wine glasses on top of table

Nearly 1,500 Gather in Boca Raton for Jewish National Fund’s Annual Winter Connection

by | Mar 30, 2026 | Boca News | 0 comments

One of South Florida’s most significant Jewish philanthropic events of the year drew an enormous crowd to Boca Raton earlier this month.

Nearly 1,500 philanthropists and community leaders gathered in Boca Raton on March 15 for Jewish National Fund-USA’s annual Winter Connection, with the goal of securing Israel’s future. Boca Raton Tribune The event, one of JNF-USA’s premier annual gatherings, brought together major donors, lay leaders, and Israel advocates from across the country — with South Florida’s dense Jewish community providing a natural home base for the conference.

The Winter Connection serves as a critical fundraising and strategic planning convening for JNF-USA, an organization with over a century of history supporting land, water, and environmental infrastructure in Israel. This year’s event carried heightened urgency given ongoing security challenges in Israel, with speakers expected to address pressing needs ranging from rebuilding communities in the south and north of the country to long-term agricultural and environmental resilience.

The Boca Raton gathering underscores the city’s outsized role in American Jewish philanthropic life. With an estimated 70.8% of its 100,000 residents identifying as Jewish, Boca Raton has one of the highest Jewish population percentages in the United States. Wikipedia That density makes it a natural hub for national Jewish organizations hosting major events. The Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, Chabad networks, and a constellation of synagogues and day schools give the area both the infrastructure and the donor base to host gatherings of this scale.

Community members and leaders leaving the Winter Connection described a mood of determination — sober about the challenges facing Israel, but energized by the show of collective commitment.

+ posts

Harlan Kilstein has been a Boca Resident since 1997. He know the ins and out of Boca




BOCA RATON WEATHER

Our Sponsors

Post Categories