Jared Powers on Forgiveness
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Jared Powers on Forgiveness

Jared Powers is CEO of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta.

By Jared Powers September 25, 2019, 10:42 am Edit

Jared Powers is the CEO of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta.

Heavy job cuts were “necessary, though very difficult, decisions to ensure the long-term future of the Marcus JCC,” said CEO Jared Powers.
Heavy job cuts were “necessary, though very difficult, decisions to ensure the long-term future of the Marcus JCC,” said CEO Jared Powers.

During the high holidays, particularly on Yom Kippur, we focus on forgiveness. We gather together in synagogue and recite in unison the Viddui, or confession, prayers that recall all the sins individuals in the community have committed.

Taking a moment at this time of year to focus on the sins we have committed and any wrongs we have done to our family and friends, and then asking for forgiveness, is certainly important. Through forgiveness we can all find renewed richness in our relationships and in our lives.

While forgiveness is a central component of the high holiday season, I try to live my everyday life focused on gratitude.

There is so much in my life I am grateful for: my loving and supportive wife, my thoughtful and kind sons, my health, and my caring and wonderful friends and extended family.

I am also grateful every day for my community, the Atlanta Jewish community that has nurtured me since I was a boy; the synagogue where I first learned our Jewish prayers; Camp Barney Medintz, where I learned to love nature, be independent, and understand and cherish my Jewish identity; my BBYO chapter through which I developed my leadership skills; and my time as an MJCCA Day Camps counselor, which taught me the value and reward of hard work and making a difference in other people’s lives.

I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the Marcus JCC of Atlanta, a place that impacts so many. On behalf of the MJCCA, I want to take this moment to express gratitude for our incredible staff who come to work seven days a week to bring our amazing programs, services and events to our community.

The MJCCA could not play such a vital role in the Atlanta community and impact generations of Jewish families without the support of our most generous donors and our selfless volunteers who give of their time and money so everyone in Atlanta can have a second home. I am so very grateful to our members, board, donors, sponsors, lay leaders, partners, and participants. Your continued support and commitment to the MJCCA will enable us to make an even greater impact in 5780.

I hope you are as grateful as I am that a world-class institution like the MJCCA is available to the Atlanta Jewish community. During the high holidays, when we take a moment to ask for forgiveness, if I have wronged you in any way or if the MJCCA has not met your expectations in any way, I ask for your forgiveness. We remain steadfast in our commitment to all those who depend on the MJCCA to be a welcoming, inclusive, and safe space to gather, learn, play, and find meaningful connections.

On behalf of the MJCCA, I wish you L’shana tova!

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