Campaign News
February 16, 2017
The J Weekly, The Jewish News of Northern California, reports on our Campaign this week in its cover story
A major story in the widely circulated J Weekly newspaper reported on our community and its Campaign effort this week. The story briefly highlights the history of Karaite Judaism, describes the objectives of our Campaign to renovate and expand Congregation B'nai Israel and establish the national Karaite Jewish Cultural Center, and reports on our Campaign progress. Their coverage is of great impact, now that we are within sight of reaching our immediate $1.2 million goal.
But at the same time we are working hard to raise the remaining $100,000 needed before March 31, 2017 to reach our original goal, we are developing the long-term strategic funding plan needed to phase in and sustain a comprehensive array of activities for the Cultural Center. We are thrilled about the J Weekly's coverage, but we still have much to accomplish to realize the full scope of our vision! Help us today, by making your Campaign gift if you have not already done so.
http://www.jweekly.com/2017/02/16/a-karaite-prayer-little-known-jewish-community-builds-center-to-tell-its-story/
November 8, 2016
The Foundation for the Future Campaign Hits $1 million Gift Benchmark –$200k Still Needed to Realize Our $1.2 million goal
With the clock ticking on our all-important challenge match gift pledges, Campaign leadership and committee members are working hard to reach our immediate financial goals. Our progress during this fast-tracked Campaign effort launched in May 2016 has been remarkable, with one million dollars committed through estate gifts, challenge matches, individual/family gifts and pledges. But, we must still secure $75k before December 31, 2016 and an additional $75k before March 31, 2017, to fully realize the value of the two challenge match pledges made by extremely generous members of our Karaite Jewish community. Beyond matching these challenge pledges with $150k in new gifts, we must also raise at least $50k more, to meet our fundraising goal and the projected budget for the construction phase to renovate and expand Congregation B’nai Israel, and to create the national Karaite Jewish Cultural Center.
KJA Campaign Receives Inaugural Gift through a Jewish Community Federation Donor Advised Fund
We are delighted to announce that the Karaite Jews of America Foundation for the Future Campaign has received its first grant through the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, and Sonoma Counties. This one thousand dollar commitment, from prominent philanthropists and donors in the larger San Francisco Bay Area Jewish community, is a watershed moment for KJA, as it represents the first gift to our Campaign through a Donor Advised Fund of the Federation. This means that our Campaign objectives have been vetted and endorsed by the Federation, which is lending its considerable prestige to our effort. We are grateful to the Federation and to the generous donors, not members of the Karaite community, who have played a leadership role in supporting our work through their Donor Advised Fund. We hope that this support will be a catalyst for others within the Karaite Jewish community and beyond, who have not yet made their commitment.
September 22, 2016
Interview with Campaign Director Maryellen Himell-Ovadia appears on A Blue Thread Blog
Click here to read
September 18, 2016
Announcing an Exciting $150k Challenge Pledge Campaign Gift
From the Family of David and Odette Khedr
We are thrilled to announce that David and Odette Khedr, along with their children Michelle Khedr, Robert Khedr, and Jennifer and Ben Lebovitz, have made an extraordinary gift commitment in conjunction with our public launching of KJA’s “Foundation for the Future Campaign.” With their challenge pledge of $150k, new gifts made between September 15th and December 30th will be matched on a dollar for dollar basis, up to $150k.
This new challenge gift is added to the earlier challenge pledge of $250k from an anonymous prior donor, which served as a catalyst for the “quiet phase” of the Campaign. Together, these tremendous commitments added to other leadership support, mean that we are now well on our way to achieving our $1.2m project goal. But we need the help of the entire community to reach it. The time is now.
In making the gift, David Khedr remarked that he and Odette hoped the pledge would “help people to get involved and to contribute as much as they can to make the dream a reality. That was my dad's dream,” he said, “to make our community strong and well known throughout the USA and the world, and not to have the Karaite Jews disappear like other minority groups did before us. I hope that our gift will encourage others to donate and to make our community prosper again.” (See David’s full quote on the “Hear From Our Supporters” link.)
The KJA Board and Campaign Committee thank David and Odette Khedr and their children for the great example they have set, and for their generosity which provides a huge boost to our Campaign to renovate and expand Congregation B’nai Israel and to establish the new national Karaite Jewish Cultural Center.
The J Weekly, The Jewish News of Northern California, reports on our Campaign this week in its cover story
A major story in the widely circulated J Weekly newspaper reported on our community and its Campaign effort this week. The story briefly highlights the history of Karaite Judaism, describes the objectives of our Campaign to renovate and expand Congregation B'nai Israel and establish the national Karaite Jewish Cultural Center, and reports on our Campaign progress. Their coverage is of great impact, now that we are within sight of reaching our immediate $1.2 million goal.
But at the same time we are working hard to raise the remaining $100,000 needed before March 31, 2017 to reach our original goal, we are developing the long-term strategic funding plan needed to phase in and sustain a comprehensive array of activities for the Cultural Center. We are thrilled about the J Weekly's coverage, but we still have much to accomplish to realize the full scope of our vision! Help us today, by making your Campaign gift if you have not already done so.
http://www.jweekly.com/2017/02/16/a-karaite-prayer-little-known-jewish-community-builds-center-to-tell-its-story/
November 8, 2016
The Foundation for the Future Campaign Hits $1 million Gift Benchmark –$200k Still Needed to Realize Our $1.2 million goal
With the clock ticking on our all-important challenge match gift pledges, Campaign leadership and committee members are working hard to reach our immediate financial goals. Our progress during this fast-tracked Campaign effort launched in May 2016 has been remarkable, with one million dollars committed through estate gifts, challenge matches, individual/family gifts and pledges. But, we must still secure $75k before December 31, 2016 and an additional $75k before March 31, 2017, to fully realize the value of the two challenge match pledges made by extremely generous members of our Karaite Jewish community. Beyond matching these challenge pledges with $150k in new gifts, we must also raise at least $50k more, to meet our fundraising goal and the projected budget for the construction phase to renovate and expand Congregation B’nai Israel, and to create the national Karaite Jewish Cultural Center.
KJA Campaign Receives Inaugural Gift through a Jewish Community Federation Donor Advised Fund
We are delighted to announce that the Karaite Jews of America Foundation for the Future Campaign has received its first grant through the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, and Sonoma Counties. This one thousand dollar commitment, from prominent philanthropists and donors in the larger San Francisco Bay Area Jewish community, is a watershed moment for KJA, as it represents the first gift to our Campaign through a Donor Advised Fund of the Federation. This means that our Campaign objectives have been vetted and endorsed by the Federation, which is lending its considerable prestige to our effort. We are grateful to the Federation and to the generous donors, not members of the Karaite community, who have played a leadership role in supporting our work through their Donor Advised Fund. We hope that this support will be a catalyst for others within the Karaite Jewish community and beyond, who have not yet made their commitment.
September 22, 2016
Interview with Campaign Director Maryellen Himell-Ovadia appears on A Blue Thread Blog
Click here to read
September 18, 2016
Announcing an Exciting $150k Challenge Pledge Campaign Gift
From the Family of David and Odette Khedr
We are thrilled to announce that David and Odette Khedr, along with their children Michelle Khedr, Robert Khedr, and Jennifer and Ben Lebovitz, have made an extraordinary gift commitment in conjunction with our public launching of KJA’s “Foundation for the Future Campaign.” With their challenge pledge of $150k, new gifts made between September 15th and December 30th will be matched on a dollar for dollar basis, up to $150k.
This new challenge gift is added to the earlier challenge pledge of $250k from an anonymous prior donor, which served as a catalyst for the “quiet phase” of the Campaign. Together, these tremendous commitments added to other leadership support, mean that we are now well on our way to achieving our $1.2m project goal. But we need the help of the entire community to reach it. The time is now.
In making the gift, David Khedr remarked that he and Odette hoped the pledge would “help people to get involved and to contribute as much as they can to make the dream a reality. That was my dad's dream,” he said, “to make our community strong and well known throughout the USA and the world, and not to have the Karaite Jews disappear like other minority groups did before us. I hope that our gift will encourage others to donate and to make our community prosper again.” (See David’s full quote on the “Hear From Our Supporters” link.)
The KJA Board and Campaign Committee thank David and Odette Khedr and their children for the great example they have set, and for their generosity which provides a huge boost to our Campaign to renovate and expand Congregation B’nai Israel and to establish the new national Karaite Jewish Cultural Center.
