Federation CJA campaign launch a success

By Joel Goldenberg, August 29th, 2012

Federation CJA's 2012 Combined Jewish Appeal Launch was a success, as nearly 700 members of the Jewish community attended last Wednesday at Place des Arts and Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight was the special guest.
The 2012 campaign's goal is to surpass the more than $37 million raised last year.
The event also included a video on the impact of Federation CJA on the community and a performance by Israeli singer and winner of Kochav Nolad, Hagit Yaso. Voight's talk was in an interview format with radio personality Dr. Laurie Betito.
According to Federation CJA, Voight spoke about his personal relationships, career and beliefs - especially his “profound respect for Judaism,” which was inspired by his father, who worked with members of the Jewish community in New York. Voight said he  went even further, studying the Torah and interacting with Jewish scholars. He was also inspired by the “happy Hollywood endings” created by the Jewish movie moguls, as a “perfect example of the Jewish spirit of hope.”
“Israel is God's gift to all mankind because Israel is a sole reminder of the survival of the Jewish people,” Voight said. “Their understanding of Torah cultivated a barren land where a new generation now thrives…Let us band together, Jew and non-Jew, to keep Israel safe and free to worship democracy and freedom forever.”
General Campaign Chair Evan Feldman moderated the evening along with the core campaign team of Karen Soussan (Campagne sépharade); Heather Adelson (Women's Philanthropy Campaign); brother Lloyd Feldman (YAD Campaign); and Jake Greenbaum (YAD FedNext Campaign).  During the evening, Feldman asked each audience member present to “put themselves in the picture and contemplate how Federation CJA had personally touched their lives.
“I think the impact that Federation CJA has on each and every one of us is perfectly clear,” Feldman said. “There is no other charitable cause that I can think of that has the scope and breadth to impact the lives of Jews here in Montreal, Israel and around the world. And thanks to you, we do so every day.”
To donate, visit federationcja.org or call 514-345-2600.