Father-daughter team lead Moes Chitim fundraiser

L’dor v’dor, the Jewish principle of passing on cultural values, rituals, traditions and history to the next generation, is embodied in the father-and-daughter team of Ronald Markoff and Stephanie Markoff Cohen.

Cohen joins her father this year as co-chair of the Jewish Collaborative Services’ Moes Chitim (Money for Wheat) fundraising campaign. Markoff is a longtime Jewish Family Service and now JCS board member who has chaired the annual campaign for many years.

Cohen also served as a JFS board member for a number of years, prior to starting her family. Now that her children are a little older, she has returned to JCS as a volunteer.

“This is such a meaningful way for both my father and I to be involved with JCS,” Cohen said of their co-chair duties.

“I had two community-minded parents growing up,” she recalled, adding that community-engagement activities are among her earliest childhood memories. Today, she continues this tradition by instilling the concept of l’dor v’dor in her own children.

Markoff remembers his teachers passing around an envelope for donations when he was a Hebrew school student at Temple Emanu-El, in Providence.

“We’d each put a penny or a nickel in the envelope,” he recalled, adding, “My parents were very charitable; that’s how I got involved in helping to support Jewish institutions – JFS at the time and JCS now, Temple Emanu-El, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, and Brown RISD Hillel. [Philanthropy] must start at home – it’s so important – if we don’t take care of ourselves, no one else will … look at the world.”

Together, Markoff and Cohen hope to continue to lead by example, ensuring l’dor v’dor through their leadership in the Moes Chitim fundraising campaign and beyond.

Moes Chitim also helps pay for community-based Passover seders, such as those held at the Kosher Senior Café, at Temple Sinai in Cranston, and at local synagogues, as well as supporting those who need Passover assistance. Once qualified, individuals seeking help will receive a $60 gift card; couples will receive a $100 gift card; and large families with adult children will receive a $200 gift card, JCS reported.

In these uncertain times, Cohen stressed that every little bit helps. Her father agreed, saying, “more than ever, now is the time to give” if you are able.

As of March 23, the Moes Chitim campaign had raised 77% of its $15,000 goal.

To donate to Moes Chitim, go to jcsri.org/donate/donate-now. You can designate your donation for Moes Chitim.  To apply for Passover assistance, contact Katie Giardino, case manager at Jewish Collaborative Services,  401-331-1244, or email her at Katie@jfsri.org.

JESSICA MURPHY is the marketing and communications manager for Jewish Collaborative Services.