Few organizations impact all ages of people in so many facets of life. It makes us unique and hard to define. We asked members of our community for their personal take. Their sentiments speak volumes.
Federation brings together the good work of so many organizations, programs and people. It really gives families the context to be a community. It’s bigger than your synagogue congregation, than your local JCC, than the schools and camps we send our children. In many ways, it personifies the collective Jewish consciousness that stirs in us and we want our kids to understand.
Maxine Schwartz
Westfield, NJ
“Religion binds us, but it’s more than that. It’s that sense of connectedness to something bigger than yourself. It’s the sense of having all stood at Sinai in some fashion, the stories we share of helping others, of hard work and dedication, of setting goals and reaching them. It’s the comfort that comes with it, that feeling of family, that safety-net that’s always there to listen and lend a helping hand.”
Leslie Dannin Rosenthal
South Orange, NJ
Tell us what Federation means to you.
With the Greater MetroWest community being comprised of such diverse individuals, each with a unique perspective, we relish in the many ways we touch people’s lives.
“When it comes to giving to Federation, I feel fortunate to be able to give to my community. I do it out of a sense of responsibility to my people. It’s the purest form of tzedekah I know. To share what I can give, knowing how much more others will receive, gives me great satisfaction. Knowing that my little bit of good can make such a great impact…seeing how Federation supports seniors, especially those who don’t have anyone else to help them..that is just a small example of what makes a Greater MetroWest.”
Michele Landau
Livingston, NJ
“Federation allows us to live a life of purpose, put good into the world, honor family, and those who came before us, honor education and perseverance and courage in the face of insurmountable odds. It is a vehicle to share pride in our community, in the State of Israel and in our common history, in the traditions that have sustained us throughout time, enabling us to keep them alive to pass on to the next generation and generations after that.”
Mark Wilf
Livingston, NJ
“We have so many questions as teenagers, trying to figure out ourselves, trying to understand the world and our place in it. Federation doesn’t give you the answers, but it gives us reassurance. It helps us know we’re going – and growing – in the right direction. I am more in tune to who I am and where I’m headed because of it.”
Maurice Korish
Randolph, NJ
“To me, Federation is an enabling force, it brings us together to meet the very diverse needs of our people. Serving as the “connective tissue” for our diverse community is not an easy task, but it’s critical to our well-being. Federation serves organizations and families, locally and overseas and it is the infrastructure that ensures our future.”
Steve Levy
Mendham Twp., NJ