The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) General Assembly gathered from November 16-18 in Washington, D.C., bringing together 2,500 attendees from 146 Federations in North America. The JEWISHcolorado delegation of more than 15 people included several JEWISHcolorado staff and a dozen lay leaders. For Jackie Sprinces Wong, this was just the most recent of many General Assemblies she has attended. In her own words, here is her most recent experience.
Going to the General Assembly is so important for me because it touches my intellect, my heart, and my soul. It offers so much information about what is happening in the Jewish world and about Jewish people, and it does so in such a positive way.
I have been to many General Assemblies, and they are always different depending on the social climate and what is going on globally. Because this event is presented by JFNA, there is a focus on connections in North America, but you cannot escape what is happening around the world.
JEWISHcolorado Director of Annual Campaign Jenna Raimist, Jackie Sprinces Wong, and Diana Zeff Anderson
I think this General Assembly was incredibly emotional because we are in a crisis right now. They still talked with hope—hope that the hostages are alive or that their bodies will be recovered, hope that Israel will become more secure, and hope that North American Jews will not experience as much antisemitism.
The first General Assembly I attended was in Denver in 1994. I went because Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was the plenary speaker. That day, I ran into Andrea Hyatt in the bathroom of all places. I noticed that she was wearing this gorgeous Lion pin. I said to her, “What is that?” And she said, “You can have one too!” To this day, I always thank her for showing me what it means to be a Lion.
Since then, I have been to General Assemblies in various cities. I was a trustee on the JFNA National Board and the voting member from the Colorado Federation. At the time, I served a five-year term, and Cintra Pollack holds that position today.
Included among the featured speakers this year were President of Israel Isaac Herzog, President & CEO of JFNA Eric Fingerhut, Conservative writer and Political Commentator George Will, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency Mark Wilf, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Bari Weiss, Sheryl Sandberg, and Dr. Mijal Bitton, Scholar in Residence at the Maimonides Fund, who brought a calming effect as participants were hearing harsh realities affecting the global Jewish community.
The General Assembly is a gathering of people involved with JFNA but there are also representatives from the Jewish Agency for Israel, World ORT, Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), and many more Jewish organizations that want to be where the action and people are. It really helps you put your finger on the pulse of what is happening. The General Assembly also brings you closer to an understanding of what is happening in Israel and what is happening with Jewry in North America and how the two are connected. You realize how much we need each other.
Jackie Sprinces Wong shows her many conference lanyards at the 2022 Cultivating Hope Luncheon presented by JEWISHcolorado Women’s Philanthropy
I came home with a sense of the precariousness of the situation for Jews right now, both in the global world and locally. It feels as if Jews have not been in such a precarious situation as we are today since the Holocaust. Realizing that, we need to all stay connected—calling and texting each other, renewing relationships during Shabbat, and meeting with colleagues and friends. We can tell our friends who are not Jewish what we are feeling, and we need to build those interfaith partnerships because they are important.
I would love for more Jewish volunteers to get involved with JEWISHcolorado and have the opportunity to go to a General Assembly or a Lion of Judah conference. You make special relationships and new bonds when you volunteer and meet new people.
Being part of JEWISHcolorado, building my leadership skills, and expanding that into interactions with JFNA has enriched my life and enabled me to understand why I give my dollars. That is the most important thing. Going to the General Assembly teaches you why you donate, why it is meaningful, why you get enjoyment from it, and why you would ask other people to donate to JEWISHcolorado.