Julie Platt is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and serves as Chair of the Foundation for Jewish Camp.
Perhaps the most frequently used saying in our work at the Jewish Federations of North America is “kol yisroel arevim zeh lazeh” – all Jews are responsible for one another. Though it may be often used, I am writing to share with you an example of this principle that truly is extraordin…
If we’re lucky, we have moments with teachers that stay with us for life. One such moment is on my mind this weekend.
I was sitting on the bimah at Park Synagogue in Cleveland with our esteemed rabbi emeritus, Armond Cohen, z”l. I was a member of the Ohio Senate at the time. Rabbi Cohen …
The Jewish Federations of North America mourns the loss of Sheldon Adelson, z"l, whose profound commitment to Jewish peoplehood and the State of Israel is well known.
Through his support for numerous programs, he helped an entire generation get to know Israel and he powered the effort to st…
It is almost impossible to overstate how important lighting lights is to Jewish law and tradition. We light candles for Shabbat, for holidays, and, of course, for the eight days of Chanukah, which begins this evening.
Maimonides, in the Mishneh Torah, teaches that if one is poor and doesn…
As this long year comes to a close and we look forward to tackling the formidable agenda we have for our community and the world in 2021, it is good to be reminded of our power to make change happen through collective action. December 6 is just such a reminder.
On December 6, 1987, 250,000 …
