From the Birmingham News:

Birmingham's Muslim community was "instrumental" in helping to thwart a threat to kill the President of the United States, the US Attorney in Birmingham said Friday.

Twenty-two-year-old Ulugbek Kodirov (pictured here) pleaded guilty in a hearing before US District Judge Abdul Kallon at the Hugo L. Black US Courthouse in downtown Birmingham. After the hearing, US Attorney Joyce White Vance thanked the Muslim community in Birmingham, which, she said, "was instrumental in helping law enforcement shut down this threat."

By Richard Friedman, Executive Director

I got a Facebook message Friday from a friend. This person has become involved in the work of a national Jewish agency going through some introspection.

"We have been challenged to work through the issue of the 'Why and How' -- why we have difficulty in finding future leaders and what to do to change it," this friend wrote. "I shared with the committee that Birmingham's Jewish Federation has it right. I've encouraged them to subscribe to our Update, not only because it's the best e-communication piece out there, but to read first hand all that The BJF is accomplishing."

This person requested an "opportunity to learn just a bit about how this vision began," adding, "The BJF, in so many ways, has firmly planted Birmingham on the big Jewish map!"

All this was nice to hear and I suggested that Daniel Odrezin participate in the conversation as well. Daniel, a third-year law student at the University of Alabama who has worked for us part-time, will be joining our BJF staff full-time in August. He is both a byproduct and now a facilitator of our leadership development process and I thought that he could add valuable perspectives.

SAME SUBJECT

I received this person's Facebook message while in Israel this past week and, in fact, had just come from discussing the same subject -- how to engage young people -- with a friend here, a young woman who works for another national Jewish agency.

We discussed the importance of giving this new generation a "place at the table" and opportunities to make an impact -- now. At The BJF, young adults, both at the professional and volunteer levels, know that they have a say-so, that their ideas are valued, and that their suggestions will be listened to. We have a saying, I told my young friend in Israel, that "there's no kids' table at The BJF."

At the same time, we have established standards. We want the best and the brightest; young adults who are passionate about Jewish life, who are willing to contribute money at a significant level proportionate to their means and make Federation work one of their top volunteer priorities.

We have embraced a new culture at The BJF and it's called LIFT -- Leadership Initiatives For Tomorrow. It's designed to give outstanding young adults in our community tools, training and opportunities not only to make an impact today but also to develop those skills, passions and talents that will make them effective leaders in the years ahead.

We've created this LIFT by welcoming people in their 20s and early 30s on to our board; instituting a new Inter-Generational Leadership Model that provides young adults with the opportunity to share top BJF leadership roles with seasoned volunteers; creating our new Leadership Writing Project, which has already resulted in three of our young adults having their Jewish-themed pieces appear in four Alabama newspapers; and recruiting Daniel Odrezin and Amanda Weil to come to work for us.

Our You Belong In Birmingham project has also had a tremendous impact as has our outreach to Jewish students at Alabama's college campuses.

ESPECIALLY PROUD

One more example of our new LIFT approach occurred this past week. We were especially proud that Brittany Saag, an ex-officio member of our BJF board and a member of our Israel-World Jewry Bureau allocations team, and Amanda were among the youngest participants on the Jewish Federations of North America national "Heart to Heart" trip to Israel.

Older members of our community mentored them on the trip, helping them better understand the programs and projects The BJF's committed to in Israel. Amanda and Brittany, both 26, are pictured here (on the right, from left to right) in Tel Aviv Friday morning at SELAH, an agency funded by The BJF that helps new immigrants to Israel who've been affected by terror and other forms of tragedy.

Immediately after the meeting, which included moving and poignant conversations with people SELAH has helped, Brittany posted information about the organization on Facebook with this message: "What an incredible organization. So blessed to be able to see the amazing work they do in person." Amanda was the first to respond, writing, "I'm still crying!"

I thank that friend who wrote me on Facebook for expressing such admiration about The BJF. The credit goes to many people, volunteer and professional. However, the ultimate credit goes to those who contribute to The Birmingham Jewish Federation Annual Campaign. These dollars have provided the staffing, organizational structure and funds that have allowed us to lead our Jewish Federation into a new era, and, as always, we say thank you.