Category: Programs & Partnerships

On any given day in Northern Virginia, there may be a young professionals happy hour in Arlington, a family challah bake in Fairfax, a food packing event in Alexandria, or an Israeli dance class in Reston.

The challenge isn’t whether Jewish life exists across Northern Virginia. It’s whether people know how to find it.

When someone decides they want to get more connected, if they’re new to the area, looking to meet other young families, searching for Jewish experiences for their children, or simply hoping to find community the next question is often:

“Where do I even start???”

Do you Google? Scroll Instagram? Check three different community websites? Or find out about something amazing an hour after it already happened?

Making Jewish Life Easier to Find

That’s the opportunity behind JLive, a new digital platform coming to Northern Virginia later this year through a partnership between the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and the Pozez Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia.

Launching first in Northern Virginia before a future rollout across Washington D.C. and Maryland, JLive is designed to make discovering and sharing Jewish programs, events, and experiences easier than ever before. From Shabbat dinners and cultural events to volunteer opportunities, family programs, and young adult gatherings, the platform will serve as a centralized hub for Jewish life across the region.

Building Connection Across Northern Virginia

“Our community spans a wide geographic area, and JLive has the potential to make Jewish life feel more connected, accessible, and visible than ever before,” said Vanessa Sax, Federation’s Senior Director of Strategy and Community Building for Northern Virginia. “It’s not only about helping people find events, but also about helping people find one another and discover the incredible Jewish experiences already happening across Northern Virginia every day.”

For years, Pozez JCC Executive Director Jeff Dannick has been thinking deeply about how to make Jewish life easier to navigate and more accessible. While the region is home to a thriving Jewish ecosystem, many residents still experience Jewish life in silos, connected to one organization, neighborhood, or stage of life without visibility into the broader community around them.

JLive can help change that.

“One of my greatest hopes has always been to make Jewish life across Northern Virginia easier to access, easier to navigate, and easier to feel part of, no matter your zip code, background, or stage of life,” said Dannick. “Northern Virginia is home to a dynamic and growing Jewish community, and JLive will help shine a brighter light on all that’s already happening while creating new opportunities for connection and belonging.”

Creating More Pathways into Jewish Life

The initiative reflects Federation’s broader role as a connector, convener, and community builder across Greater Washington: investing in tools and partnerships that help lower barriers to participation, amplify the work of local organizations, and create more pathways into Jewish life.

“JLive is a powerful tool to amplify the incredible work happening across our community,” said Gil Preuss, Federation CEO. “Jeff’s leadership and vision have been instrumental in bringing this initiative forward, and we are proud to partner with the Pozez JCC to launch a platform that strengthens connections, lowers barriers to participation, and helps more people find meaningful pathways into Jewish community.”

There’s a whole community out there waiting to be discovered—opportunities to learn, try something new, meet new people, and build lasting friendships. Through initiatives like JLive, Federation is helping more people find their place within it.

See what’s happening in our community and how you can get involved through Federation’s Community Calendar.

How do we build a healthier Jewish community rooted in respect, trust, and constructive dialogue, when it feels like we can barely agree on anything?

That’s the one million dollar question, and it’s exactly what brought 22 local leaders from throughout Greater Washington together over the last four months. From February through May, this group took part in the Courageous Leadership Fellowship, a partnership between Federation and the Shalom Hartman Institute, to sharpen their ability to lead with empathy, courage, and respect in a world that feels increasingly polarized.

Grounded in shared values of mutual understanding and encouraging belonging, participants explored what courageous leadership looks like in practice and left better equipped to lead meaningful change and foster constructive conversations across our community.

Instead of just talking about these ideas in theory, the sessions got down to the intricate reality of community work. Led by Hartman scholars Sara Labaton, Elana Stein Hain, and Masua Sagiv, the group explored various themes, including finding inner clarity, leadership in polarities, the challenges and importance of maintaining a big tent community, and finally the future through two lenses: repair and transformation. Through a “where do you stand” activity, they moved past case studies and tackled real communal dilemmas, followed by small group discussions.

By the time the fellowship wrapped up, these leaders walked away feeling far more confident in their ability to facilitate difficult dialogues and communal decision-making, and just as importantly, deeply connected to the leaders and institutions who are actively shaping the future of Jewish life across Greater Washington.

This work gets to the heart of one of Federation’s core commitments: creating a community where everyone feels like they belong, that they’re listened to, and that they can contribute to a vibrant Jewish future, not in spite of our differences, but with them.

A strong community doesn’t require us to always see eye-to-eye. It requires us to know how to talk to each other when we don’t. By investing in leaders and relationships across our communal landscape, Federation is helping cultivate the trust, respect, and connection our community needs to stick together and thrive.

Learn more about Federation’s work to build a strong, inclusive community here.

The air inside Bialik 26 was thick with excitement. It was May 2018, seven years before the world as we knew it would fracture on October 7, and the popular Be’er Sheva neighborhood spot was packed to the brim. That night, the student cafe was the beating heart of the city’s queer community. Everyone was crammed shoulder-to-shoulder, eyes glued to the glowing screens broadcasting the world’s largest music competition, the Eurovision Song Contest.

Netta Barzilai was onstage singing “Toy,” an unapologetic, feminist anthem wrapped in quirky pop brilliance and thousands of shining lucky cats (see them in all their magnificence here). When the final votes came in and Israel was declared the winner, the whole place burst into tears and cheers.

We couldn’t believe it had actually happened. Israel had won the contest exactly 20 years after its last win in 1998!

It was one of the most powerful, unforgettable moments of my life. That night, the entire country felt unified in an overwhelming wave of pure, unadulterated joy.

The Reality of Being a Shlicha Today

Fast forward to nearly a year ago, when I packed up my life in Israel and moved to the U.S. to begin as a shlicha (Israeli emissary) at The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. At a time when so many are navigating their relationship with Israel, Federation’s shlichim program brings Israelis into local classrooms, synagogues, and living rooms, creating a space for real conversation and connection.

Shortly after I arrived, I quickly realized that being an Israeli emissary today looks radically different than it did in the past. In our post-October 7 reality, discussions about Israel and Jewish life are heavier, more emotional, and infinitely more complex. At the same time, they are deeply rooted in something essential: Jewish peoplehood, shared identity, and joy.

From the beginning, I felt a strong responsibility to show up for difficult conversations about Israel wherever they happened. But, over time, I’ve come to understand that my role is also to offer something broader, to reflect the full story of Israel and the Jewish people. Not only complexity and challenge, but also resilience, pride, and (even) fun.

That understanding came together this month in a very natural way with one of the most unifying cultural moments in Jewish and Israeli life-Eurovision season!

For anyone here in America, you might not have even heard of Eurovision, or maybe you’re just noticing it pop up on your feeds now that it’s finally having a breakout moment on TikTok. But in Israel? It’s like the Super Bowl, but for musicians. It’s a massive song contest combining fierce cultural pride, voting drama, and representation on the global stage.

With Israel proudly taking home second-place just last week, it was the perfect moment for me to help our Greater Washington community look at Israel through a different soundtrack.

A Nation’s Story, Written in Song

Ever since October 7, it is incredibly easy for our relationship with Israel to be entirely defined by trauma, crisis, and anxiety. But relationships can’t survive on the negative. If we only look at Israel through the lens of heartbreak, we lose sight of the very thing we are trying to protect.

Through Federation’s Hands On Israel workshops, I get to move past headlines and bring the real, lived reality of my home directly into local spaces. Over the past few weeks, I traveled across multiple communities in Greater Washington, using the lens of Eurovision to open a portal into Israeli society.

I shared how Israel celebrated its first historic win in 1978 with Izhar Cohen’s “A Ba Ni Bi” just five years after we entered the contest in 1973. Then, just a year later in 1979, “Hallelujah” captured the magic of hosting the contest in Jerusalem for the first time, launching us to a back-to-back victory. By 1983, the tone shifted to one of profound historical weight, when Ofra Haza sang “Chai” (alive) defiantly in Munich, Germany. The song became a breathtaking symbol of Jewish resilience in the shadow of a horrifying past.

As the decades marched on, the music mirrored a rapidly modernizing society. In 1998, Dana International’s historic win with “Diva” reflected a 1990s Israel that was embracing groundbreaking LGBTQ+ inclusion, female empowerment, and cultural openness.

Twenty years later, that legacy of radical representation culminated in Netta’s “Toy,” bringing a bold, global feminist voice back to the stage that I felt reverberate firsthand that night at Bialik 26.

The most recent chapters of our Eurovision journey allowed us to share the raw, immediate grief of our current era on the global stage. Eden Golan’s “Hurricane” in 2024 is deeply tied to the post-October 7 reality, capturing a nation’s immediate trauma and its stubborn insistence on standing tall despite the storm. The music looks forward with “A New Day Will Rise” in 2025, speaking directly to our collective yearning for renewal and rebuilding.

And just a week ago, we were able to experience the thrill in real time, as we listened to Noam Bettan capture hearts across the world (and a second-place win) with his powerful song, “Michelle.”

Shared Identity Over Debate

One of the most moving parts of this journey was watching the transformation inside the rooms here in Greater Washington. Across different synagogues, community centers, and living rooms, local American Jews and Israeli expats sat together in the same space. This kind of programming creates an exciting entry point into Jewish peoplehood. It moves the conversation into the heart, allowing people to connect emotionally. I am so grateful to be part of this work and to Federation for making this, and so many other meaningful Israel programs, available right here in our region.

Looking back at that euphoric night in Be’er Sheva in 2018, I am reminded that joy is a form of resilience. And as I continue my work here, I carry that music with me, always hoping, of course, to one day bring the trophy home again.

Interested in bringing similar experiential Israel education to your local community? Check out Federation’s Hands On Israel workshops to get started.

Learn more about Federation’s work strengthening Jewish peoplehood and sharing Israeli culture here.

There’s a consensus brewing. Emerging across opinion pages, podcasts, and dinner tables is the idea that we’ve strayed too far from one another. The question driving many of our national and communal conversations is how do we renew our obligations to each other?

Just this week, I’ve listened to discussions about how generosity was meant to be one of liberalism’s founding principles. How our educational pursuits were meant to prepare us to be good citizens and servant leaders. How we were meant to talk to strangers. How we were never meant to bowl alone.

All these ideas are swirling within our Jewish community as well. For all our differences, the thing people want most is to connect—to feel like they belong and that the Jewish people would not be complete without them and what they have to offer. And, indeed, we are not. I believe wholeheartedly the Jewish community is incomplete without everyone at the table.

Which makes now a perfect moment to double down on the sacred, timeless work of community building. Next week is Giving Week and I am asking everyone who cares about the Jewish community and values the Jewish future to contribute. Your gift—of any amount—matters. Your participation matters. You matter.

Giving is a vote of confidence in our shared efforts to build a strong and joyful Jewish community, one that supports and brings together the full breath of Jewish life. It’s also what supports our work as a Federation to bolster a network of Jewish agencies and programs that care for people in need, engage people in every life stage in meaningful Jewish experiences, perpetuate and strengthen Jewish identity and peoplehood, and look after the safety of the Jewish people.

What’s more, the simple act of giving collectively, alongside so many others who care about Jewish life, makes its own powerful statement that we are here and that we believe in the promise of community and acting together to the benefit of others.

I lament the challenges and the tumult of our times. But I find incredible comfort and hope in the fact that our path to a brighter future involves so many beautiful things: connection, participation, curiosity, debate, and a love for Jewish wisdom and tradition.

It’s notable that in this era of hyper-individualism, people are hungry for mutual obligation. But that’s the punchline of responsibility and interdependence: it’s only in being tied to each other that we find the transcendence we seek. Obligations are on offer, I invite you to come claim them.

As Federation begins to look ahead to the priorities that will guide our work in the coming months and years, we are taking stock of what we’re hearing from our community. In fact, our Community Leadership Council recently concluded a monthslong listening tour to surface views and insights from across the community.

What they found was a widespread desire for Jewish life to be more accessible, affordable, and easily navigable. Just as we saw in our 2025 Community Impact Survey, people across almost all demographic, geographic, and socio-economic backgrounds want to be more engaged in Jewish life and community, but many aren’t sure where to turn or feel discouraged by barriers to entry. This is a sentiment we take seriously at Federation and one that will inform our continued efforts to ensure anyone who is interested in Jewish life can easily find what they’re looking for.

One project that is already underway is our work to make Jewish day school more affordable by taking advantage of a new Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program. We expect this program to complement and amplify Jewish day school’s current tuition assistance and fundraising efforts and provide opportunities for more students to pursue a Jewish education, which we know also has positive ripple effects on families looking to dive deeper into Jewish life.

Starting in January 2027, eligible taxpayers may receive a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 per year by contributing to an approved Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO). Unlike a taxable donation, a tax credit provides a 1:1 reduction in taxes owed. These SGOs, which will operate as independent 501(c)(3)s, will then distribute need-based scholarships to participating schools and eligible families, who can then use those funds toward tuition or other education-related expenses.

Federation is working in close partnership with local day schools to set up SGOs in our region to ensure our community can benefit from this new program. We are also working with other Jewish organizations, public school leaders, and community non-profits to help them understand the changes and opportunities that come with the legislation.

Our work in this arena is only one part of a broader agenda to make sure that all members of the Jewish community seeking to engage in Jewish life are able to do so. As we consider the future, we can’t let a lack of information or inability to pay keep anyone from participating.

There is a lot of coordination going on behind the scenes, bringing together schools, partners, and community leaders to tackle crucial communal issues. Ultimately, this is where Federation thrives, aligning efforts, building and strengthening infrastructure, and helping turn opportunity into access. We don’t consider any of our work finished—far from it—but we are confident that as we move forward with a clearer sense of what’s getting in the way, and what it will take to address it, we can do so with an ear to the ground and eye toward progress.

A special thank you to the inaugural members of the Community Leadership Council. More to come on their findings from the listening tour!

As antisemitism continues to rise around the world, the need for proactive, community-wide security is as important as ever. Our community is no stranger to this need; in March, 40 security incidents were reported across Greater Washington, targeting synagogues, Jewish schools, and other institutions. But by promoting broader community preparedness, we can build our resiliency and strength against any potential threat.

That’s why the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s security initiative, JShield, is launching the Shield Program, an expanded training platform marking a strategic evolution of its work to protect and empower the community.

The Shield Program builds on our extensive experience supporting Jewish institutions, delivering a more focused and accessible approach to training. Rather than a one-size-fits-all model, it offers practical learning tailored to different roles and settings, from core safety foundations and crisis response to leadership planning, community awareness, and even self-defense.
At its center is a simple idea: security is not the responsibility of one person or one position—it’s something we all share.

“The core mission of JShield is built on the philosophy that community safety is about empowering every individual to play a role,” said Rusty Rosenthal, Federation’s Executive Director of Community Security. “This expanded platform builds on partnership with our community, delivering practical, real-world training that helps people recognize risks, respond effectively, and contribute to a culture where safety is shared. At a time of rising antisemitism, that collective preparedness is essential.”

Importantly, Shield trainings are provided entirely free of charge, removing financial barriers and ensuring that organizations of all sizes can access high-quality security support.

“I feel fortunate to have JShield as a security partner,” said Monica Saff, Executive Director of Ohr Kodesh Congregation. “They have facilitated several security trainings for my staff team and have also helped me with reporting two issues of concern and advised me about the right steps to take. It’s reassuring for our community to know that we work closely with JShield and have their guidance and support as we make ongoing decisions about security.” 

Through JShield, Federation goes beyond funding security—it helps build the habits, coordination, and awareness that make communities safer every day. The goal is not only to respond in moments of risk, but to embed security as a shared responsibility so Jewish life can be experienced fully, openly, and safely.

Find more information on security and trainings.

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.

Through JShield, The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s community security initiative, we work closely with law enforcement and Jewish institutions across our region to strengthen security, share real-time information, and coordinate response efforts across institutions that might otherwise operate independently. This work helps ensure that Jewish organizations across Greater Washington are not operating in isolation, but are prepared, connected, and supported in maintaining a safe and secure community.

Why coordination matters now

At a time when antisemitism continues to rise around the world, and in the wake of recent incidents targeting Jewish communities in Michigan, Amsterdam, and beyond, this kind of coordination is more important than ever. The JShield Security Summit is one way we put that coordination into action, bringing together community leaders, security experts, and law enforcement to share knowledge, strengthen relationships, and align on how we respond to emerging threats.

Over the course of the day, more than 100 participants gained insights from JShield and partner experts, including regional law enforcement and federal officials who shared resources to help Jewish organizations strengthen their security. Sessions focused on practical guidance, from navigating the application process for federal nonprofit security grants to developing clear plans of action in response to potential threats.

Throughout the Summit, the depth of our partnerships was clear. Law enforcement leaders and security professionals from across the region showed up not just as participants, but as committed partners in this work. Many are not members of the Jewish community, yet they are deeply invested in helping protect it—a reflection of the trust and relationships built through JShield, and of the allies those relationships have created beyond the community itself.

Strengthening a shared security system

The Summit reflects Federation’s unique role in building a culture of security in Greater Washington. Through JShield, Federation connects Jewish institutions with the expertise, information, and resources they need to strengthen not only their security, but the security of the entire Jewish community. By bringing together partners who might not otherwise share the same space—from synagogue leaders to federal agencies—Federation is working to ensure Jewish institutions, as well as the people they serve, are safer, more prepared, and better equipped to respond when it matters most.

Learn more about JShield and how Federation is working to strengthen community security.

One way that I have been thinking about antisemitism is as a kind of twisted and inexcusable stress response. In times of social or economic strain, people tend to go looking for explanations as to why things don’t work the way they want or why life feels harder. And far too often, they reach for the oldest hatred in the book as their answer. Comforted by conspiratorial thinking, they conclude it must be the Jews who are to blame.

This cycle can then be hastened by popular figures who step in and exploit people’s anxieties for their own goals. As Deborah Lipstadt explains, “[Bad actors] cannot create a fire where none exists, but they can add fuel to preexisting fires.” The more disconcerted people feel, the more they may turn to hating Jews, and the more wayward leaders will encourage those inclinations. Antisemitism and chaos are intertwined. Sadly, and to great harm, this has been the pattern for millennia.

What this means for us is that there is space to tackle the challenge from two sides: by pushing back against antisemitism explicitly and tending to the health of our democracy generally, both of which we are focused on at Federation.

Five years ago, we adopted a multi-pronged strategy to address antisemitism in our region. This includes providing funds to address antisemitism in public and private schools, developing teen leaders who can directly confront antisemitism, supporting local Hillels in their campus efforts, as well as providing critical resources to local agencies including the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC).

We are also working to strengthen the relationships that underpin a healthy democracy and break down conflict by facilitating conversation among community members of diverse perspectives; deepening Black–Jewish relations; and partnering with local agencies and institutions on civic engagement efforts; all of which contribute to a more connected, stable, and resilient community.

Ultimately, fighting against antisemitism is a form of fighting for our democracy just as fighting for democracy and strengthening civil institutions is a form of fighting antisemitism. As antisemitism metastasizes, everyone loses. When we replace mistrust with credibility and community, everyone wins. It’s our civic duty to call out antisemitism and disrupt its chaotic breeding ground.

At a time when so many people are losing faith in institutions, Federation can be a steady fixture. A shared space where our community can come practice listening to those who think differently, caring for the vulnerable, welcoming the stranger, and working together toward a shared vision for the future. If antisemitism is what seeps in when our social foundation starts to crack, we can help ensure its integrity.