13 Elul 5778
To the Members of the Arkansas Jewish Community, 

I want to share with you some new developments related to JFAR’s Executive Director Marianne Tettlebaum. After 6 years of dedicated work on behalf of the Jewish Community of Arkansas Marianne will resign her position effective June 30, 2019.  Marianne's official resignation, which she addressed to the Board of Directors, is below.
 
We are grateful for her contributions to improving the lives of Jewish people living in Arkansas. Here are some of the major achievements reached during her tenure at JFAR:
 
  1. Obtaining a grant from the Harold Grispoon Life & Legacy Program to help JFAR and congregations throughout Arkansas develop planned giving programs.
  2. The establishment of the Caregiving and Aging Program and the hiring of a social worker.
  3.  Partnership with the Jewish National Fund (JNF) to build an Arkansas community-funded Magen David Emergency Station at JNF's Rescue Center in Sapir, Israel; the establishment of a new partnership with JNF to support the construction of a bomb shelter at the Red Mountain Therapeutic Riding Center; and organization of JFAR's mission to Israel with JNF.
  4.  Maintaining a strong presence within and communication with Jewish communities throughout Arkansas
  5. Strengthening and reorganizing JFAR's Arkansas Grant Allocations.
 
The Board of Directors and I can’t thank Marianne enough for all she has done for JFAR and we wish her the best on her new endeavors.

We are now working on forming a Search Committee for a new Executive Director. Your input is welcomed and encouraged throughout the process. Please feel free to contact me or JFAR Vice-President Phil Axelroth with any questions. 
 
Sincerely,
 
Silvana Berlinski
President, JFAR
Jewish Federation of Arkansas | 501 663-3571| www.jewisharkansas.org