When Paul Peck talks about the future of Tidewater Jewish Foundation, he doesn’t begin with fundraising goals or financial projections. He begins with responsibility. “We’re the beneficiaries of the hard work of earlier generations,” he says. “It’s our obligation to continue that work.”
That philosophy has guided Peck’s decades of leadership within the Jewish community and now shapes his vision as the new board chair of Tidewater Jewish Foundation. At a time when many organizations are focused on meeting today’s challenges, Peck believes TJF has a unique responsibility: to strengthen the long-term financial foundation that will allow Jewish life in Hampton Roads to thrive well into the future.
Central to that vision is TJF’s ambitious goal of growing its endowed assets to $500 million. For Peck, the number is not the destination; rather it is what that level of philanthropic investment could make possible.
Peck says he envisions synagogues strengthened by permanent endowments, agencies with the resources to innovate and expand programming, scholarships that open doors for more students, and community institutions better equipped to address growing security needs. Instead of simply sustaining operations year after year, organizations would have the freedom to invest boldly in the future.
“If we achieve this vision,” Peck says, “the exciting things we can do as a community will be limited only by our imagination.”
That long-range perspective is what first drew Peck to the Foundation. “TJF is designed to protect the investments our parents and grandparents made,” he says. Inspired by the Jewish teaching of the man who plants a carob tree knowing he will never enjoy its fruit, Peck believes every generation has a responsibility to plant seeds whose greatest impact will be realized by those who follow.
He also hopes to reshape how the community thinks about philanthropy. “One of the greatest misconceptions we must change is that philanthropy is only for the wealthy,” Peck says. “There are meaningful opportunities for individuals and families at every stage of life to create lasting impact.”
As he begins his term, Peck is quick to recognize that TJF’s momentum is the result of decades of dedicated leadership. He credits the Foundation’s past and present board members, volunteers, donors, and community partners for investing their time, talent, and treasure to build one of the region’s strongest Jewish philanthropic institutions.
“The outstanding leadership of those who came before us has put TJF on an exciting trajectory,” he says. “I’m honored to serve alongside an exceptional board of directors as we build on that foundation together.”
Peck believes the Foundation’s greatest work is still before it. “TJF looks at the long game,” he says. “Our role is to ensure that future generations inherit a Jewish community that is strong, resilient, and prepared for whatever comes next.”