Thursday, January 26 • 5 PM Israel Time • 10 AM EST
Tamar Uriel-Beeri, managing editor of jpost.1eye.us, speaks with Julie Platt, Chair of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), about the importance of the Jewish Future Pledge and the Jewish Youth Pledge, two unique initiatives designed to help sustain the future of the Jewish people.
The Jewish Future Pledge ensures the future of the Jewish people by having members of the Jewish community sign the pledge, earmarking half of the charitable funds that they leave at their passing to support the Jewish people and/or the State of Israel, while the Jewish Youth Pledge asks Jewish teenagers and young adults – ages 13 to 24 – to commit to being active, contributing members of the Jewish community throughout their lives.
To take the Jewish Future Pledge >>>
Platt, the second woman to hold the position of Chair of the Jewish Federations of North America, says that the Jewish Future Pledge concretizes her life’s work, which has been devoted to Jewish continuity. “I care about what that world will look like for my children and my grandchildren after I’m gone,” she says, “so the Jewish future pledge allows me to put in place a very strong statement to my children and my grandchildren about what I hope that future will look like.”
Discussing the Jewish future, says Platt is important because it allows such conversations to expand beyond families to members of the Jewish community to talk about the importance of ensuring a successful Jewish future.
The Jewish Youth Pledge engages teens with their Jewish heritage and role in the Jewish community through a pre-planned lesson, including videos and discussion prompts. Participants write a letter on their smartphone or tablet to their future selves, answering questions such as, “If you could meet yourself in the future, what would you hope to hear that you had accomplished or contributed?” The letter is stored in a secure Digital Time Capsule and shared with participants at key junctures throughout the next two decades of their lives.
Platt praises the Youth Pledge and points out that “it’s a wonderful idea also, because it begins to meet people primarily around Bar/Bat Mitzvah age to start to think very seriously about their Judaism. As soon you know firmly that you’re Jewish, it’s not too early to begin to think about what it means to be generous. And I think the Jewish Future Pledge is a wonderful idea to help people learn about tzedakah (charity) and being generous.”