LA Community Foundation Awards Grants to Israel-based Programs

The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles has awarded a total of $700,000 in grants to seven Israel-based organizations whose programs support and encourage Jewish identity and Israel’s economic development and self-sufficiency.

Each of the seven recipient organizations received grants of $100,000 to be distributed over a three-year period. Among the programs receiving funding are Tel Aviv-based Dan Academic Center to provide education and job placement in advanced technology for students from underserved communities, and the BINA Center for Jewish Identity and Hebrew Culture for its forward-thinking Secular Yeshiva program in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Additional recipients include:

• Atid Bamidbar for The Jewish Empowerment Program – To provide 1,000 Russian-speaking Israelis with knowledge and understanding of their Jewish culture; strengthened Jewish identity; a greater level of comfort and connection with native Israelis; and the tools to incorporate Jewish learning and customs into their daily lives.
• Ein Prat for Elul – To offer an intensive summer program that provides Jewish educational enrichment for 900 young adults from across the religious spectrum in Nes Harim and two additional locations.
• Gvahim for Career Development Program – To provide job training, language classes, networking and job placement for 75 highly qualified new immigrants in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
• Hamidrasha for Makom – To engage 20,000 secular Jewish children, families, teachers and community members near Haifa in Jewish culture and Jewish life through educational, community-building and social justice programs.
• Karev Initiatives in Education for The Jewish Lens – To enable some 1,100 12- to 14-year-old students in 20 elementary schools throughout Israel to explore their Jewish identity through photography.