Annual Meeting Address
Rabbi James Brandt

It dawns on me that I owe you a bit of explanation. I never interviewed for this job. That makes some sense. After all, I have been on the Federation staff for 4 ½ years. In December, I took the helm as Acting CEO, and essentially auditioned for the position for 5 months. We know each other pretty well, but come to think of it, you never even checked my references. Now if you had, if you dug really deep, you might have spoken with Mrs. Mintz, my 5th grade Hebrew School teacher at Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles. That would not have been good! Mrs. Mintz probably would have told you that I sat in back of class, hid in the alley during Israeli dance, and, let’s just say, was not a model Hebrew School student. So how does a confirmation drop-out end up becoming a rabbi, and then, a Federation executive? I’ll tell you, and it’s a Jewish answer: It’s the Network.

I’m like that guy in the Verizon commercial who has his entire network following him wherever he goes: a collection of operators in headsets, some guy in a hard hat, the phone salesman, and all these guys in lab coats. It’s just that my network is full of Jews. So I’m just trying to live my life, trying to carve out an existence as an L.A. surfer, a UC frat boy, postmodern architect. But I am in the network and this phone in my pocket won’t stop ringing. It’s vibrating, it’s texting me, it’s sending me pictures. And the ringtone that only I can hear is an extended version of Hava Nagila.

There is a midrash that teaches that every Jew that was ever to be born, and every person who would ever throw their lot in with the Jewish people, was gathered at Sinai: that every generation of our People was present at the moment that the Torah was given. In Federation terms, it was the ultimate community dinner. And we landed God as the speaker. He was promoting His new Book.

I carry this image with me wherever I go. I am embraced by the crowd. Rabbis and scholars, merchants and musicians, poets and students. You are there too, each and every one of you. I am reminded of the mountain every time I look at you. And every time the big and even the little decisions of my life had to be made the phone rings: Hava Nagila! It’s my 13-year-old father, the yeshiva bucher calling from the shtetl Veretski in Czechoslovakia. “Jimmy, Kaddish for your papa, its not how you pray, it’s what you do.” The phone rings. It’s cousin Joey, calling from Auschwitz. “This is what happens, if good people remain silent. Jimmy, my nightmare is your responsibility.” The phone rings. It’s Ya’had Ha’am, Jabotinski, and Ben Gurion -- a conference call. “Yakov, wake up, pay attention. Israel needs you. If you will it, it will be no dream.” The phone rings: It’s Maimonides. “Tzedakah, Rebbe, tzedakah, this is how we make the world more just, more like the world God imagined upon creation. The phone rings: it’s Moshe Rabeinu, “Boychick, the mission has not changed: To forge a community springing forth from the ideals of Torah. Now go forth, and, for God’s sake, make yourself useful.”

So here we are, still together after all these years, networked, on a mission, with a shared history and a common purpose, and with new challenges before us.

For Federation, rising to this challenge means working together to develop strategies to engage an increasingly mobile Jewish community, a changing donor base, and an emerging and dynamic generation of young philanthropists.

For Federation, rising to this challenge means developing new efficiencies and considering new collaborations – and even new institutional structures to serve the intensifying spiritual and material needs of our community. This means working more collaboratively with our Jewish Community Foundation and reaching out to better serve our institutional partners – our congregations, day schools, JCCs, agencies, and Midrasha community high schools.

For Federation, rising to this challenge means reaching out to expand our donor base and to raise the funds through which we enact the ideals of Torah and serve our people – in the East Bay, in Israel, and throughout the world.

One of my rich blessings in my work at the Federation has been the opportunity to be engaged in sacred work, working beside dedicated professionals and devoted volunteer leaders. I am grateful to both Jerry Yanowitz and Eileen Ruby, my partners in CJLL. I continue to learn much from both of them. Looking ahead to my tenure, I am truly thrilled to have Terry Friedkin and Joe Hurwich as my partners in this work.

Throughout my tenure, I will always look to Rob Ruby as my president, my first lay partner as Federation CEO. Over the past months, I watched in amazement as Rob charted through tough issues, each time taking steps to safeguard our Federation and support our community. Rob laid foundations and nurtured partnerships. On his watch, new initiatives were born that will endure for years to come. Under Rob’s leadership, the Federation’s Center for Jewish Living and Learning established a program to serve children with special educational needs. Through The PJ Library®, together with the Harold Grinspoon and the Jim Joseph Foundations, we are bringing Jewish books to over 1500 children every month. During Rob’s tenure, we funded and launched a community study that will help us to chart our next decade of service. It is only with his encouragement and endorsement that we established an LGBT Alliance to reach out to long under-served lesbian and gay Jews in our community.

Rob’s greatest accomplishment as Federation president is the relationships that he established, relationships by which our Federation will continue to thrive for years to come. In the face of challenging issues and some tough days, Rob remained the true diplomat, weighing the options, considering possibilities, and so often developing consensus.

Rob’s presidency culminates his 14 years of service to Federation. He served as Treasurer and Campaign Chair, and chaired numerous committees. He did all this with a deep sense of purpose and a commitment to community. He did all this with finesse and with humor.

Back in the day, they called Rob’s father, Burt, the Magyar Hercules. Chevrei, I present to you our East Bay Hercules, the president of the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay, our dear friend, Rob Ruby.

Incoming President’s Annual Meeting Remarks
Terry Friedkin

It is my privilege and great pleasure to speak to you tonight. Thank you for your confidence and your partnership.

Becoming your Federation President is exciting - I choose the word exciting because it reflects the excitement of learning, of joy, of vision, and of challenge. One can be excited on the eve of the first day of school, excited to embark on a journey, or excited about climbing up a mountain. I am feeling all of these variations of excitement now and in anticipation of my presidency, I have been compiling a list of values and ideas. These aren't just words to me. I pledge that these values and ideas will be guideposts for my presidency. I also pledge to be pragmatic in this time of budgetary concern and communal challenge.

There is an old Chassidic tale that goes like this... If I tell a story, maybe you might listen for a while and then you fall asleep. If I tell you my story, you will listen for a while, then you might hear your own story, and then you will wake up. So, here is my story…

My volunteer development took place right here at Temple Isaiah. Board training here fueled both my volunteer and professional skill set. I learned to build consensus, listen to constituents and professionals, and never to "PLOP" any ideas. My family will attest to the fact that I received the requisite number of telephone calls and emails that represent being a past Temple President, Federation leader, and serving on and chairing many committees. Among my most meaningful roles was the opportunity to serve Temple Isaiah as a para-rabbinic and then to start twenty-five havurot to help connect families to the synagogue and community.

During my spare time, I raised a family and created retail businesses. Retailing often includes quite a bit of openings and closings. This often scary and very real learning curve developed my professional strengths and honed my understanding of management and operations.

My avocations are pop culture and trend analysis, and I enjoy spending time with friends and relatives, especially with our grandchildren. My life is all about volunteering in the Jewish Community and living a Jewish life. Add in walking and talking and hiking. Notice I slipped in talking as a sport!

In addition to Temple Isaiah, my family also attends Oakland’s Congregation Beth Jacob where my great-grandfather as well as my husband’s family have a history. So, to sum up: growing up on two coasts, two East Bay synagogues, two sides of the tunnel, two daughters, two strategic planning committees and two terms as Finance Chair. That's me.

Tonight I would like to articulate a shared vision that Rabbi Brandt, our CEO, Jonathan Wornick, incoming Campaign Chair, and I have developed together. We asked many questions in the process to determine what precepts will drive us to be flexible, durable, transparent, and financially sound with outstanding core Jewish values - a non-profit model of service. As I sat down to record these priorities, so much of my father's advice and so many of his words came back to me that I couldn't help but sprinkle them in.

Pillar One is Listening. Stephen Covey said, “First we must listen,” to strive to understand. We can only hope to inspire and engage by being accessible - by listening to the community, both recipients and providers, listening to agencies, synagogues, rabbis, and donors. I plan to grow an extra set of ears to facilitate the best listening. We want to hear the entire community - to include every stream of Judaism, reaching out to both affiliated and unaffiliated, LGBT, interfaith, young families, single parent families, Jews from many regions, of all ages, and, of every race. It's a tall order - our geography is wide spread - our community is diverse. As a retailer, my Dad always taught - location, location, location. What's our location? The East Bay Federation is perfectly positioned to convene, to listen, and to respond. We have already heard loud and clear the need to reach out to the emerging generation and to young families. We are placing this outreach among our highest priorities.

Pillar Two is Collaborating. We know that the more coalitions we can build and partner in, the better we can drive our programming and initiatives. One very specific collaboration goal is to develop and strengthen partnerships between Federation and our East Bay congregations. My Dad would say, "Don't re-invent the wheel, " and, “Save your money.” What are we doing? What are you doing that works? Let's learn from each other and do it together. One Jew helping another Jew; one Jewish organization working with another. All in the spirit of doing more, and doing better, with less, together.

Pillar Three is Communicating. We want you, our donors and our partners, to understand our priorities and our budget. Communicating means communicating effectively and transparently. This means sharing with you our plans and our funding strategies and initiatives. Transparency includes our fiscal responsibility to you to be a lean organization. We will accomplish a business-like organizational structure to match the business world in efficiency and effectiveness while sustaining a culture of innovation and caring. My Dad always said, “Where there are big problems there are big opportunities.” In these compelling times, I find myself being both brutally realistic and unflaggingly optimistic. Leadership comes without easy answers. Adaptive problems require significant diagnosis and, for me, charting our course always involves Jewish values. We talk about leading with a Jewish heart. In urgent times, that means taking urgent action. That means being fearless, being bold, being careful, being lean, but never mean. Being caring. That also means communicating.

Pillar Four is Fundraising. We know that, as a philanthropic enterprise, we have to increase our capacity to make a difference and to better serve our East Bay Jewish community. Our Federation’s mission is to bring people and financial resources together. Only through our Campaign, through fundraising, only with dollars, can we actualize our caring for those in need, support our midrashot, day schools, camps, pre-schools, synagogues, and JCCs. We wish the dollars would just fly over to 300 Grand Ave. on their own, but since they don't - just know that we will be contacting you with our emails, our phone calls, our coffee dates. I remember my Dad's words, "Be Kind, Be Kind, Be Kind." He might also have added, "Those that can, must do."

Pillar Five is Torah Learning. Federation’s work is imbued with Jewish values, the same values that I learned from my Dad.
• Arevut - mutual responsibility;
• Tikkun Olam - repairing the world;
• Gemilut Hasadim - acts of loving kindness; and
• Tzedakah- righteousness.

It is our work to connect all that we do to the teachings of our Torah and our heritage. Education and learning have been and will continue to be one of the highest funding priorities for us.

I would like to conclude with our kavods, our honors. Please stand as I call on you. First, I give you my family: my wonderful husband, Stephen, and the gifts of this lifetime - our children, Jen and Jessica and her husband, Dan. Now to our Boards. I commend these volunteers who devote a huge amount of their resources and time: Federation Board, Women’s Philanthropy Board and Young Leadership Division Board, please stand. Our staff both lead and support all of us. They are an integral part of all the work and programming that we do. Federation is all of us - every leader, every donor, every professional, each and every one of us.

In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins says, “First, you get the best people on the bus, and then the bus can move forward.” I promise you these are the best people and our bus is moving forward.

And now I want to thank YOU - all of you who are here tonight and many more that join us every year - Thank you. Thank you for all that you do. You are in a position to throw the rope to pull us up to the next peak and create the opportunity to perform the mitzvah of tzedakah. I hope that you heard your own story tonight.

Hazak v'Amatz: Be Strong and of Good Courage.