Jewish Federation of Greater Washington (JFGW) is a nonprofit that promotes the Jewish community in the Washington, D.C. area and internationally. The organization focuses both on cultural promotion and philanthropic work, including supporting Ukrainian Jews during the Russian invasion. The JFGW also provides support for victims of antisemitism.

In 2020, the JFGW had 52 employees serving more than 300,000 Jewish residents in the greater Washington area. ¹

History

Jewish Federation of Greater Washington originated from the Jewish Welfare Association (JWA), a merger of numerous greater Washington, D.C. charities in 1925. In 1939, JWA became the Washington D.C. branch of United Jewish Appeal, an aid group that supported Jews in Europe and Palestine. In 1976, JWA re-formed as the United Jewish Appeal of Greater Washington, with a greater emphasis on support for local Jews in addition to foreign aid. In 1999, the organization rebranded again into the JFGW to “reflect the broad range of global and local fundraising.” ²

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington endorses “diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging” practices. The organization’s website recommends books by far-left critical race theorists Ibram X. Kendi, Sophie Williams, and Ruth King, and donating to the Anti-Defamation League, Color of Change, and the Innocence Project. ³

Combating Antisemitism

Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s website claims that 2022 “marked an inflection point in the willingness of public figures and individuals to espouse antisemitic tropes. As hatred and the propagation of conspiracy theories against Jews increase, historic public and societal constraints on anti-Jewish hatred have diminished.” ⁴

JFGW wrote a “framework” for combatting antisemitism, which was developed in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Community Relations Council, the American Jewish Committee, and the Secure Community Network. In March 2023, the partner organizations contributed $2 million to combatting antisemitism over the next three years. ⁵

In January 2023, JFGW and Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington offered a $5,000 bounty for information on an assault in which the perpetrators made anti-Jewish epithets and invoked rapper Kanye West. ⁶

In 2022, JFGW spent $1 million providing security and security training to local Jewish institutions and individuals. ⁷

Activities

Jewish Federation of Greater Washington develops ties between American and Israeli Jews. In 2021 and 2022, JFGW gave $800,000 in grants to Israeli nonprofits to develop community assets, spent $9 million on its own Israeli community development programs, and hosted 12 community meetings in America that connected over 4,000 American Jews with Israelis. ⁸

In 2022, Jewish Federation of Greater Washington raised more than $2.5 million from more than 3,000 donors to support Ukrainian Jews harmed by the Russian invasion. These efforts helped evacuate 12,900 Jews, provide aid to over 39,000 Jewish refugees, and helped 24,000 Ukrainian Jews immigrate to Israel. ⁹

Jewish Federation of Greater Washington rarely explicitly comments on political issues besides support for Israel. However, on January 7, 2021, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Washington, D.C., a close partner of JFGW, released a statement condemning the riot at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. ¹⁰ In 2023, JFGW released a framework for combatting antisemitism that included “bolstering American democracy.” The framework states: “The breakdown of confidence in democratic institutions allows conspiracy theories, including antisemitism, to grow and fester.” ¹¹

Finances

In 2022, the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington raised almost $67 million. Nearly $40 million of its revenue came from the Jewish Community Foundation, a national Jewish-aid society. More than $24 million in revenue came from other donations, and more than $2.5 million came from “donor designated gifts” and government grants. ^{12 13}

In 2022, JFGW spent over $4.6 million on basic financial support for families, more than $9 million on investments in domestic Jewish community development, and more than $9 million in Israeli Jewish community development. ¹⁴

In 2022, JFGW had more than $295 million in assets, $116 million of which was held in donor-advised funds, and another $23 million was in donor-designated funds. ¹⁵

1. Davies, Emily. “Jewish Federation of Greater Washington reports $7.5 million hack.” Washington Post. September 2, 2020. Accessed April 20, 2023. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/jewish-federation-of-greater-washington-reports-75-million-hack/2020/09/02/d8944f7c-ed3d-11ea-b4bc-3a2098fc73d4_story.html
2. “Our History.” Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Accessed April 19, 2023. https://www.shalomdc.org/about/.
3. “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Resources.” Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Accessed April 20, 2023. https://www.shalomdc.org/diversity-equity-inclusion-and-belonging-resources/.
4. “The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s Framework to Confront and Combat Antisemitism.” Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Accessed April 20, 2023. https://www.shalomdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Antisemitism-Framework-Enhancements-2023.pdf.
5. “The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s Framework to Confront and Combat Antisemitism.” Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Accessed April 20, 2023. https://www.shalomdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Antisemitism-Framework-Enhancements-2023.pdf.
6. Kampeas, Ron. “’Yeah, do it for Kanye’: A DC-area assault victim says his attackers made antisemitic comments.” Jewish Telegraphic Agency. January 29, 2023. Accessed April 20, 2023. https://www.jta.org/2023/01/29/united-states/yeah-do-it-for-kanye-a-dc-area-assault-victim-says-his-attackers-made-antisemitic-comments.
7. “Annual Report 2022.” Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Accessed April 20, 2023. https://www.shalomdc.org/annual-report-2022/.
8. “Annual Report 2022.” Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Accessed April 20, 2023. https://www.shalomdc.org/annual-report-2022/.
9. “Annual Report 2022.” Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Accessed April 20, 2023. https://www.shalomdc.org/annual-report-2022/.
10. “Jewish Community of The Nation’s Capital Condemns Violence at U.S. Capitol.” JCRC. January 7, 2021. Accessed April 20, 2023. https://jcouncil.org/statements/jewish-community-nations-capital-condemns-violence-us-capitol.
11. “The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s Framework to Confront and Combat Antisemitism.” Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Accessed April 20, 2023. https://www.shalomdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Antisemitism-Framework-Enhancements-2023.pdf.
12. “Annual Report 2022.” Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Accessed April 20, 2023. https://www.shalomdc.org/annual-report-2022/.
13. “The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, Inc.” ProPublica. Accessed April 19, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/530212445/202101359349300125/full.
14. “Annual Report 2022.” Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Accessed April 20, 2023. https://www.shalomdc.org/annual-report-2022/.
15. “Annual Report 2022.” Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Accessed April 20, 2023. https://www.shalomdc.org/annual-report-2022/.