Campaign All Star
David Peskin grew up with in a Zionist family, but it was not until he became involved with Jewish National Fund-USA that he found the right vessel to express his love for the Jewish homeland. The same goes for his wife, Debbie.
Now, any given day, David is busy building support for Jewish National Fund-USA around Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. That just comes with the territory of being president of the Southern New England board of directors, a role David has wholeheartedly embraced.
“It’s very rewarding,” he said of his longtime involvement with the organization. “You feel like you’re making a difference. Jewish National Fund-USA is the perfect outlet. We’ve always been looking for that, where the best place is to harness that feeling we have. We went from casual donors to way beyond that, from people who were interested, but on the periphery, to being very actively involved,” he said.
As the leader of the regional board, David, who lives in the suburbs of Springfield, MA, is kept quite busy soliciting gifts, strategizing for the organization, and helping to plan impactful events. Fortunately, he is more than up for the task. That’s because the mission of the land and people of Israel, is “a part of who we are,” the father of two said. “It always has been.”
He and Debbie are founding board members for Southern New England and have long been supporters. Debbie currently serves as the regional education chair and is now involved in starting a new Women for Israel chapter.
“There are so many things I love about being involved,” Debbie said. “One of them is being surrounded by great people who are as passionate about Israel as I am, which is especially important in these challenging times.”
This past September, the couple, along with one of their two daughters, participated in a Jewish National Fund-USA volunteer mission and they plan to return to Israel this summer.
Asked if fundraising at a time of increased antisemitism was more challenging than it had been in the past, David said the obstacles were found elsewhere.
“To me the challenge is less about antisemitism—those people aren’t giving to us anyway—but how do we keep the nominally engaged, more casual Zionists—the casual Jew, if you will—how do you get them engaged?”
Karen Rabinovici, Jewish National Fund-USA’s Associate Director, Southern New England, shares how deeply impactful David’s work is, saying, “David demonstrates true commitment not just with his words, but with his actions. He is always thinking of ways to strengthen engagement in our region to support Israel’s devastated northern and southern communities.”
In his professional life, David runs Creative Chemicals, a company that started in his family and specializes in high-quality sanitary maintenance chemicals. But sometimes, he wishes supporting and advocating for Israel could be his full-time gig.
“I talk to other Jewish National Fund-USA friends of mine and we wish we could do this all the time,” he said. “We’re proud to represent them. We do very vital work.”
Peskin is particularly pleased by how much his region has accomplished given its smaller population compared to markets such as Los Angeles, New York, and South Florida. For those who live in areas that are similarly underrepresented in the Jewish world, he has a simple message: “Just find those who share your steadfast belief in and determination to help Israel and the Jewish people and you can contribute no matter where you live.”
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