Dear Friends,
From Philadelphia to Israel and beyond, the Kaiserman JCC helps create meaningful connections across our global Jewish community.
This year, that work took us from Philadelphia to Israel and Ukraine: welcoming people into our community, sending our teens into the wider Jewish world, and turning distant places into personal relationships.
These experiences don’t happen on their own. They happen because people like you invest in building a strong, connected Jewish community.
We saw it through our ShinShinim, Dan and Noya, who spent the year sharing Israeli life and traditions with children and families throughout the JCC. They did far more than lead programs. They built friendships, became part of our community, and helped Israel feel closer and more personal. We said goodbye to Dan and Noya last week as they returned home, and now we are excited to welcome our new ShinShinim, Neomi and Tal, who will continue building meaningful connections and bringing Israel closer to our community.
That same spirit shaped another meaningful experience this summer. Through our partnership with JCC Global, the Kaiserman JCC welcomed Ukrainian teens to Philadelphia. They participated in Camp Kef, explored the region, and formed relationships with local teens, families, and community members. What might otherwise have remained distant news became personal relationships with people whose names, faces, and stories we will carry with us.
Connection traveled in the other direction as well when our Diller Teen Fellows returned to Israel for the Israel Summer Seminar. They volunteered, stayed with host families, and built friendships with Israeli and Jewish teens from around the world.
“I love being treated as part of the Israeli family.”
– Sydney, Diller Teen Fellow
This is what Jewish peoplehood looks like in practice. It is not an abstract idea. It is relationships, shared responsibility, and the understanding that wherever we live, we are part of one global Jewish story.
It gives the JCC the flexibility to welcome people into community, strengthen Jewish identity, support Israel engagement, and respond when connection matters most.
Please consider making a gift to help us continue building these connections and strengthening our global Jewish community.
If you would like to discuss supporting Israel engagement or another area of the JCC’s work, please contact Boaz Ozery at bozery@phillyjcc.com or (610) 304-8032.
With gratitude,
Alan Scher, CEO
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