Building and strengthening our Jewish community – across the river and generations
This year’s Annual Benefit Fund-a-Need will support programs that foster inclusion, reduce isolation, strengthen identity, and create opportunities for engagement
Communities are a lot like gardens. They don’t thrive by accident. They’re nurtured over time. Someone needs to help ensure the basics are covered and that individual and collective needs are supported.
At Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minnesota, we believe that strong communities grow when people are connected and given the opportunity to thrive. We provide highly professional care with boundless compassion, offering trusted services that foster connection, belonging, dignity, and hope.
This year’s Annual Benefit Fund-a-Need is about strengthening, sustaining and building Jewish community in Minnesota, creating opportunities for people of all ages to feel supported and part of something larger than themselves.
“Now more than ever, that connection — that Jewish connection — is needed and we are proud to help fill that need for the community,” said JFCS CEO Amy Weiss.
The need
In a time when many people experience isolation and disconnection, meaningful human connection can be difficult to find. Individuals of all generations are seeking community and opportunities to engage with others in authentic ways.
Within the Jewish community, these needs are especially important. People want places where they can celebrate Jewish life and feel supported during both joyful and challenging times.
The role of Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minnesota
JFCS of Minnesota intentionally creates spaces where people can show up as their authentic selves and know they belong. Whether through J-Pride, programs for Holocaust Survivors, access to Kosher food, support for caregivers, family programs, or opportunities for Jewish adults with disabilities, we work to ensure that every person has access to community and connection.
Just as a gardener nurtures individual plants while also tending the health of the entire garden, JFCS of Minnesota nurtures individuals while strengthening the broader Jewish community.
• When an older adult receives a meal and regular connection, community grows stronger.
• When a young family finds support and friendship while raising Jewish children, community grows stronger.
• When LGBTQ+ individuals find welcoming spaces where they can celebrate their Jewish identity, community grows stronger.
• When Holocaust Survivors, people with disabilities, caregivers, and others find connection and support, community grows stronger.
• Each relationship strengthens the whole.
JFCS of Minnesota serves as a connector, convener, and trusted community resource. Through a wide range of programs, we help create pathways to belonging and ensure that individuals and families are not navigating life alone.
Our work is not simply about delivering services. It is about building relationships, fostering inclusion, reducing isolation, strengthening identity, and creating opportunities for people to engage in Jewish life and community in meaningful ways.
“At the heart of every JFCS Jewish community program is belonging,” said Lucy Marshall, Director of Engagement & Education. “With the support of the Fund-a-Need campaign, we will be able to offer more resources, more relationships, and more resilience to Minnesota Jewish community members of all generations and identities.”
Intergenerational impact
This year’s Benefit is our first one as JFCS of Minnesota. An important aspect of this year’s Fund-a-Need is that these programs reach people across the river and generations.
Whether it’s families with young children, older adults, people beginning new chapters of life, or those reflecting on decades of experience, JFCS helps build bridges and ensures that Jewish community remains vibrant and resilient for the future.
Support for this year’s Fund-a-Need is an investment in the future of Jewish life in Minnesota. “From the beginning, JFCS has been helping people build healthy relationships, strengthen their identify, find connection and community,” Weiss said. “We work to create a place where they feel welcome, seen and supported.”
Get your tickets to the Annual Benefit here! Make a donation to this year’s Fund-a-Need here!