Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia (JFGP)

Background

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia (JFGP) is one of 350 independent Jewish Federations operating under the umbrella of the Jewish Federation of North America. ³ Like its sister federations, it furthers the philanthropic interests of Jewish communities. JFGP draws support from Jewish communities in five counties in the Philadelphia area. ⁴

JFGP dates to 1901 when nine Jewish charities merged into a single organization. Since that time there have been two additional consolidations. The contemporary structure of the organization dates to the most recent consolidation in 1957. ⁴

Controversies

Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia has been accused by leaders in other Jewish Federations of lackluster performance in both fundraising and programming as well as absence of a vision appropriate to changing times. An embezzlement scheme exceeding $1 million allegedly carried out by an employee and accusations of staff abuse at the hands of prominent executive ⁵ coincided with the resignation of its CEO, Naomi Adler. ⁶

As of January 2023, JFGP owned 600,000 square feet of real estate, some of it rarely occupied. It began selling some of these assets after declaring that acting as a landlord is incompatible with its mission. ^{7 8} It also sold a longstanding subsidiary, the Jewish Publishing Group, which published the Jewish Exponent, to a third party in 2022. ⁹

Activities

The principal focus of Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s philanthropy is the safety, welfare, and communal cohesion of Jewish residents in the Philadelphia region. These residents provide the lion’s share of funding and receive most grant benefits, with the remainder distributed to citizens of Israel and overseas Jewish populations. ¹⁰

To this end, JFGP supports and conducts a wide array of programs primarily focused on the elderly and children. These include direct grants for financial hardship and contributions to Jewish schools and summer camps as well as support of communal activities such as book clubs, special meals, and Jewish holiday celebrations. ⁴

In response to what it perceives as an escalation of violence towards Jews, it has begun directing greater attention to community safety. It also contributes to the support of Holocaust survivors living in Israel. Nearly all of its contributions are to Jewish causes with only a handful to organizations with a wider focus such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). ¹⁰

JFGP administers an array of charitable financial instruments such as charitable remainder trusts, charitable gift annuities, revocable trust agreements, and donor-advised and endowment funds, as well as income generating investments such as stocks, State of Israel bonds, mutual funds, interest rate swap agreements, and venture capital investments. ⁹

The organization engages in political advocacy. Its Government Affairs Committee “develops relations with elected officials, advises on matters of concern to the Jewish community, and advocates on legislation that is relevant to our community.” JFGP partners with other Jewish Federations on advocacy efforts in order “to magnify our impact.”  ⁴ It spent more than $1 million on lobbying in 2021. ¹⁰

JFGP has expressed the intention to invest more than $40 million during its 2023 fiscal year in support of its priorities. This number includes programs that benefit local members such as summer camps, trips to Israel, a food program, and grant allocations which are projected to top $9.7 million. ⁴

Following the October 7, 2023 attacks against Israel by the terror group Hamas and the resulting war between Israel and Hamas, JFGP launched a “Philly Stands with Israel Fund” fundraising effort on their website to raise money for Israeli humanitarian and rebuilding efforts. The site claims that, “the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia will support our brothers and sisters as they defend Israel. ¹¹ According to the website, as of December 20, 2023, the Fund has raised over $14 million in pledges, while committing over $10.9 in humanitarian aid for the country of Israel. ¹¹

In September 2024, a complaint was filed on behalf of the group to the School District of Philadelphia regarding previous antisemitic statements made by Northeast High School professor Keziah Ridgeway. In addition, the complaint alleged that Ridgeway had also named formerly anonymous School District of Philadelphia Jewish Family Association leaders on social media and claimed she was, “fulminating that they had disobeyed her demand that they cease protesting against her antisemitism.” ¹² The same week, Northeast High principal Omar Crowder released an email to students’ families claiming that an unnamed staff member “will be reassigned offsite” while an investigation is conducted into a complaint about a “Northeast High School staff member,” who “made statements on social media that may violate school district policy.” ¹²

People

Michael Balaban is the president and CEO of Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. He previously worked as president of the Jewish Federation of Broward County, Florida, and as Chief Development Officer of the Atlanta Jewish Federation and has occupied senior financial resource development and community planning roles at the Federation of Rhode Island, the Columbus Jewish Federation, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. He also worked as director of development for Penn Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and has extensive experience as a development consultant for clients as diverse as the National Park Service, Treatment Research Institute, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. ¹³