from New Jersey Jewish News:

Looking to ‘Tomorrow,’ with $70 million today

A haven for Jewish kids in Ukraine. Lasting funding for Rutgers Hillel. Groundbreaking support for Jewish day schools, camping, and Birthright Israel.

Projects like these and the donors who support them were the centerpiece June 12 as the Jewish Community Foundation of MetroWest launched “MetroWest Tomorrow,” a major effort to recognize and encourage donors who endow the Jewish causes they are most passionate about.

… The organizers’ goal is to raise more than $100 million over the next few years in programmatic endowments. Already, donors have contributed $70 million in current or future commitments to such programs as Birthright Israel, which sends young Jews on free identity-building trips to Israel; PJ Library, which gets Jewish books and music into the hands of young families; and MetroTransport, a transportation program for seniors.

… The campaign’s initial focus is on major philanthropic families; eventually, those leading the campaign say they would like to see a broader-based culture of legacy and endowment giving.