December 5, 2011

Funding Aids Organizations That Promote Economic Development, Self-Sufficiency and Jewish Identity

LOS ANGELES (December 5, 2011)—The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles (The Foundation) today announced it has awarded a total of $1 million in grants to five Israel-based organizations whose programs support and encourage Jewish identity, Israel’s economic development and self-sufficiency.  Programs receiving funding range from employment internships for university students in Jerusalem; business training and micro-loan assistance for women in Jaffa, Lod and Ramle; classes in business entrepreneurship and Jewish identity in the Negev; to training for Israeli Defense Force combat officers to engage soldiers in explorations of their Jewish identity.

“The current group of Israel Grants targets initiatives which we believe will strengthen the underlying economic and religious-identity fabric of that vibrant country,” said Foundation President and CEO Marvin I. Schotland.  “Israel’s robust economy demands skilled human capital to sustain its fast-paced development, and we are delighted to support groundbreaking programs with the potential to drive continued growth and train the coming generation of business leaders.  Moreover, while investing in Israel’s economic vitality, The Foundation is also providing critical support to programs that heighten Jewish identity and engagement among diverse constituencies to help ensure a strong Jewish future.”

Since 2006, The Foundation has awarded more than $4 million to organizations that address key issues facing Israel through grants of up to $250,000 over a three-year period.  Israel Grants are awarded to programs that can have a dramatic impact on a large number of people or geographic regions, and hold the potential for establishing a model that can be replicated elsewhere.

Workshops on Jewish Identity and Entrepreneurship

One of this year’s largest Israel Grants is a $250,000 three-year gift to Ayalim Association to teach business entrepreneurship and Beit Midrash (literally House of Study) workshops to help Jewish students embrace their Jewish identity, launch business ventures and gain employment in the Negev.  Ayalim Association, founded in 2002, operates 11 entrepreneur villages that house some 600 students and provides them with incentives to settle in these villages.

Ayalim Association Co-founder Dany Gliksberg said, “The Foundation grant will enable us to provide tools to encourage students to incorporate Jewish values, such as Tikkun Olam, into their everyday life, which can reinforce Jewish identity in Israel. We will also be able to more effectively promote the advancement of young entrepreneurs and enterprises in the Negev, and ultimately contribute to a stronger national economy.”

Jay Sanderson, president and CEO of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, said, “In a powerful way, Ayalim is mobilizing young Israeli Zionists to develop and strengthen the Negev and the State of Israel.  This important grant from The Foundation will help these modern-day pioneers do their work more effectively and with even more deep-rooted Jewish values.”

The Internship Project

A three-year, $195,000 grant to provide more than 2,000 university students with practical work experience goes to New Spirit (Ruach Hadasha).  The program aims to help students more easily enter the job market and find employment in Jerusalem. 

New Spirit was founded in 2003 to increase students’ connection to Jerusalem, to encourage the young adult population to live and work there and to keep the city vibrant and prosperous. New Spirit CEO Elisheva Mazya explained, “In Jerusalem, we are suffering from the problem of centralization of jobs in the center of Israel and negative migration of Jerusalem residents to Tel-Aviv.  By investing in young minds in Jerusalem we are building the future of the city, and trying to establish a stronger economic hub.”

The program places students into one of several professional tracks, including the government/public sector, economics and business, high technology, architecture and design, biomedical industry and tourism.

Economic Growth: Creating and Presenting New Employment Opportunities

In order to foster economic growth in the Negev and Galilee, The Foundation awarded a three-year, $215,000 grant to the OR Movement, which will create and map thousands of jobs in those communities.

According to the OR Movement, established in 2002, the Negev and Galilee regions represent about 60 percent of Israel’s landmass, but are home to only eight percent of the population. The Foundation’s grant will help promote some 13,500 job opportunities in the Negev and Galilee, with the goal of filling 85 percent of those openings.  The OR Movement also plans to activate and facilitate new Negev growth and development initiatives, and create relocation incentives for companies to foster sustainable economic growth in the region.

 “The Foundation’s grant will not only help this innovative program, it will also help change the image of the Negev in the eyes of Israelis and people everywhere,” said Roni Flamer, co-founder and CEO of the OR Movement.

Joint Arab-Jewish Business Development Program

The organization called Supportive Community/Shurush (Sviva Tomehet) has received a three-year $120,000 grant to provide Jewish and Israeli-Arab women with business training and small loans to help them develop home-based businesses, move their families out of poverty and strengthen Israel’s economy.

The nonprofit was formed in 2003 to help women acquire knowledge, skills and management tools to achieve economic independence, social and personal development.  Foundation funding will help support two 10-week training sessions per year in basic business skills and business plan development for 160 Jewish and Israeli-Arab women, and assist them with micro loan applications and financial guidance.

“By providing business training and small loans to joint groups of Jewish and Arab women, our program is a cost-effective mechanism to foster dialogue and co-existence while also creating jobs that pull families out of poverty and strengthen Israel's economy,” stated Lena Gurary, executive director of Supportive Community.

Recreation and Education Program

A two-year $220,000 grant to Beit Morasha will allow the organization to train Israeli Defense Force (IDF) combat officers in techniques to engage their soldiers in explorations of Jewish values and identity.

Founded in 1990, Beit Morasha cultivates committed intellectual leaders and decision-makers and equips them with the skills to inspire Jewish and Zionist identity, and bolster the strength and solidarity of the Jewish people in Israel and throughout the world. The Foundation grant will allow the organization to conduct 40 four-day training seminars in partnership with the IDF.

During the seminars, Beit Morasha facilitators introduce battalion officers and commanders to Beit Midrash materials and outdoor education techniques, which the commanders then use with their soldiers. “Beit Morasha is committed to advancing a vibrant and inclusive vision of Judaism, and to cultivating relevant and inspiring leadership for Israel and the Jewish world,” said Paul Wimpfheimer, vice president of Beit Morasha.

About The Foundation

Established in 1954, the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles is the largest manager of charitable assets and the leader in planned-giving solutions for Greater Los Angeles Jewish philanthropists.  The Foundation currently manages assets of $731 million (as of Dec. 31, 2010) and ranks among the 11 largest Los Angeles foundations.  In 2010, The Foundation and its more than 1,000 donors distributed $52 million in grants to hundreds of organizations with programs that span the range of philanthropic giving.  For more information, visit www.jewishfoundationla.org.