When we think Wall Street, we think numbers. And if we’re talking numbers, here are some I share with pride: 1,700 people attended our annual Wall Street Dinner on Monday evening, raising more than $26 million to benefit the millions we serve. But beyond these impressive numbers, what I took away from the dinner are the stories. Giants of Wall Street stood at the podium and spoke plainly from the heart, sharing their life stories and what motivates them to give. Some recalled attending the Wall Street Dinner when they were first starting out, never imagining that one day they would have the “good seats.” Heartfelt tribute was paid to Alan “Ace” Greenberg, who passed away in July and had been a mentor to so many, presiding over the dinner for years and setting the standard of giving.

From where I sat, I saw tables filled not just with firms, but with families who have made philanthropy a multigenerational affair, including Ace’s own family.

Fittingly, Brett Barth, the Inaugural Alan C. Greenberg Young Leadership Award recipient, spoke about how much family meant to him, calling out his wife, Natalie, who like Brett is a very involved lay leader at UJA-Federation. He couldn’t pinpoint one reason for his involvement, saying it was everything UJA-Federation does — from providing safety-net services to Jews and non-Jews alike to supporting the small Jewish community of Cuba — that motivates him. And he referred to his two young sons, who as little kids took his loose change off the nightstand every night for tzedakah, as his “mensches in the making.”

Family was also a big motivator for Jacques Brand, the Gustave Levy Award recipient, who shared how he came to New York from Belgium at age 6, accompanied by his father, a Holocaust survivor. His mother, who survived the war in hiding thanks to non-Jewish friends, passed away when he was 3. It was just him and his dad — and a community that helped raise him. And when he was in his 20s and his father, who had no health insurance, got leukemia, his Wall Street peers helped him pay the medical bills. The lessons of giving back were deeply ingrained. In Jacques’s words, “I am very conscious that I would not be here if it weren’t for wonderful people and organizations that cared enough to help me along the way. I will never forget them. The truth is: No one can conquer life’s obstacles alone. That is why UJA is so important.”

Jacques’s story reminds us that everybody has challenges and half the battle is in knowing you’re never alone. To underscore this point, we showed a new video with three people sharing their stories and our impact on their lives. I invite you to meet Bernie, Yifat, and Laurie. Once you do, I don’t think you’ll forget them.

After the event, a colleague told me that her 16-year-old son attended the dinner with his grandfather. The teen was so moved by what he saw and heard that he described to his mom what he would say in his speech when he would be standing at the podium. That’s what the Wall Street event is really about, inspiring future leaders to carry this mantle of philanthropic responsibility, appreciating that success matters because of what it allows you to give back.

I hope we’ll see that young man at our Wall Street Dinner annually, and up there on the podium sharing his story of success — and why UJA-Federation means so much to him — circa 2030.

Shabbat shalom