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Executive Director's Message: February 2004
By
Brian David Goldberg, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley
As we prepare to break ground on the Gloria and Ken Levy Family Campus, we must focus our energy not just on the creation of a new physical home, but on creating activities, events and programs to attract the community to the new campus.
Jewish demographics in the Silicon Valley demonstrate the potential for Jewish renewal and continuity: the number of unaffiliated and under-affiliated Jews. We on the West Coast, and in particular Northern California, suffer from some of the lowest affiliation rates in the country, another challenge and another opportunity.
Unlike Jewish communities in the former Soviet Union, where 70 years of anti-Semitism and state- sponsored discrimination created detailed lists of who is a Jew, we have no idea where or exactly how many unaffiliated Jews exist in Silicon Valley. Here are the numbers I do have: We have roughly 3,000 donors to the annual Federation campaign, and we have approximately 8,500 families identified as Jews in our database. The estimates for the Jewish population of Silicon Valley run from 50,000 to 65,000 people.
Regardless of what the number is, we have a lot of work to do identifying these individuals and finding a way to get them involved. Not just solely for their financial support but we need their energy to help build a strong and vibrant community. It is clear that as a community we are failing to find and reach these individuals and provide worthwhile services, programs, or activities to engage them in the community. It is not enough to dismiss the unaffiliated as turning their back on community, we must ask ourselves if we have turned our back on them.
As the Federation redefines its role for the 21st century we will be focused on outreach and funneling individuals to the varied aspects of our community in the hopes of finding something that will engage and attract the elusive unaffiliated Jews. I believe the Capital Campaign is the cornerstone of this process. I also believe that it is not enough to hope that if “we build it they will come.” There will be a lot more hard work and planning that will need to go into community building for us to overcome the challenges we face today. The good news: I am confident, working together with a shared vision and plan, we will meet these challenges.
To reach Brian David Goldberg call (408) 358-3033 x34
or email bgoldberg@jewishsiliconvalley.org.
Mission statement
The Mission of the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley is to raise and to allocate funds needed to maintain and strengthen Jewish identity, Jewish community and Jewish life, and to work toward meeting the needs and concerns of the Jewish community locally, in the United States, in Israel and throughout the Diaspora and to develop leadership. More
Contact Us
Our staff page includes phone numbers and email links to all staff people, and executive committee board members. Go.
Executive Director's Messages
Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley Executive Director Brian David Goldberg's letters to the community.
President's Message
A letter to the community from Brett "Mad Dog" Borah, President of the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley
About the Executive Director
Learn about the background of Brian David Goldberg, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley. More.