December 11, 2020
(C)Han(n)ukah Reminder: Bringing Light into Our World
It’s only fitting that the end of the campaign would line up with Hanukah. Also spelled as Chanukah or Hannukah, the confusion over spelling cannot dim the brightness in the joy and light this holiday stands for. Whether or not you believe in the miracle of the oil, which should have burned for one night only, burning for eight nights, Hanukah is especially meaningful this year.
The story of Hanukah celebrates overcoming unimaginable odds, rededication, and bringing light into our world… which sounds a lot like the UWCFD 2020 Campaign. This year, the global community faced unimaginable odds battling multiple pandemics at once. From the COVID-19 virus to police brutality to the fragility of our social safety net, we have seen heroes stepping up in every space to help the community overcome. From the janitorial staff keeping areas safe and clean, to the grocers who make sure we have access to food, to the advocates for voting rights, and to the nurses, doctors, and medical staff working around the clock to care for our sick, we see people pulling the community together to overcome 2020.
These actions alone are awe inducing. But as we’ve seen, the UW community goes above and beyond. Despite isolation, lockdowns, hiring freezes, furloughs, and existential threats, the UW community reaffirmed its commitment to aiding our local, global, and international community. Together the UWCFD helped raise over $2 million dollars! Not only did we pass last year’s giving amount, we did so with intentionality, passion, and dedication. Of course, we could not have done any of this without the unwavering commitment of the campaign coordinators.
We are in a time of incredible darkness. The virus has decimated families and businesses. We have watched marches and movements fight for our lives and rights. Literally, we are in the season of short days and long darkness. As we celebrate Hanukah and bringing light into our world, we celebrate the nearly 650,000 meals Northwest Harvest will be able to provide because of UWCFD support. We celebrate the engagement with events and goal-shattering donations. We celebrate the community coming together to learn about and from our wonderful partner charities.
Thank you to our partner charities serving the Jewish Community:
Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle (charity code 0315691): We nurture Jewish identity and build Jewish community. Through leadership encouragement of strategic partnerships we develop leverage resources to address needs and solve community problems. We allocate funds locally, nationally, and overseas.
Jewish Family Service (charity Code 0316256): JFS provides comprehensive children, family, disability, domestic violence, refugee, counseling and senior services to the Jewish and general community in the greater Puget Sound region.
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger (charity code 0316353): MAZON mobilizes the American Jewish community to help prevent and end hunger by raising money to fund diverse domestic and international hunger relief projects, educating people about hunger and its causes and advocating on behalf of programs that help people living in poverty access nutritious food.
Samuel Althea Stroum Jewish Community Center – Greater Seattle (charity code 0456648): SJCC provides cultural, educational, recreational and social programs for individuals, families and groups which promote and enhance the quality of life in the greater Seattle area.
American Jewish Committee (charity code 1478489): AJC works to safeguard minorities, fight terrorism, anti-Semitism, hatred and bigotry, pursue social justice, advance human dignity, defend religious freedom, and provide humanitarian relief.
American Jewish World Service (charity code 0315532): Inspired by the Jewish commitment to justice, American Jewish World Service AJWS works to realize human rights and end poverty in the developing world.
The Jewish Women’s Archive, Inc. (charity code 1480504): The Jewish Women’s Archive JWA is the world’s leading source of information on Jewish women in America. Its website, jwa.org, provides free access to a wide variety of materials, including online exhibits and collections, an encyclopedia about Jewish women through history, educational resources, podcasts, and a blog. JWA believes that we owe present and future generations an accurate picture of our past.
Holocaust Center For Humanity (charity code 1478791): The Center’s mission is to inspire teaching and learning for humanity. Through educational programs and the preservation of artifacts students learn to connect the lessons of the past to the moral choices made today.
– Contributed by UWCFD student intern Noam Soker
