With more than $14 million in commitments to date, the Centennial Fund for a Jewish Future (CFJF) has exceeded its initial goal of raising $12 million in 12 months and already is funding initiatives that promote Jewish continuity in the Pittsburgh region, campaign leaders announced at its first event on May 5th to launch the Fund’s Community Phase. The event featured nationally acclaimed author and speaker Rabbi Joseph Telushkin and honored CFJF Founders.

An endowment campaign of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, CFJF is the most significant planned giving initiative in the history of the Pittsburgh Jewish community. It is designed to support ideas and programs that advance the vital aspects of Jewish life to ensure the vibrant future of Pittsburgh’s Jewish Community. The Fund launched in 2009 with a Lead Gift in the form of a matching grant that is uniquely designed to match major contributions and advance the amount of the entire lead donation so that funds can have an immediate impact.

Because CFJF is uniquely structured to support programs immediately, funds are already at work to engage Jews in the region at every life stage. Currently funded programs include:

• One Happy Camper incentive grants to encourage families to send their children to Jewish overnight summer camp, one of the leading transmitters of Jewish tradition and identity
• Birthright Israel, to underwrite the participation of Pittsburgh community college-aged students in educational peer-group trips to Israel, another key to building Jewish identity in youth
• Adult Education, to provide educational opportunities for the lifelong pursuit of Jewish literacy and intellectual growth
• J-Burgh, to underwrite Jewish programming and build a Jewish community for 20-something individuals at a time of transition in their lives, between completing college and starting their own families
• Providing synagogues with guidance and support to better meet the needs of the families that engage with them
• Enhancing teacher training to ensure that we have better and more inspired educators who have the tools to succeed
• Scholarships to make programs and schools more accessible to more people
• Jewish Day Schools Tuition, to facilitate enrollment for Jewish children in one of three local schools offering an outstanding Judaic and secular education.

For more information visit centennialfundforajewishfuture.org.