Home

project updates

May 2011 Project Updates

Posted September 22nd, 2011 by Admin

Adva Ben-Gurion University (Beer Sheva, Israel) Limor Alon, Amitah '04
The Adva project brings together high school students from throughout Beer Sheva to study leadership and social responsibility with a team of university students and guest lecturers. Participants use the skills they gain at Adva to create community programming which they carry out in their respective high schools, creating ripples (or adva'ot) of impact thoughout the Beer Sheva community.

Tikkun Leil Shabbat (Washington, DC) Sarah Beller ’98
Tikkun Leil Shabbat is a pluralistic Friday night havurah - prayer and learning community - in Washington, DC that emphasizes song-filled services and a commitment to social justice. Between 80 and 120 people, the majority of whom are in their 20s and 30s, gather every three weeks to celebrate Shabbat. The evening consists of three parts: song and prayer, a “dvar tikkun” (social justice inspired short talk) and a potluck vegetarian dinner.

Fourth Wall Arts (Philadelphia, PA) Elijah Dornstreich ’93
Fourth Wall Arts began one year ago as a series of monthly Arts Salons featuring an eclectic range of music, dance, theater, poetry, and visual arts presentations. Through this programming, Fourth Wall has begun to make a significant contribution to the city's cultural landscape as well as to youth education. Funds from the AVF will be used for two planned education initiatives: a weeklong summer camp involving Creative Writing and Theater at the Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia, and a fall after-school program featuring Creative Writing & Magic at Girard College High School, a school in North Philadelphia which is home to students who come from single-parent households.

Datilonim (Tel Aviv, Israel) Yishai Ferziger, Amit ‘10
Datilonim works to give secular and religious youth in the Tel Aviv area the opportunity to meet one another in a social context, helping them move beyond stereotypes and preconceptions and become friends. For just over two years, the program has been bringing together youth from diverse backgrounds in monthly meetings. In addition to regular meetings, they recently hosted a special Shabbaton with 35 participants. Datilonim hopes to use AVF funds this year to work towards opening a second club in Jerusalem.

Interfaith Exchange (Providence, RI) Jonah Fisher ’06
The Interfaith Exchange is the first interfaith service program available to high school students in Providence, Rhode Island. Over the course of the year, program participants will develop and implement a yearlong service initiative in the city of Providence. At year's end, the participants of the Interfaith Exchange will return to their communities and serve in leadership roles promoting the value of interfaith collaboration and public service.

Tefilah Retreat (Denver, Colorado) Hannah Kapnik ’04
The Tefilah Retreat was a weekend of Jewish spiritual practice in the Colorado mountains held in August 2011. The schedule was built around prayer and included yoga, text study, meditation, hiking, singing, drumming and dancing. The retreat was largely inspired by the idea of a meditation retreat, taking time to explore spiritual life and the spiritual potential of the Jewish framework of prayer. Funds from the AVF were used to promote participation among young people.

Wingless Angels (Kiryat Shmona, Israel) Evgeny Khripunov, Amit '09
Wingless Angels was an extra-curricular project of the Last Opportunity High School for at-risk children in Kiryat Shmona. Students in 7th through 12 grade studied the story of Joseph Trumpeldor and discussed the value of contributions and sacrifices made on behalf of a community. The students then produced a full-length movie which premeried in Kiryat Shmona in the summer of 2011. The project promoted team building, leadership development, and a creative outlet, and was one of the only points of interaction for religious and secular students in the school.

St. Louis CSA and Food Pantry (St. Louis, MO) Hallie Neuman ’87
The St. Louis JCC's Hazon Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project provides community members with the opportunity to pre-purchase shares of a farmer's produce during a growing season. Any remaining produce is given to the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry, which serves 1,254 deserving, in-need households a week. The program's goals are to enable living healthier lifestyles, support local farmers, promote awareness of environmental issues, and provide needy families with access to healthy food alternatives. The CSA also works to educate community members about issues of hunger and lack of access to healthy foods in the St. Louis community.

UPENN Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Dialogue Group (Philadelphia, PA) Elie Peltz ’08
The University of Pennsylvania Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Dialogue Group is comprised of a diverse group of undergraduate students who are seeking to change the climate of conversation on the UPENN campus. Together with a mentor and facilitator, the group meets twice a month in a netural space to learn from one another and discuss commonalities shared by members of the group. In the longer-term, the group plans to create points of interaction on the larger scale by promoting the co-sponsorship of campus events.

Yeshivat Talpiot (Jerusalem, Israel) Jaclyn Rubin ’02
Yeshivat Talpiot targets young, Israeli Jews who have completed army service and seek to immerse themselves in religious text as a means of broadening their religious horizons. For the 2011-2012 year, Tokhnit Elul (Fall Program) will offer 12 students an opportunity for full-time learning, praying and social action in Jerusalem from September 11 - October 6. In addition to daily learning, students will participate in a weekly social action project, working with organizations helping victims of the current religious hegemony. Through day-long seminars and evenings of learning, Yeshivat Talpiot hopes to strengthen the relationships between various local religious communities.

Rama Girl Productions (Ramat Bet Shemesh, Israel) Alissa Schramm, Amitah '09
Rama Girl Productions was a project undertaken in the spring of 2011 at the community center in Ramat Beit Shemesh. Ten girls in grades 7 through 9 took part in a weekly drama class, building skills and trust before eventually preparing a play for performance. Although there are several after school programs available to students in Ramat Bet Shemesh, few of them are open to teenagers and Rama Girl Productions was the first after school program made available to teenage girls in the community. AVF funds were used for publicity and media, helping the coordinators to fill the theatre on each night the girls performed.

A Hot Summer for Ethiopian New Immigrant Children (Mevasseret Zion, Israel) Eitan Siani, Amit ’09
A Hot Summer for Ethiopian New Immigrant Children operated a two-week summer camp for 250 Ethiopian children and youth who have made aliyah during the past two years. The camp provided consistent activities for children in the absorption center who would have otherwise been unsupervised throughout the summer. The camp assisted participants in the study of Hebrew and enabled them to tour Israel. During the camp program, the madrichim also made home visits to each participant's house to assess which families would benefit from additional social services. Funds from the AVF enabled the camp to provide an outdoor field trip away from the absorption center.

October 2011 Project Updates

Posted February 11th, 2011 by Admin
  1. D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) Judaism Workshops Makom (Toronto, ON) Sarah Brodbar-Nemzer ‘01 D.I.Y. Judaism runs hands-on workshops designed to give participants the tools to confidently make Judaism their own. The series is sponsored by Makom, a new community recognized by Slingshot, A Resource Guide to Jewish Innovation, as one of North America's 50 most innovative Jewish non-profits. Initial workshops include "Judaism and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance," and "Make Your Own Tallit."
  2. Washington University Service Trip to the Makah Reservation (Neah Bay, WA) Julie Cronan '08 Washington University's service trip to the Makah reservation is a student-conceived and organized program, led by BYFI alumna Julie Cronan. Ten students will provide assistance to the reservation's Head Start program, as well as programming for the community's senior citzens and environmental cleanup. Students will also aid the staff of the Makah Cultural and Research Center. In preparation for the trip, students are studying Makah culture, history, and current challenges facing the community. Received a matching grant from Repair the World
  3. Olam Jewish Montessori Beth Jacob Congregation of Irvine (Irvine, CA) Robyn Farber '88 Olam Jewish Montessori will open its doors in September 2011, providing the first Jewish Montessori experience in Orange County, CA. The school willcelebrate differences within the student body - in family traditions, countries of family origin, and paths to observance. Within 3-5 years, Olam Jewish Montessori anticipates attracting at least 75-100 families to the school.
  4. East Side Jews (Los Angeles, CA) Micah Fitzerman-Blue '00 and Liba Wenig Rubenstein ‘00 East Side Jews brings a cultural Jewish presence to an LA neighborhood that once required residents to commute for their religious experiences. A non-denominational collective that holds monthly events on Los Angeles' East Side, East Side Jews has engaged nearly 400 people since its inception in September. Past events have included a tashlich event at the Los Angeles River called "Down By The River," with food, music, repentance, and teaching by Storahtelling's Amichai Lau-Lavie, and a "Once In A Jew Moon" Rosh Chodesh event at a Korean Spa with text study led by Rabbi Sharon Brous, from the independent minyan Ikar.
  5. Food and Justice Haggadah Supplement Uri L'Tzedek (National) Adina Gerver ‘96 The Food and Justice Haggadah supplement will be the first seder complement to focus specifically on ethical consumption in the Jewish community. The booklet will include commentary on the text of the Haggadah, and will point to the themes of justice, sustainability, ethics, and workers' rights throughout the Seder. The supplement will be available for Passover 2011.
  6. PLC Initiative American Jewish University (Los Angeles, CA) Miriam Heller Stern '93 The Professional Learning Communities Initiative aims to foster a culture of innovation among Jewish educators, based on research and reflection. The project is already working with three LA educational programs, addressing questions that include how to design, implement, and evaluate an experiential beit midrash, and whether supplementary religious schools should focus on modern or siddur-based Hebrew.
  7. Come & Listen: Jewish Food for Thought (National) Hannah Kapnik ‘04 The idea for Come & Listen stems from the Talmudic phrase ta shma, an invitation to explore ideas. In its first season, Come & Listen will create five full-length podcast episodes that focus on big Jewish questions, offering listeners a roundtable that includes Jewish philosophers, artists, academics, scientists, rabbis and authors.
  8. Mobilizing Jewish Youth for Equality Keshet (National) Idit Klein ‘89 Moblizing Jewish Youth for Equality is a joint project of Keshet and BBYO. The project aims to actively involve North American Jewish youth groups in the Do Not Stand Idly By pledge campaign, to mobilize youth leadership to take public stands against homophobic bullying and teasing, and to facilitate the creation of cultures of GLBT inclusion in Jewish youth movements. The project, already underway with BBYO, is poised to spread to USY, NFTY, and No'ar Hadash in Spring 2011.
  9. Negotiating Religious Tradition and Contemporary Identities (National) Hannah Mayne '02 BFYI alumna Hannah Mayne has been working on Negotiating Religious Tradition and Contemporary Identities for the past 3 years.By photographing and interviewing young Jewish women in moments of non-traditional religious practice, Hannah aims to highlight the expansion of practices traditionally reserved for Jewish women, as well as the experimentation with and creation of new ritual. Hannah will use her AVF grant to print and frame her photographs in anticipation of an exhibition later this year.
  10. Hyde Park Jewish Enrichment Center Congregation Rodfei Zedek (Chicago, IL) Rebecca Milder '91 The Hyde Park Jewish Enrichment Center plans to open in Fall 2011, offering content-rich Jewish after-school enrichment for day school, congregational, and unaffiliated Jewish families. The Center's unique educational model empowers even the youngest learners to become co-creators of their educational experiences. The AVF grant will be used for recruitment, curriculum development, and training of the Center's volunteers.
  11. Heart to Heart Shabbaton (National) Shani Rosenbaum '06 The Heart to Heart Shabbaton will bring together a diverse group of Jewish campus leaders from around the country, including ten Bronfmanim. The conference will explore how to make Jewish campus communities more welcoming to Jews from different backgrounds. The conference aims to empower involved student leaders to serve as hosts and connectors for their peers on their respective campuses. Heart to Heart has expanded to over 20 campuses since receiving its first AVF grant in 2009.
  12. Helping Build Jewish Community: Huánuco Kulanu (Huánuco, Peru) Daneel Schaechter ‘08 Helping Build Jewish Community: Huánuco will support the 200 member Jewish community in remote Huánuco, Peru. Through Kulanu, Daneel Schaechter will visit the community and teach a Spanish-language Hebrew school and a beginners' Hebrew class for adults, as well as assist in the construction of of a mikvah and kosher bakery. AVF funds will bring materials to the community, including Hebrew texts and ritual objects.
  13. Jewish Education Workshop Columbia/Barnard Hillel (New York, NY) Mitzi Steiner '06 The Jewish Education Workshop (J.E.W.) pairs students who wish to learn to lead religious services with peer tutors at Barnard and Columbia. Graduates of J.E.W. have become active members of their chosen minyanim, reading Torah for the first time since their b'nei mitzvah, and leading services in new capacities. Many former students have also begun teaching their newly acquired skills to other students.
  14. Tamuz Jules Braunschweig Massorati High School (Jerusalem, Israel) Yosef Yeshaya, Amit '04 Tamuz is a collaborative effort of several alumni of Amitei Bronfman and the JulesBraunschweig Massorati High Schoolin Jerusalem. Tamuz - which is a Hebrew acronym for "Involvement and Identity Program" - focuses on the transformative power of outdoor learning experiences. Through these outings, 90 10th and 12th grade students encounter Jewish learning, peoplehood, and communal responsibility through interactive sessions led by six volunteers from BYFI's Amitei Bronfman alumni community. Received a matching grant from Repair the World
  15. Adva Ben-Gurion University (Beer Sheva, Israel) Limor Alon, Amitah '04 The Adva project brings together high school students from throughout Beer Sheva to study leadership and social responsibility with a team of university students and guest lecturers. Participants use the skills they gain at Adva to create community programming which they carry out in their respective high schools, creating ripples (or adva'ot) of impact thoughout the Beer Sheva community. Received a matching grant from Repair the World

May 2010 AVF Grantees

Posted October 25th, 2010 by Becky

 

  1. College Students for Enrichment in Secondary Schools will bring Harvard undergraduates interested in teaching careers to New York during their extended January term break to run an after-school educational enrichment programs for mixed groups of middle school students (some fee paying and some on scholarship). Funds from the Alumni Venture Fund will provide scholarships for high-needs middle school students. (Elisabeth Cohen ‘01)
  2. Datilonim, the first project led by Amitei Bronfman alumni to receive an AVF grant, serves to give secular and religious youth in the Tel Aviv area the opportunity to meet one another in a social context, letting religious and secular teenagers in Tel Aviv move beyond stereotypes and pre-conceptions and become friends. (Nadav Wachs ‘09)
  3. Growing Up Milwaukee: Camping, a comprehensive initiative including a photographic exhibit and educational and cultural programming that demonstrates the impact of the camp experience on Jewish identity and pride. (Ellie Gettinger ‘98)
  4. Home Front Hearts: Building Responsive Communities, founder and BYFI alumna Randi Cairns will establish a strategy and calendar of events to reach the NJ Jewish community at mitzvah fairs and through speaking engagements and volunteer programs, raising awareness and inspiring the Jewish community to reach out to military families. (Randi Cairns ‘87)
  5. Jewish Education Workshop (J.E.W)
    pairs students who wish to learn to lead religious services with peer tutors at Barnard and Columbia. (Mitzi Steiner ‘06)
  6. The Kavod Moishe House in Boston is expanding their successful Jewish Sex Ed for Adults program, originally piloted with support from an AVF grant, to Jewish organizations and synagogues in the Boston area. (Margie Klein ‘96 & Michelle Sternthal ‘95)
  7. Through training and education, the Keshet Transgender Education and Organizing Initiative mobilizes the Jewish community to take action and become a visible force for transgender civil rights in the broader world. (Idit Klein ‘89)
  8. Funds will help launch a social action component for Kevah's learning groups, a pluralistic Jewish learning initiative in the Bay Area. (Sara Heitler Bamberger, Yozma ‘97)
  9. Ma(core): Source of Knowledge is a student-led program at UCLA that uses traditional torah study methods to explore secular topics like the environment and politics. (Ben Steiner ‘06)
  10. Support to the University of Maryland: Committee for Religious Life will help expand pluralistic Jewish programming on campus. (Eitan Lefkowitz ‘07)
  11. The summer internship program of the Urban Defense Project, a Cleveland-based urban-greening project, brings 15 college interns together for the summer to develop skills and knowledge in the fields of home weatherization, urban agriculture, and urban policy development. The interns learn important skills while creating immediate economic benefits for Cleveland residents. (Eliana Golding '07)
  12. Uri L'Tzedek will bring their ethical seal (Tav Hayosher) to the UPENN campus just as they successfully did at Princeton with support from the AVF last year. BYFI alumni and other Jewish students on campus will work with the Kosher dining hall to make sure that dining services abides by the highest standards of ethical treatment of workers and to monitor this on an ongoing basis. (Ariel Fisher ‘05)

 

Alumni Venture Fund Grant Project Updates

Posted February 4th, 2010 by Becky


Bay Area Learning Initiative

Posted by Sara Bamberger, Yozma 96-98
Our organization is devoted to catalyzing and supporting pluralistic study of classical Jewish sources. Our grand vision is a full-time pluralistic yeshiva, which we plan to launch in 2011 or 2012. As we are working to fundraise and recruit students and teachers for this exciting project, we have been focusing on a smaller grassroots endeavor: the creation and facilitation of an intellectually, spiritually and socially compelling way for young Bay Area Jews to encounter the core texts of the Jewish tradition.

Our Learning Groups ("Chevrei") are convened by a social connector, a young Jew interested in the project, who gathers a group of his or her friends, neighbors and colleagues. The groups, made up of eight to twelve participants, meet a few times a month to study texts together in relaxed environments-living rooms, coffee shops and offices with a talented educator trained in classical Jewish sources as well as the Western canon.
Over the past year, we have launched five learning groups that are up and running, and an additional seven which we are launching this spring! We know we're making a difference when we get feedback from participants, like: "As someone who has always been a bit wary of Jewish text study groups, I approached the East Bay Chevrei with some sense of trepidation. Because of my lack of formal religious schooling, similar groups had always made me feel alienated, bored, and at their worst, stupid. These sessions, however, have had the opposite effect. After each meeting, I feel invigorated, engaged, and, perhaps most importantly, part of a community made up of people who are seeking to include Judaism and Jewish study in their lives in meaningful, intellectually rigorous ways."

We have also been meeting with donors; we are in the final stages of launching a website; we have recruited a volunteer "staff" of almost a dozen people; and we have secured a strong relationship with the Center for Jewish Studies at the GTU. Perhaps most importantly, we have identified a potentially sustainable business model, in which we provide Jewish organizations and foundations with logistical nudging, sophisticated Jewish content, and skilled Jewish educators to host a learning group for their constituents in return for financial support. Current Bronfmanim involved include: Sarah Cowan ‘97, Andy Katzman ‘93, Ruth Kaplan ‘95, Brett Lockspeiser ‘99, Daniel Berson ‘98 as participants; Hannah Kapnik ‘04 as an intern and our new Social Connector Liaison, Rachel Finkelstein ‘03 as one of our social connectors, and Daniel Smokler ‘96 as a general advisor.

How to get involved:
Interested alumni in the Bay Area should consider joining a group, hosting a group, teaching a group, supporting a group, or getting involved as a volunteer who can contribute your skill set to this exciting project! In the future, we hope to have a website that enables people to access content, and we hope to have the capacity to train people to facilitate learning group programs in their own synagogues and Jewish communities. If you are interested, email me: sara.bamberger[at]gmail.com

Siach Chagim Celebrates Diversity

Posted by Yair Silverman 91

Since moving with my family to Israel just over three years ago, our daughter yearns for the day when we give in to her requests to bring a chocolate sandwich to school for lunch everyday. But my wife and I believe that it is our job as parents to help children appreciate their individuality and celebrate the tuna sandwich, malawach, and baguette they eat for lunch. As part of an organization inspiring dynamic community that we started here in Zichron Yaakov called Moed, we launched a project called Siach Chagim -holiday conversations, for which we received a BYFI Alumni Venture Fund grant.

Siach Chagim proactively seeks out the rich and diverse heritage reflected in modern Israel and together we share, learn, and celebrate with one another. Throughout the year we learn about and share in events marking a diverse array of Jewish cultural traditions. Our community alone reflects an in-gathering from over 22 different countries, each with its own narrative and unique strength to share. Siach Chagim has given us a platform and forum to share and learn from one another. This project has fostered amazing conversations in our community among children and adults alike.

One highlight of mine has been the Sigd. We partnered with the Ethiopian community of our neighboring town to learn about and celebrate the Sigd festival. Having grown up in a household where Jewish ritual was important, the prospect of discovering an entirely new aspect of Jewish life so central to some of my brothers and sisters was intriguing. Hamentashen & Latkes I knew, but Daro bread was something I had never even seen before. . The Sigd closely reflects a ritual recorded in the Book of Nehemia where the Jews who had returned to Israel from Babylon fasted, ascended a mountain to hear a public reading of the Torah reaffirming God, and here's the part that is familiar to the Jewish ritual I know- then the event culminated with eating and dancing.

While many of those who joined me hadn’t heard of the Sigd festival before, it became clear that this was a part of who we are. We are all part of the whole of the Jewish people and we returned to Zichron with a vibrant appreciation of the depth and breadth of the mosaic of our Jewish culture of modern Israel. We gained a deeper appreciation of the fuller Jewish heritage and the depth that each person and community brings to that whole.

Our upcoming events include an evening of Yemenite Matza baking where we will make and learn about the tradition surrounding the Yemenite soft pita-like matzot and learn about Yemenite traditions for Passover as well as about their exodus from Yemen to Israel. On Yom Ha’atzmaut we’ve planned a living history round-table of Aliyah stories from new immigrants of the 1930’s to the 2010’s recalling the challenges, sharing the joys, and celebrating together.

How to get involved:

If you would like to join any of our community events here in Israel or learn about opportunities to seek out and highlight the unique cultural heritages of the people around you, we’d love to share and help you make it happen wherever you are! Contact me at yair.silverman[at]gmail.com

Challah for Hunger, Washington University Chapter

Posted by Hannah Rabinowitz 07

Challah for Hunger is an international organization operating mostly on college campuses in the United States. Every week, chapters bake challah to sell to the campus communities. At Washington University, the money raised through these sales is given to two charities: the American Jewish World Service Sudan Relief and Advocacy Fund, and the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry. In our first semester of operation (Spring, 2009) we raised over $1000 for each charity. We planned to improve our chapter by increasing the efficiency with which we bake challah and, thus, attract more volunteers. We also aimed to improve the educational component of our operation. We hope to serve our charities not only by donating money to them, but also by increasing awareness of the causes for which they stand.

This year has presented a seemingly endless stream of challenges for Washington University's Challah for Hunger chapter. After a summer of excited planning for the second semester of our operation, we came to campus to discover that the school had decided to forbid bake sales. The only way to get around this new rule would be to transfer our baking operation to a commercial-grade kitchen. On top of this, a kitchen that we had been counting on, the Hillel kitchen, proved to be temporarily off limits

To overcome these challenges, we began a search for another kitchen that we could use. It quickly became apparent that no on-campus kitchens would be feasible. We extended our search to the broader St. Louis community. After weeks of fruitless searching, we have found a synagogue-Nusach Hari-that is promising. We hope to use the kitchens of this synagogue in the coming semester until we come up with a more permanent solution, hopefully the Hillel kitchens, next year.

Because of the halt in our operations, we have not yet spent the grant from the Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel Alumni Venture Fund. However, we hope to use it as soon as we have secured the use of a kitchen in which to restart our baking of challah. Until then, we plan to increase the efficiency of our challah baking by buying a mixer to help us make challah dough.

How to get involved:

If any BYFI alumni have access to a commercial-grade kitchen in St. Louis that Challah for Hunger could use, please email hsrabinowitz[at]gmail.com

Heart to Heart – Students Sharing Meaningful Shabbat Experiences on Campus

Posted by Ariel Fisher 05
Heart to Heart aims to empower involved Jewish students to share meaningful Jewish experiences with their peers and create a wider and more inclusive Jewish community. We chose to accomplish this goal by coordinating intimate Shabbat dinners held in students' apartments, dorms, or off-campus houses and made up of a mixture of newcomers, veterans, and everyone in between. Shabbat dinners are great - a timeless and beautiful experience with the perfect blend of Jewish community, spirituality, social gathering, prayer, food and culture.

The idea quickly spread and "Heart to Heart" meals were soon springing up all across campus; one Shabbat featured 12 simultaneous meals which included over 150 students in the beauty of the Shabbat experience, more than half of whom had never before attended. The benefit of such a coordinated effort was that for that one Shabbat, most of the 'regulars' reached out and included others in their Jewish community, a monumental step for the Jewish community at Penn.

This past semester featured 20 meals in total, each one about which an entire story could be told. One senior who had not been active in the Jewish community came to a "Heart to Heart" meal and subsequently fell in love with Judaism - the singing, food, culture, intricate legal system, etc. He came to another meal and has now coordinated with a partner to meet regularly so he can learn more about Judaism in the coming semester.

Heart to Heart is expanding and inspiring students at other campuses. A girl at Princeton University organized its first "Heart to Heart" Shabbat dinner - also a great success. This was made possible through the guidance provided by those involved in the effort at Penn.
How to get involved:
If you're interested in getting involved - whether hosting meals, supporting those who do, or attending a Shabbat meal, you can find out more at tiny.cc/Shabbat613.

Home Front Hearts

Posted by Randi.Cairns 87

Home Front Hearts has been very busy these past six months. We work directly with military families facing incredible obstacles who are too proud, too afraid or don’t know how or where to locate available assistance. For example, Sgt. “Smith” was medically discharged after 11 years of military service and only received a 10% disability rating from the VA for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. His spouse lost her job because she missed too much work taking care of his frequent medical emergencies. With no computer and living 90 minutes from the closest military installation, this family was completely disconnected from the military and unaware of resources that might be available to them. When they first contacted Home Front Hearts, they had spent all their savings, were living on $600 a month, and had $14 to pay for a week of groceries.

We connected them with emergency funds; referred them to legal services to assist with their VA issues; coordinated a collection through a local community group that was able to provide house and truck payment. We also received donations on their behalf of goods and services including a computer, gift cards to pay for food, and 9 large boxes of clothes, toys and household goods. As a result of the donated computer, this wounded warrior spouse was able to start a flexible work-at-home job so that she can care for her warrior but also provide much needed income for her family. Their legal appeal resulted in an increased VA disability rating that will also better provide for the family.

This is one story of one family. We have worked intensively with military families from five different states who were “lost” in the system. Our website (www.homefronthearts.org) provides a one-stop database for military family members. It is updated daily and new resources are contacted directly to enable us to refer family members to the best resources for their particular situation. Without formal marketing, we have had visitors to the site from over twenty three states and three countries. This summer we participated in a Yellow Ribbon Event for 3,000 soldiers returning from a deployment in Iraq. This winter we were able to present 162 Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans with gift cards for the holidays. Another 528 individuals/families/businesses have been in contact to either offer support or receive assistance.

How to get involved:

Our greatest need at present is assistance with fundraising strategies, grant seeking, etc. The main goal of Home Front Hearts is to build supportive communities, so if you have a skill or interest you’re willing to share – we’re grateful! You can reach me at: rscairns[at]homefronthearts.org

Israeli Veterans of 1948: War and Memory Makes Israeli History Come Alive for Students

Posted by Eli Terry 02

Israeli Veterans of 1948: War and Memory is an experiential education project about the interplay between collective and individual memory in Israel. By compiling sources from 1948-1949 and comparing them with testimonies recorded by soldiers today, Ethan Pack and Eli Terry (‘02) hope to shed light on how six decades of Arab-Israeli conflict have layered personal memories with collective significance.

The project’s larger goal is to pair with Jewish educators in the U.S. to present these testimonies to high school students. Eli, a public school teacher in New York, is coordinating with Jewish day schools about partnering with high school classrooms that teach Jewish History, Zionism or Israel Studies. Through an interactive curriculum, Eli and Ethan will provide students with the opportunity to learn about vital historical issues including individual testimony, collective memory, multiple perspectives in a political conflict and how the passage of time impacts the recording of history. Eli and Ethan also plan to prepare an internet curriculum through which students can generate questions for 1948 veterans and track the answers in real-time as Ethan conducts research from Israel, offering them the chance to learn about historical research on the ground.

The research is being undertaken by Ethan Pack who is studying at Hebrew University. Project partners include two Israeli organizations, Toldot Yisrael and Zochrot, who have offered to share their resources, including their expertise in locating Israeli veterans of the war (most of whom are over 80 years old) for interviews.

How to get involved:

If any BYFI alumni know Jewish educators that would be interested in sharing this curriculum with their students, please contact Eli Terry (eli.terry@gmail.com). The shape of the final product is open to considerable input from the educational institution - Jewish day school, Hebrew school, youth group, or other school. If you have contacts in Israel that may be able to facilitate meetings with Israeli veterans of 1948, please contact Ethan Pack (ethanrpack@gmail.com). Please feel free to share any other ideas or feedback with us by emailing.

Keshet Offers Training and Support to Community Leaders and Educators on Inclusion of Transgender Jews

Posted by Idit Klein 89

Keshet's mission is to ensure that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Jews are fully welcomed and included in all parts of the Jewish community. With help from a grant from the BYFI Alumni Venture Fund, Keshet has offered trainings, workshops, consultations, and educational resources to Jewish educators and communal professionals about the experiences and needs of transgender Jews. Keshet's focus on trans inclusion affirms for educators, rabbis, parents, and youth that Judaism has a place for gender variant youth and adults, and that organizations and congregations can create a caring Jewish community for all.

Keshet has mobilized the Massachusetts Jewish community to address discrimination against transgender people in employment, housing, access to credit, and public accommodations. Such discrimination is not illegal in the majority of states and is a national epidemic that leads to rampant financial insecurity, health disparities, and homelessness among transgender individuals.

As a founding organization of the Interfaith Coalition for Trans Equality (ICTE), we have spent two years recruiting Jewish leaders to become supporters of a bill pending in the Massachusetts legislature to outlaw discrimination and hate violence against transgender people. More than 80 Jewish clergy and institutions and more than 50 lay leaders have signed on to a formal declaration of support. In addition, 16 Jewish community leaders wrote testimony in support of the bill for its Judiciary Committee hearing last summer.

In 2009, we planned "An Act of Faith," an interfaith forum at Hebrew College in Newton, MA that brought people of faith and legislators together to listen to and learn from transgender individuals who have had no legal recourse following the unjust discrimination they faced. "As far as any of us can gather, this is the first time in Massachusetts history that a group of people of faith have come together specifically around transgender issues," said Rabbi Daniel Judson of the Hebrew College Rabbinical School. "So this is that moment...when things change." The event was later replicated in Western Massachusetts.

How to get involved:
To contribute your skills or to learn more about resources or educational trainings for your community on transgender issues, email Andrea Jacobs, Keshet Director of Education, at andrea@keshetonline.org or call 617.524.9227. BYFI alumna Idit Klein (‘89) is Keshet's Executive Director. Visit www.keshetonline.org/resources/.

National Havurah Committee Creates Online Resource Bank

Posted by Marisa Harford

In line with the National Havurah Committee’s mission to enable the expression of collaborative, grassroots Judaism, the Online Resource Bank was designed to provide useful information to support anyone who is working to build or sustain a participatory Jewish community such as an independent havurah or minyan. The Resource Bank aims to represent multiple viewpoints and approaches to Jewish community-building and to empower individuals and groups with the resources to build on approaches that have been successful in other communities. An interactive, living website that invites contributions and comments, the Online Resource Bank will create a space for the active exchange of ideas, opinions, and solutions.

The content on the site includes articles and resources in the following eight categories:

  • Getting Started: Help with policies, outreach, and other foundational steps for starting, or improving, your minyan or havurah.
  • Havurah Judaism: What is Havurah Judaism? Bibliography and links to resources about the movement and independent communities.
  • Services and Davening: Best practices for, and halachic (legal) issues concerning, prayer services.
  • Non-Davening Programming: Suggestions for programming other than prayer services.
  • Governance: Dynamics of groups and leadership models.
  • Finances: Applying for tax-exempt status as a religious organization.
  • Tikkun Olam: Social justice, social action, and community service.
  • Niggunim: Music, including audio links and other resources.

The site is currently being tested by he NHC Board members and a cross-section of other community members who are reviewing it and providing feedback on its features. We anticipate a formal launch, including official email announcements, in February. The resource bank can be accessed at: http://resources.havurah.org

How to get involved:

Look for an email about the launching of our site on the listserv in February! BYFI alumni are invited to read and use the resources and to comment and contribute their own knowledge and opinions. We know that many BYFI alumni community members have been very involved in creating and sustaining independent or synagogue-based grassroots Jewish communities; Bronfmanim will be encouraged to comment and to submit articles, niggunim and resources. We look forward to the BYFI alumni community using and enriching the website.

Street Sights Hosts Successful Journalism Training

Posted by Elizabeth Ochs 01
street sights picture
The first ever Street Sights Journalism Training Program was a success! The Journalism Training ran from August 27th through 30th and was held at Mathewson Street Church in Providence, RI. Reporters from around the state taught workshops to more than 20 Street Sights staff and members of the homeless or formerly homeless community who are interested in journalism. We learned about standard journalistic practices and tested techniques that journalists, editors and photographers use every day in professional publications. Thanks to the BYFI Alumni Venture Fund, we were able to provide gift cards to the training participants. The gift cards were to bookstores, pharmacies, and clothing stores in Providence and will make a huge difference to our staff.

The training program was so important because although the goal of Street Sights is to give voice to the ‘voiceless,' it is also to create a professional paper that will be well received in the community. Since the training, the writing of our staff members has improved and two of our newest staff members decided to get involved because of their participation in the training program. Two of our trainers have also become very involved in the paper: One editor of another monthly paper leads regular writing workshops for our staff and another journalism professor is part of our Steering Committee in search of a new editorial team.

This February, Street Sights will have a new volunteer whose main responsibility will be to transform the notes and materials from our training into a journalism-training manual which can be used at Street Sights as well as at other street papers throughout the country. We hope to add to this manual each year as our training develops. This will be an especially useful tool as it will provide training to our writers, and as our staff members become more effective writers, and in turn communicators, they will be able to build skills that will help them not only change their own lives, but also the lives of countless others.

How to get involved:
If you have any time or skills to contribute to Street Sights, get in touch with Elizabeth Ochs (‘01) at elizabethochs[at]gmail.com.

October 2009 Grant Recipients

Posted December 8th, 2009 by Becky

Donations from alumni and their families have enabled us to award 12 grants this October to innovative alumni-led projects that are helping to shape the Jewish community and the wider world.  In 2009, the BYFI Alumni Venture Fund distributed $24,800 to 24 project.  Support the Venture Fund and contact alumni listed below to get involved in these projects:

  1. Artistic Workshops at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue - Rachel Farbiarz ‘94 will lead a series of workshops exploring the interplay between the artistic process and religious practice as a means of invigorating and enriching both. The workshops will incorporate hands-on creative work, investigation and experience of Jewish ritual and practice, and discussion of artworks, scholarly and theoretical writings, and Jewish texts. The workshops will be held at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington, D.C., and will later be offered at other community centers, conferences, learn-ins, retreats, Hillels, and synagogues.
  2. Bay Area Learning Initiative (BALI) - Early 20's Initiative - BALI makes the study of classical Jewish subjects including the Talmud, Bible, Jewish philosophy and mysticism accessible to small communities through regular text study sessions in small groups. Since receiving an AVF grant in May 2009, BALI has successfully launched 15 small learning groups in the Bay Area, thereby creating a community of young adults who have a regular outlet for social networking and for deepening their Jewish knowledge and connection. This grant will help support a bi-monthly study initiative for young ‘social connectors' primarily in the 22-25 post-college age bracket.  Sara Bamberger (Yozma) is Director of BALI and Rachel Finkelstein ‘03 is the volunteer-lead helping to launch the early 20's initiative.
  3. Boulder Stepping Stones - Boulder Stepping Stones, founded by Deb Dusansky ‘87, is a program that provides Jewish education and experiences to interfaith and unaffiliated families, reaching a database of over 1,000 people from across Colorado. Stepping Stones, which also received alumni funding in 2008, focuses on Friday night Shabbat rituals as a time to strengthen Jewish family and community. This grant will help market and create programming for single and GLBT parents, who often feel even more uncomfortable being part of the Jewish community. Two other alumni, Idit Klein ‘89 and Julie Geller ‘91 have been involved with programming and planning.
  4. The Capital Good Fund - The Capital Good Fund (CGF) is a non-profit green micro-lender based in Providence, Rhode Island and founded by Brown University students. CGF makes loans to individuals that cannot access affordable capital from traditional financial institutions in the belief that access to this capital can have transformational impact on the lives of borrowers by building good credit and, thus, impacting, their communities, and the environment. CGF recently developed a new green credit builder loan product- one that would reduce the borrower's energy expenditures by financing the installation of a programmable thermostat while improving credit scores.  An AVF grant will support the purchase of materials and training about building credit.   Jonah Fisher ‘06 is the volunteer Fundraising Director of CGF.
  5. Darkhei Noam - Darkhei Noam is a lay-led Modern Orthodox independent minyan that comes together for Shabbat and holiday services on the Upper West Side.  An AVF grant funded the printing of a parent-created siddur for young children to be used at weekly children's services.  The minyan plans to create two siddurim; one for very young children (under age five) and then another older children (ages five to seven).  Noam Lockshin '01 and Allie Alperovich ‘93 are members of the Executive Committee.  Allie is also chair of Youth Programming.  She plans to share the siddur with members of the BYFI community and with other independent minyanim.  Shoshie Lockshin '98 is text study coordinator at the minyan.
  6. Dimensions of Kigali - Following a study program in Rwanda, Karen Zasloff ‘91 is now creating and directing a multimedia puppet performance relating to the experiences of Rwandan survivors in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide, and current tensions between reconciliation and the pursuit of justice. This piece will be performed as part of Labapalooza, a festival of new puppet works at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn.
  7. Documentary: How Many Jews in Poland? - This documentary film project, created by Judy Batalion ‘94 will explore contemporary Polish-Jewish relations, focusing on the question: "How many Jews are in Poland today?" -some say 4,000 while others say four. This short film documentary will trace six Polish inhabitants and their varied answers to a straightforward question. The project aims to explore the current perception of Jews and the state of the contemporary Jewish community in Poland, and hopes to ask uncomfortable questions about what it means to be a Jew.  The AVF grant serves to help Judy in securing the support of other Jewish funders.
  8. The Jewish Education Workshop (J.E.W.) - The Jewish Education Workshop is an inter-denominational program which aims to democratize Jewish education and access to prayer skills. Founded by Barnard and Columbia Freshman, including Mitzi Steiner ‘06, J.E.W. pairs students who wish to learn how to lead religious services with one-on-one peer teachers. Students from J.E.W. have gone on to become leaders in their respective communities and maintain their cross-denominational ties with other J.E.W. participants. Further funding will help increase programming to include Lunch n' Learns and pot-luck Shabbat meals with text studies on both Jewish leadership and liturgy.
  9. Jewish Sex Education for Adults at the Kavod Moishe House - Margie Klein ‘96 and Michelle Sternthal ‘95 were awarded a grant to adapt a sexual health course created by the Unitarian Universalist movement into a Jewish context.  The curriculum, "Our Whole Lives," involves 14 units and focuses on different aspects of sexuality for adults in their 20's and 30's. With the help of Hebrew College students, the curriculum will incorporate Jewish sources to help participants explore their sexual relationships and identities not only as people, but as Jews, and will help the community develop Jewish sexual ethics. The workshops will first take place in Boston at the Kavod Moishe House before rolling-out to other networks.  BYFI alumna Abby Friedman ‘02 will also collaborate on this project.
  10. The Network for Young Religion Journalists - The Network for Young Religion Journalists, founded by Michael Pomeranz ‘04, aims to support student journalists of religion. The Network will provide a place and space to foster conversations about religious tension, inter-religious dialogue, and world events through the lens of religion. A primary goal will be to support student journals of religion, which encourage the next generation of scholars and journalists of religion. This grant will help fund a one day seminar in NYC on January 24th that will gather journalists, students, and professors to discuss best practices and the future of the Network.
  11. Tikkun Leil Shabbat (TLS) - Tikkun Leil Shabbat (TLS) is a pluralistic havurah (prayer and learning community) that meets Friday nights in Washington D.C.  The community emphasizes song-filled, egalitarian services, as well as a commitment to social justice.  The group meets every three weeks in Dupont Circle with an average attendance ranging from 90 to 120 members, most of whom are in their 20s and 30s.  Services at TLS include a dvar tikkun (a teaching linking Judaism to a local social justice issue), prayer, and a potluck vegetarian dinner. Past BYFI grants have helped the minyan with costs such as siddurim (prayer books) and with funding to find a larger prayer space. A number of alumni are involved with TLS, including Sarah Beller ‘98, Ariella Kurshan ‘01, and Daniel Greenspahn ‘96.
  12. Uri L'Tzedek - Uri L'Tzedek is an Orthodox social justice organization guided by Torah values and dedicated to combating suffering and oppression. They recently launched the Tav HaYosher, a local, grassroots initiative to bring workers, restaurant owners and community members together to create just workplaces in kosher restaurants. The Tav is working to transform the business practices of the kosher food industry into a strict moral code of ethics, more representative of the Jewish community. The Tav HaYosher aims to revitalize and reenergize the practice of kashrut, including accountability of restaurant owners, while educating the Jewish community about the ethics that they should be applying to their eating habits and food consumption. An AVF grant will help expand the Tav Hayosher and will contribute to increased involvement in the Tav by Princeton students under the leadership of Rabbi David Wolkenfeld '97.  In addition, BYFI alumni Rabbi Steven Exler '97, Jodi Meyerowitz '05 and Danny Cohen ‘04, are supporters of this initiative.

 

NHC holds 31st annual summer institute

Posted September 8th, 2009 by Marisa Harford

We've just finished our 31st annual summer institute and, in line with our grant, provided many opportunities during the week for participants to learn about strategies for supporting and sustaining their home communities. We held 9 different workshops that connected to this track, on topics as varied as skill development (how to gabbai the Torah service) to liturgy (community-based evolution of tefilah) to programming to models of governance. The notes and ideas from these workshops were recorded and will be posted on the havurah resource website. We also had a fantastic full week of programming from our Hollander Social Justice Fellow, Joelle Novey, who facilitated a series of programs about sustainability and consumption, using Jewish texts and ideas as a starting point to explore practical ideas about how to consume in a more just way-- include work on electricity, ethical & green simchas, and fair trade.

We were so pleased to have 12 BYFI alumni in attendance, many of whom had Shabbat lunch together. Five alumni were selected as NHC Everett Fellows: Rachel Farbiarz, Ilana Lapid, Raysh Weiss, Adina Gerver, and Yona Gorelick
123next ›last »