Pointing Toward
the Future
A Letter to the Jewish Community of Greater Philadelphia
Like many legacy nonprofits, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia has long rested
on the assumption that our deep communal roots were strong enough to last the test of time.

However, with changes taking place all around, in philanthropic trends, an explosion of options
in personalized philanthropy, technology altering how individuals connect and with the Jewish
community, these assumptions no longer hold.

Twenty-first century Jewry requires inspired thinking rather than rote learning. It requires an
awareness of the elements that make Jewish living joyful rather than obligatory. The Jewish
Federation must be relevant, meaningful to those involved, trustworthy, and transparent.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia will become a high performing, cutting-edge,
twenty-first-century organization. I am honored to have been chosen to lead this charge.

As President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, I am committed to
fostering an environment where we celebrate and acknowledge all of our skills and cultivate an
environment for growth. All of our colleagues must have clarity on our goals and the role each of us
plays in achieving them. Finally, our culture must be one that fosters the utmost of respect, builds
trust, ensures a safe workplace and embraces everyone’s unique talents, diversity, and perspectives.

To meet these challenges, needs, and opportunities, the Jewish Federation will rededicate itself
with a new strategic focus. To do so, we will soon embark on creating Jewish Federation’s first
strategic plan in over a decade. I am pleased to announce that Ben Kirshner and Mark Fishman will
lead this committee that will represent the diverse geographic and demographic characteristics as
well as, thoughts and opinions of our stakeholders. We expect to get started in the next few weeks
with this vital task.

The strategic plan will realign and restructure how the Jewish Federation conducts its business
internally and how it relates to its historic funding partners. This plan will inform the Jewish
Federation’s operating values, staffing structure, its decision-making processes, volunteer and
donor engagement strategies, and choices for how we work to impact the community. We are
committed to taking additional steps to be even more inclusive of the rich diversity of our staff
and the Jewish community at large in terms of differing backgrounds, experiences, interests,
challenges, etc. We will welcome feedback so we can listen, learn, and grow.

The Jewish Federation has stood firmly for more than 120 years. Today we will not waiver.

We will stand together and move this organization forward. I am excited for our future and
can’t wait to see what we will achieve together.

Michael Balaban,
President & CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
ceo@jewishphilly.org JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
JEWISH EXPONENT
AUGUST 5, 2021
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