Community Building in Community Buildings

Thank you all for your blog comments and e-mails in response to my first post! My intention is to continue our conversation and I hope that you will pass this blog on to your friends and colleagues.

This year, you’ll see and hear (a lot) “Only Federation…has the Strength of Community”. This is much more than a campaign theme or a marketing catch phrase. It’s what defines the Federation and what our value proposition is for the community. We partner with scores of organizations and agencies throughout Los Angeles, across the country and around the world to address our central issues.

One unique way we show the strength of community is by being the “central address” literally for eighteen (and counting) important agencies in our two locations:  Jewish Federation Goldsmith Center and the Bernard Milken Jewish Community Campus. The Jewish Federation Goldsmith Center is home to the Zimmer Children’s Museum, Jewish Vocational Service, Jewish Free Loan, Jewish Big Brothers and Sisters, the Jewish Community Foundation, the Builders of Jewish Education, Hillel, the Jewish Historical Society, the Israel Aliyah Office, Masa and the Friends of Israel Scouts.

After many, many years, Jewish Family Service has moved out to better serve their clients by consolidating two offices (although they remain at our Bernard Milken Community Campus) and Stand with Us has moved in. Many of these agencies are also housed at the Bernard Milken Campus as well as the Jewish Community Center and a satellite office for Vista Del Mar.

Going forward, it’s our intention to invest even more in our partnerships and open our doors to even more community organizations. Call it community building in community buildings!

A second way we show strength of community is by bringing our partners together to tackle important communal issues. Last year, with our partner, the Jewish Community Foundation, we launched an Emergency Cash Grant Program. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we gave out one million dollars to those in Los Angeles who, during these challenging economic times, found themselves in great need. But it was the partnership with our community’s agencies on the front lines—Jewish Family Service, Jewish Vocational Service, Jewish Free Loan and others—that allowed us to come together and make an even greater impact.

Last week, I asked a series of questions and many of you responded and asked some of your own. As we work together to build a better Jewish future, we must continue to ask questions and challenge ourselves and our institutions. We need to recognize that every successful partnership must evolve to meet the changing needs of our community. I hope you will join me and our Federation in this exciting endeavor.