Can’t go to work. Can’t go to the gym. Can’t go to my favorite restaurants or socialize with my friends. The kids are home and demand my constant attention (too much family time?). What an inconvenience this crisis is becoming!

An inconvenience? For many of us, it is merely a temporary (short, I pray) departure from our “normal” lives. Unfortunately, for many, it is the difference between life and death, financial disaster, intolerable loneliness and an inability to meet the very basic needs of food, medicine, utilities, rent, etc. The very survival of businesses, day schools, camps, synagogues and other organizations are at risk. Even with the myriad of relief programs, the fear, stress, and future uncertainty can be overwhelming, assuming one can readily access those offerings.

No, the COVID-19 crisis is not merely an inconvenience. It's a catastrophe for many. As we have done in every situation that threatens members of our Jewish communities, whether in the U.S., Israel or anywhere on the planet, we rise up together to care for and assist the most vulnerable among us. Today, we are doing it again. Will you join us?

Along with Emily Einhorn and Leo Spiegel, I am honored to co-chair the San Diego Jewish Community COVID-19 Emergency Fund. With the monies raised, over $2 million so far (we expect the needs to be much greater, constantly changing, and likely long-lasting), we will provide relief for those most impacted, including those struggling to meet their basic needs and those who are most vulnerable, such as the elderly, Holocaust survivors, and others. We will also seek to assist those Jewish organizations whose very existence is threatened.

The needs are dynamic and the situation fluid, and I encourage you to visit the Fund’s website for more information. Through a grant process administered by a committee comprised of Federation, Jewish Community Foundation and Leichtag Foundation, the Fund will fulfill our collective goal of ensuring that those most in need receive support.

DONATE NOW

This crisis is impacting many people through no fault of their own and in unexpected ways. If you, or someone you know is struggling and needs Federation’s support, please reach out to them here.

As a long-time member of this outstanding community (guess I am not NextGen anymore…), I remain in awe of our collective generosity, particularly when it is needed the most – like now. I also want to highlight the unprecedented collaboration of three of this community's largest funding institutions – Federation, Jewish Community Foundation and Leichtag Foundation. For years, I have dreamed of the power of these organizations working together for the betterment of us all. The whole is FAR greater than the sum of its parts, so I thank the leadership, lay and professional, for what I hope is a harbinger of good things to come.

So, please, join us once again to take care of those in our community who need it most at a time when the needs are greatest. I leave with two final requests:

1. Wash your hands frequently and practice physical distancing (try a zoom party for social contact – it’s a lot of fun!)
2. Laugh. Every day.

By Brian Tauber