The Jewish Observer
News from Middle Tennessee's Jewish Community | Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024
The Jewish Observer

Campaign Update: March Mitzvah Madness Scores Big!

On Sunday, March 17, the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville held its kickoff to the 2024 Annual Campaign – a NCAA March Madness-themed event called “March Mitzvah Madness.” 

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Community members of all generations helped dunk on the 2024 campaign goals.

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Community members of all generations helped dunk on the 2024 campaign goals.

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The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville’s Jason Sparks and Ethan Levin score big wins at March Mitzvah Madness campaign 2024 kickoff 

I have been fortunate enough to participate in manning the phones for Tzedakah Tzunday for years, but it was a completely different situation experiencing a fundraising event like this from “the other side.” I always enjoyed hearing each solicitor strike up a conversation with our donors and tell the story of all the good that the Federation does for our community. And it was lovely seeing those moments come back after so many years. I was certainly impressed by all the folks who came out to support the Federation – it was truly a muti-generational effort, and just like my family many years ago, some of our callers brought in spouses and children. I’ll never forget the first time our kids got to join us manning the phone banks – who could possibly refuse increasing a pledge from a sweet 2-year-old?   

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Michele Biesman, NowGen chair: I’ve been making calls since I was a little kid. I come from many generations of Federation volunteers, including my mother and my grandmother. 

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Rami Weismark: I have been making calls for 45 years. It’s important, so I do it. When I ask for myself, I don’t ask for much, but when I ask for Federation, I ask for as much as I can gete. MMM 3: 

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Robbie Lasky: I like writing thank you notes. I like the feeling of the community coming together for a common cause. We appreciate everything the Federation does. 

I’m deeply grateful for all the work of all of the JFed team on this event, but especially our Donor Engagement Associate, Ethan Levin. He stormed the court, did the research on how previous events were operated, and helped us successfully execute the event – I’d call it a slam dunk. 

Obviously, so much has changed over the years, through the pandemic, through the rapid evolution we have experienced in Nashville, but one thing has not – the needs of our community here, in Israel, and all over the world have only increased. And we must grow as an organization. What worked well 10 or 15 years ago may not be what we need in 2024. We can’t be afraid to try new things and evolve. We also must listen to our community across the generations. 
 
I’m so excited to be in this role, to be working with the great team here at Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, and I look forward to all the good work we will do together! 

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Marsha Raimi: The Federation is the best way to have the most impact across the community. It is the coordinator for all our Jewish organizations. I give to other causes, but I always give to Federation.
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David Bockian: I came to support the community. It’s so important, especially in this tumultuous year. We have to give back this year.
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Community members of all generations helped dunk on the 2024 campaign goals.

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