From the Rabbi

Early this month, a New York City-based philanthropy called The Covenant Foundation announced the recipients of a total of $1.6 million in grants. What does this have to do with us?

From their mission statement: “The Covenant Foundation recognizes the diversity of strengths within the field of Jewish education in North America, across all denominations and settings. “

Covenant has long been identifying the most progressive, innovative, and expansive models in life-long Jewish learning. As the release announcing the awards puts it: “The new grants touch across the spectrum of Jewish educational venues - from museums and synagogues, to high-tech classrooms and summer camps – and underscore commitment to innovation and ideas redefining the scope, reach and depth of Jewish education. ‘We are going where bold ideas and dogged implementation reside,’ said Eli N. Evans, Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Covenant Foundation.”

Take a look at the range represented by just a few of this year’s grantees. From among their “Signature” awards:

G-dcast, San Francisco, CA: $50,000 over one year to train a national cadre of educators and b’nei mitzvah students to use animation as a tool for Jewish text study.

Ilana Trachtman, Philadelphia, PA: $30,000 over one year to work with the Seattle Jewish community on a collaborative theater/video performance that explores the Biblical narrative of Rachel and Leah.

YM & YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood, New York, NY: $67,500 over two years to launch a globally informed cooking program for children and their families.

And from their “Ignition” awards:

Kulanu NNJ, Woodcliff Lake, NJ: $20,000 over one year to train congregational school teachers to effectively integrate educational technology in classrooms.

Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, Washington, DC: $16,000 over one year to develop DIY: Design Identity Yourself, a program for young adults that combines Jewish text study with collaborative learning and creative self-expression.

The Well, West Bloomfield, MI: $20,000 over one year to support and expand CSI: Coffee. Study. Interpret., a Beit Midrash-style learning initiative.

Past grantees with creative and trailblazing approaches to Jewish education across denominations and settings are highlighted on the Foundation’s website,www.covenantfn.org and in Sight Line, the Foundation’s new digital journal.

Back in Ottawa, we did it ourselves: our very own creative and trailblazing initiative,Machaneh Shabbat – Shabbat Camp. With the community’s blessing, we took a leap of faith and said that we were ready to add our little program to the landscape. The experience has been tremendous, and yet, we have come to an important junction along the trail. Can we keep this going, keep on posting the signs pointing to US as a great destination for creative, experiential learning for our children AND for their parents and grandparents?

Machaneh Shabbat @OrH is where our own “bold idea and dogged implementation” resides. It’s part of our journey in this ever-morphing vista that is the Jewish communal learning landscape.

-Rabbi Elizabeth Bolton