The Jewish Federation of San Diego County (officially United Jewish Federation of San Diego) is a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization whose primary function is to broker fundraising and volunteer work in support of Jewish causes within the San Diego Jewish community.[5] It also works in partnership with various affiliated organizations, who share a similar mission in supporting Jewish causes nationally and internationally, including the Jewish Federations of North America. The organization was incorporated on February 3, 1939.[1]
In addition to brokering funds, the Jewish Federation of San Diego County facilitates access to social services; local synagogues, day schools, and camps; and other charitable and advocacy groups within the Jewish community. Its in-house programs provide chaplaincy services, grants for trips to Israel, camp scholarships, activities and opportunities for young adults, emergency disaster relief,[6] refugee aid,[7] and public events.[8]
History
The Jewish Federation of San Diego County was founded in 1936. Its mission is "to build a vibrant, caring, connected, and enduring Jewish community."[2]
It currently employs approximately 24 full-time staff members who are supported by a corps of volunteers and a board of trustees, currently led by Board Chair Jack Maizel[3] and President and CEO Heidi Gantwerk.[4] According to its most recently published financial statement, the organization raised over $5 million in fiscal year 2020-2021[9]
In 1999, the Jewish Federation of San Diego County adopted Sha’ar HaNegev as its partner community in Israel. This relationship resulted in the building of the Sha'ar HaNegev Educational Village Arts Center, as part of a fortified educational campus, in 2012.[10] As of 2022, the Jewish Federation of San Diego County has provided over $13 million in funding to the region.[11]
B'nai B'rith International is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit Jewish service organization and was formerly a cultural association for German Jewish immigrants. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish people and the State of Israel and combating antisemitism and other forms of bigotry.
The Jewish Agency for Israel, formerly known as the Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. It was established in 1929 as the operative branch of the World Zionist Organization (WZO).
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, also known as Joint or JDC, is a Jewish relief organization based in New York City. Since 1914 the organisation has supported Jewish people living in Israel and throughout the world. The organization is active in more than 70 countries.
Hafetz Haim is a religious kibbutz in central Israel. Located in the Shephelah, it falls under the jurisdiction of Nahal Sorek Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 575.
United Synagogue Youth (USY) is the youth movement of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ). It was founded in 1951, under the auspices of the Youth Commission of what was then the United Synagogue of America.
Gevim is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located in the northwestern Negev desert near Sderot, it falls under the jurisdiction of Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 619.
Sha'ar HaGai in Hebrew, a name literally translated from Bab al-Wad or Bab al-Wadi in Arabic, meaning Gate of the Valley, is a point on the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, 23 km from Jerusalem, where the road begins to ascend through a deep valley flanked by steep rocky slopes, of the intermittent Nahshon Stream, or Wadi Ali in Arabic.
Tower and Stockade was a settlement method used by Zionist settlers in Mandatory Palestine during the 1936–39 Arab Revolt. The establishment of new Jewish settlements was legally restricted by the Mandatory authorities, but the British generally gave their tacit accord to the Tower and Stockade actions as a means of countering the Arab revolt. During the course of the Tower and Stockade campaign, some 57 Jewish settlements including 52 kibbutzim and several moshavim were established throughout the country. The legal base was a Turkish Ottoman law that was still in effect during the Mandate period, which stated that no illegal building may be demolished if the roof has been completed.
Shaqib al-Salam or Segev Shalom and also known as Shqeb as-Salam, is a Bedouin town and a local council in the Southern District of Israel, southeast of Beersheba. In 2022 it had a population of 12,540.
The Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, is a regional council in the north-western Negev, in Israel's Southern District. The Regional Council's territory lies midway between Beersheba and Ashkelon, bounded on the west by the Gaza Strip. The eastern border abuts Bnei Shimon. The city of Sderot forms an enclave within Sha'ar HaNegev.
Ruhama is a kibbutz in the Negev desert in southern Israel. The original settlement, established in 1911, is considered the first modern Jewish settlement in the Negev. Located around ten kilometres east of Sderot and surrounded by a nature reserve, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 761.
Bror Hayil is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located near Sderot, it falls under the jurisdiction of Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 1,063.
Dorot is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located on Route 334 near Sderot, it falls under the municipal jurisdiction of the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 915.
Eliyahu Moyal was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Alignment between 1974 and 1981.
The Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) is a private foundation established in 1993 and located in Agawam, Massachusetts. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization charitable organization with the goal of "enhancing Jewish and community life in Western Massachusetts, North America, Israel, and beyond."
Hashomer Hatzair is a Labor Zionist, secular Jewish youth movement founded in 1913 in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austria-Hungary, and it was also the name of the group's political party in the Yishuv in the pre-1948 Mandatory Palestine.
Alon Natan Schuster is an Israeli politician currently serving as a member of the Knesset for the National Unity Party. He was mayor of Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council between 2002 and 2018, the Minister of Agriculture from 2020 to 2021 and the Deputy Minister of Defense from 2021 to 2022.
The San Diego Jewish World is a publication that covers Jewish-interest news and cultural affairs in the San Diego, California, area and international Jewish news.
Ofir Libstein was an Israeli politician. He served as head of the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council from 2018 to 2023. Libstein was murdered in the Kfar Aza massacre in part of the attack which sparked the Israel–Hamas war.
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