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

