Eighty Years of Purpose, One Future Together

A Message from Moshe Kruger to the Jewish Community of Greater South Bend

This year at the Federation we celebrate our 80th anniversary. For eight remarkable decades, we’ve not only stood the test of time – we’ve helped shape it. From humble beginnings in 1945 to 2025, the Federation is one of our cherished cornerstones of the Jewish community.

Today, we celebrate not just our 80-year journey of building bridges and representing the Jewish community in communal affairs, but our shared successes including the architecturally award-winning Kurt & Tessye Simon Community Center – built on the grounds of our campus 25 years ago to fulfill our mission to strengthen Jewish life.

We honor the people and progress that define our legacy – and look forward to inspiring the next chapter together.

In reaching the milestone of our 2025 Annual Meeting, I want to take a moment to reflect on what the professional staff at the Federation has accomplished together this past year and to express my deepest gratitude to each one of them.

Bob, Dan, Judy, Louise, Nancy, Omer, Rabbi, and Steve, this year brought its own set of challenges and opportunities, and through it all, your dedication, resilience, and professionalism have stood out. It’s been a privilege to witness the way you each bring your talents, integrity, and heart to the work we do. Whether working behind the scenes or leading from the front, every contribution has mattered – and made a difference.

I am incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved individually and as a team. More than the goals we've hit and the projects we've completed, I’m grateful for the culture we've built. You’ve demonstrated time and again, great respect, collaboration, and mutual support. That’s what makes this team special.

I think I can speak on behalf of the team to say we’ve enjoyed having Temple in house this past year for Shabbat services and special programs. I think it’s also safe to say we’ve also been operating in a holding pattern as Sinai and Temple leadership continue to shape their plans for a shared, independent future.

Throughout history, Jewish leaders have played a vital role in framing the next great set of ideas. Here in South Bend, a small group—called the Sinai-Temple Joint Task Force—has been given a crucial assignment: to create a plan for co-locating into a shared facility on the Federation campus.

How Jewish life will evolve remains uncertain. While I’m not alone in thinking the progress of the Joint Task Force over the past year has been difficult to follow, I think we all agree, these important discussions are a prelude to setting a new vision for the future of Jewish life in South Bend.

Crafting a new vision must account for the challenges we face locally that mirror broader societal shifts in American Jewish life. Demographic changes, economic realities, new technologies, generational divides in identity and affiliation, and the evolving cultural, social, and political landscape all contribute to the planning complexity of community development.

How do we respond to the accelerating pace and scope of these challenges, especially in an era of dwindling resources and institutional downsizing—while also embracing new forms of engagement and innovative models that provide safe, meaningful spaces for Jews seeking connection?

To build on the progress of the Joint Task Force, one scenario is a confederation of sorts that brings Sinai, Temple, and the Federation closer together for the twin purpose of impact and sustainability.

Working as a collective and building a culture of trust are essential to a brighter future – less we remain stuck in outdated ways of framing and discussing the challenging issues before us.

We have the power to shift the narrative, crafting new stories and perspectives that resonate with our vision to reshape South Bend’s Jewish communal and institutional life.

What is certain is that the months and years ahead will test us: our convictions, our courage, and above all, our capacity for solidarity.

Eighty years of service. Hundreds of projects and thousands of lives touched. As we mark this incredible milestone, the Federation remains committed to doing what we’ve always done best: making a difference where it matters most.

As we move deeper into this new vision of kehillah–community–we believe a more open and transparent process is vital. If you’d like to learn more about community building and our shared future, I invite you to join us for the Federation’s Annual Meeting on June 5 at 7:00 PM.

Moshe Krug