Over the past few months, the Community Leadership Council (CLC) set out to hear directly from the full diversity of our Greater Washington Jewish community. Nearly 200 people across 26 groups shared their experiences, bringing forward a wide range of backgrounds, life stages, levels of engagement, and perspectives to ensure our work reflects what matters most to people and informs how we prioritize and invest.

Separately, more than 1,300 people participated in a community-wide survey, offering a broader view of how people are experiencing Jewish life today.

When you look at it all together, a picture starts to emerge. Not perfect or unanimous, but consistent in ways that matter.

People are looking to connect, participate, and feel like they belong.

The Role of Federation

These patterns clarify where Federation fits.

We do not run every program or guide every individual. Our role is to make the system work better—bringing organizations together, investing in what works, and making it easier to navigate Jewish life.

Much of this work happens behind the scenes: aligning organizations so experiences feel connected, expanding access, convening leaders to address shared challenges, and strengthening the system so it works better for the people it serves.

This is the difference between a collection of organizations and a connected community.

The CLC extends this work beyond the room. Leaders take these insights back into their organizations, and the findings will be shared more broadly so others across the community can engage with and respond to what we are learning.

What We’re Seeing Across the Community

Finding your way in isn’t always simple. For many, it starts with basic questions:

• Where do I go?
• Who is this for?
• How do I begin?

With so many organizations and options, it can be hard to know where to start or how to move from one experience to the next.

Some of what we heard:

• Cost shapes participation. From camps and schools to programs and events, cost plays a real role in how people engage. Sometimes it limits choice. Sometimes it limits participation altogether.

“Day school affordability is a huge issue. Jewish life is expensive.”

• Belonging is not a given. Across identities, life stages, and levels of involvement, people are looking for spaces where they feel comfortable and seen. That’s true for those who are deeply connected, and for those still deciding if there is a place for them.

“We moved to the area and don’t have connections or a sense of belonging. I want to be invited to Shabbat dinners…”

• There is a desire for everyday Jewish life. Our community shows up in meaningful ways during moments of need, and that continues. At the same time, many people are looking for something more consistent: experiences that are part of daily life and feel worth showing up for.

“I want a community that comes together for joyful reasons. Not just crisis gatherings.”

No Single Experience Tells the Whole Story

By listening closely to what people hope to see and build in our community, we begin to see the themes we share in common and better align our work with how people want to engage.

The CLC designed and led this effort, engaging people across the community, gathering input through both listening and survey data, and bringing those insights together to clarify what we’re hearing.

Why This Work Matters

If you’ve ever tried to find your way into Jewish life—whether you’re new, coming back, or looking for something different—this likely feels familiar. And there is something reassuring in knowing there is a community that cares and is working to make that experience better.

This work starts by paying attention to what people are actually experiencing and being honest about where things aren’t working. The Community Leadership Council helps identify patterns across those experiences and clarify where the community is asking for something different.

What Comes Next

“What we heard gives us a clearer sense of what the community wants and where it is asking for something different,” said Marla Schulman, Chair of the Community Leadership Council. “What we learned is the importance of continuing to engage voices across the community in building it.”

Those insights are now informing the next stage of our work, as Federation’s Board considers how they should shape our priorities and direction moving forward. And some of this work is already underway: expanding access, strengthening coordination across organizations, and making it easier to find and engage in Jewish life. Our goal is to make it finding your way in clearer, closer, and more within reach.

We’ll keep sharing what we’re learning, and how it’s shaping the work ahead.