Jewish Merchant Helped Build 400 Alabama Schools
JEWISH MERCHANT HELPED BUILD 400 ALABAMA SCHOOLS FOR BLACKS
The Jerusalem Post has a great piece on its website today on the financial support that Jewish philanthropist Julius Rosenwald provided for schools for blacks in Alabama and other parts of the South.
Rosenwald (1862-1932) was president and later chairman of the Chicago-based Sears Roebuck & Co. and creator of the philanthropic Rosenwald Fund, which provided matching funds for the schools.
The article was written by Stephen J. Whitfield, who holds the Max Richter Chair in American Civilization at Brandeis University and is the author of In Search of American Jewish Culture.
Whitfield describes Rosenwald (pictured here) as "the most significant figure in the history of what was once the largest retail establishment on the planet," adding, "He was also among the nation's most imaginative philanthropists. Because he was so resourceful in making money, and then because he was so gifted in disbursing it, he deserves to be far better known than he is."
"Perhaps his capacity for empathy might have sprung from an appreciation of the sting of prejudice," writes Whitfield. "Whatever the roots of Rosenwald's special philanthropic commitments, his interest in enhancing black education was neither casual nor superficial."
According to the Encyclopedia of Alabama, thanks to Rosenwald's funding and vision, "Nearly 400 schools and houses were constructed in Alabama and nearly 5,000 new schools were built in 15 southern states between 1917 and 1932... to increase educational opportunities in the largely rural and segregated South."
HUGS, CONNECTIONS, FUNDING:BJF REACHES ACROSS GLOBE
The Birmingham Jewish Federation has a long arm that can reach across the globe to make life better for people in Israel and other faraway regions. One way we do this is by funding projects through The BJF's Israel-World Jewry Bureau (IWJB).
Through our IWJB allocations process, people can submit requests, advocate for organizations and possibly help them get funding. The IWJB is currently accepting applications for its 2012 allocations process and would like to hear from our community members. The funding for these overseas agencies comes from our Federation annual campaign and a grant from The Birmingham Jewish Foundation.
One of the agencies we've funded in Israel is Leket Israel. Formerly known as "Table to Table," Leket Israel was proposed to the IWJB in 2006 and continues to receive funding for the work it does alleviating hunger in Israel.
The word "Leket" in Hebrew translates to mean "gleaning" and dates back to the biblical commandment that the corners of the fields should not be harvested and be reserved for the poor.
One of the wonderful byproducts of our IWJB allocations process is the personal relationships people in our community develop with the agencies we fund. Leket Israel is a wonderful example as people from Birmingham have had the opportunity to visit Leket Israel and volunteer while in Israel.
Birmingham Jewish community members Jimmy and Sheri Krell and their sons, Asher and Ethan, will participate this year in Leket Israel's annual Open Family Picking Day while they are in Israel this April. They will work with other volunteers to pick vegetables for distribution to Israel's needy.
BJF Director of Overseas Programs Joyce Spielberger, who staffs the IWJB allocations process, connected the Krells to this opportunity. Sheri is chair of The BJF's Israel Connections Committee which creates people to people exchanges between Birmingham and Israel.
"Thank you Joyce for connecting our family to Leket Israel for our Pesach (Passover) vacation," the Krells wrote in an email. "We are looking forward to having the experience of harvesting fields in the north of Israel. What better mitzvah (good deed) could we do than spend a day or two picking and gathering produce to be used by Israel's hungry and needy population? We're excited to get to work!"
Another example of how we stay in touch with agencies that the IWJB funds occurred Friday when a Birmingham delegation visited SELAH (also known as the Israel Crisis Management Center). SELAH, which means "rock" in Hebrew, helps immigrants to Israel who've been affected by terror and other forms of tragedy. The purpose of the visit was to learn more about the agency's activities and needs.
Making the visit to SELAH's Tel Aviv headquarters were Caren Seligman, Hilary Gewant, Sally Friedman, Brittany Saag, Amanda Weil and Richard Friedman. Sally and Brittany are members of the IWJB allocations team and Amanda will be joining The BJF staff March 1. One of Amanda's areas will be working with donors who want to make gifts in addition to their annual BJF campaign commitments to fund specific programs in Israel. Caren is pictured here saying goodbye to a young man we met, an immigrant from Ethiopia who was helped by SELAH. (Photo by Edward Kaprov.)
APPLICATIONS SOUGHT
Leket Israel and SELAH are just two examples of the outstanding organizations our Federation/Foundation dollars support thanks to our annual IWJB allocations process, and we want to hear from you. If you know of an agency in Israel or elsewhere abroad that benefits Jewish communities and you would like to see it considered for funding, please let us know. To obtain an application, contact Donna Berry at The BJF at donnab@bjf.org or 879-0416.
To be eligible for an allocation, agencies must be affiliated with qualified US charitable organizations or receive approval from the Jewish Federations of North America through its oversight process. Agencies applying for funding must have an advocate from our local community represent the agency.
The deadline for submitting requests is Friday, March 30. The IWJB allocations team will meet in May to review applications. Recommendations for funding will then be presented to the BJF Board of Directors for formal approval. For more information, contact Joyce at 879-0416 or joyces@bjf.org.
In addition to Sally and Brittany, the IWJB allocations team is made up of Chair Steve Brickman and members Mary Adams, Suzanne Bearman, Harold Ceitlin, Ronne Hess, Herb Husid, Ronald Levitt, Judy Luks, Janet Reagan, Amy Saag, Valerie Thompson and Cynthia Tobias.
Click for more on Leket Israel.
