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| ATLANTA JEWISH FOUNDATION | SUMMER 2020
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Avery Kastin:
Why Legacy Giving Matters to Me
Born and raised in Atlanta, Avery Kastin is a Jewish leader whose passion for his people has only grown deeper and fiercer over time. “It wasn’t automatic,” he explains. “I became a bar mitzvah and was confirmed at The Temple, but never really participated much in Jewish life. It took a Birthright Israel trip in 2005 to unleash my love for Jewish thought and values. That’s what planted the idea that I have an obligation to give back.”
Now, through LIFE & LEGACY™, and the Jewish Future Pledge, Avery Kastin has done exactly that. He has made Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta the beneficiary of his LIFE & LEGACY™ estate gift. It is a commitment to the long-term future of the city and the Jewish community he loves. Through LIFE & LEGACY™, Avery is able to fulfill part of his Jewish Future Pledge, which expresses his commitment to legacy giving for the benefit of the Jewish future by pledging that at least half of anything left to charity will be for organizations that support Jewish life or the State of Israel.
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What COVID-19 Teaches Us
About Endowments
by Howard Katz, CFP
Managing Partner, Linea Wealth Management | AJF Past Chair |
LIFE & LEGACY™ Committee Chair
A recent article in e-Jewish Philanthropy by Dr. Bruce Power, “Endowment, a Moral Imperative", sounded an urgent call for organizations to plan for the future. “There are those organizations that have done careful financial projections and planning, and thereby have the wherewithal to ride out the current COVID storm; and there are those who have not, and may well find themselves in the dustbin of Jewish organizational history. The biggest difference comes down to a single word: Endowment.” We asked Howard Katz, who chairs the LIFE & LEGACY™ Committee, to amplify this message.
What has COVID-19 taught us about endowments? As I transition from chair of Atlanta Jewish Foundation and move into my new role as chair of the LIFE & LEGACY™ Program, I am struck by how reliant many of our favorite charities are on current income. Challenges and restrictions related to COVID-19 have pretty much left every nonprofit organization with little to no event revenue, and dues and donations are likely to be challenged as well.
How helpful would it be if your favorite charity had a reliable income stream that is completely independent of “door receipts?” How much less stressful would it be if they could potentially (subject to any spending policies) have emergency funds to access should things become particularly dire?
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Jewish Value of the Month:
Welcoming the Stranger
The Torah instructs us 36 times to care for the stranger — far more than any other commandment. Welcoming guests, immigrants, refugees, and strangers is one of the few mitzvot described in the Talmud for which we receive the rewards both in this world and in the world to come. The mitzvah is especially important in how we treat non-Jews and converts; in fact, the Hebrew word for convert, ger, literally means stranger. The words, “Do not oppress the stranger because you know the heart of the stranger,” imply that we are not only commanded to accept immigrants, non-Jews, and converts into our community, we are also commanded to show them exceptional love and kindness.
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Giving Opportunities
to Honor the Stranger
There are many opportunities to support local and national organizations that welcome and support the immigrant, refugee, and those who have joined the Jewish people. Be sure to also explore local synagogue social justice and interfaith initiatives.
18Doors Atlanta (formerly Interfaith Family): https://18doors.org/atlanta-local/
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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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