Lisa Smukler, incoming president of United Jewish Federation of Princeton Mercer Bucks for the 2010 Campaign Year, addresses the organization’s annual meeting on June 22.
Photos by Rick Glazer
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July 7, 2009
United Jewish Federation of Princeton Mercer Bucks may be facing an “unusually difficult fund-raising year,” said immediate past president Daniel F. Brent, but its supporters are continuing their efforts in anticipation of better times.
Addressing more than 100 attendees at the organization’s annual meeting — held June 22 at The Jewish Center in Princeton — Brent said, “These times pose significant challenges.”
Donors are cautious, while the demand for assistance has mushroomed. Nevertheless, he added, “we are committed to intensifying our efforts, refining our techniques, and expanding on past successes.” He also congratulated federation supporters on “a job well done under trying circumstances.”
Though the federation is faced with a 16 percent drop in its annual campaign, said executive director Andrew Frank, its goal is to be “as creative and generous as possible...[with] new approaches to try to reach people in different ways.” This means some degree of reconfiguration and reprioritization, he said.
The federation will distribute a total of close to $629,000 to local beneficiaries — about $66,200 to specific programs, the remainder in unrestricted funds — including Jewish Family and Children’s Service, the Greenwood House complex of facilities for the elderly in Ewing, and the Jewish Community Center of Princeton Mercer Bucks, as well as college Hillels, Abrams Hebrew Academy, synagogue schools, and new initiatives in Jewish education. These new initiatives will include two programs from the JCC, teen learning opportunities from Rimon/the Mordecai T. Mezrich Center for Jewish Learning and Princeton’s Center for Jewish Life/Hillel, as well as outreach efforts of the Sharim V’Sharot choir.
Joe Fath received the 2009 United Jewish Federation of Princeton Mercer Bucks Community Service Award at the annual meeting.
Daniel F. Brent delivers his president’s farewell address, saying that while donors are cautious and the demand for assistance has increased, the federation is “committed to intensifying our efforts.”
In addition to allocations made to local organizations, said Frank, the federation will also distribute $562,150 in funds to its overseas partners, which provide services to vulnerable populations in Israel and other Diaspora communities around the world.
Regional and national allocations of $93,170 will go to national United Jewish Communities, the NJ State Association of Jewish Federations, and such advocacy organizations as the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
Frank said the federation has been able to provide additional emergency allocations from its reserves to assist JFCS and the Greenwood House to help them meet their increased caseloads of individuals and families in distress.
“Despite the hard choices we had to make, you can’t stop thinking outside the box,” he said.
Frank said the emphasis this year will fall, more than ever, on community building. “It’s not just about giving money; it’s about getting together as a community,” he said, and promoting the idea of “feeling and doing Jewishly.” Frank said the federation will accomplish that by working with volunteers, agencies, and synagogues to understand their needs, think creatively, and work together.
These efforts will include board retreats and social events whose main purpose will be to gather people together, while other initiatives will offer more direct support. Federation will offer, for example, ParnasaFest, a regional program that, according to its website, offers “a grassroots effort to provide networking and job assistance opportunities for the Jewish people and the greater community at large.”
The federation’s efforts will be headed by its new president, Lisa Smukler of Princeton, who was installed at the meeting. She told NJJN she is “looking forward to bringing renewed energy to federation,” including outreach to new members in the community. “I am convinced that when people understand the incredible work that federation supports, they will be inclined to give generously,” she said.
In his president’s farewell address, Brent had a request of current givers. “If everybody here finds us one new donor and one new volunteer, we’re going to have the new blood that we need and the enthusiasm and energy to do a better job to serve our community.”
Above all, the federation has committed to giving as much of the funds raised as possible to people in need, Frank said. Brent said that has meant cutting back expenditures, reducing salaries, and even renegotiating the federation’s rent.
The annual meeting was headlined by the presentation of its Community Service Award to Joe Fath of Princeton “in recognition of his leadership and passion for the greater good of the local and global Jewish community,” said friend and colleague Robin Persky, who presented the award.
Fath is a supporter of The Jewish Center and the Center for Jewish Life at Princeton University and was instrumental in developing the vision for the new Jewish Community Campus planned for West Windsor.
Mark Merkovitz has taken on the position of campaign vice president for the upcoming year along with a team of new and returning officers: Marissa Treu, administration and personnel; Seth Josephson, campus; Emily Josephson, community relations and allocations; Lionel Kaplan, Israel and overseas; Morton Cohen, membership and leadership development; Martin Schwartz, treasurer; and Andrea Dedrick, secretary.
Welcoming a new president
As she picked up the gavel to assume her new role as president of United Jewish Federation of Princeton Mercer Bucks, Lisa Smukler thanked her husband, Andy, who, she said, “has been hungry for several years,” missing dinner as she’s stayed late for federation meetings and events throughout her years of involvement.
Smukler got involved in the organization 15 years ago, shortly after the birth of her first child. At that time, she was a lawyer in Philadelphia and decided to “stop working and start volunteering.” She had been involved in the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia for several years prior to moving to Princeton, working with various committees, including young leadership.
After settling in Princeton, she began working on the planning committee for the federation’s spring luncheon and has been involved ever since, chairing numerous committees and events throughout the years and serving as president and chair of the Women’s Campaign.
Smukler, who works as a personal shopper at Zoe in Princeton, said one of the great things about the Princeton Mercer Bucks federation is that “anybody can get involved.”
“I like to be involved in the Jewish community and I think [working with federation] is a really great way to give to people who are less fortunate than I,” she said. “It’s been very rewarding.”
Smukler said she hopes, above all else, that she is making a difference and teaching her three children, Robby, Janie, and Brooke, the value of tzedaka, just as her parents taught her.
“I was raised with parents active in federation, and it never occurred to me not to be involved.”
Her goals for the year include getting the word out to the community about federation, implementing leadership training for the board of directors so they can serve as successful ambassadors to the community, and boosting fund-raising.
Despite the tough economic times, Smukler, who succeeds Daniel F. Brent, said she hopes educating people about federation will help them understand the needs of the community and how valuable even the smallest donation is.
“Our goal is to let people know where their money is going,” she said. The more people know, the more likely they are to get involved, she said. “It’s very compelling — it’s hard not to get involved.”
— ASHLEY TEDESCO
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