With the establishment of an online Holocaust Education Resource Center in Bulgaria, World ORT has facilitated a grass roots move by the country's teachers to plug a gap in Bulgaria's education. The Resource Center will serve as a repository for lesson plans and other material which teachers can access to help raise awareness and understanding of the Shoah among teenagers. The project, co-funded by World ORT and the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, has also held training seminars at which 180 teachers from across Bulgaria have shared experiences and best practice. "During the days of socialism it was not taught for ideological reasons, because those who helped the Jews - such as the church - were out of favor with the ruling regime. When communism collapsed there was huge … Continue Reading
Moishe House Faces Challenges in New York City
from The Jewish Week: Moishe Houses Here Struggling For Foothold Since opening its doors in January, the Williamsburg Moishe House has been drawing 20-30 people to its twice-monthly Shabbat dinners. But the rest of the week its three residents can feel a little like chopped liver. “We have events where we struggle to get three people - I think that should never happen in a city with millions of Jews,” said DeJohn Rose. (The five boroughs actually have slightly less than a million Jews.) Rose’s house was one of four Moishe Houses to open this winter in New York City ... It’s not yet clear whether the Moishe House model will take off in New York, however, given that the city already has a plethora of activities for unaffiliated Jews in their 20s - including hip cultural … Continue Reading
Matan Clarifies Program Status
The following statement has been issued by Matan - The Women’s Institute for Torah Studies, following reports in multiple publications of the closing of the Advanced Talmudic Institute: Matan - The Women’s Institute for Torah Studies - has been at the forefront of women’s advanced Talmud studies since it was founded 25 years ago. Matan is the first women’s institute to give stipends to its scholars in order to enable them to focus on intensive text study for an extended period of time. The Matan Advanced Talmudic Institute, the daf yomi group taught by the Institute students and the Ayanot programs are evidence of Matan’s continuing commitment to serious scholarship among women. The reality of today’s global economy and resulting budgetary constraints present a serious financial … Continue Reading
AJWS Announces Winners of Philanthropy Design Competition
American Jewish World Service (AJWS) has announced the three winners of its design competition focused on philanthropy and social change. Where Do You Give? challenged artists to create a 21st century icon inspired by the values and imagery of the traditional Jewish tzedakah, or charity, box. The three winners are: 1. “Vending Box.” Doug Burnett, art director, Chicago, IL. 2. "Discover Needs." Michael Cohn Moreau, software engineer, Nashville, TN. 3. “Change.” Lily Feinberg, artist, Washington, D.C. Special Jury Prize: 1. Untitled. Sam Holleran, artist, New York, NY. Honorable Mention: 1. “Charity Plan.” Grace Robinson-Leo and Rob Matthews, Yale University Graphic Design Program graduate students, New Haven, CT. “We are not so different from the people we want to … Continue Reading
Welcome to Birthright Israel Summer 2012
Jerusalem, May 15, 2012 - Six groups of exhausted Birthright Israel participants walked out of Ben Gurion arrivals terminal to the sound of beating drums, singing IDF soldiers and the welcoming call of the Shofar being blown. The drummers then led the group of 250 young Jews as they made their way to an open area outside the airport terminal where a brief welcome ceremony took place. Each group of participants will share their experience with four to six Israeli soldiers, who are part of the Mifgash (Encounter) program. These were the soldiers who sang songs of welcome on the groups’ arrival. This season, Taglit-Birthright Israel will host about 26 special niche groups in addition to the regular trips, including a “Shakespeare in Israel” group for writers; a “Sound of Music” group … Continue Reading
Hadassah Academic College Jerusalem to Build Interdisciplinary Science Center
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has granted the Hadassah Academic College a lead gift of $7.1 million to build an Interdisciplinary Science Center at its downtown Jerusalem campus. The seven-storey 5,350 square meter Center will provide state-of-the-art classroom facilities for anticipated major student growth. The building will also house a gallery for art, photography and cultural exhibits, and a 350-seat auditorium for College and community-wide events. The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust supports a diverse range of organizations and institutions with a major focus on health and medical research in addition to programs in human services, education, cultural access and conservation. The Trust is committed to contributing to the development of Israel, both … Continue Reading
JDC’s Steve Schwager to Retire
New York, New York, May 11, 2012 - The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) today announced that Steven Schwager, the organization's Executive Vice President and CEO, will step down as CEO as of June 30, 2012 and will retire from JDC on January 31, 2013. Schwager, who has served as CEO since 2002, has worked with distinction for JDC since 1989, including as the organization's CFO and COO. "It's been my very great privilege to have helped JDC address some of the most pressing challenges facing the Jewish people. Following careful soul-searching, I concluded that after nearly 23 years serving this marvelous organization, it was time for me to retire. I do this with the deepest of pride, knowing that the work we have done together has helped ensure that Jews around the world face their … Continue Reading
Learning from Taglit-Birthright Israel: An Academic Conference
Later this month, The Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University will host Learning from Taglit-Birthright Israel, the first academic conference to examine what scholars, practitioners, and policy makers can learn from Taglit-Birthright Israel, the largest single educational program in the Jewish world today. Since it was launched in 1999, Taglit has brought nearly 300,000 Diaspora young adults to Israel and involved another 60,000 Israeli peers. By expanding the number and variety of scholars and public policy intellectuals engaged in the examination of Taglit, the conference will further develop the study of Taglit as a social experiment in educational innovation and elaborate on a wide variety of substantive issues including the following: The impact of Taglit on American … Continue Reading
In an Uncertain Europe, Jewish Leaders’ Survey Reveals Much
by Marcelo Dimentstein In the wake of groundbreaking elections in France and Greece, with the specter of social unrest and increasing economic decline, the top concerns facing a variety of European Jewish community leaders might seem inconsequential. However, in the Second Survey of European Jewish Leaders and Opinion Formers, a project of the JDC International Center for Community Development, economic strife, the rise of right-wing parties, and the demographic decline/assimilation of their co-religionists were cited among those concerns facing these Jewish leaders as of the end of 2011. Performed every three years, the survey was conducted between June and October 2011 by a research team under Dr. Barry A. Kosmin from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. The survey reflects the … Continue Reading
Game Changing Ruling On Tax Exemption?
from The NonProfit Times: Game Changing Ruling On Tax Exemption? A Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling on the tax exempt status of a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Orthodox Jewish school's camp could have the potential to set precedent for future legal challenges of charities. According to a report in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Mesivtah Eitz Chaim of Bobov Inc. summer camp was ruled not to be a nonprofit, despite being owned by a religious institution. This is because most of the 61-acre property surrounding the camp does not meet the criteria for charities in Pennsylvania. The ruling has some concerned that we could be returning to the times, mainly in the 1980s and 1990s, when the tax exempt status of nonprofits was regularly challenged by local governments. A spokesman for Pennsylvania … Continue Reading
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