H eadlines
Jewish Federation Announces $15 Million
in Community Investment
L OCA L
SASHA ROGELBERG | JE STAFF
THE LEADERSHIP OF LATET
- Israeli Humanitarian Aid,
said they are grateful that they
will be able to continue to fund
the redistribution of food to
impoverished Israel residents,
many of whom are elderly
or Holocaust survivors, and
provide emergency aid, thanks
to the Jewish Federation of
Greater Philadelphia.

Latet provides monetary and
food assistance to more than 1,000
Holocaust survivors and 60,000
families. They see the Jewish
Federation’s grant program as
more than just an opportunity to
gain resources, but also an oppor-
tunity to maintain and advance
their goals.

“There’s a strong message
built on trust and under-
standing, understanding that
we are together to fight against
poverty and food insecurity,”
Latet CEO Eran Weintraub said.

Latet, which means “to give” in
Hebrew, has worked with the
Jewish Federation for 15 years.

The Jewish Federation
announced on June 24 that it will
make a $15 million investment
in the Jewish community of
Philadelphia, Israel and beyond,
representing $9.1 million in
grant allocations and fund
distributions — including the
grant awarded to Latet — to be
distributed among 91 programs
within 66 organizations.

The Jewish Federation will
also invest $5.2 million to
community programs, such as
the Mitzvah Food Program,
Jewish camp scholarships and
trips to Israel, as well as $1.2
million dollars in real estate
subsidies to allow agencies to
rent on the Jewish Federation’s
campus for free or reduced rates.

This investment comes
in addition to the Jewish
Federation raising
and 4
JULY 1, 2021
distributing $4.8 million in
emergency COVID relief in the
Philadelphia area and Israel,
and $870,000 in emergency
funding to Israel, following the
military action by Hamas and
other militant groups in May.

“Our job is to help to create
sustainability, both for individ-
uals who are in need during this
time, as well as for institutions
that are serving the commu-
nity in a time with tremendous
financial uncertainty,” Jewish
Federation CEO and President
Michael Balaban said.

Balaban began his tenure as
CEO on June 1, and he has
already worked to engage with
the Jewish Federation’s partners
on a meaningful level: “Less
than two weeks in, I’ve learned
God gives us two ears and
one mouth; we should spend
more time listening than we
do talking. It’s really important
at this early stage of my being
in the community to hear
from our stakeholders and our
partners about what the oppor-
tunities are, what the needs are
and what the interests are.”
The Jewish Federation will
prioritize grant allocations to
three areas: serving vulner-
able populations, shaping the
Jewish future and supporting
Israel and world Jewry.

Among the organizations
working to serve vulnerable
populations is the Hebrew Free
Loan Society in Philadelphia.

The Jewish Federation will
help fund “The Way Forward:
Towards Financial Security
with Dignity and Respect”
program, designed to provide
interest-free, no-fee loans to
borrowers who may not have
a cosigner with good credit or
a cosigner who does not live in
the area.

The 37-year-old agency
awards loans of up to $7,500 to
community members looking
to pay medical bills, home and
auto repairs and for housing.

Each year, the Jewish Federation provides grants to agencies locally and in Israel, such as Leket Israel, that
provide free or low cost meals or food packages to adults and families unable to access enough food on their own.

Courtesy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
There’s a strong message built on trust and understanding,
understanding that we are together to fight against poverty and food
insecurity.” ERAN WEINTRAUB
Though the organization
was able to provide emergency
grants during the COVID-19
pandemic, non-COVID-re-
lated loans are in high demand.

“As we see people going
back to work and feeling more
confident in the economy,
people are more willing now to
take out loans for things that
they might have had to put on
the back burner last year,” said
Cheryl Barish Erlick, the loan
society’s executive director.

OneTable Philadelphia,
which is a part of the Jewish
Federation’s focus of “shaping
Jewish futures,” is another
organization looking to aid
Philadelphians. Through
The Shabbat Project, Inc.,
OneTable subsidizes Shabbat
dinners and events for 20-
and 30-something Jews who
JEWISH EXPONENT
are hoping to connect with
Shabbat rituals in personal and
meaningful ways. OneTable
has staff in Pittsburgh, but
not Philadelphia, which has
limited its ability to establish a
local audience.

“[Philadelphia] has been
a growing community. And
there’s been a lot of demand for
quite a while,” Vice President
of Development and Expansion
Julia Malkin Reger said.

The Jewish Federation’s
grant will allow OneTable
to hire a field manager in
Philadelphia to liaise with the
young Jewish community in the
city, broadening the audience,
as well as building connec-
tions with local businesses to
provide food and drinks for
Shabbat dinners.

Also looking to expand is
Makom Community, which
is located in Center City.

Created eight years ago by
Beverly Socher-Lerner, Makom
Community provides “Jewish
enrichment in an after-
school context,” by “inviting
children to engage with Jewish
wisdom.” The allocation will
allow it to open a second
location in South Philadelphia
(sharing a space with the
South Philadelphia Shtiebel),
and launch new programs for
parents and families.

Ultimately, the goal of these
grants is the same as any year,
according to Balaban: “to care
for the needs of the Jewish
people and work to build a
more vibrant Jewish future.” l
srogelberg@jewishexponent.com |
215-832-0741 JEWISHEXPONENT.COM