The Jewish Welfare Fund is the fund raising arm of the Jewish community, organized for the purpose of making one centralized appeal for the collection of funds and their allocations to Jewish causes.

The Jewish Welfare Fund is bound by the ideals of klal Yisrael, or collective responsibility, where each Jew is responsible one to the other, and by tikkun olam, repair of the world. The Jewish Welfare Fund recognizes its obligation to our long history as a people to work to alleviate human suffering in the world, to provide for the social service needs of those in our own community, and to educate our youth.

Locally, the Jewish Welfare Fund supports Federation programs including cultural and educational programs, refugee resettlement, senior adult services, and youth programs. Additionally, the funds raised help support local Jewish educational institutions as well as university services and Hillel programs on our college campuses.

Internationally, the Jewish Welfare Fund allocates a major portion of its monies to the United Jewish Appeal/Federation campaign of the United Jewish Communities, which in turn supports the Jewish Agency for Israel and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. For more information about the many important programs and services that your contributions help support, visit the United Jewish Communities website.

As part of our annual campaign, the Jewish Federation of St. Joseph Valley is asking donors to contribute an additional amount to Operation Promise. Operation Promise, an initiative of UJC and the Jewish Federations of North America, will help bring remaining Ethiopian Jews to Israel and help mainstream the entire Ethiopian-Israeli community, and will help feed poor, elderly Jews in the former Soviet Union and help strengthen Jewish identity among young Jews there.

Our Jewish story begins with a promise, passed from generation to generation like a golden chain, etched in our collective memories and recorded in our books. This promise represents our hope to be a free people, to return to our historic homeland and to create a better future; it represents our dream to be a compassionate people, whose purpose it is to make the world a better place.

The federations of North America accept this promise as our legacy and our opportunity. We are responsible for one another's safety, health and quality of life. And Operation Promise reminds us of our commitment to a rich tradition of generosity and justice that are the hallmark of the Jewish people. Additional information about Operation Promise is available on the United Jewish Communities website.