About the Jewish Federation

Our mission is:To save Jewish lives and enhance Jewish life in Sarasota-Manatee, in Israel and around the world.

We work to advance this mission by:
• Meeting the human needs of the local Jewish community and of fellow Jews world-wide.
• Promoting a positive Jewish identity.
• Supporting Israel.
• Involving and building community among the Jews of Sarasota-Manatee.
• Strengthening ties between the Sarasota-Manatee Jewish community
   and the broader society in which it exists.

Our vision is:

A vibrant Jewish community.

Be involved

Visit our EVENTS page for upcoming community events!   

College Scholarships

Each year, The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee awards college scholarships to qualified applicants. In addition to general scholarships, there are three designated scholarships available.
Application requirements and deadline

March of the Living

For students in grades 11 & 12:
In April, thousands of Jewish teens from around the world will share a once-in-a-lifetime experience when they march three kilometers from Auschwitz to Birkenau. Participants will experience a memorial service in Birkenau, then fly to Israel to celebrate Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's Independence Day.
Complete March information

MASA

Masa Israel Journey offers over 200 study, internship, and volunteer opportunities all over Israel lasting between five and twelve months.
The Federation will offer scholarships to applicants who have been accepted to a MASA program – up to $2,000 to cover travel to and from Israel only. Scholarships are first come, first serve.

Learn about MASA

S.K.I.P.

Jewish teens are able to travel to Israel with the financial assistance of the S.K.I.P. Fund (Send-a-Kid-to-Israel Program).
It is important to allow these teenagers to share their experiences, as their stories affirm in the strongest way the importance of trips to Israel in keeping teens engaged in leading Jewish lives.

Learn more about S.K.I.P.

Bob Malkin Young Ambassadors

We send teenagers to Israel with the hope they return as young adults with a love for Israel and a renewed sense of Judaism in general. Think you have what it takes to join the Young Ambassadors?
Learn more about the Young Ambassadors

SENIOR PROGRAMS 

Computers 4 Seniors

Computers 4 Seniors provides effective training to older adults  in computer technology which enables them to enter the computer era and enhance their lives. There are 12 students in each class with an instructor and one or more coaches who work as a team. Every student gets the individual attention needed to understand the course material. The price of each course is $70.00.
See the classes offered

Camp Incentive Grants

The Federation provides funds for children planning to attend not-for-profit Jewish overnight camp.
Learn more about Camp Grants

PJ Library

The PJ Library offers children 12 monthly mailings of age specific Jewish books and CDs.  This program is free and is subsidized by the Jewish Federation.

Learn more or sign-up

Shalom Baby

Shalom Baby welcomes parents and their newborns or newly adopted children into our community with a complimentary Shalom Baby Gift Basket, including special baby items and a helpful resource guide for our Jewish community.
Register for Shalom Baby

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Heller Israel Advocacy Initiative

The Bob & Esther Heller Israel Advocacy Initiative was created to advocate for peace and security in Israel and raise awareness and actively confront anti-Semitism and Radical Islam.
Learn more about Israel Advocacy

Lion of Judah

The Lion of Judah is a symbol of today’s Jewish Woman’s strength, a symbol of her caring about the organized Jewish world and a symbol of her financial commitment of at least $5,000.  More than 16,000 women world-wide are Lions of Judah.  The program brings together women of all walks of life in order to play an essential role in creating social justice, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, preserving human dignity and building Jewish identity.
Learn more about Lion of Judah

YAD

The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee presents the Young Adults Division: a group for Jewish adults in their 20s-40ish living in Sarasota and Manatee counties. This is a chance to meet other young Jewish adults in the area to socialize and volunteer.
Learn more about YAD

Generations After

Generations After is an organization of descendants of Holocaust Survivors who wish to continue educating by preserving the memories of the past, carrying forward the message into the future, and keeping the voices alive.

Visit the Generation After site