Valley Jews gather to strengthen and celebrate the vibrancy of the Greater Phoenix community
More than 750 Valley Jews gathered at the Orpheum Theatre to attend the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix’s MEGA Event on Nov. 12. The annual gathering is held to strengthen and celebrate the Jewish community and to highlight the impact of federation within the Valley, Israel and 70 countries around the world.
“It was great seeing all those people at the Orpheum,” says Bob Silver, who co-chaired the event with his wife, Sara, and Michelle Mandell. “It was our opportunity to thank them for their incredible support, which allows federation to do the important work we do in the greater Phoenix Jewish community and in Jewish communities around the world.”
MEGA featured an interactive Q&A with Scrubs star, actor, director, screenwriter and producer Zach Braff. Braff shared his Jewish upbringing, his journey from New Jersey to Hollywood and his current projects with the audience.
“Zach Braff was an amazing guest,” says Mandell. “His charm, sincerity and warmth allowed him to connect with everyone in the audience, and the audience came through with some great questions. He was so genuine. It’s not act, it’s just who he is, and I loved that.”
Maytal & Etzion from Israel’s The Voice also performed several Israeli and American songs.
In addition to the entertainment, MEGA guests learned more about the impact federation is making locally within its three core areas: NowGen, Seniors and Israel Advocacy. As part of its NowGen focus, the federation included a new way to give using technology. During the event, guests were asked to text to give to the three core impact areas. The audience gave more than $10,000 through the text initiative, some using text-to-give for the first time.
“We were excited to try something new,” says Sara Silver. “Text-to-give provides another avenue that people can use to support the federation and is especially appealing to our NowGen givers.”
MEGA was generously supported by Gold Sponsors: Express Flooring, The Flader Wealth Consulting Group of RBC Wealth Management, Henry & Horne, LLP, Mutual of Omaha Bank, Silverware and Weiss Wealth Strategies of Raymond James; as well as many other generous sponsors, partners and volunteers.
