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17 January 2025
After news of the hostage deal broke on Wednesday, I joined friends from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum for an impromptu, incredible celebration. After more than 465 days of agony, there finally seems to be a glimmer of hope.
It was especially wonderful to see Aviva Seigel, a former hostage whose husband, Keith, is slated to be one of the first hostages returned this coming week. Her smile may have been the brightest of all. Federation is proud to help fund the Forum’s essential work — and thankful for your generosity, which makes that funding possible.
On Sunday, I fly to Israel with a national Jewish Federations leadership mission, alongside our VP of Financial Resource Development, Jill Granader. I’ll share more as we head up north towards the Lebanon border.
In the meantime, more below on what’s happening here at home.
It’s hard to process the devastation from the wildfires in LA. And yet, as my colleague Rabbi Noah Farkas, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation Los Angeles, wrote this week, “The wave of destruction we continue to witness is being met with an equal wave of chesed, or loving-kindness.” I’m grateful our community has been part of that wave — together, we’ve raised more than $50,000 to support the victims of the wildfires. Give to the Relief Fund here.
I was honored to attend last night’s official farewell for Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog. His remarks during our October 7th event have stayed with me and resonate even more strongly given the hostage deal. As he shared, “We can draw strength and hope from the history of the Jewish people that always managed to rise from the ashes and build anew. …and we draw strength from the solidarity of the Jewish people.”

I love this photo of Vivian Bass receiving the Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland Award at this week’s International Lion of Judah Conference. Marianna Ashin, co-chair of our Lion of Judah Giving Society, recapped the conference beautifully, “I leave with a renewed sense of purpose, a deeper love for our community, and even greater enthusiasm for the work we do to make a difference worldwide.”

On Wednesday, Federation’s Next Gen came together for EDCJCC’s MLK Evening of Service to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and support those experiencing homelessness and living in transitional housing. My colleague shared that the group truly embodied the values of Federation’s mission. On Sunday, Women’s Philanthropy will partner with Washington Hebrew Congregation for their own MLK Day of Service Project. I’m always proud to see the many ways our community shows up for each other.
