Yesterday we marked Lag Ba'omer, the thirty third day of the Omer.  The omer is counted from Passover until Shavuot.  While Lag Ba'omer is not exactly the halfway point between Passover and Shavuot, it does find itself in between the two.  Passover celebrated our physical freedom from being slaves in Egypt and Shavuot begins the Jewish people's spiritual freedom with the receiving of the Torah.

Physical and spiritual well-being is what the Federation is all about.  We fund agencies locally, in Israel and around the world to feed the poor and care for the elderly and to educate and inspire all on their own personal Jewish journeys.  Yes, we are definitely and unabashedly very focused on raising money, but not just for the sake of having more dollars but to impact these aforementioned areas.  The money is the fuel that keeps the engine running.
 
I am really pleased to report that the 2012 Community Campaign, our fuel, has just reached $12 Million towards our goal of $13 Million.  That is a remarkable accomplishment and while we are all very pleased, we have not yet achieved that necessary goal.   The more fuel we have the further we can take this vehicle toward achieving our vision.  I expect that at the close of our fiscal year at the end of June, our Federation will have raised approximately $34 Million from all sources.
 
I hope we see all of you on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the JCC in Squirrel Hill for what should be an absolutely amazing evening of learning and dialogue with Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove. You can see his impressive bio by clicking here. Click Here to Register for the Event. By the way, he's married to a Pittsburgher!
 
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom and wishing all the mothers a very happy and well deserved Mother’s Day.