Mission Statement

The mission of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia is to identify and prioritize the important issues and needs of our local and global community, then organize and mobilize human and financial resources to successfully impact them.  Federation focuses on Jewish education, human services, family, and economic needs, and provides support for Israel and for Jews at risk elsewhere in the world.

Vision Statement for the Greater Philadelphia Jewish Community

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia sees a flourishing global Jewish community – today and for future generations – that is continually strengthened by:

• inspiring participation in Jewish life and learning through Jewish day school opportunities, enhanced synagogue schooling and programming, a coordinated outreach effort by community organizations to young Jews and Jewish families, and increased educational and leadership opportunities for young adults.

• caring for people at-risk or in need through programs that help seniors to age with dignity, aid for the chronically poor, self-sufficiency initiatives for Jews facing poverty, hunger relief, and transformative social action efforts.

• connecting Jews in Greater Philadelphia to each other and to Jews in Israel and around the world through Israel advocacy, overseas hunger relief and security programming, and support for Jewish seniors, children and immigrants in Israel and other overseas nations.

A Brief History of The Development of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia was founded as the Federation of Jewish Charities in 1901, uniting nine agencies into a single effort to help the Philadelphia Jewish community as it sought to absorb immigrants who had fled the pogroms of Eastern Europe.  Since then, Federation has grown steadily and has greatly expanded its range of services to help Jews throughout the world.

During the Great Depression, Federation joined with the non-sectarian Welfare Federation of Philadelphia to help thousands who were suffering from hunger, poverty and despair.  The Welfare Federation, known by various names through the years, eventually became the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania.  The partnership between Federation and the United Way has flourished, and each year Federation receives a substantial allocation from the United Way for distribution to its local social service and health care agencies.

The ominous developments in Germany during the 1930's aroused American Jewry.  Philadelphia's Allied Jewish Appeal and the national United Jewish Appeal were organized in 1938 and 1939, respectively, to cope with the threat of Nazi persecution.  Those fledgling organizations took upon themselves the task of raising funds to deal with the monumental problems of rescue and resettlement.

With the end of World War II and the realization of the full extent of the Holocaust, the Jews of Philadelphia joined Jews everywhere in vowing that such horrors would never happen again.  The rebirth of the State of Israel in 1948 became not only the fulfillment of a vision and a promise, but also the guarantee of our survival as a people.

In 1957, the Federation of Jewish Charities and the Allied Jewish Appeal merged to become the Federation of Jewish Agencies of Greater Philadelphia.  During the subsequent decades, Federation, through its Federation Allied Jewish Appeal (FAJA) campaign, raises millions of dollars each year to provide vital services and programs in the Philadelphia Jewish community.  From Federation Early Learning Services and Jewish say school education for our children to Federation housing for our elderly, FAJA supports many community programs that provide for the needs of multiple generations.  In Israel, FAJA contributions through the United Jewish Appeal help to build and renew that nation by funding social services, health and education programs.  In addition, Federation continues to help support humanitarian services in many other countries throughout the world.

Throughout the years, Philadelphia's Jewish community has initiated special fund-raising campaigns to meet critical and urgent needs.  Federation mobilized the support of Philadelphia Jewry to help meet Israel's needs stemming from the 1967 and 1973 wars.  Project Renewal was world Jewry's major effort to improve conditions in disadvantaged Israeli neighborhoods.  Operation Moses provided Philadelphia's Jews with the opportunity to participate in the resettlement of Ethiopian Jews in Israel.  Our Philadelphia community worked through Operation Exodus to help with the rescue and resettlement of Jews from the former Soviet Union in Israel and in our local community.  Now, as a Partnership 2000 community, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia has forged a relationship with the Netivot-Sedot Negev Region in Israel to strengthen this Region's educational, social and economic infrastructure and to develop people-to-people programs that will help to establish ongoing and mutually beneficial relationships between the Jewish community of Philadelphia and the residents of Netivot-Sedot Negev.

In order to meet new needs and expectations in a changing environment, Federation's roles and responsibilities have grown.  In 1990, Federation adopted the name Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, in keeping with its mission as Philadelphia's central communal organization dedicated to the preservation and enrichment of Jewish life in the Greater Philadelphia area, nationally, in Israel and elsewhere in the world.