10 | AUGUST 25 • 2022

PURELY COMMENTARY

W

hen I talk
to Jewish
community
leaders around the country,
I often hear the
same comment:
You know, Steve,
Detroit has an
incredibly strong
community.
I happen to
agree, but what,
exactly, does
this really mean?
Much of it is simply the
fact that Jewish life at our
synagogues and temples, day
schools and organizations
across the community is rich
and varied, and that, over
many generations, the Detroit
Jewish community has
remained deeply connected
to our heritage and collective
spirit.
Beyond this, however, we
can make an important claim:
No other community is more
generous or committed to
Jewish life and welfare than
ours here in Detroit.
Consider these facts:
According to recent data, the
Detroit Federation has the
single highest percentage of
individuals who support their
Annual Campaign among
large Jewish communities
across North America. We
also have the highest per
capita amount of donations
of any community.
Having recently completed
the largest Annual Campaign
in our organization’s history,
this doesn’t come as a
surprise. But there are a
few things this data doesn’t
reveal, and without them the
story is incomplete:
It’s not the size of the

campaign that matters, but
the good it does for our
local and global Jewish
community. In other
words, the most important
measurement is the amount
we distribute out. Last
year, the Jewish Federation
provided more than $120
million to take care of those
in need and to build a strong
Jewish future for all.
Where does it go? To our
network of social service
agencies, schools, camps,
Hillels on campus, JCC and
other organizations, as well
as our partners working in
Israel and around world.
From there, your donation
makes a difference in the
lives of our older adults,
individuals with disabilities,
jobseekers and families facing
hardships. It enriches the
lives of campers and college
kids, day school students
and adult learners and many
others.
Our donors expect their
contributions to be used
wisely, and we take that
responsibility very seriously.
We’re proud to report that
more than 91 cents of
every dollar are distributed
directly to our local and
global community, earning
us four stars — the highest
possible rating — by Charity
Navigator, the gold standard
for nonprofits.
But that’s only half
the story. Thanks to our
network of agencies and
organizations, there’s no
more efficient or effective
way to support our local and
global Jewish community.
This became clear recently,
as we faced the COVID

pandemic and the Russian
invasion of Ukraine. At the
outset of each of these crises,
we were able to quickly raise
and deploy urgent and life-
saving resources to those that
needed them.
We are extraordinarily
grateful to every supporter.
We recognize that all our
10,000 donors played an
essential role in the success
of our campaign, and
every single dollar made a
difference to the welfare of
this community. We are also
extremely grateful to the
visionary foundations that
have served as key supporters
and partners in the work
of maintaining a thriving
Jewish community. We thank
you all for your trust, your
generosity and most of all
your commitment to a Jewish
future.
As we look ahead, we
recognize that inflation,
economic instability, global
unrest and the long tail of the
COVID pandemic suggest
that conditions will become
more difficult for many in
our community, especially
those most vulnerable.
We hope for the best
but are ready for whatever
challenges arrive. Most
importantly, we know that,
thanks to the strength of our
Annual Campaign and the
donors that make it possible,
the Jewish Federation will be
here to take care of those in
need and to provide a vibrant
Jewish future for all.

Steven Ingber is CEO of the Jewish

Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.

You can support the 2023 Annual

Campaign at jewishdetroit.org/

donate-online.

community update
Jewish Detroit’s Generosity

Steven
Ingber

didn’t always involve overt
persecution, but it was perva-
sive to the degree that at least
my great-grandparents had the
sense and ability to be able to
get four of their children out
of Poland. And that when the
Jewish community was being
deported to their death, local
Polish neighbors celebrated,
and then took the homes and
property of the Jews who once
lived next to them.
As a result of four children
surviving then, I am here.
Including my brothers, our
wives, children and grandchil-
dren we are 22 people. Eighty
years is not that long ago, but
it feels like ancient history. It’s
a significant milestone we can-
not let pass without remem-
bering our relatives who were
murdered, and honoring the
survivors, thanks to whom we
are here.
This year, dozens of descen-
dants of the former Kanczuga
Jewish community will gather
virtually from at least three
continents to remember.
We represent one very small
group of descendants of one
very small Jewish communi-
ty, in one very small Polish
village. And my family, a few
dozen within that one small
town, whose matriarch and
patriarch did everything pos-
sible to have their children
survive. On that level, the
incomprehensible number of
six million becomes real. It’s
the sum of hundreds of thou-
sands of entire families, like
mine.

Jonathan Feldstein made aliyah in

2004, married and raising six children

in the Judean mountains. He is a

longtime Jewish nonprofit profes-

sional. As president of the Genesis

123 Foundation he works closely with

many Christians who support Israel,

building bridges in ways that are new,

unique and meaningful.

THE DAY MY GREAT-
GRANDPARENTS DIED
continued from page 8