Our Mission
“The Jewish Federation of Arkansas strengthens, supports and ensures the future of the Jewish community in Arkansas and provides for the Jewish people in Israel and worldwide.”
We fulfill our mission by:
Acting as a statewide information and resource center for the Jewish community.
Fundraising and allocating funds to benefit and provide for the needs of Jewish individuals and communities.
Supporting and providing programs and services that broaden our knowledge and perspectives of Jewish life and history, encourage fellowship and foster Jewish identity.
Respecting the different expressions of Judaism and Jewish life.
Basing our decisions and actions on the values of K-lal Yisrael (shared community), Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), and Tzedakah (justice, righteousness, and philanthropy).
Leadership
& Staff
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Enrico Ravenna
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Executive Board
Co-President: Sue Weinstein
Co-President: Silvana Berlinski
Secretary: Barry Goldman
Treasurer: Bruce Thalheimer
Past President: Jana Cohen
Board Members
Ellen Biller, 1st year, 1st term
Barry Brown, 1st year, 1st term
Ron Dilbert, 1st year, 2nd term
Corinna Dranow, 1st year, 2nd term
George Ernst, 2nd year, 2nd term
Tim Kessler, 2nd year, 1st term
Lewis Krain, 2nd year, 3rd term
José Enrique Cartagena Ortiz, 1st year, 1st term
Jennifer Ronnel, 2nd year, 1st term
Lynn Rosen, 2nd year, 1st term
Marvin Schwartz, 1st year, 1st term
Sheri Simon, 1st year, 1st term
Jonathan Tabak, 1st year, 1st term
Perry Young, 1st year, 3rd termHonorary Board Members
Harry Ehrenberg (non-voting)
Arleen Marshall (non-voting) -
Rabbis
Rabbi Mark Biller, Congregation Agudath Achim
Rabbi Barry Block, Congregation B'nai Israel
Rabbi Pinchus Ciment, Chabad-Lubavitch Center of Arkansas
Rabbi Mendel Greisman, Chabad Northwest Arkansas
Rabbi Sheldon Kleinman, Congregation House of Israel
Rabbi Yosef Kramer, Chabad-Lubavitch Center of Arkansas
Rabbi Benzion Pape, Chabad-Lubavitch Center of Arkansas
Ex-Officio Community Representatives
Congregation Agudath Achim: Chuck Prousnitzer
Congregation B'nai Israel: Dr. Bruce Greenberg
Congregation House of Israel: Ira Kleinman
Jewish War Veterans: Jerry Sherman
Temple Shalom: Diego Angarita and Bernie Levitt
United Hebrew Congregation: Jack Goodman
Our History
“Whoever saves a single life it is as if he saved an entire world” (Mishna Sanhedrin 4:5)
Since the mid-1800’s, the Jews who settled in Arkansas created ways to meet the challenges of caring for themselves and each other as a community. They sought to educate their children, to preserve their traditions and heritage, to counsel troubled souls, to take care of the elderly, to celebrate and socialize together, and to actively involve themselves in support of Jews in need elsewhere in the world. Arkansas frontier life reinforced commitment to the ancient Talmudic proverb “All Jews are responsible for one another.”
Children dressed up for a Purim play, c. 1925. Carolyn LeMaster Collection, Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Central Arkansas Library System.
Our Community
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Central Arkansas
Little Rock
Benton
Hot Springs -
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Northwest Arkanas
Bentonville
Fayetteville
Fort Smith -
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Camps & Youth Programs
Religious Schools
Summer Camps -
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Hillel & University Programs
Hillel at Hendrix College
Hillel at UAR - Fayetteville
Jewish Studies at UAR - Fayetteville
Jewish Federations of North America
The Jewish Federation of Arkansas is a member of the Jewish Federation of North America (JFNA), comprising 150 other Federations and 300 network communities, who together raise and distribute funds for social welfare, social services and educational needs. The Federation movement, collectively among the top 10 charities on the continent, protects and enhances the well-being of Jews in North America and worldwide.
Click on the following to read more about the Jewish Federations of North American and its partner agencies:
