Recent grants: 2008-09

Tehiyah Day School,
Oakland Hebrew Day School, and
Contra Costa Jewish Day School
Tuition scholarships

$147,500

From the Foundation's Permanent Community Endowment and the Federation's Annual Campaign

Financial aid for Jewish day school is a key investment in the next generation of Jews, allowing day schools to outreach to families from diverse socio-economic backgrounds and assist families who would otherwise be unable to afford day school tuition.

Midrasha (Berkeley, Oakland, Contra Costa, Tri-Valley):
Operating Support

$54,750

From the Federation's Annual Campaign

Support for the East Bay's collaborative communally-sponsored Jewish studies high school program.

Camp Kadima Jewish Community Day Camp
Camp Kadima

$18,000

From the Foundation's Permanent Community Endowment, the Federation's Annual Campaign, and individual funders

Provides an opportunity for Jewish youth, pre-k through 6th grade, to experience a curriculum-based program, brimming with ruach, as well as continuing the post B'nai Mitzvah, "La'atid" session. Camp Directors plan to develop the 2008 experimental song leader-in-training track that began training new song leaders who will serve their congregations, youth groups and the Jewish community.

JCC of the East Bay: Preschool Capacity

$14,750

From individual funders

Our preschool is consistently at maximum capacity, and has historically had a long waiting list of up to 85 names. Additionally, it's a primary revenue-generating program. We are requesting funds to build capacity by creating additional preschool space for 2 year olds. This will allow us to better serve our community's needs, as well as increase our revenue.

Center for Jewish Living and Learning (Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay):Midrasha Retreat Financial Aid

$10,000

From the Foundation's Permanent Community Endowment and the Federation's Annual Campaign

Grant funding will enable the CJLL to provide financial aid to East Bay families enabling 9th - 12th grade students to attend CJLL Shabbat retreats regardless of financial capacity.

Center for Jewish Living and Learning (Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay):
Midrasha Assessment and Strategic Plan

$9,000

From the Foundation's Permanent Community Endowment and the Federation's Annual Campaign and Family of Funds

Will enable the CJLL to engage stakeholders (from four Midrasha programs, 15 sponsoring synagogues, the CJLL and the East Bay Federation) to evaluate the current Midrasha program and to develop a strategic plan to enhance and make modifications to the current program and administrative structure.

Center for Jewish Living and Learning (Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay):
Tikvah - Preparing Our Teachers to Teach students with Special Needs

$8,000

Tikvah will provide 3 hour-long professional development programs for Jewish educators and allied professionals that focus on serving students with special learning needs. Grant funding will enable the CJLL to provide Tikvah in-service programs to 25 East Bay Jewish schools.

Midrasha (Berkeley, Oakland, Contra Costa, Tri-Valley):
Financial Aid

$7,500

From the Foundation's Permanent Community Endowment and the Federation's Annual Campaign

A successful collaborative communal Jewish studies high school program, Midrasha requests funds for student financial aid in order to support its policy of never turning away students for lack of resources.

Jewish Vocational Services:
Kohn Summer Internship Program

$7,500

From the Permanent Community Endowment, the Federation's Annual Campaign, and the Esther D. Kahn College Internship Fund of The Jewish Community Foundation

Center for Jewish Living and Learning (Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay):
The East Bay Religious School Faculty Institute

$4,500

From the Foundation's Permanent Community Endowment and the Federation's Annual Campaign

An intensive 2-day professional development retreat geared for veteral teachers teaching in East Bay Congregational Religious Schools.

B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO):
Community Service Day

$4,250

From the Foundation's Permanent Community Endowment and the Federation's Annual Campaign

Teens across the East Bay will participate in a day to learn how they can give back to the Jewish community, including a clothing drive, recycling program, shelter service, and evening with elderly adults.

Bureau of Jewish Education (San Francisco):
Shabbat Weekend for Children with Disabilities and Their Families

$4,000

From the Foundation's Permanent Community Endowment and the Federation's Annual Campaign

This program enables 30 families to experience an inclusive Jewish family camp. Parents attend workshops and discussions. Everyone participates in Shabbat and Havdallah services; life-cycle events are observed; meals include blessings, songs, hand-braided challah. This weekend constitutes most families' primary, ongoing connection with the Jewish community.

Jewish Youth for Community Action (JYCA):
The JYCA Leadership Program

$2,500

From individual funders

Trains and prepares Jewish high school aged youth to be leaders and activists for social justice. The JYCA Leadership Program is anchored by 15 Leadership training sessions from September to June. At the core of our work, is the belief that Judaism and social justice are intrinsically linked.

Congregation Beth Emek
Tri-Valley Synagogue Retreat

$2,500

From the Foundation's Permanent Community Endowment and the Federation's Annual Campaign

Congregation Beth Emek, Congregation Shir Ami, Temple Beth Torah, and Temple Beth Sholom will once again collaborate to take 3rd thru 7th grade students out of the traditional religious school settings and share camp style t-fillah, shirah and Shabbat programs as a way to renew, excite and invigorate the youth and supporting staff.

Jewish Family and Children's Services of the East Bay:
Project Ezra

$23,250

From the Foundation's Permanent Community Endowment, the Federation's Annual Campaign, and individual funders

Project Ezra was founded by JFCS/East Bay and the East Bay Co8uncil of Rabbis to fulfill an urgent community need for a compassionate and professional response to Jews needing emergency financial assistance. JFCS/East Bay seeks to continue current services and expand Project Ezra to include the ongoing case management and in-depth support that these vulnerable members of our community need.

Jewish Family and Children's Services of the East Bay:
Holocaust Survivor Services

$22,000

From the Foundation's Permanent Community Endowment, the Federation's Annual Campaign, and individual funders

Care management and volunteer training. In response to the needs of an increasingly aged and frail Holocaust survivor population, JFCS/East Bay requests funding to provide essential social work care management services to East Bay Holocaust survivors. This year, we are adding a new component to the project - volunteer recruitment and training on the specific issues that survivors face, including end-of-life issues.

Jewish Community Center of the East Bay:
Kosher Lunch Program

$14,500

From the Foundation's Permanent Community Endowment, the Federation's Annual Campaign, and individual funders

Our twice-weekly Kosher Hot Lunches - the only program of its kind in the area - provide quality food to seniors every Monday and Thursday of every week, offering a menu of hot, healthful, Korsher food. These lunches foster social interaction, and offer warm, welcoming meals to older adults, who, in sharing these meals, also stay active, involved and engaged with friends.

Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living:
Jewish Hospice Accreditation Program

$12,000

From individual funders

RCJL will receive accreditation as a Jewish Hospice. The National Institute for Jewish Hospice provides training and accreditation to establish a Jewish Hospice in our skilled unit and our assisted living and dementia care units. The project will provide our East Bay community with a Jewish hospice at RCJL as well as trained professionals to educate and assist hospice providers in facilities, homes, through synagogues and in hospitals in the Bay Area.

Jewish Family and Children's Services of the East Bay:
Project Gateways

$5,000

From the Foundation's Permanent Community Endowment and the Federation's Annual Campaign

Chaverim: Project Gateways helps Jews with disabilities and their families make connections and gain access to social, cultural, educational, and spiritual aspects of East Bay Jewish life. A key component of Project Gateways is Chaverim ("Friends"), a social and educational group for Jewish adults with mild to moderate developmental disabilities.

Shalom Bayit:
Support Group for Battered Jewish Women

$4,000

From the Foundation's Permanent Community Endowment and the Federation's Annual Campaign

Shalom Bayit's East Bay spiritual healing support group provides free and accessible domestic violence counseling, crisis intervention, advocacy and peer support to Jewish women abused by an intimate partner. The group empowers battered women to seek safety, increase economic independence and build violence-free lives.

Jewish Community Federation, Contra Costa Region:
Leadership Series — Comprehensive Leadership Training for the East Bay

$13,750

How can we grow our institution's next generation of leaders? This program will be offered in two locations - one convenient to the majority of East Bay boards, the second convenient to the Tri-Valley/Tri-City boards - and will offer hands-on, tactical information that is global to community work, as well as strategic and institution-specific interactions.

Jewish Community Federation, Contra Costa Region:
Parent/Family Engagement in Contra Costa/Tri-Valley

$13,500

A window of opportunity exists to engage and affiliate the next 20% of young Jewish families that the Regional Office has identified through outreach programming, and will be identifying through the PJ Library. The Federation will manage and implement the events and follow-up tools that will convert this interest into meaningful affiliation in our synagoguges, schools, and JCC.

Kavod v'Nichum:
Scholarships and Curriculum Development

$12,500

To provide 25 scholarships of $500 for East Bay residents to attend the 7th North American Chevra Kadisha / Jewish Cemetery Conference; and to enable curriculum development on Jewish burial practices.

Blue Star PR:
Media Campaign promoting positive images of Israel

$6,000

This campaign will follow-up on last year's Israel positive campaign at UC Berkeley with two additional blitzes. The first ad blitz will take place during the spring 2009 semester. The second blitz will take place in September 2009. Images will be chosen through market testing.

Progressive Jewish Alliance:
Next Generation Engagement

$5,000

A series of programs, parties & events that explore the intersection of progressive politics and art and culture. A point of entry for Jews between 21 and 35 who feel disconnected from the web of Jewish institutions in the East Bay and are looking for a relevant and meaningful connection to Jewish identity and Jewish life.

Jewish Music Festival:
The 24th Jewish Music Festival

$5,000

Reaches an audience between 4,000 and 5,000 with more than a dozen world-class programs throughout the year fo all ages and backgrounds, as well as an ongoing School Outreach program. Events encompass the myriad of Jewish music from the Diaspora and Israel: Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi, liturgical and secular, traditional and new genre-bending and boundary-breaking music that demonstrates influences between cultures.

Chabad of the Tri-Valley:
Tri-Valley Kosher Day, Jewish Story Hour, and Evening of Jewish Culture

$4,000

Tri-Valley Kosher Day is a day of learning about kosher food products in Tri-Valley grocery stores. Jewish Story Hour is a reading program held at Pleasanton Public Libraries. Evening of Jewish Culture will present a Jewish-themed speaker.

Temple Isaiah and Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay, Contra Costa Regional Office:
Open Our Hearts: A one-day conference for the East Bay Jewish community addressing mental illness

$3,500

The goals are to provide clients and families with new avenues of support, and answer informational needs in a way that moves people and synagogues toward harboring less stigma, showing more compassion, and having greater understanding of those suffering from and caring for those with mental illness.

Congregation B'nai Torah:
Outreach in the Delta

$2,700

This program will host four events in the communities in Far East Contra Costa County, where there is the largest population growth in the county. These outreach and educational events are designed to provide visibility and easy access to attract and welcome unaffiliated East County Jews while aslo serving current members of Congregation B'nai Torah.

Chochmat HaLev:
The Family Chavurah Program

$2,500

Provides opportunities for young families to engage within the Jewish community four (+) times per month: bi-monthly Tot Shabbats, a monthly Shabbat for families with older children, and monthly facilitated small group meetings. The program is supported by personalized chilcare, programming and rabbinical consultation, as well as outreach and coordination by the Chavurah coordinator.

Jewish Community Relations Council (East Bay):
Public Education Advocacy, Interfaith Dialogue and Public Outreach to Contra Costa/Tri-Valley/Tri-Cities

$2,500

To launch a program for the Jewish community in Contra Costa, Tri-Valley/Tri-Cities on public education advocacy, interfatih dialogue and public issues in Spring 2009.

San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
East Bay Festival 2009

$2,000

The 2009 Festival will maintain the increased levels of East Bay programming inaugurated in 2006 (and continued through 2008), and offer approximately 30 film programs along with visiting filmmakers, panels, discussions and other programs that encourage audiences to explore their own Jewish identities and beleifs through the vehicle of film.

Israel Center (Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay) and the LGBT Alliance:
The Contra Costa International Jewish Film Festival Outreach Project

$1,750

Films with accompanying discussion sessions aimed at increasing the attendance of the LGBT community, young families, couples in interfaith relationships, the unaffiliated, and residents of Contra Costa and the Tri-Valley regions. The funds will be used for additional screenings, enhanced outreach to these demographic groups and increased follow-up activities.

Beth Jacob Congregation:
Shabbat U

$1,750

Bi-monthly interactive, intergenerational learning program that meets Jews where they are in their Jewish learning encouraging them to expand their knowledge and Jewish engagement.