2012-2013 Grants Announced for Metrowest Jewish Community

CJP’s Metrowest Jewish Community Fund recently announced $55,000 in grants for local organizations that are enhancing Jewish life. CJP’s Metrowest Grants Committee, co-chaired by Cindy Lombardo and Jamie Gossels, recently approved 16 requests for funding, with an average award of $4980.

 

2012-2013 Metrowest Grantees

Temple Beth Sholom of Framingham and Gateways: Access to Jewish Education will collaborate to develop Footsteps to Torah,  which continues CJP’s deep commitment to supporting children with varied learning needs. This unique program features one-on-one instruction, customized to meet the individual needs of children with disabilities.

The Boston Jewish Film Festival will offer two screenings in Framingham for those who wish to enjoy their annual Fall Festival locally. Through features, short films and documentaries, the Festival explores Jewish identity, the current Jewish experience and the richness of Jewish culture.

The Chabad Center of Natick will offer an educational Chabad Family Enrichment Program for parents and children of all denominations as well as those with no synagogue affiliation.

Congregation B’Nai Torah in Sudbury will infuse spirituality into traditional Shabbat services and holiday rituals with their four-part Ruach and Ritual program.This program is open to everyone, including families with young children and teens. Live-streaming will be available for home-bound members of the community.

Congregation Or Atid in Wayland is offering Light Up the Holidays, a special program to engage unaffiliated pre-school families in Metrowest through a series of fun holiday events incorporating food, music, crafts and stories. Families will develop a sense of community and learn easy-to-implement family rituals.

Chabad Lubovitch of Milford will engage Jewish adolescents in jTeens,  a club for ages 13-18. Designed to stimulate excitement for Judaism and Jewish practices, teens will engage in fun and creative activities as well as participate in social justice programs.

Jewish Cemetery Association of Massachusetts (JCAM) will continue their successful education program, “Cemeteries Are For The Living.” This 6-year old effort brings a new dimension to the way the community views Jewish end of life issues and cemeteries. Offering “user friendly” tours to pre-bar/bat mitzvah children, their parents and adult educations groups, JCAM successfully connects participants to Boston’s Jewish past.

Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly will collaborate with Jewish Family Service of Metrowest and the MetroWest Jewish Day School to provide an award-winning program that helps older adults engage in meaningful activity, overcome social isolation and guide the next generation. Youth work with seniors to gain historical perspectives, build friendships and promote positive attitudes towards aging.

Jewish Family Service of Metrowest will continue their innovative program, Taking Charge, Making Change. Led by a Certified Educator in Personal Finances, this program offers women essential financial management skills to lead them to greater self-sufficiency. Previous participants who remain in economically fragile situations will receive additional skill development and intensive case management.

Ma’yan Tikvah- a Wellspring of Hope is an independent congregation without walls. Their Metrowest grant will fund a program for participants to pray and meditate outdoors, engage in environmental learning, study Jewish texts related to the natural world and learn about the connection between Judaism and nature.

MetroWest Jewish Day School will offer Menschen Matters: Learning and Caring About Community. In collaboration with Temple Beth Am and Shillman House, children will participate in an expanded social action program.

Camp Gan Israel Sudbury is a day camp under the auspices of Chabad Sudbury that will be supported by a Metrowest grant. Their new initiative is dedicated to enriching the lives of children from diverse Jewish backgrounds in the Sudbury –Marlborough area through this three-week day camp.

The Sudbury Valley Special Education Initiative will fully integrate children with special needs and their families into synagogue life. This initiative will provide a forum to help parents become better advocates for their children’s needs in supplementary Jewish education settings.

Temple Beth Torah in Holliston Tikkun Olam Committee will partner with Christ the King Lutheran Church. As part of Family Promise, area Jews provide meals and support for homeless families. Their efforts also support the Community Supper, a food program in conjunction with the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Milford.

Temple Beth Sholom will focus on the spiritual, educational, and social needs of mature adults through their Hazak group. They have planned an ambitious, innovative and intellectual program with the New York 92nd Street Y. A series of live simulcast lectures and recorded programs will be available to the Metrowest audience with our grant funding.

Kesher 13 is a structured engagement program for pre-b’nai mitzvah youth and their families. This intergenerational opportunity connects vulnerable Jewish elders with youth and their parents.