What would Moses say about fundraising for the future?
“Moses was 120 years old, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.”
As Liberal Judaism celebrates its 120th anniversary, this is a quote we keep coming back to. Like Moses, we stand on the edge of a Promised Land – but one we will not inherit ourselves.
Liberal Judaism has just undertaken its first crowdfunding campaign, raising a staggering £275,000 to support our work and our members. Yet, like many other charities who have fundraised in this way and, indeed, like Moses himself, the people doing a lot of this work may not be the ones who feel its impact.
In our case, this includes providing bursaries for children wanting to attend LJY-Netzer youth camps and events, a Progressive Jewish chaplain in universities and a centralised b’nei mitzvah and Kabbalat Torah programme for smaller communities that do not have a rabbi.
This is all to create the next generation of confident and passionate Liberal Jews and to ensure that our children have a future-proofed Judaism.
It was not Moses and his generation who went into the Promised Land, but a future generation that went forth. If I’m honest, Moses didn’t go quietly into the night. He wasn’t happy about not seeing the Promised Land. He railed against God’s plans.
It is a struggle to realise you are not going to see the fruits of your efforts – that a legacy will be created, but that it is going to be delivered by the next generation. This is actually a central idea within Judaism. The Talmud tells us that we don’t plant trees for ourselves, as we are never going to see them, but for the next generation to benefit from. In the end, Moses accepted what was happening. The Torah tells us he may have been dying, but his vision was not diminished and his strength not abated. His advice to Liberal Judaism, and anyone raising funds, would be to think about the future with a clear vision and a reinvigorated strength.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
