Jewish Life Program

The Jewish Life Program supports the development of ideas and programs which will assure a Judaism that is spiritually, intellectually, and communally meaningful for Jews in the 21st Century. We are particularly interested in strengthening synagogues as sources of spiritual inspiration, bringing Jewish renewal programs to community attention, creating spiritual gateways to Jewish-life through educational experiences for adults, and improving the experience of children in congregational schools. We also work to strengthen the Jewish commitment to social justice and improve relations between Jews and non-Jews. The majority of our grants are made within the United States, but we also work in partnership with Jews in Israel, Russia, and Ukraine.

Some of our 1992 grantees are described in detail below, and a full list follows at the end of this section. This is an era of freedom and affluence for many American Jews. We believe that our grantees give meaning to the privileges and responsibilities that mark this period in Jewish history.

We believe that the renewed expression of the Jewish spirit is a crucial element of the strengthening of Jewish life. Through focusing anew on prayer, liturgy, ritual, tradition, meditation and theology, Jews can restore passion to the spiritual life of our community. As old texts are studied by new students and interpreted through the lens of contemporary American and Israeli perspectives by wise teachers, fresh insights will shape new teachings and revitalize old practices. We have a particular interest in encouraging that dialogue. We have pursued our interest in renewing the spiritual core of Judaism by working with established institutions and supporting the growth of new ones.

Education, expressed through a rich variety of forms, is key to Jewish continuity. We have supported experiential and academic study programs for Jews ranging from pulpit rabbis to the young children of intermarried couples who are searching for a home in the Jewish world. We have a special interest in improving the educational experience offered to the largest number of lewish children-the congregational religious school.

CENTRAL CONFERENCE OF AMERICAN RABBIS
NewYork, NewYork $65,000

To enhance the worship experience of congregants of Reform synagogues by involving lay people as well as rabbis and cantors in the creation of a new prayer book for the Reform movement. The process of revising the liturgy will discover the operative theology of Reform Jews, uncover the components of effective worship in a liberal religious movement, and develop effective interactions between clergy, scholars, and laity. It will involve hundreds of reform Jews, and generate enthusiasm and commitment from congregants in a wide range of synagogues.

JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTERS ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA/COUNCIL FOR INITIATIVES IN JEWISH EDUCATION
NewYork, NewYork $150,000 over three years

The "Best Practices in Supplementary Jewish Schools: A New Initiative In Jewish Education" was organized by the CIJE to document outstanding models of teaching and learning in the context of supplementary religious schools. Staff will use the results of this study to introduce successful models into the three designated lead cities-Atlanta, Baltimore, and Milwaukee. By monitoring and evaluating the implementation of these model programs in the lead communities, CIJE will develop guidelines that will help other communities respond to innovation and will change practices in Jewish education.

SOCIAL JUSTICE

We have sought to strengthen Jewish institutions working on social justice in the United States, the Former Soviet Union, and Israel. We have funded programs whose aims are to help people in need; to educate the Jewish community about the value Judaism places on social justice; to strengthen that commitment; and to create opportunities for Jews to work, as Jews, alongside other groups committed to social change.

NEW ISRAEL FUND
Washington, DC $260,000 over three years.

Peaceful coexistence in Israel depends on diminishing the economic and political gap between Jewish and Arab Israelis. Currently, an Arab municipality receives one-third of the resources that a Jewish municipality receives from the central government. The inequality results from policies dating from the founding of the state that favor Jewish municipalities, from complex sociological and cultural patterns of Arab political life, and from the inexperience of Arab mayors in negotiating the Israeli bureaucracies that administer funds for local governments. With our support, the New Israel Fund has spearheaded an innovative three year effort, involving the Israel Center for Equal Opportunity, the Joint Distribution Committee, and Arab leaders, to develop the capacity for effective municipal planning in the Arab sector so that Arab municipalities can share more equitably in the nation's resources.

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN JEWS AND NON-JEWS, AND AMONG JEWS

We strive for durable connections between Jews and members of other groups: those which briny Jews in conscious relationship with non-Jews to enrich the religious experience of both, or reduce the tensions between the groups. We have supported work exploring the history and future of Black-Jewish relations; dialogue between Jews and Palestinians and between Israeli Jews and Arabs; community coalitions linking Jews and other ethnic minorities in efforts to solve social problems; and exchanges between Jewish and Buddhist thinkers and practitioners.

PROJECT NISHMA
Washington, DC $40,000

Israeli analysts agree that failure of the current peace talks could lead to the next Arab-Israeli war. Nishma is in a position to help prevent the escalation of tensions by continuing its partnership with Israeli generals and security experts and by advocating that US governmental activism, so crucial to the peace process, continues. Nishma's programs bring Israeli generals, and other security experts, who publicly endorse negotiations based on "Land for Peace and Security" to influential American Jewish audiences. Its goal is to help educate American Jewish leadership about the possible compromises and concessions required to advance the peace process, and to support Israeli generals in their task of re-educating Israeli public opinion to accept compromise.

JEWS FROM THE FORMER SOVIET UNION

In response to the great changes in the former Soviet Union (FSU), including mass immigration of Jews to Israel and the removal of barriers to religious expression in the former republics, in 1991 the Foundation committed $750,000 over three years for projects in the FSU. We work to help Jews who remain in Russia and Ukraine to live as Jews freely, knowledgeably, and without fear; and we will help Jews who move to Israel to become integrated into Israeli society, with access to institutions that further democracy and pluralism in that country.

WORLD UNION FOR PROGRESSIVE JUDAISM
NewYork, NewYork $65,000