Aaron & Rebecca Engel

While our kids are still too young for meaningful conversations about legacy giving, we do our best to role model our commitment to the Jewish community through our philanthropy, community involvement, and by being a part of the LIFE & LEGACY program.

We have included Charleston Jewish Federation in our philanthropic plans because without the Federation, we would not have met at a Shabbat dinner for young Jewish professionals! CJF continues to play a significant role in our own growing family’s Jewish journey in multiple ways. Put simply: we are part of a community that takes care of one another.

We have also chosen to leave a gift to Synagogue Emanu-El because we got married there, our daughters received their Torah names there, and it’s where our family goes for Shabbat and holidays. It is our hope that we will live to see our grandchildren have their b’nei mitzvahs there too!

At the beginning of Rebecca’s career as a Jewish professional, she met with a Foundation to learn more about where their money goes. She was struck by how many of the programs they supported she had personally participated in. From Jewish Day School to Jewish Summer Camp and Hillel, every moment in which she felt most connected to the Jewish community was made possible because of donors who cared enough to ensure that a rich Jewish life was possible for her. And now, as parents, it is our turn to make Jewish life possible for those that will come after us.