Woeful News from Israel; Mixed News from Olympics and at Home

SAN DIEGO — This week, I found my attention torn in so many directions. We marked the unthinkable 300th day of war in Israel since October 7 and the heartbreaking 300th day of captivity for the remaining hostages. The terrible attack in Majdal Shams, the increasingly tense situation in the North of Israel, and our own divisive election cycle competed for views with the pageantry, patriotism, and moments of incredible athleticism of the Olympics. Which in turn has been colored by the harassment of and threats against the Israeli Olympic athletes. It all makes my head spin.

At Federation, we remain focused on our mission, closely monitoring the situation in Israel, and using our Israel Emergency Fund to support the Israeli people and our brothers and sisters in Sha’ar HaNegev. While we are no longer in the frantic early days of the emergency, the need for trauma and resilience programs, economic support, and physical infrastructure remains unabated. The South faces a complicated and uncertain future, and tens of thousands in the North remain evacuated as a result of over 6,400 missiles fired by Hezbollah that have damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses. Thanks to your support, we continue to be able to meet the call. And with your continued generosity in the coming year, you ensure we will always be there for Israel and her people.

To learn more about daily life in Israel at war and the evolving sentiments of the Israeli public, I encourage you to join us for an educational webinar on Wednesday, August 14 featuring two esteemed experts from the Israel Democracy Institute and representatives of the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council. Learn more and register here.

While we keep an eye on Israel, we continue to remain vigilant here at home, and to invest in the security of our community. If you are a regular reader of this column then you know that three years ago, we made a multi-year, major investment in a community-wide security initiative, and that investment has proved critical in this year of dramatically rising antisemitism.

Our Community Security Director, Bill Ganley, with his colleagues from our partner the Secure Community Network, has trained hundreds of members of our community and staff of our camps, synagogues, schools and agencies in countering active threats, life-saving emergency medical response and situational awareness. You can request to schedule a training for your organization here.

We have conducted threat assessments for over 20 local Jewish organizations. This step is necessary for applying for Federal and State nonprofit security grants, and we also successfully assisted many of these organizations in securing these funds. Additionally, we have trained two cohorts through our Jewish Community Security Institute, involving 17 local synagogues and Jewish agencies. Each participating organization subsequently received funding to enhance their security planning.

And in July, I am extremely proud to share that we provided nearly $400,000 in security grants through two major funding efforts, all designed to ensure that everyone who wants to participate in Jewish life can do so without fear.

We offered funding to cover some of the added costs that synagogues incur during the High Holidays. These extra security needs often place a financial burden on synagogues and their members, and 12 synagogues from every corner of San Diego applied for and received nearly $100,000 in total to lessen this burden. To date, we have distributed $191,000 in total to synagogues to defray the cost of security.

We secured a grant available only to Jewish Federations from The Tepper Foundation that allowed us to provide security funding to every Jewish early childhood program in San Diego, for a total of $198,000 distributed, helping to ensure every parent can feel secure giving their child the gift of a Jewish educational foundation.

See below for complete lists of the organizations that received security grants from Federation through these efforts.

This has been a week of back-to-back webinars, Zoom and in-person meetings, planning sessions, phone calls with partners, donors, community members, Israeli colleagues and staff, too many hours of scrolling the news, and a few stolen hours watching in awe as athletes swam, biked, flipped, vaulted, lunged and parried, scored 3-pointers and tries (Go women’s rugby and San Diego’s own Sarah Levy, my sons’ religious school madricha, or guide!).

Tonight, I cannot wait to welcome the peace of Shabbat. I will put my phone away, head to synagogue and stand, surrounded by my community, singing the melodies that I have been singing for decades. I will make the time for Jewish joy and allow myself a moment to remember all that we are working so hard to protect here in San Diego, in Israel, and for Jews around the world.

I wish you all your own moments of peace this weekend.

Shabbat Shalom,

Heidi Gantwerk is President & CEO of the Jewish Federation of San Diego

*

Young Israel of San Diego

Congregation Beth Israel of San Diego

Congregation Adat Yeshurun

Temple Beth Shalom of Chula Vista

Congregation Beth Am

Temple Emanu-El San Diego

Temple Adat Shalom

Congregation Beth El

Chabad of San Diego

(Chabad Hebrew Academy)

Temple Solel

Ohr Shalom Synagogue

Beth Jacob Congregation & Center

Garden Preschool

Chai Preschool and Infant Center

Beth Montessori Preschool

Chabad Hebrew Academy Preschool

Congregation Beth Am Preschool

Congregation Beth Israel Bill and Sid Rubin Preschool

Lawrence Family JCC Nierman Preschool

San Diego Jewish Academy Early Childhood Center

Soille Hebrew Day Paula Tannen Preschool

Temple Emanu-El Price Family Preschool

Temple Solel Early Childhood Center

Tifereth Israel Synagogue Silverman Preschool

*
Preceding provided by the Jewish Federation of San Diego