Author Archives: Malkie Schwartz
J-Serve: Grants for Good
Does your community want to do something in honor of Jewish Youth Service Day, AKA J-Serve? Repair the World is willing to help! They’re currently offering micro-grants for education programming in connection with J-Serve 2013. I’m excited for the Southern communities I work with to take advantage of this, and it’s also applicable wherever you are:
The Micro-grants range from $500-$1,000, and you can download an application here. This is a great chance to develop a project to aid your local community, address the problems surrounding education inequality for students, and create a way to solve them.
Some examples could include:
- Starting a book drive and creating vocab flashcards
- Make simple math flashcards (basic arithmetic, multiplication, subtraction and division problems) and then create an event where you and volunteers use them with young people in after school programs
- Rally your friends and community to start a peer-to-peer mentoring program
- Work with a local school to create playground graphics on the blacktop to teach letters, numbers, colors, etc. to youth who attend that school
Photo: Jserve.com
Your options are limitless! The grants will be awarded to creative programs that help address education challenges including but not limited to literacy rates, math deficiency, and lack of mentorship.
Applications will be accepted until February 28, 2013. If you’re submitting a project, let us know – we’d love to hear about it and cheer you on!
Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
“The Power is YOURS!”
Captain Planet’s values never go out of style.
Did you grow up watching Captain Planet? (I didn’t – but that’s a long story; apparently I have some catching up to do on cartoons and sitcoms of the ‘80s and ‘90s). The point is, if Captain Planet were Jewish, he would be preparing right now to celebrate his favorite holiday: Tu Bishvat, the New Year for trees.
The timing of Tu Bishvat seems perfect; it follows a period of introspection where we reflect on our past year and make resolutions for the coming year. But, by the end of the month, we look outward – at our external world and think about how our existence impacts the environment and what we can do to make this year a better one for the trees-our universe. Better yet, congregations can come together and make a communal commitment to our universe.
These are just a few of the many ways in which congregations can make the sacred experience of going to the synagogue more environmentally friendly (remember, as Captain Planet would say, “The power is YOURS!”):
- Flowers in the sanctuary: Use living plants in pots, not cut flowers.
- Candles: Beeswax candles are the most environment-friendly choice.
- Bulletins: Go paperless! Email out your congregational updates.
- Programs: Congregations that distribute programs at services can place a container at the exits so that the programs can be recycled.
- Kiddush cups: Congregants can keep their own reusable glass at the synagogue or can be asked to bring a cup with them to services.
Youth can also play an active role in improving our environment. In fact, a communal focus on the environment can also serve as a bridge-builder—all religions have lots to say about the environment. Youth groups from local churches and synagogues can join hands to promote a cleaner environment. Actually, an interfaith coalition to preserve the environment might be of interest to Captain Planet—his diverse group of “Planeteers” were just that sort of youth group. So, young and old, we all have the power to help and respond to the needs of our trees, and our environment as whole.
And guess what?
We can even get a little help from Captain Planet.
That’s right. The Captain Planet Foundation helps us exercise our powers to help the environment by funding initiatives that inspire youth and communities to participate in environmental stewardship activities. Preferential consideration is given to requests seeking seed funding of $500 or less and to applicants who have secured at least 50% matching or in-kind funding for their projects.
Do you think that your congregation has the power? Do you have an idea for a great project? If you do and you require funds to put it into action, please find information about how you can apply for the funds right here. Don’t forget to share your ideas with the rest of us!
PS There are also a lot of great Jewish environmental organizations, such as: Canfei Nesharim, Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, and Hazon
Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
Living the Legacy: Shabbat Suppers Continuing MLK’s Dream
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is two weeks from today – Monday, January 21, 2013. This year, consider celebrating Dr. King and his universal legacy in a uniquely Jewish context: by hosting an action-oriented Shabbat Supper on Friday, January 18, and inviting guests to come and honor the civil rights leader, and continue his dream.
The ongoing struggle for racial equity is poignant throughout America, and certainly here in the South. As a Repair The World Fellow, and as a Jewish professional living in the South, I am excited to share this initiative with you. Spearheaded by Repair the World, these Shabbat Suppers will explore one of the defining civil rights issues of our time: education inequality.
Repair the World’s Shabbat Suppers Honoring MLK and his commitment to equality
Repair the World is inviting Jews across the country to host Shabbat Suppers on Friday, January 18th to celebrate the legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. King’s life transformed the lives of many across our country. However, his motivation stemmed from his experiences as a young Black man living in the South, the center of some of his toughest battles. My hope is that Jews, particularly Jews living in the South today, will join Repair the World in its effort to commemorate the life and work of a leader who sacrificed so much to ensure that all people in our region, and our country, are seen as equal and treated with dignity and respect.
Repair The World will help everyone who hosts by:
- Giving them the tools to talk about the tough stuff: Repair will send you a toolkit that includes discussion materials, facts on education inequality in America, and tips on how to facilitate a meaningful conversation around the issue.
- Providing swag: Each group that signs up to host will receive Repair the World swag for your guests and a T-shirt for the individual(s) who lead the event.
- Helping invite local interfaith partners: If you so choose, a Repair staff person will work with you to invite partners from different faith and ethnic groups in your neighborhood. These partners will expand your network, and help to deepen the conversation around education inequality. The potential is endless!
Please click on the following link to register and participate: Shabbat Suppers
If you or your congregation host one of these Shabbat Suppers, we would love to hear about it. Please share your stories with us!
Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
