Campaign Chairman's Letter
Letter mailed with Campaign materials by Campaign Committee Chairman David Ovadia, September 15, 2016
The eternal flame that hangs in Congregation B’nai Israel symbolizes our history as a Jewish people and as Karaite Jews . It reflects our survival as a thriving remnant of an ancient culture flourishing within our modern Jewish world. Like the eternal flame, Karaite Jews survived through centuries and through tens of generations … through the diaspora and the second exodus from Egypt … through persecution from outside our Jewish world and from misunderstanding within … through wars and assimilation.
We survived, and we have thrived in our journey as a people and as individuals. So today, as we enter the holiest season in the Jewish calendar, we ask you to join the leadership of Karaite Jews of America (KJA) in preserving our legacy and enhancing it for years to come through our “Foundation for the Future” Campaign 2016-2017.
This Campaign is nothing less than a call to action to you and your family. It is a call to expand and renovate B’nai Israel, the only Karaite synagogue in the U.S., and to establish a national Karaite Jewish Cultural Center providing educational and social resources for dispersed Karaite Jews, and for the greater Jewish community. Through the Cultural Center and through Internet outreach, we will reach beyond ourselves, helping to strengthen the larger Jewish world as we strengthen our own.
The objectives of KJA’s “Foundation for the Future Campaign” are fourfold:
We have talked about this for a long time. Now, we are launching our fundraising campaign, thanks to a generous challenge pledge gift of $250k from a prominent KJA member who lives outside the Bay Area, and from gifts made by other leaders in California and beyond. These new commitments added to $350k in unrestricted gifts from prior donors and carefully managed for purposes such as this, bring us more than halfway to our $1.2 million budget.
Now, your investment is vital to ensuring the future of our synagogue and our community, and we ask you to make your generous gift today. We are building the Campaign on a strong foundation, and the time is now.
We are developing new programs to engage the coming generations in their identity as Karaite Jews. We are modernizing our learning tools and prayer materials. We are increasing educational resources for young people and have designed a liturgy for a new Family Shabbat Service. We are developing plans to establish more youth and family-focused celebrations and social activities, and to revive summer camps for children. And we are enhancing our outreach efforts, building bridges to the larger Jewish community and to all those interested in learning more about our traditions.
Our “Foundation for the Future Campaign” is just the start of a renaissance for the Karaite Jewish community, and we want you to be a part of it for years to come. As we begin the High Holy Days, a time of personal reflection and renewal, please consider the tremendous impact your gift can make on our community’s future, in the Bay Area and beyond. Read the brochure to learn more about our plans, and visit our updated website, www.Karaites.org, for the FAQ and updates about new programs being developed. The website also provides more information about the Campaign and about how your support is crucial to achieving its goals.
Please make your tax-deductible gift on-line or return your donation card today, and please help us spread the word about the importance of this Campaign! Your support helps us ensure that Congregation B’nai Israel remains a vibrant spiritual and educational gathering place for generations, and a locus of activity and communications for Karaite Jews throughout the world.
Thank you, on behalf of the KJA Board of Directors, if you have already made your pledge or gift. If you have not yet made your commitment, please do so as soon as possible. The time is now.
In closing, I send our Board’s best wishes for good health and happiness to you and to all the members of your family in the year ahead. Please contact me at 415-999-4435, or at [email protected], with any questions. I am happy to provide more information and to discuss the ways you can make a difference to the future of Karaite Jews of America and to Congregation B’nai Israel.
Best regards and Shalom,
The eternal flame that hangs in Congregation B’nai Israel symbolizes our history as a Jewish people and as Karaite Jews . It reflects our survival as a thriving remnant of an ancient culture flourishing within our modern Jewish world. Like the eternal flame, Karaite Jews survived through centuries and through tens of generations … through the diaspora and the second exodus from Egypt … through persecution from outside our Jewish world and from misunderstanding within … through wars and assimilation.
We survived, and we have thrived in our journey as a people and as individuals. So today, as we enter the holiest season in the Jewish calendar, we ask you to join the leadership of Karaite Jews of America (KJA) in preserving our legacy and enhancing it for years to come through our “Foundation for the Future” Campaign 2016-2017.
This Campaign is nothing less than a call to action to you and your family. It is a call to expand and renovate B’nai Israel, the only Karaite synagogue in the U.S., and to establish a national Karaite Jewish Cultural Center providing educational and social resources for dispersed Karaite Jews, and for the greater Jewish community. Through the Cultural Center and through Internet outreach, we will reach beyond ourselves, helping to strengthen the larger Jewish world as we strengthen our own.
The objectives of KJA’s “Foundation for the Future Campaign” are fourfold:
- Create a national Karaite Jewish Cultural Center for learning, advocacy and fellowship; and establish a vibrant gathering place for dialogue and celebration, for generations to come.
- Renovate Congregation B’nai Israel and its sanctuary, expand the building with a multi-purpose social hall, and modernize facilities through much-needed maintenance and repairs.
- Establish new cultural, spiritual, and social programs to enhance outreach to young and old, and to provide learning opportunities for anyone interested in Karaite traditions.
- Strengthen our relationships within the global Karaite Jewish community, and with all of world Jewry.
We have talked about this for a long time. Now, we are launching our fundraising campaign, thanks to a generous challenge pledge gift of $250k from a prominent KJA member who lives outside the Bay Area, and from gifts made by other leaders in California and beyond. These new commitments added to $350k in unrestricted gifts from prior donors and carefully managed for purposes such as this, bring us more than halfway to our $1.2 million budget.
Now, your investment is vital to ensuring the future of our synagogue and our community, and we ask you to make your generous gift today. We are building the Campaign on a strong foundation, and the time is now.
We are developing new programs to engage the coming generations in their identity as Karaite Jews. We are modernizing our learning tools and prayer materials. We are increasing educational resources for young people and have designed a liturgy for a new Family Shabbat Service. We are developing plans to establish more youth and family-focused celebrations and social activities, and to revive summer camps for children. And we are enhancing our outreach efforts, building bridges to the larger Jewish community and to all those interested in learning more about our traditions.
Our “Foundation for the Future Campaign” is just the start of a renaissance for the Karaite Jewish community, and we want you to be a part of it for years to come. As we begin the High Holy Days, a time of personal reflection and renewal, please consider the tremendous impact your gift can make on our community’s future, in the Bay Area and beyond. Read the brochure to learn more about our plans, and visit our updated website, www.Karaites.org, for the FAQ and updates about new programs being developed. The website also provides more information about the Campaign and about how your support is crucial to achieving its goals.
Please make your tax-deductible gift on-line or return your donation card today, and please help us spread the word about the importance of this Campaign! Your support helps us ensure that Congregation B’nai Israel remains a vibrant spiritual and educational gathering place for generations, and a locus of activity and communications for Karaite Jews throughout the world.
Thank you, on behalf of the KJA Board of Directors, if you have already made your pledge or gift. If you have not yet made your commitment, please do so as soon as possible. The time is now.
In closing, I send our Board’s best wishes for good health and happiness to you and to all the members of your family in the year ahead. Please contact me at 415-999-4435, or at [email protected], with any questions. I am happy to provide more information and to discuss the ways you can make a difference to the future of Karaite Jews of America and to Congregation B’nai Israel.
Best regards and Shalom,
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David Ovadia
Chair, KJA “Foundation for the Future Campaign” “Today Begins the Rest of your Life … Make a Difference Now!” |
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