Giving Back Magazine October 2019 | Page 16

The same is true locally. Federation’s three-pronged mission is to care for Jews in need everywhere, build Jewish community and strengthen Jewish identity, and connect San Diego to Israel. Among the initiatives to fulfill this mission is tending to the dynamic and significant needs of Holocaust survivors, including providing food and medical care, through the new San Diego Holocaust Survivor Coalition. The Coalition is a collaboration of Jewish organizations, institutions, and individuals dedicated to providing Survivors with the respect and dignity they deserve.  “Survivors living in less than acceptable conditions is something we should not tolerate,” Bramzon shared with GB Magazine. The Federation leader also believes in the individual responsibility to better one’s community for the good of everyone. Men’s Event keynote speaker, Ethan Zohn with David Bramzon “If we have the personal resources, it is up to us to take care of each other,” he says. “We can all roll up our sleeves and do something. We, as Jews, feel a responsibility and are directed to be philanthropic in or beyond our community. We also want to set an example. If people can take a culture of philanthropy back to their religious or social group and think of fellow San Diegans as their brothers and sisters, rather than strangers, we can be a better San Diego.” www.jewishinsandiego.org David Bramzon with Eric Fingerhut, President and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America 16 GBSAN.COM | OCTOBER 2019