JCA Spotlight

March 24, 2025

Your Gift, Our Community: How the JCA Allocations Make an Impact

When you give to the JCA’s Annual Campaign, you’re not just supporting the incredible programs and services we offer—you’re investing in a stronger, more connected Jewish community. One-quarter of every dollar raised is distributed by our Allocations Committee, a dedicated group that reflects the diversity and values of our community.


Of these allocated funds, 75% stays local, supporting partners like the Maine Jewish Film Festival, the Southern Maine Jewish Cemetery Association, religious schools across Cumberland, York, and Sagadahoc Counties, and more. The remaining 25% goes overseas to non-governmental organizations providing essential social services, including Hand in Hand Schools and World ORT.

One powerful example of your impact is the Maine Jewish Museum’s Delet program, which introduces Maine middle and high school students of all backgrounds to the richness of Jewish history, culture, and traditions. Thanks to your support, Delet is opening doors to greater understanding.

What is the purpose of the Delet Program?

"Delet" is the Hebrew word for "door," and the mission of the Delet Program is to share our experiences and open a door to a greater understanding of Jews and Judaism among diverse Maine middle and high school students. We work one-on-one with teachers at schools throughout the state to custom-design lesson plans that dovetail with their specific teaching goals. We usually take over teachers' classrooms for the day or multiple days in a row, allowing them to be part of the learning experience themselves, if they so choose — as a long-time educator with a Master's degree in teaching, I aim to give our overburdened teachers less work, not more. Sometimes our lessons complement units on the Holocaust, sometimes they highlight Maine Jewish history, and sometimes they focus on Jewish literature and culture. This month, we are teaching a class on Jewish contributions to the Civil Rights movement for the first time. Whatever teachers teach, we are happy to connect to Jewishness in cross-culturally meaningful ways.


We also provide transportation for schools to visit the Maine Jewish Museum for general tours and special programs. We give students an introduction to the synagogue, allowing them to see and touch a Torah, explaining the basic elements of a Jewish service, and outlining the similarities and differences between the Jewish religion and other world religions. We walk them through our historic collections and contemporary art exhibitions and give them an overview of Jewish contributions to Maine's history and vibrant arts community. Our emphasis is on Jewish life and light even when discussing antisemitism — as we always remind students and teachers, Jews are forced to contend with antisemitism, but antisemitism does not define us.


Our Museum Vision calls on us to connect people to the Maine Jewish experience and use our Jewish core as a springboard for broader outreach, and the Delet Program is critical to this mandate. With antisemitism continuing to skyrocket and our society increasingly divided, bridge-building is more important than ever... particularly with our youth, in whose hands our future lies.


How does the JCA’s gift impact the Delet Program, and what is the significance of the Jewish community backing this program through the local allocation process?

The JCA's generous funding allows us to bring the Maine Jewish Museum to schools and schools to the Maine Jewish Museum, as well as to host performances and workshops for students of all backgrounds. Many of the schools we work with are unable to afford transportation for field trips, and being able to cover that cost for them is game-changing. In fact, students are often not only visiting the Maine Jewish Museum for the first time, but they are also visiting Portland for the first time! My educational mantra is "you can't teach them 'til you reach them," and the JCA has gifted us with the opportunity to reach hundreds of young Mainers who have had little or no contact with Jews.


Knowing the Jewish community is putting its dollars and faith in the Delet Program through the local allocations process makes me feel buoyed and supported even as Jews are under siege nationally and in Maine. There are so many nefarious forces beyond my control, but thanks to the JCA, I am able to focus on impactful work on the ground that I can control, and that is everything to me.


With one gift, you change lives. You build a more resilient, vibrant Jewish community. Join us in strengthening our future by supporting the JCA Annual Campaign today.

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Dorothy Suzi Osher Obituary Announcement

July 3, 2025
The Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine (JCA) announced today that following the passing of Suzi Osher, a long-time Maine resident and philanthropist, on Saturday, June 28th, the organization will be receiving a transformative gift from an Alfred Osher trust. The gift, to be received in the newly-established Alfred and Dorothy Suzi Osher Charitable Fund, will be held in a new entity under the auspices of the JCA. The fund is to be used explicitly for Jewish education, Jewish social and welfare programs, and outreach programs to promote Jewish traditions and values. According to Leslie Kirby, the JCA’s Chief Executive Officer: “This gift, the largest donation in our organization’s history, will make possible incredible growth throughout our community and region. We are fortunate that Dr. and Mrs. Osher made their Estate intentions clear to the JCA in a way that allowed us to anticipate this transformational moment over the course of time. More information regarding the specifics of the bequest will be shared within the coming months.” This is not the first time the Oshers have extended their generosity to the JCA. Mrs. Osher was the lead benefactor of a 2015 capital campaign, which allowed the organization to build its state-of-the-art center on Congress Street in Portland. In gratitude, the facility, which opened in 2017, is known as the Alfred and Suzi Osher Campus of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine. This gift is in furtherance of the spirit of philanthropy both within and beyond the Jewish community that animated the Oshers’ lifetime of giving. The couple’s philanthropic endeavors have benefited numerous educational and healthcare institutions, including Maine Medical Center, the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine, the YMCA, the Dr. Alfred and D. Suzi Osher School of Music at the University of Southern Maine, and Tufts Dental School. Long-standing JCA Board of Directors member Rachael Alfond has been selected by the board to chair the committee overseeing the formation and management of the Fund. “An opportunity like this only presents itself once in a lifetime,” Alfond said. “I am honored to carry on the legacy of the Oshers and their mitzvot - good deeds - that will have a ripple effect for generations.” Dr. Osher, who passed away in 1999, was an oral surgeon and orthodontist who practiced in Biddeford, Maine. Supporting their community was always top of mind. In Suzi’s words: “When I make a gift, I always follow it.” Suzi established the Dr. Alfred Osher and D. Suzi Osher Scholarship at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine to honor her late husband, a long-term clinical faculty member. Suzi Osher was the daughter of French-Canadian immigrants, who faced substantial hardships weathering the Depression as a child in Biddeford, Maine. Mrs. Osher learned to value education and hard work. “My first job was playing the piano at a local music store when I was just 10,” she once recalled. “At 15, I was working for the government Census Bureau.” After high school, she worked as a bookkeeper for Alfred Osher, a local oral surgeon. Several years later, she completed a course in anesthesiology at Boston City Hospital and began assisting with procedures. In 1962, Dr. Osher completed the Tufts postgraduate program in orthodontics and became the first board-certified orthodontist in Maine. After the couple married, Suzi Osher pursued her interests in business and fashion, opening a specialty clothing store in Biddeford, a venture she called “my real career.” Even as she managed her own successful business, she stayed involved in her husband’s growing dental practice. “We were one of those rare couples who enjoyed working together,” she said. The JCA is honored to have been chosen and entrusted with this ultimate act of generosity from the Oshers, and we look forward to facilitating its continued impact over the coming years. For more information about Mrs. Osher’s life and philanthropy, please read her official obituary . Rooted in Jewish values, history, and our connection to Israel, the JCA cultivates and sustains a welcoming and thriving Jewish community in Maine, and strives to build a better world for all. Formed in 2000, the JCA is the result of a merger of three institutions: the Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Federation of Southern Maine, and Jewish Family Services, which combined the programming and fundraising arms of the Jewish community.

Community Study: Connection to Israel & Antisemitism

June 30, 2025

What's New in Jewish News This Week

June 27, 2025
Washington, DC — Pentagon leaders pulled back the curtain on “Operation Midnight Hammer,” confirming that six B-2s dropped 30-ton bunker-busters on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz enrichment sites last weekend, while a seventh bomber struck backup targets. Officials hailed the raid as a “historic success,” yet acknowledged early intelligence shows Iran’s program may be set back only months, not years. Tehran answered with ballistic missiles aimed at a U.S. base in Qatar and fresh salvos on Israel, even as President Trump and Iranian diplomats traded signals about a phased cease-fire. Read more at The Washington Post . Buenos Aires, Argentina — Three decades after the AMIA Jewish-center bombing, an Argentine federal judge invoked a new “trial-in-absentia” law to prosecute seven Iranians and three Lebanese suspects linked to the Hezbollah-planned attack that killed 85 and wounded 300. Judge Daniel Rafecas said the unprecedented move seeks “truth and justice” despite the fugitives’ absence, and reflects backing from President Javier Milei, the United States and Israel. Families of the victims welcomed the step, while Tehran again denied involvement. Read more at The Times of Israel . Jerusalem, Israel — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is weighing snap elections to capitalize on a post-Iran-offensive polling bump. Allies say a fall ballot could let him campaign on closer ties with Saudi Arabia and opposition to a Palestinian state, before coalition rifts over the budget and Haredi draft exemptions resurface. Polls last week showed Likud regaining the top spot with 27 seats after months of trailing rivals. Read more at The Times of Israel . Pittsburgh, PA — At the American Jewish Press Association’s annual conference, 70 Faces Media—parent of JTA, Kveller, My Jewish Learning and others—captured 18 Simon Rockower Awards , including 11 first-place honors for reporting and commentary published in 2024. Winning entries ranged from investigative coverage of antisemitism to a podcast on Iranian-Jewish music, underscoring the group’s breadth amid a turbulent news year. The accolades come as Jewish journalism faces both booming readership and financial headwinds. Read more at The Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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