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| ATLANTA JEWISH FOUNDATION | APRIL 2020
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The Time is Now!
By Norman J. Radow
We are facing an existential emergency as a community, perhaps the first since the Temple bombing many decades ago.
Today our enemy is not the Klan, but an insidious virus. It sickens and kills not just people, but it can gut the heart out of our community infrastructure, built over tens of years, and it is doing so in a matter of days. For example, just this week the Marcus Jewish Community Center laid off half its staff. Other organizations may have to follow suit. All this is happening as the needs of our Jewish community were already rising.
It is sadly without hyperbole that I say our community's institutions can literally crumble if we let them. We need to act as a community of donors and act with purpose and with alacrity to prevent a catastrophe. In doing so, we may actually be moving the needle in our Jewish community for the good, making us stronger as we soon pass the torch to a new generation of hopeful leaders.
As the great sage Hillel said, "if I am not for myself, then who will be? If I am not for others, what am I? If not now, when?"
Today is THAT now.
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The Right Time for LIFE & LEGACY™
The COVID-19 crisis has already exposed the financial consequences nonprofit organizations face when they lack a robust endowment fund. We’re already seeing the fallout locally. Many of our day schools, synagogues, and Jewish community organizations are projecting serious financial shortfalls in the coming months to meet emergency and ongoing program needs. For organizations whose operational sustainability depends on dues, tuition, and revenue-generating programs, this has been a wake-up call.
LIFE & LEGACY, now in its second year in Atlanta, is providing training, support, and monetary incentives to a cohort of 15 local Jewish organizations, motivating them to secure after-lifetime commitments. The goal is to build permanent endowments that will sustain vibrant Jewish communities for years to come.
To date, Atlanta’s 15 participating community organizations, which include synagogues, Jewish day schools, and organizations, have secured 311 Letters of Intent for legacy gifts with a value of $16,354,358.
Have you been approached to make a LIFE & LEGACY gift? As LIFE & LEGACY’s partner in Atlanta, Atlanta Jewish Foundation can help you think about committing your charitable dollars to address long-term Jewish needs. AJF would be privileged to work with you to formalize a legacy gift. Contact Rachel Rosner for more information.
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Jewish Value of the Month:
Kibbud Av v'Em
(Honoring Parents)
The Torah compares honoring one’s parents to honoring G-d, and in some respects considers it an even greater mitzvah. Most children automatically love their parents; however, the mitzvah of honoring parents does not depend on what your parents did for you, or whether or not you consider them “good” parents. G-d actually never commands us to love our parents, simply to honor them. Donating to charity in honor of our parents, or in their memory, is a beautiful way to observe the mitzvah of Kibbud Av v’ Em.
What organizations and institutions do you care about? Where are your parents currently involved as volunteers, or where were they active during their lifetime? Who cared for them when they were in need? These are questions that we hope will drive your philanthropy.
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Supported Through
AJF Donor-Advised Funds
Right now, during the COVID-19 outbreak, Jewish HomeLife is an extremely relevant local organization worthy of your support. Jewish HomeLife serves our parents and grandparents with a network of residential, lifestyle, healthcare, and support services for older adults and their caregivers. Jewish HomeLife is among the many local agencies being supported by the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. When you support it through your DAF you’ll have the opportunity to have your contribution matched, and the assurance that all funds will be put to immediate use to meet urgent human needs.
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| Atlanta Jewish Foundation sponsors a robust donor-advised fund program for those wishing to manage their philanthropy and leverage the tax benefits of charitable giving while benefiting the community. For more information about how Donor-Advised Funds work, watch a video, download the guidebook, and fill out an application. In addition to donor-advised Funds, Atlanta Jewish Foundation enables donors to maximize the impact of their generosity through a variety of planned gifts.
My Jewish Future Pledge is another way to shape your legacy. My Jewish Future Pledge is a national movement that asks donors to commit at least 50% of their assets intended for charitable purposes to strengthen the Jewish people and/or the State of Israel. Let AJF help you actualize your pledge.
LIFE & LEGACY ® is a capacity building partnership program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation that provides training, support and monetary incentives to move organizations to secure meaningful after-lifetime legacy gifts. This program creates a strong partnership between the Atlanta Jewish Foundation and our local Jewish community agencies, synagogues and day schools.
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