Home › Blog › A Blank Page: Dreaming, Giving, and Building Together in 5787
By Sara Brenner, Executive Director, Jewish Community Foundation
The High Holidays invite us to pause—to look honestly at the year behind us and imagine what might be possible in the year ahead. As I reflect on this past year at the Jewish Community Foundation of The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, I keep returning to one word: possibility.
Jewish tradition teaches, “Lo alecha hamelacha ligmor”—“It is not your responsibility to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” That tension feels especially relevant today. We are living through a moment of profound need and uncertainty, and yet we are also choosing to act, to imagine boldly, and to build.
Just last year, through the Foundation, our donor community helped distribute more than $28 million as they responded to urgent needs and proactively set up collaborative funds to accomplish more together. Since October 7, donors have generously given $5,000,000 through funds at the Foundation to support and rebuild Israel, while we’ve seen the growth in giving to local agencies.
What gives me the greatest hope is not simply how much our community is giving, but how we are giving and building community together.
I see the greatest possibilities for the future as donors come together to learn from one another, build relationships with nonprofit leaders, and become more curious about needs and perspectives across our community. That is philanthropy at its best: not simply a transaction, but a way to build connection, deepen understanding, and turn Jewish values into action.
This Rosh Hashanah also marks an exciting new chapter for the Foundation.
Our aspiration is to bring more people into a community of philanthropy—people who want to give through a Jewish lens, are new to the Greater Washington area, new to giving, or simply ready to approach their philanthropy with greater intention. Through our Jewish Community Foundation, Federation can connect donors not only with the causes they care about, but with the people, organizations, and challenges and opportunities facing our Jewish community here in the DMV, in Israel, and around the world.
We hope to welcome more than 100 new donors this year, creating opportunities for people to give today while building lasting impact for tomorrow. The Foundation is designed to meet donors wherever they are: helping them clarify their values, connect with causes, engage their families, learn alongside others, and choose the giving tools that fit their goals.
Rosh Hashanah is also a time to think about what we carry forward and the legacy we pass from one generation to the next. For me, some of the most meaningful lessons about philanthropy have come from my children.
When my son Levi celebrated his Bar Mitzvah, he chose to learn about hunger relief. It was a timely choice; during this period, SNAP benefits were at risk, and there was a spike in needs in our community. Levi wanted to respond, so he organized food and supply drives with his friends.
What began as an effort to meet an immediate need led him to bigger questions about why that need exists and, more importantly, what it would take to change the conditions that created the need in the first place. The issue became one he and his friends returned to over several months, shaping his understanding and commitment to making a long-term impact. He ultimately chose to give 10 percent of the money he received to organizations addressing these issues.
That is what I hope philanthropy can do for all of us.
It can begin with generosity and lead us toward curiosity, learning, relationships, and action. It is one tangible way we can put our Jewish values into practice and pass them on.
Through the Foundation, we work with our community members every day to ensure their legacies and values can last for generations to come.
As we enter 5787, I find myself thinking about the blank page in front of us. What will we write on it together?
I hope we will continue to dream big—even when the circumstances around us make dreaming feel difficult. I hope we will continue to respond generously and courageously when our community needs us. I hope we will bring more people into the circle of Jewish philanthropy and help them find a meaningful expression of their values. I hope we will build more relationships across generations, perspectives, organizations, and experiences.
And I hope we will continue to ask not only, “What does our community need from us right now?” but also, “What kind of community do we want to become?”
For anyone who has been thinking about becoming more intentional in your giving but hasn’t yet taken that next step, Rosh Hashanah is a beautiful time to begin.
You don’t need to have all the answers. Start with a question. What matters to you? What do you want your giving to say about your values? What issue do you want to understand better? Who could you learn from?
At the Foundation, we are here to have that conversation with you.
Because philanthropy is not only about the resources we give. It is about the relationships we build, the questions we ask, the values we pass on, and the future we imagine together.
A new year is a blank page. Let us fill it with generosity, curiosity, courage, and connection. Let us dream big. And then let us build those dreams—together.
Shanah Tovah. May 5787 be a year of possibility, purpose, and peace for us all.