Hillel, residing in a temporary space without an oven, I often heard complaints about the cancellation of the beloved Thursday night challah extravaganza.  Each week, stage one of the process involved one or two volunteers arriving to make the dough in the morning. Stage two involved many friends joining them later that afternoon, cramming into the kitchen to braid and kill time while the challah baked.  Our students missed the camaraderie and couldn’t find a creative way out of this loss.

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