Jewish Federation

Founding Principles

These federations for the most part were created by secular Jews who wanted to help newly arrived immigrants assimilate into American life. In its earliest stages, the Jewish federation movement embodied the four following primary characteristics:

• Autonomy: Each federation was a separate organization, independent of federations in other parts of the country; each federation ran its own fund-raising appeals and funded services tailored to the specific needs of its community.
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• Localism: The federations responded to the needs of Jews living in the local communities they served. Although the federations would later expand their activities to assist Jews in Israel and other countries, meeting the needs of the local Jewish community remained a central goal of federations into the 21st century.
• Americanism: The programs funded by the federations aimed to provide services that would enable Jewish immigrants to learn the language, culture, and values of their newly adopted country so they could integrate into the mainstream of American society.
• Communalism: The federations broadly concentrated on the needs of the communities they served, assisting numerous agencies and the largest possible number of Jewish people rather than simply focusing on any one agency or on the needs of individuals.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the federations supported family, child welfare, and health care organizations, including hospitals and orphanages. They opened Jewish community centers in many cities, which provided cultural, educational, and recreational programs. Many communities also established vocational education or training programs and provided loans to help people start businesses.

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