About Us

 

Walzer Family Jewish Community CampusAbout the Federation

Situated in the historic district of Southbury is the Walzer Family Jewish Community Campus, home to both B’nai Israel and Beth El synagogues, and The Federation.

The pastoral setting is based in the bucolic Litchfield hills of western Connecticut, and features architectural design comprised of simple white clapboard buildings strung together like pearls. The front entrance to the building symbolically resembles a gate leading into the old city of Jerusalem, and was built with "Jerusalem stone" from Israel.

This idyllic location is the perfect backdrop to the programs, events and philanthropic pursuits that are housed within. In addition to administrative offices, The Federation facilities also include a large social hall, kosher kitchen, library/conference room, classrooms and a youth lounge.

Many programs for children meet in the building including:

  • The William and Audrey Walzer Alef Bet Preschool
  • Moms and Tots
  • Babies and Bagels
  • Nature Camp
  • Federation’s Kidz Club - An after religious school class in which children can try there hand at different activities from magic to papermaking and kite flying.

helping the elderlyWhat else does The Federation do?

The Federation:

• operates Brownstein Jewish Family Service
Brownstein Jewish Family Service provides adults, seniors, children and families from the community with quality information and referrals to services that enhance their independence and emotional and physical well being.

As the information source for the Jewish community, we respond to hundreds of inquiries that include everything from finding the right social service agency for a senior in need of nursing care to helping victims of domestic abuse or those facing financial problems.

Last year, we fielded more than 1,300 referral calls.

• The Love & Knishes Lunch Program served over 2,500 hot kosher lunches to more than 600 different adults age 60 and over. The Tuesday gourmet lunches are followed by musical entertainment or lectures.

• enjoys an affiliation with a number of Jewish organizations including B’nai Israel, a reform synagogue that shares the campus with the Federation, and Beth El, a conservative synagogue also housed at the Walzer Campus. Other affiliated organizations include the Greater Washington Coalition for Jewish Life; B’nai Shalom, an orthodox synagogue in Waterbury; Yeshiva Ateres Shmuel of Waterbury; Waterbury Hadassah; Heritage Village Hadassah; and the Heritage Village Jewish Culture Club.

• has developed a close relationship with its twinned communities in Israel and in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) In Northern Israel. The Federation has a partnership with the communities of Afula and Gilboa, which share the longest border with the Palestinian Authority. Donations made through the Federation encourage Israeli-Arab coexistence in the region and provide for the safety and welfare of all Israelis living in the Galilee. Recent donations have helped to establish the first ambulance operation in Gilboa. Since 1993, the Federation has sponsored more than one hundred teens from Afula/Gilboa to the Seeds of Peace Camp – an international co-existence effort reaching youth affected by political strife and war.

In the FSU, our Federation took a leading role in the rebuilding of the only Jewish school in Kazan, Tatarstan, after it was nearly destroyed by a suspicious fire. A grant from the Federation’s Brinker Fund made it possible to purchase a school bus to bring Jewish students to the school. The Federation also sponsored a Jewish physician from Kazan State Medical University to be trained at Yale-New Haven and St. Mary’s Hospitals.

• offers many social, cultural and educational opportunities
We sponsor an annual Women’s Seder, Yom HaShoah Commemoration, Scholar-in-Residence, Jewish Book Month speaker, Chanukah program, history classes, trips to see plays and museums and outdoor family events.

Woman with flag• continually seeks ways to build bridges
Recently, the Federation served as the catalyst to bring the Jewish cemeteries in the area under a single administrative organization. It is our intention to help improve cemetery upkeep, assist those who volunteer with local cemetery associations and help relatives and friends around the country locate the graves of their loved ones buried in our region.

Through its annual campaign and other fund raising initiatives, the Federation is able to make a difference in people’s lives. We reach out to all Jews – from those who are actively engaged in synagogue life, to interfaith families, to the unaffiliated. The Federation is here to make a difference. At Jewish Communities of Western CT, communities is our middle name.