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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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