Jewish National Fund-USA’s Boruchin Center will further strengthen the lifelong connection of all Americans, and in particular young Jewish Americans, to the land and people of Israel and Jewish people everywhere through its support of eight innovative initiatives.
New York, NY: November 23, 2020 – Jewish National Fund-USA’s (JNF-USA) Boruchin Center has awarded $2.57 million in funding to eight exciting initiatives that progress the Center’s mission.
Image: Heroes to Heroes, a 2020-21 Boruchin Center grantee, provides a spiritual healing and peer support program for American wounded combat veterans
JNF Boruchin Center Chairman, Mike Lederman said: “We are proud to support this year’s cohort of grantees who are furthering the Boruchin Center’s Mission of strengthening the historic connection between Israel and the United States. Our grantees represent the very best in Israel education, activism, and leadership training, and I’m excited to see our impact deepen within the Jewish and broader American community.”
Recipients of grants from JNF-USA’s Boruchin Center in 2020-21 include:
- Faculty Fellowship Program in Israel ($500,000): Sponsors full-time U.S.-based university faculty members on a 10-day program in Israel. Each participant is paired with one or more Israeli professional counterparts in his/her field of study or research. The goal is to facilitate collaboration, shared research, and shared teaching concepts and values, which the participants and their Israeli counterparts can introduce to their respective campuses at the close of the program.
- Israel on Campus Coalition ($500,000): Inspires American college students to see Israel as a source of pride and empowers them to stand up for Israel on campus by supporting pro-Israel campus organizations.
- Heroes to Heroes ($400,000): Provides a spiritual healing and peer support program for American wounded combat veterans who suffer from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), moral injury, and depression by sending teams of ten veterans on a ten-day journey to Israel. They travel with five Israeli veterans who share their experiences and become part of their support system.
- Alexander Muss High School in Israel National Scholarship Fund ($400,000): Serves as a vital source of financial support to need-based families and their children. Enables the greatest number of students to travel to Israel, thus increasing the chances that they will make a positive impact within U.S. Jewry and its relationship with Israel.
- Caravan for Democracy ($300,000): A 10-day, all-expenses paid, educational program to Israel geared towards non-Jewish student leaders who have never been to Israel before.
- Alexander Muss High School in Israel Impact Fund ($250,000): The Impact Fund is a merit-based fellowship grant offered to exceptional high school students of diverse backgrounds who demonstrate leadership qualities, academic achievement and potential to be a future Jewish community leader and activist.
- Jewish Interactive ($125,000): A multimedia digital tool that provides children with an interactive online encounter with Israel. Children, ages 11-14, will immerse in three series addressing Israel’s people, land and innovative contributions.
- Yavneh ($95,000): Recruits, trains and mentors a network of student leaders who are engaged in positive Israel activism, building Jewish life and creating dynamic programs on college campuses across North America. Yavneh recruits and trains students during their gap year in Israel; develops all-star Jewish leaders in the Yavneh Fellowship during their time on campus; and deepens students’ continued connection to Israel via educational trips and programs in Israel.
JNF-USA is the leading philanthropic organization for Israel that supports critical environmental and nation-building activities in Israel’s north and south. Through its One Billion Dollar Roadmap for the Next Decade, JNF-USA is developing new communities in the Galilee and Negev, connecting the next generation to Israel, and creating infrastructure and programs that support ecology, individuals with special needs, and heritage site preservation.
For more information or to apply for future grants, visit jnf.org/Boruchin or contact Rachel Adams at radams@jnf.org or 212.879.9305 x249.
ENDS
Contact:
Media inquiries: Stefan Oberman, JNF-USA Director of Communications. E: soberman@jnf.org. P: 212.879.9305 x222.