Young adults are helping power this year’s Annual Community Campaign. They are turning connection into leadership, and leadership into giving, through Federation’s Young Adults division.

During the Campaign, there will be a stronger focus in encouraging younger members of the community to start giving to Federation. For example, J-Fellows, Federation’s premier leadership program for young professionals, has worked since its inception to instill an ethos of giving back to the community. 

“Investing in Jewish Ottawa’s young adults means investing in our entire community’s future,” said Young Adults and Newcomer Engagement Associate Oren Baray. “When you give, you’re empowering the next generation to lead, connect, and carry forward our traditions with pride.” 

One of the co-chairs for this year’s Campaign is Elisabeth Levin. Having participated in Federation’s J-Fellows program, she has been steeped in the best of what Jewish Ottawa Young Adults has to offer.

Levin recently spoke to the Ottawa Jewish E-Bulletin about her involvement in Young Adult programming and the impact it has had on her Jewish identity, particularly as she undertakes the role of Campaign co-chair.

“Young adult programming has made a difference in my life insofar as having a sense of community, particularly if you’re not someone who goes to shul every Saturday,” she said. “I also got to meet people who are in a similar stage of life — settling down with partners, beginning to have children.”

Levin also spoke to the space that Young Adult programming has for students just finishing post-secondary education. She explained that the transition to working full time without having the built-in Jewish community support through organizations like Hillel and Chabad can be really jarring for some. 

“How do you stay connected if you’re not socializing in traditional Jewish spaces all the time,” she asked herself. “This is why I really appreciated the social programming that Federation offers young adults through events like HOTtawa and the Chanukah Ball.”

After attending several of these events, as well as her own experience as being president of her university’s Hillel, Levin felt a pull to get more involved in leadership roles.

“I spent a year or two attending events, making friends, feeling a part of the community, and then I joined the J-Fellows program last year,” she said. “It introduced me to a lot of leaders in our community ... who inspired me to take a look at where I am and what impact I can begin making.”

Her experience with her J-Fellows mentors deeply influenced the trajectory of her career and helped her realize how she wants to start building her professional career. 

All these experiences also helped inspire her to give back to Federation, seeing the role it had in funding programs for professional development and getting to know more young adults in her local community. 

Levin, a Capital J donor (Federation’s newest donor society for young adults), emphasized the various community organizations and programs that Federation funds beyond J-Fellows and Young Adults that have deeply impacted her life, such as the Microgrants program and funds allocated to synagogues across the city. 

“As a member of the Ottawa Torah Centre Chabad (OTC) and being involved in their young adult programs, too, knowing that Federation has a hand in funding these different organizations made me understand the importance of donating,” she said.

This understanding is what inspired her to say yes to co-chairing this year’s Young Adult division.

“I’m so grateful ... to have this opportunity to take on this role, give back, and set the stage for being able to help the community into the future,” she said.

Click here to learn more about how you can help the future of giving in Jewish Ottawa by supporting Young Adult programming.