Come join us and celebrate Israel’s 65th anniversary with a six-day festival on the Upper West Side for Yom HaAtzma’ut, Israel Independence Day. From April 11th to 16th, experience the vitality of Israel in New York City through an extraordinary week funded by UJA-Federation. Convened by our beneficiary agency the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan, this is a groundbreaking collaboration…►
The New York Jewish community has been crucial to Israel from the beginning. From helping Israel become a welcoming home for Jews around the world to building vibrant Jewish community centers and strengthening diverse communities, UJA-Federation of New York, together with our beneficiary agencies the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Jewish Agency for Israel, has played an essential…►
With the creation of the modern state of Israel on May 14, 1948, the Jewish people realized a 2,000-year-old dream. From the beginning, the New York Jewish community shared in the joy and the heartbreak, giving our unwavering commitment to stand with the people of Israel — a promise we have kept for 65 years. In the early years, we…►
In recent decades, Israel has undergone significant population changes, from waves of Jewish refugees fleeing Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union, to the burgeoning Arab and Haredi populations. UJA-Federation believes that for the country to maintain a democratic, pluralistic character as it grows more religiously and culturally diverse, Israelis need a redefined, more inclusive sense of civic identity. That’s why…►
As part of UJA-Federation’s celebration of Israel’s 65th anniversary, we are leading the William Rosenwald Mission to Israel from April 13 to April 19, 2013. More than 200 participants will meet with top Israeli government leaders, such as President Shimon Peres, and talk with military, business, and cultural leaders. Those on the trip will see how UJA-Federation beneficiary agencies enhance…►
Beyond the trauma of war, there’s a whole realm of challenging situations that Israelis, like everyone else, face during the course of their lives. And now in Israel, whether it’s the loss that comes from unemployment, the stress of caring for a child with special needs, or another life challenge, there’s a new level of Jewish spiritual care to help…►
“To become a bat mitzvah at the Wall and say a prayer for my parents in Jerusalem far surpassed my hopes for what the journey might hold. The experience has helped me in my ongoing struggle to heal and has forever altered my life.”—Elizabeth Goldstein on traveling with a UJA-Federation mission to Israel for young adults after the loss of…►
Here, in their own words, are reflections from refuseniks, émigrés, and activists. Marina Belotserkovsky, who left Leningrad at age 30 in 1988, is senior director of Russian Communications and Outreach at HIAS, a UJA-Federation beneficiary agency. “When my son was born in 1982, I wanted to have him circumcised. I went to talk to a rabbi. After that, men from…►
In 1982, Marina Belotserkovsky gave birth to a son in Leningrad. Determined to have him circumcised, she defied the law and went to speak to a rabbi. Shortly after, she was subjected to KGB interrogation. Dreaming of freedom, Belotserkovsky applied for an exit visa but was denied. Shocking tales of Soviet Jews like Belotserkovsky tugged at the moral core of…►
“In the Soviet Union, everyone made sure to point you [out] as Jewish,” says Inna Rabinovich, who first learned she was different from other children when, growing up in Belarus, a grade school classmate hurled epithets at her. Now living in Brooklyn, she says, “Here nobody cares who you are, so I feel more passionate to make sure that my…►