The leadership and staff of JEWISHcolorado extend a sincere and heartfelt thank-you to everyone who made the 2022-2023 Annual Campaign a resounding success.

In the past 12 months, with your help, JEWISHcolorado has raised more than $7.5 million to support programs, events, and initiatives that strengthen a vibrant Colorado Jewish community today and in the future. We surpassed the amount raised for the Annual Campaign last year, thanks to more than 4,700 gifts from the community, including 100% participation from the JEWISHcolorado Board and staff.

• Your gifts mean that JEWISHcolorado can continue to remain an important voice at the Colorado State Legislature and in the halls where Israeli leaders are making decisions.

• Your gifts mean that young children can continue to learn about what it means to be Jewish and teens can travel to Israel to further explore their heritage and identity.

• Your gifts mean that JEWISHcolorado can continue to make daily living in our community safer and respond to crises at home and around the world.

Your donations in action

How does JEWISHcolorado put your donation into action? Here are just some of the accomplishments of the past year.

• The Israel and Overseas Center continued the YAD/Ramat HaNegev Exchange sending young adults to our partner region in Israel and bringing six Israelis to Colorado to produce clearer understandings among peoples, deeper connections with their own Jewish identities, and stronger advocacy for Jewish life in both countries. This is just one of many ways JEWISHcolorado supports the people of Ramat HaNegev.

• When the Denver Office of Human Rights and Community Partnerships asked for help, the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) joined with member organization Temple Emanuel to spearhead a massive response to the Colorado migrant crisis, engaging more than 1,000 community volunteers.

• In response to the ongoing war in Ukraine, JEWISHcolorado continues to partner with international organizations and raise funding that will support the Ukrainian people.

• To increase understanding of safety and security issues in today’s world and to show people how to respond in an emergency, JEWISHcolorado just this year trained more 1,500 people at dozens of agencies, organizations, and synagogues statewide through our Regional Safety & Security Initiative.

• JEWISHcolorado family, children, and teen programs—Jewish Student Connection, PJ Library, Jewish Explorers, One Happy Camper, and the Joyce Zeff Israel Study Tour—continue to flourish and grow, ensuring a new generation of young people will learn and practice Jewish values.

• JEWISHcolorado events—including those hosted by the Israel and Overseas Center, Women’s Philanthropy, the Young Adult Division (YAD), the JCRC, and the Real Estate & Construction Network—ensure that people make personal connections throughout the community. The signature event in February with speaker actor Liev Schreiber drew 800 registrations and nearly 2,000 participants walked to Celebrate Israel @75 in May.

What people are saying about JEWISHcolorado’s work

JEWISHcolorado embraces its role as the convener and connector, bringing Jewish professionals, lay leaders, and the community together to build relationships and respond to the needs and issues in the community. Here is just some of what people are saying about our efforts.

• About our programs: “Everyone has made an effort to welcome and include us. That was so important because it helped us feel safe and special.”

• About our support after a natural disaster: “When one person is hurting, we’re there. When one person is down on their luck, we step up. And that’s what you do as a Jewish individual.”

• About our community events: “Alone we are nothing, but together, we are JEWISHcolorado.”

• About our support of Israel: “As all of you know, when Israel needs us, we show up.”

• About our work at the Colorado State Capitol: “We say this clearly: The Jewish Community Relations Council and the state will not stand for hate in Colorado.”

• About our safety and security trainings: “The day that people start questioning whether it is safe to drop their children off at a JCC or a day school or camp or to walk to synagogue, that’s the day, in my mind, that we have failed as a community, and we don’t intend to fail.”

While JEWISHcolorado does not run every Jewish program in Colorado, our work and your donations make many of those programs possible. We strive to strengthen Jewish connections, make Jewish people and places safer, and connect people Jewishly to each other, the community, and to Israel.

To all who were first-time donors this year, we thank you for joining our mission. To those who have supported this organization for many decades, we are grateful for your ongoing trust, and we will continue to work to earn it.