WHAT WE DO
ENGAGING YOUNG ADULTS
• By bringing OneTable to Silicon Valley, we are facilitating meaningful Shabbat dinner experiences for adults in their 20s and 30s. Almost 300 young adults have already connected over a Friday night dinner, starting a Shabbat tradition of their own.
• We funded JFS’s young adult volunteer engagement program, YA-LIVE, helping it expand its programs and boost membership by 150%. With strength in numbers, they lead service projects, such as Adopt-A-Family, which eased holiday pressures for those in need.
• We provided funding to Chabad Young Professionals helped raise visibility of Jewish community for Young Adults in the South Bay. This resulted in increased attendance by over 50% at events attracting millennials who were previously uninterested in Jewish community involvelement.
• In partnership with other Bay Area Federations, our Federation raised funds to combat BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions). As a result, Hillel Silicon Valley received a 4-year grant of $47,000 annually to fight anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism on college campuses, and create meaningful engagement with Israel.
• Your donor dollars allowed us to continue funding the Hebrew language courses at San Jose State University.
CONNECTING YOUNG FAMILIES & CHILDREN
- Through PJ Library, we delivered over 12,000 free Jewish-themed books to children in our area this year and provided opportunities for young families to connect and engage.
- This summer, children will be able to go to Jewish overnight camps, thanks to the scholarships awarded by the Federation. Youth who attend Jewish summer camps enjoy experiences that create a lasting connection to their community, stronger Jewish identity, and lifelong friends.
- Your generous support of the Federation allows Yavneh Day School and South Peninsula Hebrew Day School to continue offering financial aid to many families.
- Federation grants allowed the APJCC launch two Mindful Jewish Journeys programs, Mom’s Circle and Jewish Yoga, to deepen Jewish connection among young families in our community.
CARING FOR SENIORS
- Federation funded Aging Gracefully, a program at Chai House, focuses on reducing isolation among its senior residents by connecting them through social programs and counseling.
- Federation funding of Jewish Family Services supports 288 individual counseling sessions and 480 case management sessions by licensed professionals tasked with improving mental wellbeing.
- We provided transportation for seniors in our community through Jewish Family Services, allowing them to participate more fully in Jewish life here on campus and throughout the South Bay.
EMBRACING OUR COMMUNITY
Our Jewish Community Relations Council serves as our community’s advocate and relationship-builder within the interfaith community. When the Pittsburgh shooting occurred, our JCRC was quick to organize an Interfaith Vigil of Solidarity Against Hate bringing together over 600 community members, interfaith clergy and elected officials. Each year, JCRC hosts an annual Multicultural & Multifaith Passover Seder to educate and welcome others about Jewish values and traditions. Also held annually, is the County of Santa Clara Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony, which is planned in partnership with a board of Holocaust Survivors.
One of our critical roles is ensuring the security of the local community. Your donations help us reinforce the physical sites of synagogues and agencies in our community, as well as our own Levy Family Campus. Enhancing our safety means we can continue worshipping, learning, and gathering without fear for our safety.
Having the only mikvah in the South Bay Area, the Community Mikvah of Silicon Valley serves our diverse Jewish community as an intimate place for spiritual renewal.
Yesod, an initiative designed by Jewish Federations of North America, invests in the development of individuals who demonstrate leadership potential. This program is designed to support communities in building sustainable volunteer leadership practices.
The Giving Circle is a group of young adults who have combined their resources to address the philanthropic needs of our local Silicon Valley Jewish Community. The Giving Circle enables the group to direct their giving in purposeful and strategic ways. Members represent a cross section of our local Silicon Valley Jewish community.
It is a little known fact that the the Levy Family Campus itself was funded and brought to you by the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley. Home to the Federation, House of Bagels, the Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family Services, Yavneh Day School and House of Bagels, our campus is the center for Jewish life in Silicon Valley.
