10/23/2026
This week's eNews message from CEO, Adam Solender: Jewish Joy
Wednesday night, at the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts’ Major Donor Reception, our guest speaker, Ann Pava offered a powerful idea that deserves to stay with us long after the evening ended: Jewish Joy. Not joy because the challenges facing our community have disappeared, but joy because, even amid uncertainty, fear, and loss, Jewish life continues to grow, evolve, and bring people together.
Since the murders at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, through the isolation of COVID, and especially following the horrors of October 7, 2023, we have been reminded that being Jewish in America cannot be taken for granted. Antisemitism has intensified, and security has become an unavoidable part of sustaining Jewish communal life. The Jewish Federations of North America reported in September 2026 that Jewish communal institutions spent more than $1 billion on security in 2025, a 33% increase over the previous year. These are resources devoted to protecting our people and our institutions—resources that otherwise could support education, caring for those in need, and bringing people together. The Federation is proud to be the sponsor of Secure Community Network in our region.
But there is another story unfolding alongside these challenges. It is a story of people choosing to connect more deeply with their Jewish identity, learn about their heritage, gather with one another, and find meaning in Jewish life.
National research confirms what many of us are witnessing firsthand. A 2026 survey by the Jewish Federations of North America found that 38% of American Jews reported increased engagement with Jewish life since October 7. Four out of 10 people want more and are doing more. People are seeking community, exploring Jewish learning, and finding new ways to express their identity. Researchers have described this phenomenon as “The Surge”—but perhaps its deeper meaning is a rediscovery of belonging.
And that is where Jewish Joy begins.
Jewish Joy is the warmth of a Shabbat table, where conversation and ritual create a sense of home. It is the excitement of discovering a piece of Jewish history we never knew, or learning a tradition that connects us to generations before us. It is the laughter of friends gathering for a holiday celebration, the satisfaction of volunteering together to make our community better, and the feeling that we are part of something larger than ourselves.
Jewish Joy does not belong exclusively to synagogues or established institutions. It happens there, of course, but it also happens in parks, around dinner tables, at cultural gatherings, through acts of service, and in the friendships that develop when people find others who share their values and experiences. It can begin with a Jewish holiday celebration and grow into a lasting connection to Jewish life.
I personally experienced that initial Jewish Joy that was fostered by this very community almost 40 years ago when someone from the [then] Springfield Jewish Federation reached out to a 31-year-old in the community and told him that the Federation is sponsoring a trip to Israel and that I should go. Someone I really didn’t know reached out to make me a part of something bigger. It was on that mission that I met my wife, and less than a year later, we were married….all because someone wanted to share their Jewish Joy with me.
Here in Western Massachusetts, nurturing Jewish joy is both an opportunity and a responsibility.
Federation-sponsored, Tribe413 brings adults ages 21–49 together through social gatherings, outdoor adventures, Jewish learning, holiday celebrations, and volunteer experiences. Through Rachel’s Table, members of our community address hunger and food insecurity through a Jewish lens, while Jewish Family Service offers meaningful ways to care for others across our region. The Yiddish Book Center keeps our cultural and intellectual heritage alive, connecting the richness of our past with the questions and possibilities of today. Our synagogues offer spiritual nourishment, lifelong learning, and the comfort of a Jewish home away from home. At the Springfield JCC, opportunities to strengthen mind and body bring people together, and JGS Lifecare honors our seniors with dignity and compassion while fostering connections across generations.
Each of these institutions contributes something distinct, yet all share a common purpose: creating opportunities for people to find meaning, build relationships, and experience the richness of Jewish life. There is no single doorway into that experience. It might begin with a conversation in a park, a class at the JCC, a gathering around a Shabbat table, or the shared satisfaction of doing good for someone else. Wherever that first connection takes place, it can open the door to lasting friendships, a deeper sense of belonging, and a more meaningful Jewish journey.
This is the kind of community we all must continue to build:
One that honors tradition while welcoming new expressions of Jewish identity;
One that takes security seriously while refusing to let fear define us;
One that recognizes the importance of our institutions while understanding that Jewish life flourishes wherever people find meaning, connection, and belonging.
As a Federation, we have a unique role to play. We can create opportunities for people to discover one another, support initiatives that open doors to Jewish participation, invest in learning and community building, and strengthen the institutions that sustain us. We can also encourage every member of our community to be an ambassador for Jewish Joy: to invite someone to a Shabbat dinner, attend an unfamiliar program, volunteer alongside a new friend, or simply reach out to someone who might be looking for connection.
We cannot control every challenge facing the Jewish people. But we can choose how we respond.
with generosity rather than isolation,
with curiosity rather than indifference, and;
with a determination to create a community where more people feel that they belong.
Jewish Joy is not a denial of our struggles and challenges. It is an affirmation of our possibilities. It is the recognition that our greatest strength is not only our ability to endure adversity, but our ability to create lives filled with purpose, relationships filled with meaning, and a community filled with hope.
The future of Jewish life in Western Massachusetts will be shaped not only by what we protect, but by what we create—and by the Joy we share along the way.
Wishing you a Joyful Shabbat,
Read the entire JFWM Community eNews: https://mailchi.mp/jewishwesternmass.org/our-weekly-email-with-events-and-opportunities-for-the-whole-family-is-here-5385235
