Tag: generational giving

Standing in a synagogue in Thessaloniki, Greece, the weight of history hits you all at once.

Before World War II, this city was the cultural heart of Sephardic Jewish life, so vibrant it was called the “Jerusalem of the Balkans.” But during the Holocaust, the community was wiped out with horrifying speed. In less than six months, 96% of the Jewish population was murdered. Out of 50,000 people, fewer than 2,000 survived.

I was in Thessaloniki this past May on a study mission with Cabinet, the Jewish Federations of North America’s (JFNA) five-year leadership program for volunteer leaders aged 30-45.

Finding the Path to Jewish Leadership with Federation

I didn’t grow up in a Federation family. When my wife and I settled down to raise our kids, that was when we first sought out The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. As a financial advisor, I was inspired by the generous giving of a few clients that donate directly from their retirement accounts to places they care about. I knew I wanted to be involved in philanthropy, and Federation felt like the right fit, because it allowed us to give broadly. It was comforting to know our dollars would act as a wide safety net, directly benefiting our community members who need services and support.

As our journey with Federation developed, I wanted to learn more, develop deeper friendships, and continue to grow a professional community of peers. That’s when I decided to join Cabinet. I knew this opportunity would be a key pathway for me to grow my impact and my connection to my Jewish community. What I didn’t know at the time was that it would also connect me to our broader Jewish family.

How Cabinet Connected Me Beyond Greater Washington

Cabinet missions shift between Israel and various diaspora communities like Hungary, Argentina, or Greece, pulling leaders out of their home communities to show them exactly where our collective dollars go globally. Traveling to Greece with our cohort this past May completely shifted my perspective, opening my eyes to a corner of the Jewish world I never would have experienced on my own.

While in Thessaloniki, our Cabinet cohort met a local family who beat those impossible wartime odds. The mother is a survivor, and her family only made it through because her father had immigrated from Germany. In a community where almost everyone spoke Ladino or Greek, no one spoke German. His ability to understand and translate became their only shield. To sit across from their descendants today, generations later, still living, practicing, and maintaining a Jewish life there, was a total “wow” moment.

A World Away, Yet Family

In Athens, our cohort sat in a Jewish-owned coffee house and listened to a widowed mother talk about life post-October 7. She shared how her social circle has had to pull inward because the rise in visible antisemitism on the streets is impossible to ignore. You can’t walk through Athens right now and not be reminded that you are different. Yet, at the same time, the city has become a haven for Israelis migrating from the conflict.

Without the access and immersion provided by Cabinet, I wouldn’t have had these raw, firsthand conversations. I wouldn’t have seen how our giving acts as a vital lifeline for our global family.

At a time when our world and our own communities can feel incredibly fractured, seeing that global connection was good medicine. It was a powerful reminder that there are people around the world who see things exactly the way we do, who see us as part of their collective identity, and who are just happy we showed up.

Finding Your Pathway

When I first joined Cabinet, my kids were very young, and finding the time felt daunting. But my message to my peers in Greater Washington is simple: you have to challenge yourself. If your community and your identity matter to you, you have to actively create the time for it.

You don’t need an abundance of hours to get involved, but you do need to step up. Find your own pathway, define it, and do it. What you do will stay with you forever.

Learn more about how you can get involved in Federation here.

It was pouring. The kind of heavy, relentless DC rain that usually keeps everyone inside. But on that night, out at Metrobar, nobody seemed to care about getting soaked.

It was the launch party for The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s Next Gen rebrand in November 2021, and it was the first time in a year and a half, after the long, cooped-up isolation of the pandemic, that this community of 20, 30, and 40-somethings was finally coming together in person. Looking out at the crowd laughing and talking through the downpour, you could feel the sheer joy of people finally together again.

Watching them, I saw the future of our community taking shape in the rain. And for me, as I step into my new role as Federation’s Senior Director of Financial Resource Development (FRD), it remains a deeply personal touchstone.

Inheriting a 50-Year Legacy

My understanding of Jewish community was shaped long before I began my professional journey here, by my paternal grandfather, Murray Green. I grew up watching his deep involvement with Jewish communal organizations in New York. As a child, I remember going to the galas and functions where he was honored, watching a generation that took absolute, unconditional responsibility for building the institutional Jewish life we inherit today. The camps, the day schools, the very foundations of our community.

Today, we are navigating challenges he could have never foreseen back in the 1970s. We are managing a deeply polarized political landscape, a painful rise in antisemitism, and shrinking attention spans driven by social media.

Judaism has always been a place for robust debate, where we can argue passionately in one room and eat bagels together at kiddush in the next, but that civic fabric is eroding in American life at large. Federation is the place where the capital, the relationships, and the leadership come together to find solutions to these massive, modern challenges.

Where the Personal Meets the Professional

I began my work in non-profit fundraising 13 years ago, first at Achilles International in New York, followed by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in Bethesda. By my late 20s, I realized I was working constantly but lacking a community of my own.

I figured, why not mold my personal and professional worlds together? 

That’s what brought me here six years ago, starting just six weeks before COVID-19 changed everything. Since then, Federation has been the backdrop of my entire life. Over these past pivotal years, I got engaged, married, survived the pandemic, went through the emotional rollercoaster of IVF, and brought two beautiful children into the world. Through every high and low, the staff and lay leaders here have had my back.

In fact, after my first child was born, I took a look at my baby registry out of pure curiosity. To my absolute amazement, Federation donors were the second-largest cohort of people who contributed. Today, every single time I pick up my diaper bag or wrap my kids in a blanket, I think of the specific donor who sent it to us.

Deepening Connection Every Day

That is the beauty of this work. It’s all about the long arc of relationships. We aren’t just looking for a transactional gift right now. We are investing in 40-year relationships, walking alongside people from the very beginning of their leadership journeys.

Now, as I help lead our FRD team, my biggest priority is deepening the connections we’ve been building across every corner of our community. We have incredible younger adults eager to meet seasoned leaders, and we have senior leaders who want to mentor and pass down their philanthropic values.

My goal is to continue the work of weaving these generations together into one succinct tapestry of programming and relationships. To create a community where a young professional feels entirely comfortable making an 8 p.m. Sunday phone call to a seasoned mentor for advice, building organic, multi-generational networks that exist outside of organizational boxes.

The Power of Showing Up

When I need a total break from the fast-paced world of strategy and campaign goals, you can find me outside. My perfect, work-free Sunday is spent with my husband, our three-year-old, and our five-month-old, walking around the zoo, soaking in the greenery, or pushing the stroller on a run.

When I look at my two small children, I think constantly about continuity. They are the future, and they are the reason we do this.

Right now, there are over 400,000 Jewish people across the Greater Washington metro area, spanning from the vibrant tech hubs of Northern Virginia to the heart of the District. Yet, only a fraction of those households currently contribute to our annual campaign. Too often, people fall into the trap of thinking, “Someone else will take care of it,” or “My single donation doesn’t matter that much.” 

But the truth is, it doesn’t work unless everyone participates.

If you care about the overarching continuity and safety of the entire Jewish ecosystem, and if you want to ensure there is a vibrant, connected community for the next 75 years, you can achieve it with Federation.

I want every single Jewish person in our region to know that if they pick up the phone, they can find a place where they truly belong.

We have the imagination, the capacity, and the heart to build that future together.

Rain or shine.

On Tuesday evening, Federation gathered for our Annual Meeting. What stayed with me most wasn’t any single speech or report, but the reminder of what makes Jewish Greater Washington so extraordinary: people who continue to show up for one another, invest in one another, and lead with purpose.

Throughout the evening, we returned to some of the questions many of us have been wrestling with since October 7. Who are we? What kind of future do we want to build? Those questions do not have simple answers, but remarkable people across our community are committed to helping answer them.

Several leaders reflected on how Federation helped shape their journeys, sharing that the people you learn with often become the people you lead with. That idea captures so much of what Federation strives to do. We bring people together, invest in their growth, and help them discover their capacity to lead.

I was grateful for the opportunity to recognize Immediate Past Board Chair Robin Hettleman Weinberg for her years of dedicated service and to welcome Jill Granader as our new Board Chair, alongside our 2026–27 Community Leadership Council, Board of Directors, and Jewish Community Foundation Trustees. Their dedication, vision, and willingness to serve give me tremendous confidence in the future of Jewish Greater Washington.

As I shared during the evening, no matter what challenges lie ahead, Federation’s core commitments remain unchanged. We are responsible for one another, and we are strongest when we face the future together.

In a world that often feels uncertain, there is comfort in knowing that thoughtful, caring, and deeply committed leaders are stepping forward. Federation has spent generations helping cultivate those leaders and strengthening the relationships that sustain our community.

If Tuesday night reminded me of anything, it is this: our future is in very good hands.

Through The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s Annual Campaign and its Jewish Community Foundation, 6,600 donors came together, mobilizing $68.6M to strengthen Jewish life, respond to community needs, and support Jewish and broader community impact nationally, in Israel, and around the world.

Why People Gave

Some donors gave for the first time. Others gave more than ever before, deepening their commitment to Jewish life across the region. Some gave because their parents did. Others, as parents themselves, chose to model Jewish values through philanthropy, supporting security, education, belonging, and care for one another. Many gave to honor where they come from, to reflect what they believe, and to pass on those values to future generations. Others were moved by the moment, inspired by community, or motivated to invest in a Jewish future that is connected, resilient, and rooted in shared responsibility.

For all these reasons, donors turned to Federation and the Foundation to care for today’s needs and build a strong Jewish future. Together, we mobilize resources when it matters most and help donors invest strategically so Jewish life remains strong, safe, and connected.

The Shape of Philanthropy

$29.1M raised through Federation’s Annual Campaign
Flexible, mission-driven support across unrestricted, directed, and impact-focused giving, powering core priorities and enabling rapid response.

$1.7M unlocked in Matching Challenges
Matching opportunities activated targeted investments to strengthen Jewish life where it is growing and where it is most vulnerable.

• Vibrant Jewish Life funding supported family connection, teen wellbeing and leadership, and built peer-led community for young adults, deepening belonging and connection across Jewish Greater Washington, including in Northern Virginia, where more families are putting down roots.
• Community Security matches expanded training, readiness, and critical systems through JShield, Federation’s community security initiative, helping keep synagogues, schools, and community spaces open, welcoming, and safe for Jewish life to pray, gather, learn, and connect.

$42.3M in new assets to the Foundation
Long-term, values-driven giving that helps build resources our community can rely on, now and for years to come, including:

• $34M stewarded in Donor Advised Funds, providing families and individuals a personalized way to support the causes they care about most, with $19M granted last year to Federation and other nonprofits across the Jewish and broader community.
• $1.5M invested in collaborative funds, bringing donors together to amplify their collective impact around shared priorities and passions
• $6.8M in legacy giving vehicles, helping ensure sustained support for generations by supporting both Federation’s core work and the specific causes donors care about most

Building What Comes Next

As a community, we’re more than meeting the moment—we’re building what comes next. Over the past five years, total philanthropic support through Federation and the Foundation has grown by 41%, a testament to what’s possible when our community invests in a strong Jewish future.

Thank you for every gift, every act of generosity, and every moment of care. In a year that called on us to lead with heart and act with purpose, our community rose to the challenge.

We’re proud to be your trusted partner in this work. Together, we’re building a safer, more connected, more resilient Jewish Greater Washington for today and for generations to come.

And we’re just getting started.

Learn more about the difference you can make.

Through a new endowment with the Jewish Community Foundation of The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, Rhea Schwartz is investing in Jewish summer camp—helping more children experience what shaped her so profoundly. Her support recognizes both the cost for families and the realities camps face in maintaining safe, welcoming facilities.

Jewish Life, Lived Every Day

Rhea Schwartz grew up in a home filled with Jewish life.

Raised in Brooklyn, her childhood was shaped by family, culture, and everyday experience. Yiddish filled the room, spoken by her grandparents, parents, and their friends. “My family wasn’t very religious,” she says, “but we were very Jewish.”

Where Belonging Took Shape

That feeling of belonging took its fullest shape at Jewish summer camp.

For ten summers, camp was where Rhea felt most at home—living in bunks, singing on Friday nights, and forming friendships that would last a lifetime. Several of those summers were spent at a small Jewish camp in the Catskills, owned and operated by her parents and their closest friends. It was an experience that shaped not only her childhood, but her understanding of what Jewish community can be.

The Power of Camp, Long After Summer Ends

Decades later, those connections endure. Long after the camp itself closed, former campers still find each other—organizing reunions, maintaining friendships, and staying connected through an active online community.

“That tells you how powerful camp can be,” Rhea reflects. “It creates Jewish family.”

How Community Is Sustained

After moving to Greater Washington for law school, Rhea became involved in the local Jewish community through the JCC, a place she believed was essential to Jewish life in the nation’s capital. Through that involvement, she came to better understand the broader Jewish communal landscape, including the role Federation plays in strengthening Jewish life across the region.

“I wasn’t raised as a Federation kid,” she says plainly. “But once I understood what Federation does, I wanted to learn more.”

That learning led her to years of involvement on Federation committees, deepening her understanding of communal responsibility. Her own lived experience—especially camp—ultimately shaped how she chose to give back.

Showing Up When It Matters Most

Rhea’s commitment to Jewish life didn’t begin with camp—and it doesn’t end there.

Earlier, in 2017, she and her late husband, Paul Martin Wolff, established the Rhea S. Schwartz and Paul Martin Wolff Emergency Fund through the Jewish Community Foundation of The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, designed to ensure resources are available when unbudgeted local or global emergencies arise.

Since 2022, the fund has been activated to respond to urgent needs, including support for Jewish summer camps after fire-related damage and, more recently, assistance to the Capital Jewish Museum following last year’s antisemitic attack.

For Rhea, this kind of readiness reflects the same values she learned early on: that Jewish community means showing up for one another—both in moments of joy and in moments of need.

Ensuring Belonging for Generations to Come

With the Foundation, she found a partner who helped her turn a deeply personal chapter of her life into a lasting commitment, shaped by what mattered most to her: supporting both the children who attend camp and the camps that make those experiences possible.

For Rhea, the impact of camp goes far beyond summer fun.

“It’s like the first time I went to Israel,” she explains. “I remember thinking, I don’t have to be conscious of being Jewish.”

At camp, she says, children experience a rare kind of ease: being fully themselves without explanation. Whether it’s joyfully welcoming Shabbat, forming close friendships, or simply living Jewishly without standing out, camp offers a sense of comfort that’s hard to replicate elsewhere.

“Jewish camp removes the element of uncomfortableness,” she says. “You belong.”

Looking Ahead to What Comes Next

When asked whether she considers herself a philanthropist, Rhea hesitates. “Not really,” she says, smiling. “A do-gooder, maybe.”

What matters most to her is what comes next. The idea that children—perhaps for the first time—will experience Jewish summer camp because of her investment is deeply meaningful.

When asked how it would feel to hear stories of children attending Jewish summer camp for the first time because of her support, Rhea doesn’t hesitate. Her face lights up.

“I hope you’ll come back and tell me those stories,” she says. “That would be great.”

For Rhea Schwartz, camp was never just a place. It was where Jewish identity felt natural, joyful, and secure. And now, through her generosity, she’s helping ensure that same sense of belonging is passed on, one summer at a time.

Carrying What Matters Forward

Her story is one example of how Jewish experiences can inspire action that strengthens Jewish life across our region.

Thinking about how your giving can endure for generations?

This month, we’ve been spotlighting legacy giving through stories like Marilyn & Ira Polon’s commitment to Jewish continuity and Natalia’s work guiding individuals and families as they imagine how their values can live on for generations. These aren’t just stories of gifts. They are stories of promises: that Jewish life will remain strong long after we’re gone.

But those commitments don’t just sit in a vault—they take shape through The Jewish Community Foundation of The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. The Foundation is Federation’s philanthropic arm, providing the expertise, heart, and reach that allow donors to bring their visions for positive change to life—intentionally, personally, responsibly, and with lasting impact. Through the Foundation, donors give Jewishly, practice effective philanthropy, and work together to build a more connected, inclusive, and enduring future.

And legacy is just one part of the story.

Endowments: Building a Thriving Community for Generations

Some donors want their commitments to last beyond their lifetime. Through the Foundation, those commitments become endowments—long-term funds that not only preserve their gift but also actively strengthen the health of our community. Endowments help create the conditions for a community that is safe and deeply connected, proud of its identity and heritage, grounded in Jewish meaning, and committed to building a better world for the future.

Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs): Flexible and Meaningful Giving

A donor-advised fund at the Foundation gives donors the freedom to do all their giving in one place—flexible, tax-smart, and handled with care and transparency. With a DAF, you can support Jewish education, urgent relief in Israel, your local JCC, your synagogue, a hospital, an arts program—or all of them. With the convenience and flexibility to give across causes and communities, whenever and however you choose, it’s giving made simple, while keeping your values at the center.

Collaborative Funds: Creating Opportunities, Changing Conditions

And sometimes, a donor feels compelled to act on a cause so personal it can’t be carried alone: mental health, women and girls, Jewish learning, community security. Collaborative funds are created when donors with shared commitments come together through the Foundation. These funds don’t just respond to problems; they create opportunities to strengthen Jewish life in unique ways, while also tackling some of the most complex challenges our community faces. By pooling vision and resources through the Foundation, donors can change the conditions that shape our future and open the door to a more vibrant, resilient community. Each fund is driven by donors’ deeply personal intentions and made stronger through the power of collective action.

What Sets the Foundation Apart

What makes the Foundation unique is that every gift is both personal and communal. Because it is part of The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington—an institution trusted for generations—donors know their giving is grounded is anchored in Jewish values and connected to something larger. Unlike other financial institutions, fees at the Foundation support Jewish programming at the Foundation and Federation that strengthens the fabric of Jewish life locally, nationally, and globally. Donors also gain access to philanthropic learning, expert advisement, and the ability to make their giving visibly Jewish, even when supporting a secular nonprofit. Together, donors experience philanthropy that is both effective and deeply meaningful.

What Every Gift Has in Common

Whether through an endowment, a DAF, or a collaborative fund, every gift at the Foundation begins with a donor’s intention. Federation helps inspire these commitments. The Foundation ensures they are honored with care—and, grounded in an institution donors know and trust, they are brought to life in the most impactful, personal, and deeply Jewish way possible.

We recently sat down with Marilyn and Ira Polon to talk about their decades-long connection to The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington—a relationship built on community, shared values, and a lifetime of giving.

Their story began in 1971, when Ira had just completed two years of Army service and the young couple settled in Alexandria, Virginia. Not long after, a friend from Agudas Achim invited them to a Federation “Young Marrieds” event—a lively gathering that became their gateway into Greater Washington’s Jewish community. “It was such a wonderful way to meet other young Jewish couples and build connections,” Marilyn recalls.

From that first welcome, their involvement only deepened. Ira joined a Federation mission to Israel and later served on the Strategic Planning & Allocations (SP&A) Committee. “That experience gave us a deeper understanding of the community’s needs,” he says. “That’s when giving became a brand-new habit, one that felt good and meaningful. As our financial situation improved over the years, we were able to give more.” Today, their philanthropy focuses primarily on Jewish causes, especially since October 7. Marilyn adds with a smile, “And animals, too.” Ira now serves on Federation’s Board of Directors.

A Deepening Sense of Purpose

Over five decades, the Polons have watched Federation’s work evolve to meet the changing needs of the community. “The work has always been vital,” they reflect, “but it feels especially urgent now with the rise in antisemitism.”

They point to the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School (JDS) as an example of how Federation-supported institutions shape identity. Both of their children, Sara and Jonathan, attended JDS, and the experience reinforced the importance of Jewish learning. “A Jewish education deepens understanding and connection to our traditions,” Marilyn says. “That sense of identity and joy is what sustains us, especially in challenging times.”

“It’s what makes us feel rooted and proud,” Ira adds.

Today, their connection to JDS continues through the next generation—their two grandchildren are current students, carrying forward the same values and traditions that shaped their parents.

Roots, Resilience, and Influence

Neither Marilyn nor Ira grew up in a “Federation family,” but both carried formative Jewish experiences into their marriage. Ira was raised in New York, where he attended Hebrew school and celebrated his Bar Mitzvah, but he describes his upbringing as “not very religious.” Marilyn grew up in Baltimore with a deeply observant father and Hebrew teachers who were Holocaust survivors.

Her father’s devotion was sometimes tempered by caution in the face of antisemitism. “He wore a hat instead of a kippah and didn’t put up a sukkah,” Marilyn remembers. “Antisemitism was present then, as it is now.”

When the couple married in December 1967, Ira was surprised when Marilyn announced they’d keep a kosher home and join the local synagogue. “Thanks to Marilyn,” he says, “my connection to Judaism is so much richer and deeper now.”

A Legacy for the Future

For Marilyn and Ira, philanthropy is about more than giving—it’s about ensuring the future of the Jewish people. “We care deeply about continuity,” they say. “We want to make sure more Jews have the opportunity to strengthen their identity and connection to our heritage.”

“We feel lucky to be able to give back,” Marilyn says. “It just feels good to do our part.”

Recently, they experienced a proud and moving moment when they learned that their children also give to Federation quietly, without ever mentioning it to their parents. For them, it was a powerful illustration of true altruism—a sign that the next generation had been inspired not by being told to give, but by witnessing their parents’ intentional actions over the years.

“That’s what legacy is all about,” they agreed—ensuring that the Jewish community they have helped strengthen will continue to thrive for generations. A legacy gift, they believe, is a mitzvah for the future of the Jewish community. It shows your loved ones what matters most to you and creates a plan to sustain it.

Join Marilyn and Ira in shaping the future of Jewish life in Greater Washington. Learn more about creating your own Jewish legacy at www.shalomdc.org/legacy.