The first time Danielle Frum entered a mikvah (ritual bath), she wasn’t alone. In her arms was her newborn daughter, Miranda. It was 1991, and as mother and daughter immersed together, it symbolized the beginning of Miranda’s Jewish life and the moment Danielle formally became Jewish herself.

After she and David Frum married in 1988, the two spent their weekends wandering Manhattan, slipping into historic synagogues throughout the city simply to experience the different services. Raised Anglican/Episcopalian, Danielle had never been especially religious, but took a strong interest in Judaism shortly after their marriage.

Choosing Judaism

“I was drawn to Judaism because of its focus on this life,” she says. “Its emphasis on living an ethical, kind, and communal life regardless of whether it led to some sort of heaven or afterlife very much appealed to me.”

When Miranda was born, both David and Danielle decided to build a Jewish home and raise Jewish children. In the years that followed her conversion to Judaism, they welcomed two more children. Nathaniel, now 32, and Beatrice, now 24.

Lessons in Generosity

For David, Jewish values had shaped his childhood. His father’s family had little money, but every Passover his grandmother cooked more food than her own family could eat. The extra meals were carefully packed and delivered to neighbors who needed them. Clothes and blankets were boxed up and shipped to Jewish communities she would never meet.

His mother’s parents, meanwhile, devoted themselves to nearly every communal institution in their small city, the synagogue, the library, the burial society, and local charities. “If you arrive in a new place,” they taught him, “find the local charities, Jewish and non-Jewish, and give whatever you can.”

Years later, that same instinct led David and Danielle to the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, where they have faithfully supported the community for more than two decades.

A Love for Israel

At 22, Miranda moved to Tel Aviv. She was dazzled by Israel’s youthful energy, creativity, and sense of possibility. She spent three years building a life there before eventually returning home, carrying with her a lasting love for the country.

Watching Miranda discover Israel inspired Danielle in return. She created a website celebrating Israeli culture through its artisans, food, and everyday life, hoping to share a side of the country that people didn’t always see.

Carried by Community

Throughout their lives together, Jewish ritual marked moments of joy, holidays, the birth of their children. They never imagined that those same traditions would one day carry them through unimaginable loss.

In February 2024, Miranda passed away suddenly at the young age of 32. In those first unbearable weeks, grief made even the smallest decisions feel impossible. “As we staggered through those days after Miranda died,” Danielle says, “these rituals told us what to do when we felt we couldn’t act.”

From the careful dignity with which Miranda’s body was prepared, to the funeral, shiva (mourning period), and burial, every step was guided by customs that had comforted grieving families for generations. Later came the unveiling of her headstone. Each year, there is the ritual of lighting a yahrzeit (memorial) candle.

“I’m very grateful to be part of the Jewish community,” Danielle says.

Their grief unfolded against another season of heartbreak for the Jewish people. Only months earlier, Hamas’ October 7 attack had devastated Israel. Miranda had lived the kind of life that made those events feel deeply personal. She loved music festivals like Nova, the outdoor festival that was attacked on that fateful day. Friends she had known during her years in Tel Aviv were called into military service. Some never returned.

The Legacy We Leave

To honor Miranda’s memory, David and Danielle gave to causes supporting Israel during one of its darkest moments.

“When we mourn,” David reflects, “we truly discover what it means to be one Jewish people. I know my living children will carry that awareness with them through their lives, and bequeath that awareness to children of their own.”

Today, David and Danielle are among the newest members of Federation’s Roots Society, which recognizes more than 20 years of support.

Looking back, their philanthropy has always been an expression of the values that have guided them from the very beginning: caring for others, strengthening Jewish community, and ensuring that no one has to face life’s greatest joys or deepest sorrows alone.

The values that first drew Danielle to Judaism. The lessons David learned at his grandparents’ table. The traditions that carried them through the unimaginable loss of their daughter. Together, they tell one story of a family rooted in community, sustained by faith, and committed to helping future generations find that same sense of belonging.

For readers who wish to learn more about Miranda and the family’s journey through grief, Danielle shares their story in her memoir, Dispatches from Grief: A Mother’s Journey Through the Unthinkable.

Interested in learning more about Federation’s Roots Society? Reach out to Natalia Straus, Federation’s Senior Director of Legacy Giving.