Category: Jewish Identity & Inclusion

Since October 7, Jewish teens around the world have been navigating a complex mix of emotions: grief, fear, pride, resilience. And increasingly, they’re not just processing these feelings quietly. They’re turning them into action.

A recent report from the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) found that 74% of young Jews believe they can positively shape the future, a striking reflection of growing optimism and stronger connection to Jewish life.

In Greater Washington, a group of teens is doing exactly that.

Turning Emotion Into Expression

Through Our Eyes, an original art exhibit created by local teens Emma Libowitz, Ayelet Magder, Ofek Bar-Ori, Sophie Moyal, and Aviela Dennen, brings together the voices and experiences of Jewish teens in this moment. Through paintings, poetry, and mixed media, the exhibit offers a deeply personal look at what it means to be Jewish today, grounded not in headlines or politics, but in lived experience.

“At a time when antisemitism is often discussed in abstract or political terms, this exhibit restores humanity to the conversation,” said Ofek. “It allows [people] to see Jewish teens not as representatives of conflict, but as individuals with complex emotions, identities, and stories.”

For many of the teens, the exhibit is both a creative outlet and a communal space. “It acts as a space for teens to lean into their Jewish identities and express their thoughts and emotions, where they might not have otherwise had a place to do so,” Ayelet shared.

That sense of belonging, expression, and connection doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

Each of these teens is involved in Jewish life across the region: whether through the Bender JCC, camps like Ramah and Capital Camps, or other youth experiences that have helped shape their identities over time. These are the environments where Jewish teens build confidence, explore their values, and form the relationships that allow them to show up fully as themselves.

Investing in the Ecosystem

Federation plays a critical role in making those environments possible, supporting both teens and the professionals who guide and work alongside them.

By supporting camps, youth groups, JCCs, and other teen programming across Greater Washington, Federation invests in the spaces where identity is formed and strengthened. These investments don’t just power programs, they power identity, helping to cultivate a generation of young people who feel connected, confident, and empowered to express what being Jewish means to them.

As the exhibit travels to JCCs, synagogues, and schools across the region, it is creating new opportunities for connection, not just between teens, but across the broader community. “We hope the exhibit will help teens know that you’re not alone,” said Aviela. “That there are other teens going through the same things.”

And that expression matters now more than ever. “There has been a variety of reactions to October 7 within the Jewish community,” Emma shared. “Our experience as Jewish teens isn’t a monolith. Right now, we need the support and encouragement of adults to speak openly, voice our concerns, and reaffirm our communal values.”

The Through Our Eyes exhibit is modeling something powerful: that in the face of challenge, Jewish identity is not only something to hold onto. It’s something to build, express, and share.

Because when young people are given the tools, the space, and the support to explore who they are, they don’t just respond to the moment—they help shape what comes next.

Over the past few months, the Community Leadership Council (CLC) set out to hear directly from the full diversity of our Greater Washington Jewish community. Nearly 200 people across 26 groups shared their experiences, bringing forward a wide range of backgrounds, life stages, levels of engagement, and perspectives to ensure our work reflects what matters most to people and informs how we prioritize and invest.

Separately, more than 1,300 people participated in a community-wide survey, offering a broader view of how people are experiencing Jewish life today.

When you look at it all together, a picture starts to emerge. Not perfect or unanimous, but consistent in ways that matter.

People are looking to connect, participate, and feel like they belong.

The Role of Federation

These patterns clarify where Federation fits.

We do not run every program or guide every individual. Our role is to make the system work better—bringing organizations together, investing in what works, and making it easier to navigate Jewish life.

Much of this work happens behind the scenes: aligning organizations so experiences feel connected, expanding access, convening leaders to address shared challenges, and strengthening the system so it works better for the people it serves.

This is the difference between a collection of organizations and a connected community.

The CLC extends this work beyond the room. Leaders take these insights back into their organizations, and the findings will be shared more broadly so others across the community can engage with and respond to what we are learning.

What We’re Seeing Across the Community

Finding your way in isn’t always simple. For many, it starts with basic questions:

• Where do I go?
• Who is this for?
• How do I begin?

With so many organizations and options, it can be hard to know where to start or how to move from one experience to the next.

Some of what we heard:

• Cost shapes participation. From camps and schools to programs and events, cost plays a real role in how people engage. Sometimes it limits choice. Sometimes it limits participation altogether.

“Day school affordability is a huge issue. Jewish life is expensive.”

• Belonging is not a given. Across identities, life stages, and levels of involvement, people are looking for spaces where they feel comfortable and seen. That’s true for those who are deeply connected, and for those still deciding if there is a place for them.

“We moved to the area and don’t have connections or a sense of belonging. I want to be invited to Shabbat dinners…”

• There is a desire for everyday Jewish life. Our community shows up in meaningful ways during moments of need, and that continues. At the same time, many people are looking for something more consistent: experiences that are part of daily life and feel worth showing up for.

“I want a community that comes together for joyful reasons. Not just crisis gatherings.”

No Single Experience Tells the Whole Story

By listening closely to what people hope to see and build in our community, we begin to see the themes we share in common and better align our work with how people want to engage.

The CLC designed and led this effort, engaging people across the community, gathering input through both listening and survey data, and bringing those insights together to clarify what we’re hearing.

Why This Work Matters

If you’ve ever tried to find your way into Jewish life—whether you’re new, coming back, or looking for something different—this likely feels familiar. And there is something reassuring in knowing there is a community that cares and is working to make that experience better.

This work starts by paying attention to what people are actually experiencing and being honest about where things aren’t working. The Community Leadership Council helps identify patterns across those experiences and clarify where the community is asking for something different.

What Comes Next

“What we heard gives us a clearer sense of what the community wants and where it is asking for something different,” said Marla Schulman, Chair of the Community Leadership Council. “What we learned is the importance of continuing to engage voices across the community in building it.”

Those insights are now informing the next stage of our work, as Federation’s Board considers how they should shape our priorities and direction moving forward. And some of this work is already underway: expanding access, strengthening coordination across organizations, and making it easier to find and engage in Jewish life. Our goal is to make it finding your way in clearer, closer, and more within reach.

We’ll keep sharing what we’re learning, and how it’s shaping the work ahead.

For the past several years, really ever since COVID, our communal agenda has been shaped in large part by external crises. There’s no shame in this. Federation, supported by a passionate Jewish community, is well suited to crisis response. We have the local and global infrastructure to reach people and deploy help, a core part of our role.

Through a pandemic, wars, antisemitic attacks, the devastation of October 7, economic uncertainty, and political and social upheaval, we, as a community, have been there to help the Jewish people and those in need locally and around the world.

Across our community and in conversation with others from around the country, I hear how eager people are to reclaim a sense of agency over the Jewish future. To not only fend off the destructive forces of the day, but to build something great. This isn’t to say that we should abandon our work to be there for the Jewish people and Israel in times of crisis, not at all. Without question, we will need to remain diligent in responding to a dysregulated world. But we can be serious about our dreams too.

As Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks used to say, “Jewish faith is written in the future tense.” We are in close contact with our past, but we are also a people of possibility. We would be doing the Jewish story a disservice if we did not make the most of the opportunities in front of us to strengthen Jewish identity, pride, joy, and connection. This is the spirit that defines our community, and one we will continue to harness in our work ahead.

Already, we are working to grow and scale the things we know have significant impact. Shabbat dinners (as I wrote about last week), Jewish summer camp, youth groups, Jewish day schools, Jewish learning, and immersive Jewish experiences, including trips to Israel and local retreats, have tremendous effects on someone’s identity. How can we expand these offerings and make them more accessible to more people? How can we be a home for people with diverse opinions? How do we use our resources and relationships to maximum effect for people across all age groups?

It feels strange in this time of absurd and heartbreaking headlines to be talking about agency. But it’s precisely in this moment when things feel most out of our control that we are called to wrestle it back. Like so many times throughout Jewish history, we can define for ourselves who we are and where we are going. Between our collective responsibility and capacity to strengthen Jewish life, and Federation’s relationships, resources, and talent for convening, the future is ours for the shaping.

For those looking to discover new things or have meaningful conversations about Israel, Federation’s Hands-on Israel workshops is an exciting place to start.

Through this growing initiative, Federation partners with synagogues, schools, young adult groups, and community organizations to expand access to dynamic Israel programming that is creative, educational, and personal. Led by our community Shlichim (Israeli emissaries), these workshops complement existing community offerings, creating new opportunities for connection and learning.

Whether it’s preschoolers exploring Israeli culture through art, teens learning about women in Israeli cinema, or older adults discussing the uniqueness of Israeli leadership, each workshop is designed to bring Israel to life in a tangible and innovative way. From leadership and identity sessions to Israeli crafts and music, the goal is simple: to create authentic, accessible connections to Israel for all ages.

And it’s working! Demand for Hands-on Israel continues to grow, with strong participation across age groups and geographies. Some organizations have invited shlichim back multiple times to lead sessions with different age groups or on different topics, and as each cohort of shlichim brings their own passions, talents, and perspectives, the workshops continue to evolve—keeping the experience fresh, relevant, and impactful.

Through Hands-on Israel, Federation is not only expanding access to Israel engagement, but strengthening connections, building community, and creating meaningful experiences that resonate long after the workshop ends.

Because sometimes, the most powerful way to connect is not just to learn about something, but to experience it together.

Interested in a Hands-on Israel workshop for your own community or organization? Learn how to request a workshop here.

There are approximately 85,000 Jewish young adults in the DC region, many of whom have moved from other places. Which means that we have a tremendous responsibility to make Jewish life as accessible as possible. Plus, young people want in.

We’ve heard unequivocally from young Jews that they want to be more involved and are eager for low-barrier Jewish experiences. Indeed, our 2025 Pulse Survey found that young adults are both the least connected to and the most interested in Jewish life. (Results show 62% of Jews under 35 in D.C. and NOVA want to be more engaged with Jewish life and community.)

It’s with this in mind that we are taking steps to widen the path toward greater Jewish engagement. Recently, our board approved funding for a joint effort across six organizations (The Den Collective, the Edlavitch DCJCC, GatherDC, Hadar, OneTable, and Sixth & I). These organizations are already part of a collaborative that has been working to strengthen Jewish life for those in their 20s and 30s in our region and they are eager to keep experimenting and growing together.

The focus of their next venture will be to grow the number of young adults participating in Shabbat dinners. We know from data and experience that Shabbat is one of the most effective levers of Jewish engagement. It is meaningful, accessible, and recurring. It is transformative in its own right and serves as a gateway to deeper connection. It is a ready-made touch point capable of meeting the post-October 7th interest among young Jews in stepping further into Jewish life.

We also know young people aren’t the only ones interested. Parents of young children, empty nesters, newcomers, and more are hungering for the comfort, structure, community, and spirituality of Shabbat. The group therefore plans to start with young adults as a target audience and expand from there.

I’m excited about this work because I am passionate about the outcome and moved to see a bedrock of our tradition become a key point of welcome and discovery. I also think it depicts what Federation is meant to do: leverage our strategic vantage point, establish forward-thinking partnerships, and bring our community closer while moving it forward.

The Shabbat dinner effort is just getting started. The goal in this first year is to increase participation among young adults by 10% as we learn how best to bring in more people. And core to this is that the partners have each other. They will enact a shared strategy and learn and iterate together, faster and with more precision than they could alone. They will set ever more significant and challenging goals as we collectively seek to transform the community. To me, this is what innovation and partnership—and Federation—are all about.

With more to come.

As we prepare for our family’s upcoming seder, I am thinking about not only the relatives and friends who will grace our table, but also those four allegorical children who are perennial guests: the chacham (wise) one, the rasha (wicked) one, the tam (simple) one, and the one who does know how to ask. It’s the rasha who I am most intrigued by this year. But I’d recast the moniker “wicked” child as the “skeptic” or “critic” or even “rebel.” As part of the Passover seder, we are instructed to entertain the questions of a child who doesn’t feel they are part of what’s taking place, and who may even choose to stand apart from it. “What does this service mean to you?” the critical child asks, and we answer the best we can. This always seemed like a sour note in the Passover program, but lately I’ve come to see the beauty in the exchange. How striking that one of our most sacred traditions insists we acknowledge skepticism.

Making Space for the Question

What if our role when it comes to the so-called rasha isn’t to scold them but to acknowledge and honor their questions? What if we came to see our cherished rituals—and indeed our people—as incomplete without those who criticize and doubt? We are not whole without those who push boundaries and challenge our assumptions and ingrained ways. How remarkable that our tradition does not cast aside this child, but rather provides them an invitation to our table year after year … and how remarkable that this child accepts the invitation and joins.

Federation’s flagship Jewish Community Leaders Program (JCLP) includes a visit to a megachurch in Maryland to learn about how they build communities of belonging. Our group was inspired to learn they didn’t define themselves by rigid red lines, while still holding a clear sense of their core values. Instead, they defined themselves by an ongoing relationship with a spiritual center. They considered anyone oriented toward a common set of principles as relevant and part of their flock. It’s got me wondering: in this post-October 7 landscape, how do we help shape our future by evolving our community’s relationship with boundaries? These are not easy questions, particularly in a moment when the need for clarity and certainty feels so real.

At Federation, we will continue engaging this question and find new ways to create space for the challenging voice, the uncomfortable question, the perspective that stretches our assumptions. After all, many of the shifts that now feel foundational—expanded roles for women, inclusion of LGBTQ Jews, the recognition of multiracial Jewish identity—were once at the edges of communal acceptance. They moved inward because passionate people pushed to widen the frame.

Our Community Leadership Council (CLC) has been using this year to listen to the broad voices of our community—nearly 200 people from 26 diverse groups—including those engaged in our traditional institutions, as well as people who have not affiliated, who have felt marginalized, or who have created their own communities to meet their unique needs. It’s critical to gather insights from all to help understand and shape our community priorities.

At the Same Table

In describing the four children at the seder, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks noted, “there is a message of hope in this family portrait. Though they disagree, they sit around the same table, telling the same story. Though they differ, they stay together. They are part of a single family… The Jewish people is an extended family. We argue, we differ, there are times when we are deeply divided. Yet we are part of the same story. We share the same memories. At difficult times we can count on one another. We feel one another’s pain. Out of this multiplicity of voices comes something none of us could achieve alone.”

Bringing the entirety of our community together across differences is a bold move. It’s clear that has been our work all along. The goal has never been to embrace uniform views. On the contrary, the thing we’re meant to embrace is each other, in all our messy, diverse, and divine glory.

With wishes for a happy and meaningful Passover,

Elisa

Credit: Chicago Haggadah, 1879, a historic American Jewish Passover Haggadah published in Chicago. It is a notable example of early American Jewish print culture, reflecting the growing Jewish community in Chicago in the post-Civil War era. Who do you see as the rasha?

My siblings and I held our Passover menu planning Zoom call earlier this week. I’m in charge of the brisket, among other things, and I’ll be making my mom’s recipe. No secret ingredients, no innovative twists. Just a tried-and true and beloved rendition. That, I suppose, is the unofficial theme of our Seder this year (though I may experiment with a new vegetarian soup).

Indeed, given all the volatility in the world, the thing I’m craving most from Passover is its sense of routine. For those of us who grew up with the holiday, the Passover Seder is, above all, familiar. How the Seder unfolds may vary from year to year, but the story, the food, the songs, and the traditions always combine to create a uniquely consistent touchpoint with family, Jewish identity, and peoplehood.

Passover also has a way of using the past to evoke new feelings of possibility. While the Haggadah stays consistent, the moment in which we live is continuously changing. In recounting our story, we may focus on new sections or have different reactions to readings or songs. We may uncover fresh sources of energy, clarity, and ingenuity, which we will need on the road ahead.

We have important work in front of us: to engage and connect with members of the Jewish community who are struggling right now, to be a steady partner for Israeli communities, to build strong, substantive, and joyful Jewish life, and to care for the people around us. And the first step to making it all happen starts by remembering who we are and the role we’re meant to play in the world.

I encourage you to gather some friends, invite someone new to the table, and connect once again to our story. In true Jewish fashion, it’s in connecting to our tradition and to each other that we’ll prepare ourselves to move forward.

Our thoughts are with West Bloomfield’s Temple Israel community after yesterday’s attack. We are breathing a sigh of relief that everyone remained safe, including students and staff at the temple’s preschool. We are immensely grateful to the security guards, police officers, and firefighters who put themselves in harm’s way and responded to the situation swiftly and effectively.  

The incident is a sad reminder of how important robust security measures are today. Through JShield, The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s community security initiative, we are continuing to work closely with law enforcement and Jewish institutions across our region to keep our community safe.

I noticed recently that AI was incorporated into a software I use to log my expenses…and it was pretty great. The program automatically filled in blanks, predicted categories, and made the whole upload process easier. I also used it to analyze quantitative and qualitative data, and it brought out ideas and themes that I had not noticed before. I can see why these tools are catching on. And yet, the rise of AI is not affecting our strategy here at Federation.

Even at the dawn of this radical new leap, we believe the future is human. In fact, at a time when AI is transforming everything from our emails to our state policies, I can’t help but notice it’s our humanness that’s gaining cachet.

Perhaps that’s why some banks are now advertising “human help” to attract new customers. Why Hermès commissioned hand-drawn graphics for their website. Or why Apple hired artists to create their new logo out of glass and colored lights. There’s something beautiful and inherently valuable about knowing a real person was involved in the work.

Of course, as Jews, we have always been wonderfully human. For sure, we know how to gather and find purpose and meaning with and among each other. We also learn by relishing in each other’s individual and sometimes unpredictable perspectives. Our texts are contradictory, our debates unique and far reaching. Though the bots may soon be able to mimic our thought patterns, it will be our organic curiosity, creativity, and empathy that will keep us whole.

As Robert Putnam writes in Bowling Alone (not the first time I’ve mentioned this work and not the last), “The single most common finding from a half century’s research on the correlates of life satisfaction, not only in the United States but around the world, is that happiness is best predicted by the breadth and depth of one’s social connections.”

We must continue coming together, in-person, to learn, celebrate, discuss, mourn, serve, or simply be. Doing so will have the dual effect of benefiting us individually and strengthening our entire community. It’s also how we grow. Community manages to both support and sustain us while also putting us in contact with the people who can challenge our assumptions and push us beyond our would-be bubbles. Shabbat dinners, text studies, trips, lectures and so on, will be that much more important in an age of online silos.

To that end, I want to hear from you: where and how do you seek human connection? What are the elements in your life keeping you grounded and engaged with others?

I’m all for innovation. The Jewish community must embrace and leverage cutting edge tools to our advantage. But it’s not lost on me that the more advanced our world becomes, the more we hunger for ancient wisdom. What a phenomenal opportunity we have to subvert the forces that automate and isolate and instead foster the connection humanity craves.

It takes a village to raise a child. For Jewish families, that village often takes shape through a vibrant Jewish community with places to celebrate holidays, meet other parents, and help children grow up surrounded by Jewish life.

For many parents, a sense of community begins to take shape in the early years—through the families they meet, the events they schlep their kids to, and the people who share those early milestones.

As part of its commitment to strengthening Jewish life across the region, The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington works with partners throughout the DMV to help make these connections possible.

Where Jewish Community Takes Shape

“Some of the first ways families connect to Jewish community happen during the early years,” said Dinah Zeltser, Associate Director of Community Impact, who leads the Families with Young Children work at Federation. “Sometimes it starts with something as simple as a PJ Library book arriving in the mail, a parent bringing their little one to Tot Shabbat for the first time, or a holiday gathering where parents suddenly realize they’re not the only ones trying to figure it all out.”

One way Federation supports these connections is by investing in programs and partnerships that help families engage with Jewish life from the earliest years.

Expanding Opportunities for Young Families

Through a new funding opportunity, Federation is inviting local organizations to create more programs for children ages 0–8 and their parents, strengthening early connections to Jewish life and community.

Programs may include family-centered holiday celebrations, parent gatherings, community programs that bring families together, or other experiences that help parents connect with one another and feel part of a Jewish community.

Federation welcomes both proven programs ready to grow, and new ideas that explore creative ways to engage families during these formative years.

“Early connections matter,” Zeltser said. “When families feel welcomed and supported early on, it can shape how they experience Jewish life for years to come.”

By investing in programs that reach families early, The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington aims to expand opportunities for parents and children across Greater Washington to connect with Jewish community and with one another.

Organizations interested in applying can review the full Request for Proposals below. Applications are due April 15, 2026, with funded programs beginning in August 2026. 

Surveys released last week by the Jewish Federations of North America and Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston are among the first to report Jewish views about Israel since early in the Gaza war. They are also among the first in a very long time that ask Jewish respondents whether they identify as Zionists, and what they mean by the term. The findings have important implications for how Jewish communal institutions relate to Israel and the rapidly expanding spectrum of opinion inside the American Jewish community.

Photo Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images