- Michael Balaban is the president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia 

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia was founded 125 years ago, in 1901, in response to urgent social, economic and communal challenges. It was built on a simple but powerful idea. A fragmented system could not meet a community’s needs. Collective action could. At a time of challenge and change, the Jewish community chose innovation and transformation. 125 years later, our Jewish community is once again facing challenges and changes that require us to innovate and transform.

At the turn of the 20th century, Philadelphia’s Jewish community was at a crossroads. Mass immigration was reshaping its character. The population was growing rapidly, becoming more diverse, more working-class and more visibly ethnic. Longstanding institutions struggled to keep pace. Tensions emerged between established German Jewish families and newly arrived Eastern European Jews, while the demands on communal services expanded dramatically.

Charitable giving was scattered across small, independent organizations. The result was duplication, inefficiency and gaps in care. At the same time, demand was rising for health care, education, elder support and aid for vulnerable families.

The moment required a new model.

The Federation transformed a loose network of charities into a coordinated, communitywide system capable of addressing both immediate needs and long-term growth. For more than a century, that model worked. It enabled the community to raise and allocate resources strategically, strengthen a network of agencies, and respond to crises locally and globally.

Alongside the Federation, many of the institutions we now take for granted were born in response to the same pressures. Jewish Community Centers, Hebrew schools, summer camps and new religious movements all emerged to meet the needs of a distinctly American Jewish life.

Together, these innovations built a thriving community.

But the conditions that shaped that success have changed.

Over the past 25 years, many legacy institutions have struggled. Membership has declined across congregations and other Jewish organizations. According to the Federation’s 2019 community study, fewer than 24% of Jewish children are enrolled in Jewish preschool, Hebrew school or day school. Intermarriage has increased, and fewer families are raising children Jewishly. Antisemitism is rising, yet many lack the knowledge and confidence to respond. At the same time, loneliness and disconnection are growing, even as programs and events continue.

Many institutions remain strong. But systems designed for a 20th-century community are not fully meeting 21st-century realities.

New models are emerging. Makom, Tribe 12, jkidphilly, Moishe House and the Chevra are creating meaningful entry points into Jewish life. They are vibrant and responsive. But they remain small in scale relative to the need.

The question is not whether change is happening. It is whether we will lead it.

As we mark 125 years, we can look back with pride at a moment when innovation reshaped Jewish life for generations. The question now is what will define this moment.

When our descendants look back 125 years from now, what will they say we built?

To answer that question, we need a Jewish moonshot.

A moonshot is not a slogan or a single program. It is a shared, time-bound effort that organizes our collective energy around a clear goal.

President John F. Kennedy described great endeavors as those we choose not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because they call forth the best of our energies and skills. Jewish tradition offers its own language for this idea. Chutzpah k’dushah, audacity in service of the sacred.

On June 23, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia will convene community leaders for a Jewish Community Moonshot Summit. Together, we will explore bold initiatives with the potential to transform Jewish life in our region.

Click here to view the outline the moonshot initiative in greater detail. For more information and to learn how you can submit your Jewish community transformational Moonshot Idea, visit jewishphilly.org/moonshot.