As a child, I remember each year before Rosh Hashanah my father would sit at his desk and send contributions to his favorite charities. The first check always went to HIAS, the agency that helped him get settled when he arrived in Pittsburgh from Russia in l909. He knew no one in that city.

Jewish agencies, religious schools and synagogues have shaped our lives. We feel it is imperative that these institutions live on to nurture future generations.