From the Desk of the Federation Executive Director: With Gratitude 9/23/22

By Shelley Hubal

I will never forget standing in the hotel room and saying, “I don’t want to do this.” Then Mark and Rae wrapped me in their arms while I sobbed. That was the morning of my father’s funeral in 2019. The grief was overwhelming, and so was the tenderness and love from…

From the Desk of the Federation Executive Director: With Gratitude 8/26/22

By Shelley Hubal

Wikipedia includes in its description of upstate New York the following: “A cheeky joke among Manhattanites is that anything north of 14th Street is ‘Upstate.’” I would also say that most people from New York City believe there are few Jews living upstate.

Last we…

From the Desk of the Federation Executive Director: With Gratitude 7/29/22

By Shelley Hubal

“Power comes from above and legitimacy comes from below.” – Frederick M. Lawrence 

I recently attended the Anti-Defamation League’s annual Supreme Court Review. During his opening statement, Frederick M. Lawrence shared the above concept about power and legitimac…

From the Desk of the Federation Executive Director: With Gratitude 7/1/22

By Shelley Hubal

One of my favorite psychologists and meditation teachers is Tara Brach, Ph.D. In her teachings on self-compassion, Dr. Brach uses the acronym “RAIN,” which stands for “Recognize, Allow, Investigate and Nurture.” All of us experience emotional pain at some point in o…

From the Desk of the Federation Executive Director: With Gratitude 5/18/22

By Shelley Hubal

Here we are again: another mass shooting. This time the perpetrator is from Broome County. He could have very easily carried out his hate-filled mission here in our community, but chose to target the Black community of Buffalo. My heart aches for the citizens of Buffalo, b…