I want to start by saying thank you.
I have been writing these e-mails for several months now and the response has been overwhelming. Over 10,000 of you are reading them and many of you are writing me back. Thank you for reaching out to me. I appreciate all of your responses — even the ones that are critical.
As President and CEO of The Jewish Federation, I attend a large number of communal events every week. As such, I feel responsible for the well-being and Jewish engagement of every Jew living in Greater Los Angeles. We have a significant number of Israelis, Persians, and Russians, as well as other Jewish immigrants from dozens of other countries. We have transplants from every Jewish community in North America. Jews in Los Angeles vote Democrat, Republican and Libertarian. There are even Jews who choose not to vote.
We have a large and growing senior population, and a recent Brandeis University study showed that we have one of the largest populations of millennials in America.
With over 650,000 Jews living in Los Angeles, we are lucky to have a rich and diverse Jewish community with many voices.
My job is not to speak for the Jewish community, but to listen. I meet hundreds of Jews every year for coffee, breakfast, lunch and dinner. I meet with anyone who reaches out to me. And I reach out to those who may differ on issues but share my passion.
Today, all those who reach out to me have one thing in common — they want the Federation to keep to its essential mission: to care for our most vulnerable (including our seniors and those with special needs) and to engage as many Jews as possible in a quality, lifelong Jewish journey. They want to know that our Federation continues to focus on our community’s safety and the future of the Jewish community, locally and abroad.
Our Federation has hundreds of deeply dedicated, talented and passionate lay leaders and professionals. Together, inspired by our Jewish values and our unwavering commitment to our community, we promise you that we will continue to work hard, to dream even bigger and to overcome any obstacle as we honor our mission and achieve our goals.
Thank you for continuing the dialogue,
Jay Sanderson
President & CEO
