What Does it Mean to Be Free

duda • April 16, 2025

What Does It Mean to Be Free?
Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach 5785

Written by: Ashley Inbar, Chief Development Officer

Each year on Passover, we retell the story of our people’s journey from oppression to liberation. We remember the narrow places—Mitzrayim—and rejoice in the expansiveness that comes with freedom. But what does it mean to be free? Is it merely the absence of bondage, or something deeper—the ability to live proudly, visibly, and in community?

Three years ago, I turned to my coworker Sam Cohen with a simple question: “Wanna start a Young Jewish Professionals group?” And because Sam is Sam, he enthusiastically and immediately said yes. Neither of us could have ever imagined that one small idea would turn into a thriving community of more than 120 people. This year, YJP held a second-night Seder and it was so more than a gathering. It was a declaration of Jewish joy, resilience, and unity. And it was made all the more powerful by the presence of Maine Governor Janet Mills, who engaged in meaningful conversation with every person at the table—and yes, complimented my matzah ball soup.

But her presence carried a far greater weight than any bowl of soup.

Just hours earlier, news broke that someone had set fire to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home after his family hosted a first-night Seder and went to sleep. In a moment when Jews across the country were feeling vulnerable simply for gathering together, Governor Mills showed up. She sat at our table, shared in our rituals, and reminded us that we are not alone. Her presence was a profound act of solidarity—one we will not soon forget.

And it wasn’t the first time she’s shown up.

Back in December, in the midst of a snowstorm, Governor Mills joined our community once again—this time for an intimate and urgent conversation about the rise of antisemitism in Maine and around the world. That evening, she spoke clearly and publicly about her unwavering opposition to BDS resolutions and her commitment to standing with the Jewish community. Her words—and her willingness to be in the room, to listen, and to lead—offered comfort and strength in a season of fear and uncertainty.

This is what freedom looks like today: showing up for each other. Gathering together even when it’s hard. Being joyfully, unapologetically Jewish in the face of fear.

To Governor Mills—we are deeply grateful. And to every member of this small but mighty community who chooses to show up, year after year, meal after meal, moment after moment—we see you. We thank you. And we are stronger because of you.

So, what does it mean to be free?
It means having the courage to keep building, keep gathering, and keep lighting the way forward—for ourselves, and for each other.

Shabbat Shalom. Chag Sameach. Am Yisrael Chai.

Ashley

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National Diaper Need Awareness Week 2026

September 15, 2026

The Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine Marks National Diaper Need Awareness Week, Celebrating Community Support for Maine Families As Maine recognizes National Diaper Need Awareness Week, September 14–20, Michael Klahr Jewish Family Services (KJFS) at the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine (JCA) is highlighting the ongoing challenge of diaper need and the extraordinary network of volunteers, donors, funders, and community partners who make the KJFS Diaper Bank possible. Across the country, one in two families with young children struggles to afford enough diapers to keep their children clean, dry, and healthy. Diapers are a basic necessity, but they are also an economic issue for families: many childcare and early education programs require parents to provide an adequate supply of diapers, meaning diaper need can create another barrier to parents’ ability to work. Here in Maine, the KJFS Diaper Bank works to ensure that families throughout the state have access to this essential resource. As an essential component of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, KJFS approaches this work in the spirit of Jewish values—the belief that caring for our neighbors and helping people meet their most basic needs is a responsibility we share. The Diaper Bank puts those values into action by serving families of all backgrounds throughout Maine. In 2025, the JCA distributed 290,050 diapers to an average of 965 children each distribution month. Currently, the Diaper Bank serves clients in Lewiston, Gray, Raymond, Mechanic Falls, Brunswick, Saco, Biddeford, Gorham, Windham, Standish, Buxton, Steep Falls, Scarborough, South Portland, Portland, and Westbrook. As we continue to see the impacts of inflation, diapers continue to be a barrier for families, and without clean diapers, babies are exposed to potential health risks and toxic stress, and mothers are at risk for increased maternal depression. In a letter recognizing National Diaper Need Awareness Week, Maine Governor Janet Mills thanked the state’s diaper banks, staff, volunteers, and donors for their service and specifically recognized the JCA among the trusted community-based organizations working to distribute diapers to families throughout Maine. “We thank Governor Mills for recognizing the work of so many across our community to address diaper need,” said Susan Cohen, CEO of the JCA. “Jewish tradition reminds us that we are responsible for one another, and that caring for our neighbors is both an obligation and an expression of our deepest values. Through this work, we seek to ensure that every family has the dignity, resources, and opportunity they need to thrive.” The work of the KJFS Diaper Bank is only possible because of the community behind it. In 2025, the Diaper Bank had over 80 volunteers, including 50 individual volunteers as well as many corporate and student volunteer groups who donated over 700 volunteer hours. Volunteers help receive, organize, package, deliver, and prepare diapers for distribution, while individuals, businesses, foundations, government partners, and community organizations provide the financial and material resources needed to keep shelves stocked. Margaret Mailander, Director of Michael Klahr Jewish Family Services shares that "addressing the immediate diaper need is important and as the National Diaper Bank Network has made clear through their research, diaper need is a systemic issue caused by economic and social systems and therefore requires our collective support to find solutions that are structural." During National Diaper Need Awareness Week, KJFS encourages Mainers to learn more about diaper need, organize diaper drives, volunteer, and support the continued availability of diapers for families throughout the state. Please donate to the Jewish Family Services Diaper Bank at Diaper Bank . About Michael Klahr Jewish Family Services KJFS is the social services department of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, providing programs and resources that support individuals and families and strengthen communities throughout Maine. Guided by Jewish values and open to people of all backgrounds, KJFS works to meet immediate needs while fostering dignity, connection, and well-being. About the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine The Jewish Community Alliance (JCA) is a central hub for Jewish life, education, and community support. We provide meaningful programs, essential services, and opportunities to connect. 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.

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Remembering, Rebuilding, and Resilience: JCRC Hosts Eugene Damlich

July 15, 2026

Last week, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine welcomed Eugene Damlich, a survivor of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, for a special lunch and community dialogue. Eugene shared the story of losing his family, surviving unimaginable violence, and rebuilding his life in the years that followed. The only surviving child in a family of five children, Eugene later immigrated to the United States, where, as an adult, he found love and belonging with a Jewish-American family. The gathering was not simply a testimony program, but a genuine exchange between communities. Eugene asked participants how the Jewish community has preserved Holocaust memory while helping survivors and their descendants live with hope, dignity, and purpose. He also invited discussion about forgiveness, justice, healing, and the responsibility to transmit memory across generations. Several people at the table were children of Holocaust survivors—one JCRC member, Anna Wrobel, shared that her mother was also the sole survivor of her family—profoundly relating to Eugene in a way that few others can. In preparation for the lunch, the JCRC held its first movie night, where participants watched Sometimes in April, a 2005 historical drama about the Rwandan Genocide. Last week’s lunch also built upon the JCRC’s participation in this year’s Kwibuka, which annually commemorates the Rwandan Genocide; JCRC members walked in the memorial procession, and a post-Kwibuaka gathering for Maine’s Tutsi community was held at the JCA. We are deeply grateful to Eugene for sharing his testimony, and we look forward to continuing to strengthen the relationship between Maine’s Jewish and Tutsi communities.