Missions to Israel

The Federation would welcome your interest and participation in a future mission. Please contact the office if you or your family are interested in visiting Israel for a fabulous life changing experience.

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Washington 15

Our own Grand Rapidians, Marni Vyn and Liz Scheibe traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in the Washington 15.  A gathering of young national leadership to explore new ideas, discuss, and learn from one another.  They traveled this past March 2008 and this is the article that they submitted for the Shofar.

Make It Matter

We just returned from a 3-day conference, Washington 15, in our nation’s capital.  United Jewish Communities, the North American umbrella of our Federation system, sponsored this event where more than 1,000 young Jewish leaders came together to explore what it means to Make It Matter.  A major theme within this quest to Make It Matter was our obligation to work towards Tikkun Olam, repair of the world.

Several celebrity speakers informed and inspired us with unique and personal remarks.

• Madeleine Albright, Former U.S. Secretary of State, spoke on the first day of the conference regarding world issues and gave her to advice to the President Elect.  She also spoke on a very personal level about discovering her Jewish heritage.  

• Mara Liasson of NPR moderated an enthusiastic debate between Ari Fleisher, Former White House Press Secretary, and Mark Mellman, Advisor to Democratic Candidates.  Their spirited banter touched on topics ranging from presidential politics to issues in the Middle East.

• Jenna Bush, daughter of President George W. Bush and International Children’s Rights Advocate, presented a moving first-hand account of her eight months working in South America on behalf of children living with HIV/AIDS.

• David Gregory, NBC News’ Chief White House Correspondent, spoke about his Jewish upbringing and shared how he has explored and enhanced his Jewish identity in adulthood.

In as much as big celebrity speakers impressed us, we found Erica Brown, Scholar in Residence for the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, to be the most thought-provoking and engaging presenter at the conference. 

Ms. Brown opened the conference with the question, “Why be Jewish?”  She questioned whether it was enough for us to describe our Jewish identities by citing that we were born Jewish and would raise Jewish children. She encouraged us to explore our own Jewish identities and consider how we make Judaism meaningful and relevant in our daily lives. As young Jewish leaders we must answer this question for ourselves, and support members of our community as they address this question as well.  In doing so, we enrich our own lives as well as strengthen our Jewish community.

In a discussion of Generation Y, Ms. Brown acknowledged that younger Jews are less connected to Jewish institutions and organized religion.  They seem more comfortable with cyberspace and non-traditional outlets for Jewish expression. They are less likely to feel a sense of responsibility to the Jewish People, but are more likely to find ways to “do Jewish” when they feel personally connected to an outlet or event.  As a result, the organized Jewish community, including Federations and synagogues, are changing the ways they reach out to younger generations.

As young Jewish leaders, we were encouraged to shift the measure of our success away from counting the number of the Jews affiliated with a temple or synagogue.  Remember that we have many people who are affiliated but infrequently attend services or participate in programs!  Instead, we were challenged to reach out to the “uninterested” members of our community.

We explored innovative venues for incorporating Judaism into our lives and the lives of those who might be described as “uninterested.”  Ideas included an Indy rock concert inspired by traditional cantorial music, alternative opportunities to daven, and the development of a Jewish food movement.  The ideas were endless.  Our goal is to make a stronger and more sustainable Jewish community.

One speaker reframed a common movie quote from A Field of Dreams. Instead of expecting that “if you build it, they will come,” we were challenged to believe “if they come, they will build it.”  We need to encourage and empower the younger generation of “uninterested” Jews to step forward and create a Jewish community of interest to them.

We recognized the importance of having a strong Jewish community when we engaged in efforts towards Tikkun Olam.  We leveraged the strength of our conference community, which included more than 1,000 members, as we dedicated one day of the conference to lobbying on Capitol Hill.  We advocated for members of Congress to increase funding for Medicaid and autism, to support the state of Israel, and to address the threat of nuclear weapons in Iran.

Madeleine Albright summarized the theme of the conference when she said, “What happens anywhere can matter everywhere.”  This outstanding conference inspired us personally, renewed our commitment to Tikkun Olam, and reinforced our dedication to strengthening the Jewish community in Grand Rapids.  Thank you to the Jewish Federation of Grand Rapids for making it possible for us to attend the Washington 15.