2008 Woodie Awards
CJF Obtains Major Grant to Fund Student Programming
Ariel Schwartz
Issue date: 11/19/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
The Schusterman Foundation has generously given a grant of $168,000 to the Center for the Jewish Future in order to help expand their tikkun olam programming. This grant to the CJF is the largest that the Schusterman Foundation has ever given to an Orthodox organization. CJF Dean Rabbi Kenneth Brander said "We're very excited. It's the first time the Schustermann's have given such a grant to an Orthodox institution."
The Schusterman Foundation approached the CJF with the desire to increase the number of YU students involved in tikkun olam or leadership programming.
According to Rabbi Brander, the Schuterman's saw that out of the 2,700 students around North America that did outreach to communities during their winter breaks, 900 of them came from YU.
Looking to raise the bar, they settled on three requirements. First of all, the programming would need to contain a serious tikkun olam component. Secondly, they would have to be for a serious amount of time, and finally the programs would need to be on a larger scale than in the past. "Receiving the full grant is dependant on these conditions being fulfilled," said Rabbi Brander. Half of the money has already been given to the CJF, with the rest to come in when these realizing these goals.
With this new grant, more opportunities have been opened up for YU students in terms of tikkun olam opportunities and trips. This winter break boasts two Israel trips, one west coast tour, and a trip to Thailand. During the summer months, students will have the opportunity to spend their time on one of two Israel trips in Yerucham and Dimona.
While in the past, the CJF has been limited in the numbers of students it could take on these trips, this grant from the Schusterman's will open up these opportunities to many more students. "We used to take the number of students we were budgeted for," said Rabbi Brander. "The Schusterman Foundation has allowed us to expand the number of students we can take."
These programs, while similar to those done in the past, are actually very different from those that preceded them. All of the winter break options from last year were broken down and reworked based on feedback from the students that went on them.
According to Rabbi Brander, "The Israel trip was born out of feedback from the last trip. We still wanted to do the tikkun olam, but to also penetrate the beit midrash crowd more effectively." The other alternative winter break trips are also stepping it up a notch; last years' Coast to Coast trip along the east coast has been moved to the west coast, and the AJWS trips that have traveled to South America in the past two years, is moving across the world to Thailand.
Schusterman officials were unavailable to comment when this issue was sent to print.
Rabbi Brander added that CJF staff members Rabbi Aaron Leibowitz and Aliza Abrams put in a lot of work to ensure that the CJF received this grant.
The Schusterman Foundation approached the CJF with the desire to increase the number of YU students involved in tikkun olam or leadership programming.
According to Rabbi Brander, the Schuterman's saw that out of the 2,700 students around North America that did outreach to communities during their winter breaks, 900 of them came from YU.
Looking to raise the bar, they settled on three requirements. First of all, the programming would need to contain a serious tikkun olam component. Secondly, they would have to be for a serious amount of time, and finally the programs would need to be on a larger scale than in the past. "Receiving the full grant is dependant on these conditions being fulfilled," said Rabbi Brander. Half of the money has already been given to the CJF, with the rest to come in when these realizing these goals.
With this new grant, more opportunities have been opened up for YU students in terms of tikkun olam opportunities and trips. This winter break boasts two Israel trips, one west coast tour, and a trip to Thailand. During the summer months, students will have the opportunity to spend their time on one of two Israel trips in Yerucham and Dimona.
While in the past, the CJF has been limited in the numbers of students it could take on these trips, this grant from the Schusterman's will open up these opportunities to many more students. "We used to take the number of students we were budgeted for," said Rabbi Brander. "The Schusterman Foundation has allowed us to expand the number of students we can take."
These programs, while similar to those done in the past, are actually very different from those that preceded them. All of the winter break options from last year were broken down and reworked based on feedback from the students that went on them.
According to Rabbi Brander, "The Israel trip was born out of feedback from the last trip. We still wanted to do the tikkun olam, but to also penetrate the beit midrash crowd more effectively." The other alternative winter break trips are also stepping it up a notch; last years' Coast to Coast trip along the east coast has been moved to the west coast, and the AJWS trips that have traveled to South America in the past two years, is moving across the world to Thailand.
Schusterman officials were unavailable to comment when this issue was sent to print.
Rabbi Brander added that CJF staff members Rabbi Aaron Leibowitz and Aliza Abrams put in a lot of work to ensure that the CJF received this grant.
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