JCA president David Balkin at this year’s fundraising gala in August. Photo: Giselle Haber

CHANTAL ABITBOL

TOUGH economic times have put a dent in the Jewish Communal Appeal’s (JCA) fundraising efforts this year, with the group reporting close to a $1 million shortfall compared to last year’s campaign.

JCA chief executive Ian Sandler told The AJN that this year’s campaign, which ended last month, raised a total of $11.5 million compared to around $12.3 million secured in the last appeal.

The shortfall comes at a time when JCA has reported a surge in requests from Jewish organisations seeking financial relief after the recent economic downturn.

Sandler, however, said it was not entirely unexpected. “Everyone is tightening their belts,” he said.

“Some of our strong supporters have experienced significant financial hardship over the past year and are not able to do as much as they usually do.”
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LEXI LANDSMAN

Khao Do ... keynote speaker at an upcoming JCA function.

KHAO Do has changed the lives of disadvantaged youth with the tools of film.

The Jewish Communal Appeal (JCA) announced last week that the Australian Film Industry (AFI) Award nominee and 2005 Young Australian of the Year would replace Jacqueline Pascarl, who has fallen ill, as the keynote speaker at the women’s campaign event on September 9.

“We were all saddened to hear that Jacqueline is not well and that she will be unable to speak at the event,” JCA chief executive officer Ian Sandler told The AJN.

“We were, however, fortunate to experience Khoa Do at our women’s gold event.  His address was so inspiring - it was a natural decision for him to speak at the women’s general division,” said Sandler.

Do will relay his personal story - from arriving in Australia in 1980 as a Vietnamese refugee on a tiny fishing boat to becoming the 2005 Young Australian of the Year.
“I hope that people can potentially be inspired by my journey and my story,” Do, 30, said.

Do is a film director, screenwriter and teacher who works with disadvantaged youth. He said a turning point in his life was the first day he taught a group of disadvantaged youth. Read the full story

LEXI LANDSMAN

Philanthropist Bobby Sager was key note speaker at a successful JCA gala. Photo: Giselle Haber.

WITH an international philanthropist as the keynote speaker and entertainment by ABBA tribute band Bjorn Again, the Jewish Communal Appeal’s (JCA) gala dinner on August 15 stayed true to its theme – “a night to inspire”.

More than 1100 people attended the fundraising event at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.

Bobby Sager, who spends 10 months of every year setting up problem-solving projects to make a difference in poverty-stricken and crime-ridden communities across the globe, addressed the audience.

He discussed his international travels, the importance of family and Jewish heritage to his philanthropic projects, and ways the Sydney Jewish community could invest in its longevity.

Bobby Sager with Tibetan monks.

LEXI LANDSMAN

BOBBY Sager lives a life of extremes. When we speak over the phone, he is in Harare, Zimbabwe preparing to meet with Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe and the Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai about economic opportunity initiatives.

He’s then heading to Rwanda to check on a radical business-pairing project (more on that later). Then he will make a quick stop in South Africa for another project, before arriving in Sydney to give the keynote address at the Jewish Communal Appeal’s (JCA) gala dinner on August 15.

All of this in the space of three weeks.

It’s not unusual, or even different to his normal schedule. For 10 months of every year for the past decade of his life, the entrepreneur turned full-time philanthropist and his family, who hail from Boston, have travelled to some of the poorest nations on earth, living in villages and cities in developing countries to set up problem-solving projects.
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Deloitte JCA Young Major Donors held a fundraising event in Sydney on June 25 with guest speaker John Symond.

Chantal Abitbol

WITH Jewish organisations feeling the pinch as the economic crisis bites deeper, the Jewish Communal Appeal (JCA) is making an urgent call for donations to help meet the community’s escalating needs.

Set to launch its annual appeal this week, JCA has reported a surge in requests from Jewish organisations across the board seeking financial relief from the current recession. According to JCA, JewishCare in Sydney has witnessed a 77 per cent spike in the number of calls it receives for assistance over work-related and mental health issues in the past year.
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Photos from around the community in Australia. Read the full story