Local News in Brief : Countywide : Jewish Fund-Raising Exceeds Expectations
A telephone campaign that started three months of fund raising in the county’s Jewish community raised more than $260,000 in its first night Sunday, dispelling fears that gift-giving would be adversely affected by violence between Israeli soldiers and Arab protesters in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, sponsors said Monday.
The amount raised in the first day or “Super Sunday” of the campaign was $10,000 more than the goal and $60,000 more than last year, said Chelle Friedman, spokeswoman for the United Jewish Federation of Orange County, which sponsors the drive.
The money will go to Jewish social service programs in the United States, Israel and more than 30 other countries.
Friedman said volunteers who answered phones Sunday had been trained to deal with callers’ concerns about the turmoil on the West Bank and to say none of the money is for military uses.
“We found surprisingly few questions,” Friedman said. “We had some new donors, and many people increased their donations.”
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