Jewish federation

Starting in 1654, when the first Jewish communal settlement in New Amsterdam (modern-day New York) began despite Governor Peter Stuyvesant's attempts to ban the first Jewish people in North America from the settlement (until he would be overruled), and for the next 250 years; the Jewish community promised local governments they would not become a burden, by taking care of their own community. Throughout this period, as the Jewish community continued to grow in what would become the United States, they "established synagogues, burial societies, credit unions, and Hebrew youth societies in dozens of cities before there was a single federation." According to Historian, Donald Feldstein in The Jewish Federation: The First Hundred Years: ″There is no single source where one can find a comprehensive history of the Jewish Federation in North America...The first Jewish Federation in the United States was founded in Boston in 1895, another was organized in Cincinnati, Ohio, and within several years federations sprung up around the country wherever there were significant Jewish communities." The founding philosophies of the first Jewish Federations in America were based in secularism, but deeply influenced by Jewish tradition, like Hesed (loving kindness); and organized like the Kehilla, a communal organization found in diverse regions throughout Eastern Europe at the time; created to meet the welfare needs of Jewish communities in an inclusive and comprehensive way. However, unlike the Kehilla, which were usually formed under the authority of local governments to collect taxes from the Jewish community in support of services, the Jewish Federation in the United States has always been fully autonomous.61-62 ==History==

The first Jewish federation was founded in Boston in 1895 as Associated Jewish Philanthropies. Cincinnati formed its federation, United Jewish Social Agencies, the next year. Chicago founded its federation in 1900 followed by St. Louis. The United Jewish Appeal (UJA) national campaign and organization was started in 1939. With the foundation of the Israel state in 1948, the UJA increased in importance. Until the 1960s with the start of Medicaid and Medicare, federations allocated large portions of the campaign funds to Jewish hospitals. ==Structure==

Each federation is autonomous from federations of other cities and they tend to focus on local concerns. The federations typically have elected boards or trustees that are accountable to the community, paid staff, and volunteer leadership. Originally, the federations operated on volunteer only basis, but quickly turned to professional staffs. They engage in centralized planning for the needs of the local community, and may provide centralized administrative services for their constituent agencies. Depending on the size of the community, the federation may provide services directly or fund another agency to provide that function. For example, the federation may have a local as an arm or function, if not provided by a separate federation funded agency. Community Relations Council Most local federations are either affiliated with or host a local Jewish Community Relations Council, which deals with local antisemitism, Holocaust education support, and inter-religious or interracial community functions and organizations.70-71 Depending on local preferences, the JCRC may be volunteer or professionally-staffed, and may have varying degrees of structural separateness from the federation itself. ==Fundraising and spending==

Federations raise money for central, local campaigns that support the organizations of the entire local Jewish community. Federation spending and efforts have adapted as the need for particular social services has changed—for example, from Jewish orphanage work in the early twentieth century to retirement homes in the late twentieth century. The program provided grants of $750 to $1,250. The fundraising event is held by many of the 155 Jewish federations located in North America. The phone-a-thons are typically expected to raise most of the budget for the federation and its constituent agencies and organizations. The name "Super Sunday" is borrowed from the American football usage for the day on which the Super Bowl is played. Impliedly, the Super Sunday phone-a-thon is also the major annual event for the federation, as Super Sundays play a large role in the life of the local Jewish community. The results of a Super Sunday can have a major impact on the contribution intake of any particular federation, and thus can have a domino effect on the various entities that receive federation funding, such as social service organization, classes, scholarships, and family care. The success of Super Sunday holds substantial weight, as it directly influences the contribution intake for the federation. Some of the largest and most visible Super Sundays occur in the major urban areas with large Jewish concentrations, such as Los Angeles and New York, but also through smaller federations, such as Seattle and Minneapolis. Super Sunday was created by Jerry Dick of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington in 1980. ==Role in community==

Jewish federations can wield a sizable degree of influence in the Jewish communities in which they are located. Many of the local federations hold annual fundraising drives that are expected to raise most of the next year's budgeting for many community programs. In return, in many communities the agencies which receive funding from the federation agree not to engage in major fundraising for themselves for a number of months often called the "primacy period" when the local federation's fundraising has primacy. Decisions made by the local federations can have a great impact on the community, including the opening or closing of programs, staff hirings and firings, and land purchases and sales. ==Jewish family and child services==

Jewish Family and Child Services (JFCS) is usually the general social service agency supported by the local federation. ==References==