Russell Berrie Foundation

Our NJ and Israel teams are together this week and we had the opportunity to visit the Unity Health campus in Garfield and see how far the facility has come toward completion. The Unity Pantry recently opened and is serving neighbors through a choice-style market model that will help to alleviate food insecurity within the local community. What was particularly exciting to see was the Partnership’s “no wrong door” model coming to life – people coming for free medical care at Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative (BVMI)’s new clinic can be linked to behavioral health care, public health vaccine clinics, assistance for aging populations, or healthy cooking demos, all under one roof and through a strong, collaborative network of partners. Resource navigators and community health workers will untangle the web of services that often confront uninsured and underinsured people and help them access all the benefits for which they are eligible. We look forward to the full campus opening in early 2025! Greater Bergen Community Action, Inc. Lynne Algrant Community FoodBank of New Jersey CBH Care Mid Bergen Regional Health Commission #SDOH

Jews around the world this week will read a portion of the book of Numbers that tells of Balak, the Moabite king, fearing the military might of the Israelites. To stave off an attack, he orders the prophet Balaam to curse the Israelites. God intervenes, rendering Balaam unable to say the curses; ultimately, he can only prophesize that the Israelites are “a people that dwells alone not reckoned among the nations.” In these dark times, CEO Idana Goldberg find this characterization to be “both blessing and curse depending on the lens through which one views it. As a portrayal of the curse of isolation, it can serve as a call for us to reject prophecy as destiny and build bridges of allyship and deep mutual commitment. As a depiction of the blessing of solidarity, it impels us to ensure there is a place in the Jewish community for all who seek it." Read her full commentary and learn more about grantees like Interfaith America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs that are bridging across diverse groups to create cultures of tolerance, respect, and mutual support and safety within today’s fractured communities and campuses. To sign up for The Russell Berrie Foundation newsletter, visit https://lnkd.in/ecDPdQRn. Cc Amy Spitalnick Eboo Patel Jenan Mohajir Rebecca Russo Atra: Center for Rabbinic Innovation Shira Epstein Brigid Goggin Ariel Moritz

“Funders are duty-bound to stand by their values. Antisemitism is on the rise, with 73 percent of Jewish students saying they’ve faced or witnessed antisemitism while a third hide signs of their Jewish identity. Without intervention from grant makers such as The Russell Berrie Foundation and philanthropists like Robert Kraft and Marc Rowan, campus antisemitism would continue, unchecked. It’s unacceptable for nonprofits to pretend that demonization of Israel plays no role in antisemitism. Funders are right to call that out.” Jewish Funders Network President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny 🎗️ makes compelling arguments in his The Chronicle of Philanthropy letter in response to the 6/18 article, “Nonprofits Are Taking a Stance on Gaza – and Paying the Price.”

Normally held in Tel Aviv, MAOZ מעוז moved its 2024 leadership network meeting to the Galilee to focus on the growing socio-economic gaps and security threats facing the North since Oct. 7th. Last week, hundreds of MAOZ network members – high-performing leaders from every sector and population group in Israel – gathered north of Haifa to reinforce their support of Northern leaders and consider solutions to the region’s overlapping crises, which have been left largely unaddressed by the central government. Russell Berrie Foundation Israel Director Binny Shalev and Program Officer and MAOZ network alum Amit Granek attended the event. From Amit’s perspective, the power of the meeting was in the attendance of so many network members who turned out in force to say, “we stand with you.” cc Vered Amar Idana Goldberg Lisa Capelouto

The legacy of the late Yossi Bachar, former Director General of Israel's Ministry of Finance and Russell Berrie Foundation trustee, lives on in the Bachar Fellowship, a program to spearhead systemic change in Israel’s public and social sectors. Offered by JDC (The Joint)-ELKA, the Fellowship equips a new generation of exceptional leaders with the tools, knowledge, environment, and time to tackle complex, systemic challenges that can result in change to benefit all of Israeli society. This year’s Bachar Fellows are Professor Nachman Ash, former Ministry of Health director-general and Israel’s national COVID-19 coordinator, who aims to improve community health in Israel’s periphery, and Hilla Haddad Chmelnik, former Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology director-general, who will focus on the education system to prepare Israeli society for the impact of AI. For a deeper dive into the Bachar Fellowship’s impact, read this recent CTech story. Cc Angelica Berrie Amit Granek Rani Dudai Ori Gil

Today, doors open to the public at Unity Pantry, a grocery-style food pantry experience at Unity Health Partnership. Congratulations to Greater Bergen Community Action, Inc. and Community FoodBank of New Jersey on this milestone - we're excited for the entire Unity Health Partnership facility to open in the coming months. Underserved and underinsured communities will be able to access comprehensive medical care and pharmacy services, behavioral health counseling, public health services, support for aging populations, and other essential resources that advance #healthequity in Northern New Jersey. Unity Pantry, located at 529 Midland Ave. in Garfield, is currently open Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm - to register, visit https://lnkd.in/gZejcajU

This August, 100 Israeli children who are still displaced by the October 7th attacks and ongoing war will immerse themselves in the fun and exploration of sleepaway camp in the Poconos. Through Machane Am Echad, a new program offered by NJY Camps, they’ll have the chance to focus on their well-being away from the trauma and upheaval of war, making friendships and memories together with American campers. Some campers will have witnessed terror firsthand, lost family members or friends, or been close to Israelis taken hostage. During their two-week stay, Hebrew-speaking staff and mental health counselors will support their experience in a safe space for learning, play, and healing. The Russell Berrie Foundation helped cover travel, camp, and staff costs to allow these children to enjoy the memorable adventure of Jewish camping.

The Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE initiative newly launched a mobile diabetes unit that brings “one-stop-shop” testing and care to residents across the North of Israel. Watch the quick video to see how this clinic works to eliminate health disparities in a region that sees the highest number of new type 2 diabetes cases annually in the country.   The mobile unit was but one highlight of the 2nd annual SPHERE Conference on Diabetes and Obesity (https://lnkd.in/esiskMbU), which convened more than 400 participants representing government, hospitals and HMOs, academic institutions, health integrators from SPHERE’s 21 participating local authorities, and local mayors. Speakers reinforced that local authorities’ ability to coordinate all health players in a locality is key to leading comprehensive health interventions with residents.     RBF Israel program director Binny Shalev took away the sense that a strong regional ecosystem is growing to address diabetes in the North – a testament to SPHERE’s leadership. For more on RBF’s support of SPHERE and their team’s approach to prevention and care, read Abigail Leichman’s recent story in the Jewish Standard (https://lnkd.in/e8fAjXnw).    Cc Martin Duifhuizen Michal Mizrahi Sivan Spitzer Naiem Shehadeh Angelica Berrie Amit Granek Idana Goldberg Lisa Capelouto 

We’re thrilled to see this celebration of the Asian-American Pacific Islander and Jewish communities become an annual tradition. Grantees like the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades "Community Calls" initiative, which strengthens relationships among diverse communities, reflect why The Russell Berrie Foundation is proud to be anchored in Northern New Jersey.

Program officer Amit Granek shares key takeaways from The Fourth Quarter - הרבעון הרביעי Israel Courage Conference: "Last Thursday, Binny Shalev and I – together with more than 5,000 movement-builders – attended this powerful gathering aimed at charting a path for the rehabilitation of Israel. The video below shows the massive crowd singing Hatikvah in unison. The Fourth Quarter unveiled ‘The Israeli Story’ -- an ideological foundation intended to serve as a basis for Israel’s renewal, considering the unprecedented crisis we are experiencing. In the final presentation, Dr. yoav heller, the movement's chairman, stated that the organization does not promote compromises for the sake of compromises or false unity. The only way to reach painful decisions on the core issues tearing apart Israeli public life is through broad agreements led by a strong Israeli center. This approach will only be possible after recognizing the pains woven throughout the narratives of different groups in Israel, and acknowledging the partnership and responsibility required by all factions to bridge gaps needed to move toward a shared future.”