Nonprofit works in the spirit of tikkun olam, to make the world a better place

By Las Vegas Sun Staff (contact)

Sunday, July 17, 2016 | 2 a.m.

What does your organization do? The Jewish Federation of Las Vegas is made up of Jewish and social-service organizations, synagogues and schools that help people in our community, in Israel and around the world.

When and why was your organization established? The Jewish Federation of Las Vegas was established in 1966. The mission is to promote the well-being of our community, its members and Jews throughout the world; enhance the continuity, security and unity of the Jewish community; increase understanding of Jewish values; encourage members to fulfill the responsibility of tikkun olam, to make the world a better place; support Israel as a Jewish and democratic state; and promote collective action by individuals and organizations to advance these purposes.

What services do you offer that you think the community knows about? A primary initiative of the Jewish Federation is the Senior Lifeline program that services at-risk Jewish and non-Jewish seniors through transportation assistance, homemaking services and congregant meals/activities. Through our beneficiary agencies, we also fund programs for Holocaust survivors and Holocaust education, a free monthly book subscription for Jewish children in Las Vegas and various other initiatives.

What services do you offer that you think the community might not know about? We work with community partners, Jewish and non-Jewish, to promote inclusion and tolerance. This includes programs with the school district, the LGBTQ community, and participation in communitywide interfaith and multicultural activities. Another lesser-known aspect of our work is with the low-income senior population. Our Senior Lifeline program partners with the Regional Transportation Commission, the state and the county to provide meals and homemaking services to indigent elderly people. Nearly 80 percent of those we serve are not Jewish.

What sparked your interest in the nonprofit sector? I was involved in youth groups and my local Jewish community center while in high school. I was perplexed about my major in college and sought the advice of my guidance counselor. Upon explaining that I deeply enjoy spending time at the community center, she reminded me that people work there and that I could one day, as well. Later, during my college years, I was fortunate to visit Moscow and interact with other Jewish college students. After seeing the risks that the Russian students and their parents endured to maintain a connection to Judaism under communism, I decided to devote my career to ensuring that people would not have to take such risks in the future.

What has been your most exciting professional project? The Jewish Federation has been working to build stronger connections to non-Jewish organizations in Southern Nevada. We have had very productive meetings with CCSD, Three Square, the Smith Center, UNLV and others. I am looking forward to the progression of these conversations and how our partnerships can be mutually beneficial for the individual organizations and the community in general.

What can people do to help your organization or get involved in the cause you serve? Many associate our organization only with fundraising. The fact is that we are not a fundraising organization; we are a community-service organization that needs funds to carry out our work. Regarding the community, we welcome any and all volunteers and contributions. One needs only call our office to inquire about how to get involved.

What can Southern Nevadans do to improve our community in general? I believe every community can benefit by working on its weaknesses. We know our strengths and do a fine job talking about them and using them in marketing campaigns. I believe that we can only overcome our weaknesses if we face them as one community.

Whom do you admire? I admire my parents above most others. I grew up in West Philadelphia with my two brothers in a small row house. My father was a steel worker and meat cutter, and my mother was a hairdresser and cook. We were a typical blue-collar Philadelphia family. My parents have a work ethic that is second to none and a value system that I try to emulate. If I have achieved any success in my career, it is directly due to the lessons that I have learned from my parents about hard work and treating all people with respect.

How do you motivate people to get involved? I like to model the behavior that I want to see in others. To this end, I will never ask a member of my team to do anything that I am not willing to do. I believe that providing team members with discretion to make their own decisions provides (an alternative to) “brain-and-hand” leadership; meaning, when the brain tells the hand to do something, the hand has no choice but to act in that manner. I prefer to establish a system that is similar to a river. The river will always flow to the ocean, but the rocks in the river are able to change the course of the flow.

Where do you see your organization in five years? We will have increased philanthropic participation by 400 percent and created a new culture of philanthropy in Southern Nevada. This new culture will also lead to an increased level of involvement and volunteerism in Jewish and secular institutions.