The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville more than doubled their fundraising goal during the annual Tzedakah Tzunday telethon on Sunday, Aug. 23. Their goal was $60,000, and the day ended with $172,865 raised.
Tzedakah Tzunday is the Jewish Federation’s annual telethon, a day when community members come together to support the Annual Campaign, which funds the Federation’s work throughout Jewish Nashville and beyond. Volunteers spent their Sunday making calls, handwriting thank-you notes, connecting with friends, and doing their part to strengthen Jewish life.
Federation leaders describe Jewish Nashville as an ecosystem. The places where people gather, the programs that enrich lives, the services that support people in need, and the opportunities that strengthen Jewish life are all connected. The Annual Campaign helps make that ecosystem possible, supporting everything from local social services and educational scholarships to community security and humanitarian assistance for Jews in Israel and around the world.
That Sunday, the community had a rare opportunity to see those connections unfold in real time. A phone call became a conversation, a conversation turned into a gift, and that gift will help send a child to camp or school, connect someone with a critical service, strengthen a Jewish institution or synagogue, help secure the community, and much more.
Tzedakah Tzunday Chair Miriam Leibowitz was one of the leaders who made the day possible, giving countless hours because of how deeply she believes in the Federation and the community it serves. For Leibowitz, that commitment is personal. After moving to Nashville to be near family, she has seen firsthand the many ways the Federation and the Annual Campaign can touch people’s lives.
“It’s important to me because it touches every part of our lives,” she said. “We must think of our community as a whole. It’s so easy to get caught up in everyday life, but finding ways to give back, especially in times of such need, is even more meaningful.”
Volunteer Bobbi Lipschutz understands that impact firsthand as well. She volunteered to make calls because she knows what collective support can mean for a family. Her own child attended Akiva with the help of a scholarship.
These are just two stories, and there are countless others.
That is the power of the Annual Campaign. The Federation says it is not about supporting any one program, institution, or person. It is about investing in the health and strength of Jewish Nashville as a whole and recognizing that the strength of our community depends on all of us.
“I make solicitation calls every year. It is very important to remind people of the community responsibilities and needs, and how they can help,” said volunteer Lorna Graff.
The sense of responsibility is what makes a community thrive. Our institutions and infrastructure are essential, but they cannot exist without the people behind them. Jewish life here thrives because people choose to give their time, make a gift, answer a phone call, reach out to a friend, or simply be there for one another.
The Federation thanks every volunteer who gave part of their Sunday, every person who answered a call, every donor who made a gift, and everyone who helped make Tzedakah Tzunday possible. You make Jewish Nashville possible.
The Jewish Observer is published by The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville and made possible by funds raised in the Jewish Federation Annual Campaign. Become a supporter today.