The Jewish Observer
News from Middle Tennessee's Jewish Community | Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024
The Jewish Observer

Jason Sparks


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Campaign Update

As we come into the home stretch for the 2024 Annual Campaign, I wanted to take a moment to give an update on how we are doing.   November was a great month for us and in the first half of the month, we ended up closing over $200k in pledges and gifts in less than two weeks! The goal is in ...

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Campaign Update: With Gratitude

With 2 months to go in our 2024 Annual Campaign, I have been reflecting on my first seven months here at Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville. It has been humbling seeing the generosity of our donors all around the community. Donors who have given for years are increasing their pledges and we have ...

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Just say “Yes” to the 2024 Campaign

Greetings Jewish Nashville!  As you read this, we should be in the thick of the High Holidays, always a special time of year for us. And, as it so happens, it is the last three months of our 2024 Annual Campaign for Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville.    Traditionally, the last ...

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Shofar, so good

I have the deep honor of serving as West End Synagogue’s principal Shofarist or as Rabbi Joshua Kullock likes to put it, our official CSO, or Chief Shofar Officer.  It’s a role I take very seriously, and I spend this time of year practicing and getting in shape for that important task.  ...

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Olympic Campaign Events

Hello Jewish Nashville!  By the time you read this, we will have finished most of Q3 of 2024 and the good news is we are doing great as we surge ahead in our campaign.  But as I think we all know you just can’t give up when you think you are ahead.  I was watching the Olympics this ...

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The Gift of Being a Host

A few hours ago, we said goodbye to our new family, our guests from the Hadera-Eiron region through the Partnership2Gether (P2G) program, who had spent the last 10 days with us in our homes and in Nashville. But for our family, the honor of being a host was a gift that we received, not a gift we gave.  Seven ...

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From the Campaign Trail

No, no, not that kind of campaign. The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville’s 2024 Annual Campaign! So, here we are, halfway through the year, and as it happens, we are halfway to our annual campaign goal. Next year, by this point I’d like to be  further ahead in the  process, and we ...

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Happy Summer, Jewish Nashville!

As we approach these summer months, there’s so much to look forward to. Seeing the community around the JCC Pool, the fact that my kids will be gone for an entire month at their favorite place in the world, Camp Ramah Darom, my 21st wedding anniversary, or my daughter’s bat mitzvah coming up before ...

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New Year, New Calendar

Hello, Jewish Nashville!  I’m just finishing up my second month at Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville (JFed Nashville), and I wanted to report in on some of what I have been doing in that time, and my strategy on where I am going to be taking my part of the organization.  I’ve spent ...

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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.”  I have been fortunate enough to participate in manning the phones for Tzedakah Tzunday for years, but it was a ...

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