Every Seder is a chance to re-answer the age-old question: Why is this night different from all other nights?

Is it something we see — a fresh tablecloth, Zayde’s kiddush cup? Something we smell? My Mom made roast chicken, but I serve both chicken and brisket…what about when your parents were little? We have apricots in the charoset, but I can’t imagine that happening at Bubby Sarah’s house in East New York. Can you?

Maybe this year, in addition to having the youngest read the four questions, we might add our family’s Q&A. Not to deny the youngest — they should read the four questions! — but to add your family’s journey to the story. What in your family, your life, your journey, is different tonight? 

How did you come to Greater MetroWest NJ, and how were you helped along the way? How did that shape your support for Federation, your community, your family philanthropy via JCF?

Let’s tell the stories about how we, our parents and their parents, received another’s generosity. Maybe Uncle Saul received a business loan, or Jewish Family Service provided home care when Great-Grandma Fanny broke her hip. How did that influence your family’s passion for helping others today?

Telling our stories may make this night very different, and JCF is here to help. Just as the Haggadah helps us tell the story of the exodus from Egypt, JCF professionals have been trained by 21/64, a nonprofit consulting firm, to guide families through the important journey of creating order and vision for their personal philanthropy.

By exploring why we give, understanding how we give, and addressing our vision(s) for our family’s future philanthropic engagement, we are infusing our children with our own devotion to tzedakah (charity) and tikkun olam (repairing the world).

JCF’s family philanthropy program is helping to ensure that the legacies of those families who created our Federation over 90 years ago, who welcomed newcomers and expanded services to meet growing needs locally, in Israel, and around the world — continue to be supported by upcoming generations.

Each year, the stores and rituals of the Seder help everyone come together as a family and a Jewish people. Telling the stories of your family will bring you closer, and will help the philanthropic legacy of your family continue for generations to come.

So if you find yourself at a seder (or several: when the kids were in pre-school we averaged three seders each spring!), think about your family’s story and consider the opportunities that working with JCF can offer to uncover your history and plan your future. We look forward to hearing from you.

Next Year in Jerusalem.

Call a JCF professional at (973) 929-3113 and let us work with you to strengthen your family’s engagement via a supporting foundation, donor advised fund, or other JCF giving vehicle.

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Originally posted April 18, 2014