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lives of our children, funding
much-needed mental health
services, as well as technology
that enabled our schools to pro-
vide remote learning.
Throughout the crisis, we saw
an unprecedented level of col-
laboration across the communi-
ty. Jewish social service agencies
and Jewish welfare organiza-
tions, schools and congregations
worked together with extraordi-
nary focus and coordination.
Without any hesitation, your
Federation took on the role of
primary leader and convener
for virtually all of the Jewish
social service agencies through-
out Metropolitan Detroit. Many
of the relationships and strate-
gies that were forged continue
to benefit the community today,
and, consequently, we have
a new level of collaboration
between our Federation agen-
cies — and our non-Federation
partners, as well.
Simply put, our response

to the pandemic affirmed the
incredible and unique strength
of our Federation and commu-
nal structure.
So, too, did our response on
Feb. 24 of this year, when Russia
invaded Ukraine, upending and
threatening the lives of some
200,000 Jews, along with mil-
lions of other innocent civilians.
Once again, your Federation
responded without hesitation,
launching an Emergency
Campaign that raised $4.2 mil-
lion from 1,750 donors.
And, once again, thanks to
our partner agencies who have
been working in the region for
decades, we were there to make
a difference, moving thousands
of individuals out of harm’s way,
providing rescue and relief, and
bringing a new wave of Jewish
immigrants to Israel.
These efforts saved and trans-
formed lives, as those of us who
visited the Ukrainian border
saw up close.

These are difficult times: a
once-in-a-century global pan-
demic and a brutal, senseless
war that still rages today, not
to mention growing economic
woes and uncertainty within
our own economy.

LOOKING FORWARD
And yet, when we think about
the future, what comes to mind
above all else is hope.
Hope — and optimism — for
what lies ahead for the Jewish
people and for our Detroit com-
munity.
We are optimistic because we
have proven, time and again,
that we have the resilience and
the resourcefulness to meet
any challenge. Beyond that,
we know that the Jewish spirit
of this community shines as
brightly today as it ever has.
We see it in our schools,
which are now bustling with
the love of learning and in the
Jewish ruach at Tamarack and

the JCC day camp, at BBYO
and our campus Hillels. We see
it in our social service agencies,
which deliver critical services to
their clients with unparalleled
warmth and compassion.
And we see it in the work
of the Federation. There’s so
much good we could reflect
on, beginning with our Annual
Campaign — which reached
a new high last year, a historic
record achievement in 2022.
Consider our reemerging
slate of missions to Israel, which
are once again in full swing and
will culminate next spring with
our community-wide Motor
City Mission, traveling during
Israel’s historic 75th anniversary.
Consider also the work
being done by our Women’s
Philanthropy Department to
welcome a new generation of
committed women leaders and
philanthropists or the equally
impressive programming
coming from our ever-expand-

tions of any community.
But there’s more to the story
of our community’s generosity
and vision: It’s important to
recognize that — in addition to
the $39 million raised through
the Annual Campaign and the
Challenge Fund — an addi-
tional $70 million came in
this year through Foundation
endowment funds, along
with state and federal grants,
and the COVID and Ukraine
Emergency Campaigns.
I’m also proud to report that
we run an extremely efficient
and fiscally responsible orga-
nization. More than 91 cents
of every dollar we raise goes
directly to our local and global
community, earning us four
stars — the highest possible rat-
ing — by Charity Navigator, the
gold standard for nonprofits.
We also need to acknowledge
the work of our Investment
Committee, who have done a

great job managing our invest-
ments. This has been especially
true recently as they’ve been
able to significantly minimize
the impact of the current bear
market, allowing us to continue
funding our endowment obli-
gations even in these difficult
market times.
But $96 million is a hard
number to get your head
around. So let me try to break it
down a little:
• That translates into 1,000
older adults given the oppor-
tunity to live in a warm, Jewish
home at Jewish Senior Life.
• It means that 6,500 individ-
uals were offered career support
at Gesher Human Services.
• 28,000 rides were provided
for older adults and individuals
with disabilities.
• 2,500 kids received the
magic of PJ Library books cour-
tesy of the JCC.
• 3,000 students attended our

Jewish day schools, and 1,000
teens participated in BBYO.
• Overseas, 39,000 Jewish
refugees were provided with
vital necessities, and 2.7 million
pounds of medical equipment,
clothing, food and hygiene
products have been distributed.
• More than 32,000 new
immigrants have arrived in
Israel from Russia, Ukraine and
Belarus .
I could go on and on, and, of
course, this is just a small snap-
shot of our work. It represents a
vast number of individual lives
impacted and transformed, and
every one of them is a story we
can be proud of. As extraordi-
nary as all this is, it’s only part of
what we do, especially when you
consider the work of the United
Jewish Foundation.

PROTECTING OUR
JEWISH FUTURE
You hear all the time that the

Foundation is the custodian
of our community’s assets, but
what it really protects, more
than anything else, is our Jewish
future. That’s not always an easy
task, especially when facing a
crisis like the pandemic or eco-
nomic downturns.
This is a critical aspect of our
organization: We must always
be addressing the urgent needs
of the day, while at the same
time ensuring our long-term
security.
In fact, it’s so important that
it’s enshrined in our mission:
Taking care of the needs of the
Jewish people today and build-
ing a strong Jewish future for
tomorrow.
And that, I think, is one of
our great accomplishments in
recent years — distributing hun-
dreds of millions of dollars of
direct support while at the same
time significantly strengthening
our holdings for the future.

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