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I did not find this world desolate when I entered it.
My ancestors planted for me before I was born.
So do I choose to plant for those who will come after me.
Babylonian Talmud, Ta'anit 23a

Introduced in 2014, the L’DOR V'DOR LEGACY SOCIETY is Temple Emanu-El’s new program to help congregants design a Planned Gift that is beneficial to the individual and family.

Concerns about your own and your family’s financial security may make it difficult to make an outright gift now. A planned Gift to Temple Emanu-El’s Endowment Fund can offer significant tax advantages – as you help advance the Temple’s mission.

The Temple Emanu-El Endowment Fund is held and managed by the Jewish Community Endowment Fund of San Francisco (JCEF) for the benefit of Temple Emanu-El. Interest earned is added to the principal. Investments are managed by the JCEF's Investment Committee, which as of January 2015 manages a $500 million endowment fund of its own in addition to over $2 billion in funds for foundations, Jewish agencies, and synagogues in the Bay Area. The JCEF has expertise in investing and managing agency and synagogue endowments as well as in handling endowment gifts of all types. The JCEF is partnering with Temple Emanu-El to educate members, facilitate gifts, and make distributions from the Temple Emanu-El Endowment fund for the synagogue's benefit.

A variety of giving options exist, including:

  • Deferring a gift until after your lifetime or your spouse’s lifetime. You may leave a bequest of cash, property, or a share of the residue of your estate to Temple Emanu-El. These gifts are fully exempt from estate tax.
  • Avoiding twofold taxation on IRA and other retirement plans by naming the Temple as the beneficiary of the remainder of retirement assets after your lifetime. One advantage is that your family can receive other assets that carry less tax liability.
  • Providing you with a fixed life income at a favorable rate of return by establishing a charitable gift annuity. This will provide you with immediate tax benefits and lifetime income while leaving a gift to the Temple.
  • Avoiding capital gains tax on the sale of a home or other real estate. Donate your property to Temple Emanu-El. You will receive an income tax deduction in addition to eliminating capital gains tax.

If you're interested in participating, or if you have any questions, please contact Stephanie Pollock, Executive Director, at 408-292-0939 or stephanie@templesanjose.org.

Temple Emanu-El is proud to be a part of the Silicon Valley Jewish Community Legacy Project, a collaborative program including synagogues and agencies to raise endowment funding to benefit and strengthen these organizations and perpetuate our Jewish community.

 Click here to learn more

Temple Emanu-El has served its families and the Silicon Valley Jewish Community since 1861. The Temple provides a warm and caring atmosphere amidst a welcoming environment. The Temple’s resources are finite, and annual dues are simply not enough to enable us to maintain the growth of our programs and services. We now have an obligation and an opportunity to extend that vision from our generation to the next -- L'dor Vador.

The L’DOR V'DOR LEGACY SOCIETY has been created to recognize those members of Temple Emanu-El who, who by their generous commitments, continue to support Temple Emanu-El with a planned gift to the Endowment Fund.

The purpose of the Endowment is to secure the future of the Temple in perpetuity, while enriching programs for the benefit of members. The Endowment will enable Temple Emanu-El to begin a long-term approach to planning and programming and to fund unplanned expenses. Please join with your fellow congregants.

Mon, March 18 2024 8 Adar II 5784