Happy New Year!

While I can't imagine any of us will be sorry to bid adieu to 2020, I am proud that JFN members have responded to the Covid pandemic, as well as other challenges this year, with generosity, thoughtfulness, and passion.

Not only have many of you stepped up your giving dramatically (as documented in this report I shared last week), but JFN has seen unprecedented levels of engagement and participation. This year, in addition to our virtual conference in March, we held more than 130 online events. More than 2,000 individuals attended at least one of our events — and almost 400 people attended three or more! Plus, thousands of others have watched and listened to our recordings online.

Because we've produced so much content this year, we decided to draw your attention to some of our most popular videos and podcasts. This playlist on JFN's YouTube channel includes two National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty briefings, a special lecture by Israeli-American behavioral economist Dan Ariely (stay tuned for a podcast episode with him next month!), a video on how Covid is impacting Jewish college students and young adults, and much more! Scroll down (click on the horizontal bars at the top of the screen to see the list) or watch them on YouTube!

This year, our "What Gives?" podcast — in which I interview (and sometimes debate) Jewish thinkers, leaders, and philanthropists about the challenges facing our community —- expanded, with a new episode released each month. These five got the most attention, but you'll want to subscribe, so you don't miss a single episode: 

• Barry Finestone, President and CEO of the Jim Joseph Foundation (Did you know he's from Scotland?)
• Historian Lila Corwin Berman, author of the controversial new book "The American Jewish Philanthropic Complex"
• Jay Sanderson, President and CEO of The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles (You'll find out about a personal encounter he had with Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion.)
• Rokhl Kafrissen, cultural critic, playwright, columnist, and pre-eminent Yiddishist.
• Husband-and-wife team Jay and Shira Ruderman, who head the Ruderman Family Foundation and serve as personal exemplars of Diaspora-Israeli collaboration at its finest.

Want to keep up with more great content in 2021? Subscribe to "What Gives?" (available wherever you get your podcasts) and our YouTube channel!