The last six months have challenged the Jewish community worldwide in ways not seen in two generations. The ongoing war with Hamas, the continued plight of the hostages and the increase in antisemitism around the world have impacted us all. In this troubling landscape, where support is needed by so many organizations and causes, it is sometimes difficult to decide where to direct one’s charitable giving.
Philanthropy is essential to the health and vitality of TanenbaumCHAT. It helps fuel academic excellence and financial accessibility, and allows us to be nimble and to have the flexibility to take care of unexpected and emerging issues. A case in point is the special programming we have provided in response to the war, as well as the ongoing, extensive security needs the school is addressing.
Thank you, TanenbaumCHAT, for being such a major foundation of my Jewish identity. Forever grateful for all you gave me.”
Karli Feldman ’09
On a daily basis, we Jewish educators have the privilege of watching our students deepen their Jewish learning, make new discoveries about their collective history and bolster their Jewish identity. In facilitating and witnessing this growth, the value of a Jewish high school education is self-evident. Make no mistake: as we educate the next generation of university students, young adults and future community leaders, a gift to TanenbaumCHAT supports the Jewish community, and the Jewish people as a whole.
Nevertheless, we embarked upon this year’s Day of Giving in March with some uncertainty. Would our community answer the call and be there for TanenbaumCHAT?
The answer was a resounding “yes”! You graciously responded to the needs of our school, making this year’s Day of Giving our most successful yet. A record number of gifts helped us surpass our fundraising goal – a clear indication of the esteem in which our school is held. (See page 12)
On Day of Giving, we were touched by the many thoughtful comments that came from our generous donors and we are enormously grateful to all our supporters. We also continue to value our partnership with UJA and, in particular, their assistance with current security needs.
It is through the dedication and efforts of our incredible staff and faculty that we are able to inculcate Jewish values, cultivate knowledge and sustain our school. Sadly, in the last few months we lost two extraordinary members of our school community, both of whom exemplified so much of what we stand for. Within their own respective realms of expertise, Rabbi Mordechai Enakar z”l and Frances Bigman z”l helped lay the groundwork for our success. (click here) They and their contributions to TanenbaumCHAT will be sorely missed. It is now up to us to honour their memories by perpetuating their dedication to our school.
