November 24, 2022/30 Cheshvan 5783
Dear Friends,
The Talmud (Menachot 43b) states that each person is obligated to recite 100 blessings each day. From the moment we open our eyes and express gratitude for waking us from sleep to every morsel of food we consume and every large and small wonder we witness, the rhythm of our days and our nights is manifested in gratitude.
Today is Thanksgiving, an extra reason to express gratitude to be sure but not a lone annual opportunity. Indeed, over the last year, as we marked and then closed the shmita sabbatical year, we shared seven reflections from our experience as a foundation with gratitude and awe for the ways all of you have shown up to partner with us, guide us and make an impact.
In the next month, we will mark the 10th anniversary since purchasing the property in Encinitas now known as Leichtag Commons and the 15th anniversary of becoming an independent foundation which coincides with the yahrtzeit of our founder Max “Lee” Leichtag z”l and two years later the yahrtzeit of our founder Andre “Toni” Leichtag z”l. Their generosity and legacy is our greatest blessing and also our most sacred obligation. May we all be blessed to be worthy of their trust.
With immense appreciation,
1. And when you come into the land, you shall plant…
Leichtag Foundation purchased Leichtag Commons in 2012. Our first reflection highlighted the seeds we planted that have since grown into flourishing organizations: Coastal Roots Farm, The Hive at Leichtag Commons, E3: Encinitas Environmental Educational Collaborative, the Jerusalem Model, the Murray Galinson San Diego-Israel Initiative, and Impact Cubed. Read more…
2. If not now, when?
This past shmita year saw the war in Ukraine intensify into devastating magnitudes. Through Impact Cubed, the Foundation supported grassroots organizations and pop-up volunteer emergency networks that were filling gaps in unmet need, providing urgent evacuations for the most vulnerable and supplying essentials to those who were hardest to reach. Read more…
3. Jerusalem: Where everyone seeks to hold on and let go
As we relinquish our control of our environments during the shmita year, we accept that not everything depends on us. There is value in this release, recognizing the tension that exists between the human desire to dominate and the desire to be set free. The work of our colleagues at Jerusalem Philanthropic Initiatives attempts to navigate and work with these tensions for the benefit of all who dwell in the land. Read more…
4. A new lens to address racism and anti-racism in our communities
In 2016, we convened a group of Jews of Color with our partners who shared their personal stories, illuminating the disparities in resources for Jews of Color. As a result of these conversations, we set out to establish the Jews of Color Initiative, which has grown into a robust team that works to build a truly multiracial, anti-racist Jewish community in which Jews of Color can experience joy and reach their full potential and belonging as leaders and community members. Read more…
5. Welcome the stranger
One of the first conversations Leichtag Foundation board members and advisors engaged in following our formation was how we would serve those who have been forced to flee their homes to seek safety. We launched our Syrian Refugee Initiative in 2015, which helped welcome new community members, and exposed us to local professionals and volunteers who inspired us with creative and impactful ways to ease the journeys of displaced families. Read more…
6. A community is too heavy to carry alone
Philanthropic collaborations have been crucial over the past seven years as we have launched numerous programs, field-building efforts, new initiatives, and organizations. We have learned much about developing and managing funder partnerships to maximize results and make the most of the time, effort, and resources. Read more…
7. Keter shem tov, the crown of a good name
Our most precious asset has always been the people on our team, those who work to honor the Leichtag legacy daily. In the past seven years, we’ve awarded almost 2,000 grants to 506 different organizations, totaling almost $40 million. We also measure our ability to influence partners and know that we’ve leveraged at least $40 million more from other partners and funders. Read more…
Stacie and Jeff Cook understand commitment. They live it.
Black, Jewish and Queer. These three identities weave the fabric of who I am, but it took a long time to believe that they could exist together.
Lee and Toni Leichtag established the Leichtag Foundation in 1991 following the sale of their business. Lee and Toni were lifelong entrepreneurs with a passion for innovation and for supporting talent. They believed that only with big risk comes big reward. Both born to families in poverty, Toni to a single mother, they strongly believed in helping those most in need and most vulnerable in our community. While they supported many causes, their strongest support was for young children and the elderly, two demographics who particularly lack voice in our society.
Lifelong Baltimoreans, Rabbi George and Alison Wielechowski and their sons, 11-year-old Lennon and 9-year-old Gideon, are more than pursuing the good life in Southern California. Having moved to San Diego more than three years ago, they are fulfilling a lifelong dream.
You would think that as the executive director of San Diego LGBT Pride, Fernando Zweifach López Jr., who uses the pronoun they, has done all the coming out they possibly can. A queer, non-binary individual who has worked for many years on civil rights issues, López also speaks openly and often about their father’s family, Mexican-American migrant workers who tilled the fields of rural California.