My entire life I dreamed about being a comedian. When we started JGSI 10 years ago, I was an idealistic but clueless kid who at times relied on making inappropriate jokes because I was self-conscious about the fact that I honestly had no idea what I was doing. But somehow I was convinced that building this organization was what the world needed from me. So despite my many mistakes, I just kept moving forward and the rest is history. Along the way, I gradually cut the jokes as I gained confidence to just be myself.
Fast forward to 2021, and JGSI has transformed from a tiny nonprofit startup into a movement. Thousands of grad students and alumni across North America now rely upon us as their sole Jewish lifeline and we are impacting their futures every day. Over the past year during the pandemic, we set a goal to reach 100 grad campuses and then surpassed it, nearly doubling in size from 67 to 112. We’ve managed to stay lean and keep our overhead low throughout, but due to the immense demand from students for our programming our budget has inevitably grown as well.
Although I’ve retired from comedy, I'm still that same idealistic person. I am driven to impact more and more people. And I get the feeling that JGSI is on the cusp of something really big.
These days, I put myself out there when I feel the time calls for me to provide leadership. And that time is right now.
I need your help today, just once a year. Our yearly crowdfunding campaign was launched yesterday for 48 hours, and every dollar received is quadrupled thanks to some generous matching donors. Please be my partner and join me on this crazy journey that is JGSI. I am confident that I will put your contribution toward the Jewish community where it will have a huge impact.
