Campaign for Jewish Buffalo
KICKOFF EVENT 2026
Tuesday, September 16, 2025 | UB Center for the Arts
EVENT DETAILS
AWARDEE & SPEAKER
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2026 Kick Off Event – Tuesday, September 16 at UB Center for the Arts
Join us as we gather to celebrate Jewish Buffalo, the impact we make, and the dollars we must raise, to ensure a flourishing Jewish Buffalo now and into the future. You won’t want to miss schmoozing with 500 of your closest friends (and making new friends) as we celebrate Jewish Buffalo together.
The evening will begin at 5:30 pm with cocktails and food stations. At 7:00 pm, we’ll move to the main stage threatre for a 45-minute program featuring A Conversation with Jonah Platt, and honoring Corey Auerbach with the Ann and Meyer Riwchun Men’s Emerging Leadership award. The after-party begins at 7:45 pm with more cocktails, desserts and music back in the atrium. Dietary laws will be observed under the supervision of the Buffalo Vaad HaKashrus. Free valet parking is available as well.
Event Details
Date | Time | Location
Tuesday, September 16, 2025
5:30 – Cocktails & Food Stations
7:00 – Program in the Theatre
7:45 – Dessert & Entertainment
Dietary Laws will be observed under the supervision of the Buffalo Vaad HaKashrus
UB Center for the Arts | 103 Center for the Arts, Buffalo, NY 14260
Event purpose
For 120 years, the Buffalo Jewish Federation has been the voice and the backbone of the Jewish community in Western New York. Our mission is to develop and grow sources of funding, convene, support communal infrastructure, and offer Jewish educational and engagement opportunities. In the last five years our mission has expanded to include communal security, combatting Jew hatred, and efforts to bolster our place in a civil shared society.
With the support of the Campaign for Jewish Buffalo, Federation is committed to funding our organizational and agency partners, strengthening the fabric of community, and inspiring individuals to access Jewish tradition in powerful and transformative ways.
Tickets
Couvert: $100 | person
– Payment for event is not tax deductible –
This Kick Off is a fundraising event for the Buffalo Jewish Federation. We ask that all attendees make a 2026 Campaign gift, if you have not done so already. Your support is deeply appreciated!
Honoring
Corey Auerbach
Ann and Meyer Riwchun Men’s Emerging Leadership Award recipient
Corey Auerbach is the Managing Director of Barclay Damon LLP’s Buffalo and Toronto offices, where he leads the Land Use & Zoning Practice and serves on the firm’s Management Committee. He guides clients through complex zoning, land use, and development projects across New York State. Deeply committed to community and Jewish life, Corey serves on the Buffalo Jewish Federation’s Board of Governors and Executive Committee and previously chaired the Federation’s Racial Justice Task Force. He also volunteers locally as a youth baseball coach, legal advocate, and nonprofit board member. Corey lives in North Buffalo with his wife, Meg, and their three children. His professional and personal life reflect a deep and ongoing commitment to service and leadership, rooted in the community he proudly calls home.
Featuring
A Conversation with Jonah Platt
Actor. Artist. Advocate.
Host of Being Jewish podcast.
Jonah Platt is a passionate advocate for the Jewish people, using his voice and platform to empower, educate, and inspire. In this Only in Buffalo conversation, Jonah invites us to explore the unique influence each of us holds — by joyfully living Jewish values, standing up to antisemitism, and helping build a vibrant Jewish Buffalo. Together, we’ll celebrate the impact we can make — powered by your gift to the Campaign — to ensure a flourishing Jewish Buffalo now and into the future.
CLICK HERE TO RSVP FOR THE 2026 KICKOFF EVENT
2026 Kick Off Registration
CLICK HERE TO MAKE YOUR 2026 CAMPAIGN PLEDGE
2026 Campaign for Jewish Buffalo
Sponsors
For 120 years, the Buffalo Jewish Federation has been at the center of building Jewish community in Western New York. With generous support from our corporate sponsors, we can strengthen our partner agencies, offer opportunities to families, teens, and adults to live & learn Jewishly, be part of building a more civil and caring community, address antisemitism, support Jews and their families in need locally and across the globe, and so much more.
2025 KickOff Event Recap
On Tuesday, September 24, 2024, we gathered for the biggest party of the year to celebrate Jewish Buffalo and two extraordinary leaders who have made a significant impact. The evening began with cocktails and food stations. We then moved into the main stage theatre for a 45-minute program honoring Marni Marciano and Hadar Borden, listened to powerful impact stories, and celebrated a new direction for the Buffalo Jewish Federation. The after-party was filled with more cocktails, desserts, and music back in the atrium. If you missed schmoozing with 500 of your closest friends (and making new friends) our 2026 kickoff event will be held on Tuesday, September 16, 2025.
2024 KickOff Event Recap
On Wednesday, September 20, 2023, over 450 Jewish Buffalonians gathered at UB Center for the Arts for a memorable evening to celebrate Gary Greenfield receiving the Nathan Benderson Community Service Award & Randi Morkisz receiving the Judith and Daniel Kantor Professional Service Award. The program concluded with a moving documentary film, created by Jewish Buffalonian Brenda Feldstein, highlighting stories of three unique transformational “moments”. Moments where the Buffalo Jewish Federation …. our people, our projects, our vehicles for giving … transformed lives.
It’s Moments Like This…
2023 KickOff Event Recap
On September 14, 2022, the Buffalo Jewish Federation held the 2023 Campaign for Jewish Buffalo Kickoff Event. The event featured a special video tribute to Leslie Kramer, z”l, Federation’s immediate Past President and beloved community member who lost her courageous battle with cancer earlier this year (video directed and produced by Brenda Feldstein). The evening also featured New York Times columnist and author, Bruce Feiler.
