EMPOWER ENGAGE INSPIRE COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT 2020 EMPOWER ENGAGE INSPIRE COMMUNITY TZEDAKAH Minneapolis Jewish Federation sits at the intersection of Jewish community and the tradition of tzedakah. Our commitment to philanthropy through a Jewish lens is informed by our love and support of Jewish community. And our dedication to Jewish people all around the world leads us to invest philanthropically in local and overseas agencies and programs that make our Jewish community stronger. Your gift makes it all possible. With your help, and guided by three important words—empower, engage, and inspire—Federation is building and sustaining Jewish communities around the world. COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT 3 2020 EMPOWER ENGAGE INSPIRE FAST FACTS 2019 7,452 KOSHER MEALS ON WHEELS SERVED TO MORE THAN 1,000 LOCAL SENIORS 1,554 299 LOCAL CHILDREN KIDS RECEIVED ATTENDED JEWISH DAY SCHOLARSHIPS TO AND SUPPLEMENTAL JEWISH SUMMER SCHOOL IN CAMP (A TOTAL OF MINNEAPOLIS $139,403) Ukraine Twin Cities Cardozo Society Service Project Israel Experience 20 16 13 Uganda 110 Other Trips to Israel Service Project • Alternative Spring Break 19 OVERSEAS with Hillel • Partnership2Gether Artist TRAVELERS Exchange (Israel) Honeymoon Israel JOURNEYED • JFNA Global Assembly 42 WITH in Israel FEDERATION • 248 CAN 1,000 PEOPLE CELEBRATED AT TWIN CITIES YOM HA’ATZMAUT 211 SENIORS LIVING AT SHOLOM RECEIVED PROGRAMMING TO ENGAGE AND CONNECT WITH THE 510 COMMUNITY 226 YOUNG ADULTS WITH CAMPERS IN THE SPECIAL NEEDS FORMER SOVIET UNION FOUND A PLACE HONORED THEIR IN THE JEWISH JEWISH HERITAGE AT COMMUNITY WITH SUMMER CAMP SHA’ARIM COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT 5 2020 EMPOWER The schools, synagogues, and agencies that make up Jewish Minneapolis are vital to our community. Through Federation, you empower our community partners to do their best work. Because they know you have their backs, they can focus on what they do best: Providing a safe space for Jewish seniors to live with dignity. Teaching our children the traditions and values that bind us together. Finding room for everyone—no matter their abilities—in a Jewish space. Surviving hardships Irina Lyubimova watches life go by from the window of her apartment high above St. Petersburg’s bustling city streets. Only 65 years old, Irina lives alone and is wheelchair- bound due to two strokes. To compensate for being limited to the small world of her two- room apartment, Irina creates worlds of her own. A talented author, Irina writes all kinds of stories, sharing them with anyone willing to listen. Irina has suffered many losses. Divorced years ago, her only daughter died in 2012. Irina’s older sister passed away in 1984, followed by her parents. Today, with no living immediate family to support her, Irina is completely reliant on your help to survive. The home care assistant sent to her by “I thank God Federation overseas partner JDC helps her get around the house, and does most of her for JDC and cooking and cleaning. The money she gets for food from JDC enables her to stock the its supporters, refrigerator with basic staple items. who help me “I thank G-d for JDC and its supporters, who help me survive my hardships,” Irina said. survive.” Challah and community Meet Laura. She loves to bake challah, go Oh, and her favorite kind of challah? bowling, and sing karaoke to any Abba song. "Chocolate, not raisins. With a little cinnamon, but not too much." She's also a participant in Federation community partner Jewish Family and Children's Service's Caring Connections program. Caring Connections provides opportunities for Jewish adults with developmental disabilities to participate in Jewish life through social and educational activities. "I try to come to everything. It's a pleasure to see everyone there." Laura bakes challah weekly through another of Federation’s community partners, the Sabes Jewish Community Center’s Inclusion Program, says Laura. "Being in the kitchen is my favorite place to be. Baking helps me cope with things," she says. COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT 7 2020 ENGAGE If there’s a gap in community opportunities, Federation wants to fill it. Whether we’re bringing Jewish lawyers together to provide pro bono legal services or bringing Jews on the margins of the community together through art or travel, we provide programming and community engagement opportunities with no hidden agenda—because we believe in building and sustaining community. We provide opportunities for people to experience and explore the joy of Judaism in their personal lives regardless of their affiliation or practice levels. It’s never too late Sharline was an English major before “life The stories aroused many emotions—from joy happened”—love, marriage, and family. Her to bittersweet recollection. “The residents’ husband died young, and she raised four kids stories sometimes moved them to tears; and ran the family business until that became writing about the too much. She sold the business and went to world they came work as an administrative assistant. from that no longer The residents’ exists,” says David She always thought she‘d start writing again, Jordan Harris, Rimon’s stories but never found the time or the motivation. Executive Director. sometimes Until Rimon: The Minnesota Jewish Arts Sharline plans to Council—a program of the Minneapolis Jewish continue writing and moved them to Federation—entered her life. says the workshop inspired her to Sharline lives in Sholom’s Knollwood Place, tears; writing compile her life her apartment lined with hundreds of books. stories into a book. She heard about Rimon’s weekly writing about the Rimon took a passion workshop in her building and knew: This was Sharline was never her chance to write again. world that no able to follow and Each week, writing instructor Judy Brier gave her the tools to longer exists. presented participants with a prompt. “She pursue it. made it so easy to get going,” says Sharline. “It’s never too late,” Sharline says. “The stories just started to flow.” Sharline found purpose in telling her stories. On creating community Josh Rosard opens a spreadsheet on his “It’s been really interesting, a year later, to be phone called “Shabbat Scramble.” Its rows like ‘oh wow... We see the group all the time,’” and columns outline six-months of regular says Mickayla. Shabbat dinners with he and his wife Mickayla’s 40 HMI’s founders hoped this would be the friends. case: “This program was meant to catalyze the development of community,” they wrote Maintaining in eJewishphilanthropy.org. “Our goal is to friendships as an co-construct an ecosystem for young Jewish adult requires work. families that is as vibrant as it is diverse.” But for the 20 Twin Cities couples who Josh grew up Jewish; Mickayla did not. “It traveled to Israel was a small data-point of who we were,” says with Honeymoon Mickayla, “Our general principles are very Israel (HMI) just similar.” over a year ago, the Before HMI, Mickayla says, the burden was extra effort is worth on Josh to advocate for keeping Jewish it. traditions in their lives. But now, she doesn’t “Everyone [on our trip] was clearly craving think twice about hosting Shabbat or putting something,” says Mickayla. “We’re all part of up a mezuzah. “I feel empowered.” the “fringe” Jewish community, and our paths More than friendships, this group formed a might not have crossed without the trip. The community that’s hard to put into words. And trip was the catalyst, but the real magic has Mickayla and Josh are positive it’s changed been what we’ve created of it since.” how they incorporate Judaism into their family. COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT 9 2020 INSPIRE We inspire the next generation of Jewish communal and nonprofit leaders through training, education, and by example. Federation provides philanthropic leadership to other agencies by inspiring legacy giving in our community, or by providing professional development opportunities for Jewish professionals. Programs include Harry Kay Leadership Training, Harry Kay Alumni Network, Yesod, It’s Your Legacy, Jewish Community Foundation activities, the Jewish Leadership Summit, and more. Grassroots grants for good When Adam Schwartz dreamed up Heritage Judaica Facebook group, which serves as Heritage Judaica’s in 2018, he couldn’t have predicted how useful it information hub and call for requests, has 700 would be two years later as COVID-19 swept across members and a regular stream of posts. the globe. In the spring of 2020, the pandemic upended The grassroots program, which Adam describes as a normal life just weeks before Passover. Physical “free Judaica clearinghouse,” pairs unwanted Jewish family gatherings were moved to Zoom, and many ritual items people who relied on the ritual items of their host with Jews who scrambled to find seder plates, kiddush cups, and need them. other Passover must-haves. Judaica is expensive, says Just as he had done when starting Heritage Judaica, Adam, and Adam saw a need and stepped in. He put out the owning these call for Passover items and quickly built a waiting items shouldn’t list of people looking for seder plates. By Passover, be a barrier Heritage Judaica had helped 41 seder hosts—many for anyone of them first-timers—make their seder feel a little wanting to more like home. practice Heritage Judaica is a recipient of the Twin Cities’ Judaism. Federations’ Young Adult Leadership Action (YALA) Since its grassroots grants, a program that provides funds to start, Adam young professionals and college students looking to estimates get Jewish programs off the ground. Adam is also a Heritage 248 Community Action Network fellow, working to Judaica has expand the Heritage Judaica program and explore distributed more than 3,000 Judaica items.