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.