At this chaotic and critical moment in time, Jews around the world still choose to connect — or reconnect — to their cultural heritage. JDC makes it possible.

1. Building Jewish Life and Leaders
JDC PROGRAM DASHBOARD
JDC.org

2. Building Jewish Life and Leaders
Even at this uncertain and turbulent time, Jews around the world are boldly determined to
connect—or reconnect—to their heritage. JDC makes it possible. We’re fostering inspiring Jewish
experiences for Jews of all ages and investing in exciting leaders to build strong and vibrant
communities from Havana to Sofia and Moscow to Mumbai.
OVER 90,000
service hours completed by
college students and young adults
STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES
In a changing Hungary, Andras Borgula’s work is more
important than ever.
“Everybody is worried. Only the blind are not,” said Borgula,
one of the creative minds behind Judafest, JDC’s signature
street festival in Budapest. “Judafest has become a statement
of sorts in the last few years. We Jews come out of our homes
proudly and loudly and in bigger numbers than we’ve seen at
any point since 1945 or maybe 1989.”
Growing up in communist Hungary,
Borgula didn’t know he was Jewish until
he was 14.
But once he embraced his roots, his
Jewishness became not just an identity
but a passion.
“Once I understood what being Jewish meant to me, I knew
I had to try to bring that experience to others,” said Borgula,
a Jewish community activist in Budapest and the director of
the city’s Gólem Theatre. “I had to try to give something back.
Today, I’m doing so much that it feels like my life is one big
Jewish wedding.”
Judafest began eight years ago with a simple goal: to get
1,000 people to attend. A rousing success, 3,500 people
came out that first year. Now, the festival regularly attracts
crowds of closer to 10,000 to a robust, multifaceted Jewish
cultural event: street festival, culinary demonstrations, musical
performances, film screenings, family day, picnic, and more.
An example of JDC’s commitment to extending Jewish
learning beyond the walls of Jewish community centers
and making Jewish culture visible and accessible, Judafest’s
success and structure has been replicated in cities across
Europe.
“This celebration of life is one of a kind, and
people know it,” he said. “I can’t emphasize
enough how important it is for us, for
Hungarian Jews, to have this day together.”
Meeting the challenges Hungarian Jews
face in these trying times, JDC programs
help strengthen this Jewish community of
about 100,000, Borgula said.
“It’s simple: Without JDC, there would be 90 percent less
Jewish life here. Not because JDC supports or gives budget
for 90 percent of our activities, but because JDC has built a
reputation of helping people like me do the things we never
thought we were capable of,” he said. “JDC doesn’t only foster
a spirit of resilience. It’s more than that—I cannot imagine
resilience without JDC.”
PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT
Strong communities need strong leaders and expert professionals, and JDC has
decades of experience honing the skills of both. Through regional training and
networking opportunities, the Buncher Community Leadership Program, and ICCD/
Leatid’s top leader initiatives, JDC has been enhancing the capabilities of those
currently guiding Jewish communities from Latin America to India. We’re also giving
critical crisis-management tools to Jewish leaders on the front lines in embattled
European communities, helping them maintain a thriving Jewish life amid ongoing
anxieties and social and economic unrest.
// CHALLENGE To bring a Jewish world nearly lost to Communist repression back to vibrant,
extraordinary life by creating open and diverse access points through which hundreds of thousands
of people from varying backgrounds can rediscover, reclaim, and put their own stamp on their rich
cultural heritage.
// INNOVATION JDC-supported Jewish Community Centers (JCCs) in Europe and the former Soviet
Union now resonate with Jewish life, offering classes, events, and activities for every age group. Citywide
holiday celebrations, street festivals, and other Jewish cultural experiences are taking Judaism to the people,
raising the public profile of an increasingly proud Jewish identity. JDC has also facilitated the spread of
Limmud grassroots Jewish learning models in Argentina, the Baltics, Bulgaria, Germany, Poland, Romania,
and Turkey, with first-ever studyfests also bringing young Jews across East Asia together in China and India.
Transformational Jewish
experiences impacting kids from
DOZENS OF COUNTRIES
SCORES OF
THOUSANDS
engaged with Jewish
culture and tradition
JEWISH CAMPING
// CHALLENGE Children and teens throughout Europe, the former Soviet Union, and beyond struggle
to connect to robust Jewish life in their often-small home communities.
// INNOVATION Szarvas, JDC, and the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation’s pioneering international Jewish
summer camp in Szarvas, Hungary, brings together some 2,000 children, teens, and young adults each
summer for an immersive, inspiring Jewish experience that is building the next generation of Jewish
leaders. Dozens of other Jewish camping opportunities and family retreats reach thousands more globally.
JDC ENTWINE
// CHALLENGE Young Jews from Los Angeles to Latin America are looking for an outlet for their
philanthropic and volunteer spirit. They want to make meaningful connections with their peers worldwide
and, together, to make a difference.
// INNOVATION Enter JDC Entwine, a one-of-a-kind movement of young Jewish advocates, influencers,
and leaders who are striving to make a lasting impact on the global Jewish community. Entwine offers unique
opportunities to engage with the world as global Jewish citizens through exploratory trips, moving volunteer
service experiences, local learning networks, and more.
Building
Resilience in
a Changing
Europe
FRONT LINES
on the
“JDC doesn’t only foster a
spirit of resilience. It’s more
than that—I cannot imagine
resilience without JDC.”
THOUSANDS
of alumni of young
leadership programs
YOUNG LEADERS
// CHALLENGE Young adults around the Jewish world strive to form lasting personal and professional
relationships with other Jews and to acquire the leadership skills needed to significantly impact their home
communities.
// INNOVATION JDC has developed an innovative suite of programs and conferences that are bringing
vibrant leadership development to young Jews, including Gesher, in the Balkans; JUNCTION, for emerging
European entrepreneurs; Lehava, for Russians interested in leadership and volunteerism; and Metsuda,
leadership development for those in Ukraine and the Caucasus.

3. JDC.org
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) is the
world’s leading Jewish humanitarian assistance organization. JDC
works in more than 70 countries and in Israel to alleviate hunger and
hardship, rescue Jews in danger, create lasting connections to Jewish
life, and provide immediate relief and long-term development support
for victims of natural and man-made disasters.
JDC is primarily funded through the Jewish Federations of North
America. Key JDC funders also include: The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg
Foundation, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany,
the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, the Maurice and
Vivienne Wohl Charitable Foundation, World Jewish Relief (UK), UIA
Federations Canada, and tens of thousands of individual donors.