Capping the centennial year of UJA-Federation of New York, the Wall Street and Financial Services Division raised a record $29 million at its recent annual fundraising dinner.
The total, part of the philanthropy’s annual campaign, exceeded the 2016 total by $1 million.
More than 2,000 people attended the event at the Hilton New York Midtown, at which keynote speaker Robert Rubin, former U.S. Treasury secretary, presented the Gustave L. Levy Award to Howard Lutnick, chairman of Cantor Fitzgerald L.P. Lee Fixel, partner at Tiger Global Management, received the Alan C. Greenberg Young Leadership Award at the dinner.
Jeffrey Schoenfeld, UJA-Federation president, described progress on three capital projects launched this year — a cultural arts center in Jerusalem, new social service projects for vulnerable members of the Jewish community and renovation of the Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds — and unveiled 2018 plans.
“We will continue to invest in the future of our fellow New Yorkers by stepping up the fight against poverty in a major way,” he said. “And in Israel, we’re investing in the next generation of Israelis, to encourage better paths for education for those who have been left outside looking in.”
Schoenfeld also outlined continued relief and recovery efforts; this fall, in a first, UJA-Federation officials took part in direct relief efforts in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in the fall.
“We’re continuing investing in relief and recovery for people across the globe — anywhere people are struggling to rebuild lives after earthquakes, floods and devastating natural disasters,” Schoenfeld said. “After the fall hurricanes, we provided more than $4 million in relief to Houston, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, as well as 28 flights carrying over 75,000 pounds of humanitarian and medical supplies.”
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