Sukkot and the Mighty Women at the SF Jewish Federation

Sukkah tormented by the wind, but still standing
on the roof of the SF Jewish Federation Building

During chol hamoed sukkot (October 3, 2012), we Fed Fellows had our second meeting. Katherine Tick, our kind program director, was once again very thoughtful and ordered kosher falafel platters from Sabra. I was risking a reputation of being the pickiest Fellow the JCF has ever selected, when I mentioned that unfortunately I cannot eat much inside the Koret board room during Sukkot. The eyes of our host lit up, and promptly led the way up to the roof of the building, where lo and behold was the Federation's very own sukkah. Unfortunately, due to the strong wind, the structure had fallen somewhat, but given my considerable appetite and the three still standing walls with the height of over ten tefachim, I quickly deemed the structure suitable for its intended halachic purposes. What the wind and cold weather took away, the food and the excellent rooftop view compensated.

As I was finding my way back to the second floor meeting room, I had to jog my spatial memory of dead-reackoning through a series of propped doors and office corridors, but made it just in time for the introduction of the evening's three guests from the JCF: Jennifer Gorovitz, Chief Executive Officer, Nancy Grand, President of the Board,  and Marsha Hurwitz, the new Chief Operating Officer. Marsha had only been in the job for 28 days, so she left most of the presentation to Jen and Nancy.

In a world where according to a 2012 report on Fortune 500 companies, women represented only 2% of CEOs, 14% of top executives and 16% of corporate directors, sitting across the table of three women leaders was refreshing in itself. One may say that the JCF is no Fortune 500, I still wonder if the ratios are so dramatically different for non-profits? Nevertheless before we draw far reaching conclusions about CEO demographics of American Jewish Federations, we heard multiple times from our speakers that San Francisco, together with Boston, is the most progressive of all Federations both in terms of their leadership structure and programming. 

Nancy Grand, President

So what exactly makes the mighty women duo led SF JCF so progressive? Is it that they managed to act upon a realization that they don't need to be a monolithic giant among the nearly 300 other Jewish organizations just within the Bay Area? Listening to Nancy's introduction, the vision for the JCF is more like a priority node in a nexus of like-minded others with similar focus to foster and develop best practices for leadership in all aspects of Jewish life. This represents a historic change for the Federation, as the organization was once created with the sole purpose to centralize fundraising efforts for communities and agencies struggling with financial hardship. Before, however, someone thinks that the Federation does not deal with money anymore, let's mention that last year alone they raised $17.7 million in unrestricted gifts. Impressive for a non Fortune 500, isn't it?!

Jennifer Gorovitz, CEO

Jennifer, an authentic minority Jew from Salt Lake City and once Stanford Hillel president, went through the details of their funds system (Core Funds, Israel and Global Funds, and Bay Area Initiatives Funds). Without even attempting to recall all details, I focused on the stated value system that determines how these funds are allocated, and what she calls the philosophy behind a healthy Jewish community. First, ensure a good education is in place, than care for the vulnerable, and lastly plan for as much cultural and social relationships as possible. This three-pronged approach resonated much with my socialist upbringing and feeling of societal-responsibility, represented in our Jewish values as tikkun olam. It would be interesting to see in action, how does the Federation actually make a decision about allocating its almost chai million worth of gifts. My mind immediately searches for worthy causes, such as creating a Hebrew Language Elementary School in the Bay Area (http://hleschool.org/), a project that my wife is closely involved with. Hope that I get the chance to ask this questions from Jennifer next time we meet.