Jewish Federation Launches Second Annual "Focus and Fight: A Call to End Poverty"

Building on last year’s success, the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle in partnership with dozens of Jewish organizations is launching the second annual Focus and Fight: A Call to End Poverty by the Seattle Jewish Community. This year’s program runs from October 2-9, 2009, during the week of Sukkot.

Focus and Fight gives participants ways to help reduce poverty in our community and learn about how poverty affects the day-to-day lives of low-income people and families:

• Parents, teachers, and schools can use a newly created curriculum with activities and anti-poverty messaging in mind. “The goal of the curriculum is to provide parents, teachers, and schools the resources and activities to help teach the Jewish roots of ending poverty,” explained Hebrew High Principal, Amy Hilzman-Paquette.
• Community members can also hear personal stories of living in poverty from Real Change Speaker’s Bureau presenters. Speaking at locations around the community, the presenters help put a human face on poverty.
• The Mitzvah Match program matches Jewish agencies with nonprofit agencies in need. The Jewish agencies will collect goods and services for the matched nonprofits during the week. As part of the Mitzvah Match program, the Jewish Federation has paired up with Jewish Family Service. Instead of collecting needed goods, the Jewish Federation is “collecting volunteers.” Through our Professional Resource Bank, doctors and lawyers can sign up to donate their professional services to Jewish Family Service clients in need.
• Other matched agencies include: UW Hillel with Youth Care (Homeless Youth): the Stroum Jewish Community Center with St. Joseph’s Baby Corner; and, JConnect with Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA).
• By joining the Washington State Jewish Action Center, people will receive action alerts about important policy issues, and needed actions, affecting individuals and families in need. www.JewishInSeattle.org/ActionCenter.

“Sukkot—a festival celebrating a bountiful fall harvest—is the perfect time for individuals and families in our Jewish community to reflect on the struggles of low income people and work to reduce poverty in our community,” said Richard Fruchter, President & CEO of the Federation.

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Rabbinical Contact: Rabbi Will Berkowitz, UW Hillel, 206 527-1998
Real Change Speaker’s Bureau: Wes Browning, drwesb@gmail.com
Focus and Fight Program Manager: Kim Greenhall, 206 774-2221

Sponsors include:
Anti-Defamation League
Cardozo Society of Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle
Congregation Beth Shalom
Evergreen Region BBYO
Herzl Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation
Hillel Foundation of Jewish Life at the UW
Jconnect Seattle
Jewish Family Service
JTNews
Kadima Reconstructionist Jewish Community
Kline Galland Center
Kol HaNeshamah
Maimonides Society of Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle
National Council of Jewish Women
Northwest Yeshiva High School
Rodef Tzedek
Seattle Hebrew Academy
Seattle Jewish Community School
Stroum Jewish Community Center
Temple Beth Am
Temple Beth Hatfiloh
Temple Beth Or
Temple B'nai Torah
Temple De Hirsch Sinai
Temple De Hirsch Sinai
Washington State Jewish Historical Society
Women's Philanthropy of Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle
Young Leadership Division of Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle
 

2009 Focus and Fight Press Release FINAL.doc