2.  Recently, the Post Gazette ran an article about the Educational Improvement Tax Credit program.  Our Federation helped to create both the Jewish Educational Improvement Foundation and the Jewish Pre-Kindergarten Educational Improvement Foundation to receive dollars from the EITC program.  As you can see, we have been extremely successful.  That being said, we still have plenty of our community's children with financial need to be able to partake in high quality Jewish experiences.  If you work for or own a company paying Pennsylvania state income taxes, reply to this email and I will have one of our staff experts contact you to review how you may be able to participate.

3.  Thursday, the Tribune Review ran an article about our Federation's focus on young adults, specifically through the National Young Leadership Cabinet.  Many of today's leaders of our Federation and our agencies came through the Cabinet.  Thank you to each of the members of National Young Leadership Cabinet from Pittsburgh for their commitment to our community and to our community's future.

4.  Thursday night, the Federation Board approved this year's allocations from both our campaign and our foundation.  The process by which the hundreds of volunteers involved made decisions was nothing less than remarkable.

All the above have a common theme which weaves its way through all that we do - we are stronger together than apart.  We accomplish more collectively than individually.  From the EITC program which we handle on a community basis, to the annual campaign, we make a bigger impact working together.  The Hebrew word for together is "B'Yachad" and it comes from the same root as the Hebrew word "Echad" or the number one.  Each one (echad) of us is extremely important, and when each individual works together, b'yachad, that collection of individuals becomes one – one community.

Shabbat Shalom.  And since I will not be writing next week, a very happy 4^th of July holiday to you and your families.

Jeff Finkelstein

President / CEO