Mission Statement

Tzedakah refers to the Jewish religious obligation to pursue justice as an important part of our spiritual life. It has come to refer to donating back to the community in order to promote peace and the public good. In 1975, Fabrangen, a havurah in Washington DC, formed the Fabrangen Tzedakah Collective (FTC) to encourage Jews to do tzedakah collectively in support of progressive causes. The Collective has several complementary goals:

• to use our resources to help address challenges in our community, particularly in support of organizations working to assist low income and disadvantaged people in the Washington DC area;
• to support organizations that provide Jewish rescue and relief both locally and globally;
• to identify organizations that deserve support;
• to show Jewish support for the local and international groups we assist; and
• to provide support for progressive organizations in Israel.

The Collective also simplifies the donation process by allowing donations to a variety of groups to be made using a single payment. And, by aggregating small contributions, it enhances their leverage. The Collective identifies the organizations that deserve support, handles the administrative tasks of seeking solicitations and distributing the funds collected and, periodically, reexamines the charities on its list for needed updates.

The Collective is democratically run and open to new membership from all over the Washington metropolitan area. All donors are invited to participate in meetings and assist with such tasks as identifying and researching new recommendations for charitable giving and reviewing the work of existing grantees.

Contacts: Joyce Migdall, Coordinator fabrangentzedakah@gmail.com

Debbie Goldman, Treasurer treasurer@fabrangen.org

Graphic Design (leaf image): Patti Maurer, Skinny Cat Designs