Jewish Youth Tzedakah Foundation

What helps teens tick AND suceed?

2010-07-28T12:17:00.000-07:00

In a new study, sent to me by Stefanie Zelkind from the Jewish Teen Funders Network, we can learn some key findings from a study conducted on 15 year olds about their interests. More important, what we can see is that teens are more engaged and able to polish leadership skills with a strong adult mentor in their lives. The study can be found here:
https://www.at15.com/sites/all/themes/at15_v3/_assets/pdf/TeenVoice2010.pdf

Take a look and let me know what you think... especially you teens!

Welcome to Gail Herson!

2010-07-20T11:30:00.001-07:00

Please welcome Gail Herson to the Jewish Youth Tzedakah Foundation as the new program director. Gail has been involved in Jewish education in Dallas for many years and is very pleased to be working on the Foundation. She brings great ideas and enthusiasm to her work and is looking forward to being at the helm.

Please welcome Gail!

2010-2011 Foundation Members Accepted

2010-07-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

We are proud to announce the incoming members of the Foundation for the 2010-2011 year, the Foundation's third year. Take a look at the right side of the blog homepage and you will see their names listed. We have 23 eager young people signed up to create the Foundation for the coming year. These teens come from all over the Dallas area, from many different schools and perspectives. This year promises to be fun, interesting, thought-provoking, and of course, good for the Jewish community!

We cannot wait to meet you and get started on the year!

Grants ceremony 2010

2010-05-12T13:27:00.000-07:00

If you were able to join us on Tuesday evening, then you know how wonderful this Foundation is and you were certainly impressed by their presentations and the decisions they made together. If you were not able to join us, we had a wonderful program that highlighted the accomplishments of these teens and the impact their decisions will make on our Jewish community. You are likely wondering, 'where did they make their donations?!' I am pleased to announce the following decisions:

Jewish Family Service Food Pantry: $3,000

Dallas Hebrew Free Loan Association (College loan program): $6,000

Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) (Asylum cases support): $1,000

All of these donations represent the the time and consideration of the teens, who together reviewed 12 grant requests totalling over $100,000! They made these decisions with great care, and special concern for the people who would be impacted by the funds.

I think that you will agree that with these teens as the rising leaders in our community, we are in for a bright future.

May update

2010-05-11T07:25:00.000-07:00

It's been pretty quiet on the blog recently... the Foundation has been hard at work to determine where to allocate their funds. May's meeting was our last for this Foundation group, and it was an interesting process! We started reviewing all of the grant applications just to make sure that we all were clear about the organizations and the grant requests. We then moved on to each person casting an anonymous vote for each grant request. Once we tallied up the first round, the discussions began. Interesting views came to light and each person was given opportunities to weigh in as the process moved forward. The group selected three of the organizations rather early on in the process. I personally thought, 'that did not take as long as i thought it would...' but the group was far from done! As they discussed how to allocate the $10,000 to these three organizations, I was very impressed by their reasoning, the respect they had for each other, and the careful considerations of the individuals who would be impacted by their dollars. It was a genuine display of teens with heart and mind focused on the greater good.

I know you are wondering, 'o.k., so where did they donate the money??' My lips are sealed (as it were) until the answers are revealed at tonight's grants ceremony. If you are planning to attend, I know that you will be impressed and inspired by the work the teens have done this year. I know that you will learn something about giving, the Jewish world, and why we should feel good about these teens assuming positions of leadership in our community.

Stay tuned to learn about where the funds were donated!

Kenny blogs on our April meeting

2010-04-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

As we approach the conclusion of this year’s Jewish Youth Tzedakah Organization, we must seriously consider how we plan on benefiting the Jewish community. We could devote all $10,000 in support of one cause, or we could divide the funds in order of each grant requests' importance. This decision is not to be made hastily; because of that, we listened as several organizations presented their pitch on why they deserve this money more than others and how they plan to effectively use it.

First, we heard from Marc Jacobson of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) promoting their anti-poverty campaign. Due to the economic recession, Jews need to come together and focus on helping the poor. Jacobson stated that this we need to give special attention to poverty because of our Jewish ethics and values. The next candidate was Dorothy Wolchansky from the Dallas Hebrew Free Loan Association (DHFLA). This organization funds students in need of money for under-graduate through professional level schooling. The funds are paid back without interest and circulate to the next student in need of a loan. The third representative was Amy Walton from Jewish Family Services (JFS). They promoted their direct interaction with clients. Their contributions are, as they stated, “life-changing” with programs such as their food bank for hungry Jewish families. The final presentation was from Doug Edelson and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS). This relief organization aids in the asylum of refugees seeking a better life here in America. Their primary focus is on Yemenite Jews and they are very capable as they have an operating budget of $26 million annually.

What would you do with $10?

2010-03-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

O.k., around here we think a lot about $10,000... so let's step back a bit and consider what we might do with $10. Or, we could ask someone who has been giving away $10 a day since December... did i mention he is unemployed? Why is he doing this, what has he learned, and what do the recipients do with the 10 bucks he gives to them?

Check it out: http://yearofgiving.wordpress.com/

From Facebook to.....

2010-03-22T08:55:00.000-07:00

One of the founders of Facebook is on to a new venture, one that is sure to earn him even more notoriety. The next time you hear someone say that young people are up to no good, tell them to check this out:

Chronicle of Philanthropy
March 18, 2010
Facebook Co-Founder Starts Philanthropic Social-Networking Site
By Nicole Wallace

One of the whiz kids behind Facebook is turning his attention to the nonprofit world.
Chris Hughes co-founded the social-networking giant with two roommates as a Harvard undergraduate, and later served as director of online organizing for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.

Today Mr. Hughes, now 26, announced that his next project will be Jumo, a new social network set to start in the fall that will help people find causes and nonprofit organizations that they care about.

“People have a genuine desire to engage with the world around them in a meaningful way, but the Internet just hasn’t yet caught up with that desire yet,” he said in an interview.
Jumo—which means "together in concert” in Yoruba, a West African language—will be designed to take advantage of content that has already been created elsewhere and offer robust tools for sharing content, says Mr. Hughes.

“The last thing I want to do is add yet another site to a nonprofit’s plate,” he says. “I don’t want them to have to go to yet another destination to share who they are and the work that they’re doing.”

Jumo incorporated as a nonprofit organization this year, and has applied for tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service.
The organization hopes to raise a little more than $2-million to start the site. Mr. Hughes says the group has raised more than $500,000 from individuals so far and has had early talks with several grant makers, including the Ford, John S. and James L. Knight, and Rockefeller Foundations.

Wide-Ranging Questions
Jumo seeks in the coming months to attract visitors who will help the site make it easier for people to find opportunities to give, volunteer, and advocate in ways that best suit their interests.

People who visit the site now and express interest in finding out more are asked a series of wide-ranging questions that gauges their personal interests, likes and dislikes, and political beliefs.
Among the questions:
• “Would you say the world is getting better or worse?”
• “Which of these places would you most like to visit? Argentina, France, India, or Kenya?”
• “On Sunday, are you most likely to be: at brunch, at church, at a museum, or watching the big game?”

The site will analyze how people who had similar answers respond to different causes and different giving and volunteering opportunities, and then use the information to determine what is most likely to appeal to them.

The main objective, says Mr. Hughes, is to connect people to the issues and organizations that are likely to interest them as quickly as possible.

“What I want to do is reach a point where people can’t say, 'I want to help. I don’t know any good, meaningful opportunities to do so. What can I do?’” he says. “I want to create a world where that statement is no longer possible.”

Jacob blogs on our March meeting

2010-03-12T11:40:00.000-08:00

During our March meeting we started to research and consider the agencies that have requested grants. The focus for most of the meetings prior to this one has been learning about tzedakah and learning about what we are going to do. At this meeting we started doing it. One or two people were assigned to each of the agencies that had requested grants. We all researched our agencies online, and answered several short, but informative questions about each agency. Then a short presentation was given for each agency, and the members of the foundation could ask any questions to the other member/s who researched the agency.

At this meeting we really started to get to know the agencies. We were asked not to judge the agencies or form any opinions yet, the meeting was solely based on gaining information about each agency so that we can make informed decisions about where we want to donate our money. Next meeting we will start to hear from representatives from the agencies themselves.

Ilana blogs on our March meeting

2010-03-12T11:31:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday’s meeting was the first meeting where we began reviewing the grant requests. There were many requests, including some that were unfamiliar to most of us before the meeting. Miranda felt that it was necessary for our foundation to understand the background of each organization. In order for us to be more knowledgeable about these organizations, we split up to research the organizations and see if they are worth our money, and if they fit our mission statements.

My group researched an organization called H.I.A.S. (short for Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society). H.I.A.S. provides service to Jewish immigrants, refugees, and others in need. There are H.I.A.S organizations around the world, including one in the United States. The H.I.A.S. in the United States helps resettle refugees, assists to reunite those that have been separated, and provides scholarships for refugees.

After everyone researched a different organization, each member took turns explaining the organization that he or she researched. Following each presentation, numerous members asked questions to gain a better understanding of the organizations. Many of us have already begun to think about which organization we think deserves our tzedaka. However, there are still a few months for that process and we plan on taking it step by step.

Jayme blogs on our February meeting

2010-02-26T06:48:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday, February 21, our foundation came together to continue our learning process. The session started off with a guest speaker from Israel named Noam Zion. He spoke to us about Maimonides levels of tzedakah and explained to us some of the difficulties that people face when giving tzedakah. He made us realize that giving tzedakah is not always easy for many reasons. First of all, it is hard for some people to receive tzedakah because they may feel inferior and they don’t like having to rely on others. Also, the biggest question for the giver is whether or not to give anonymously. We learned about the different sides of this argument through a story about Mar Ukba. If you give anonymously then you do not attract attention to yourself and you don’t have to receive praise from anyone, while if you are not anonymous then the person might continue asking for more help than you are wanting to give or ask you to help others.

After Noam left, each of us listed three things that we think are problems in the world. Some common responses were poverty, education, Darfur, and environmental concerns. Next we split into groups and each group assessed the importance of different aspects of where we want to give our money. We talked about location, if we want to give specifically to Jews, and what we are looking for in a charity. We decided that we would like to give to a very close location to a charity that is either for Jews or non-Jews. We also want our charity to have been successful in previous tasks and it is preferable that it has been around for a while. That sums up our meeting! We are looking forward to getting our proposals back the next time we get together!

Elan blogs on our February meeting

2010-02-26T06:45:00.000-08:00

On February 21, we had a Jewish Youth Tzedaka meeting, bare with me as I try to relay everything we did during this meeting. We had the privilege of the scholar in residence for Shearith Israel, Noam Zion come and speak to us. He is very knowledgeable in the ways of philanthropy and Tzedaka, and was a pleasure talking to him. He started out by giving us examples of what got him into tzedaka and spoke of his father’s model for giving Tzedaka. We then discussed Maimonides levels of Tzedaka as we went through the significance of each. This topic brought us to a discussion of the difficulties and beauty of giving and receiving Tzedaka. Noam (which he specifically told us to call him) handed out packets, and in these were stories of giving Tzedaka. One example was a story about Mar Ukva who was a wealthy man living in a not very wealthy town. He wanted to give Tzedaka, but for reasons we later discussed wouldn’t allow the recipient to ever know who was granting them the money. This prompted a discussion on pride vs. charity. After a long discussion and many things left on our mind, Noam left us.

Each of us then had to think of three things we would want to change in the world. The answers varied greatly from plastic waste to events in Darfur. We then discussed reasons why people wouldn’t help out, because most of these things could easily be prevented. We decided the reasons were: People are busy, they don’t want to put in the effort, relevance to their own lives, helpless, lazy, decide someone else will do it, and don’t see the personal enjoyment in it. After this activity we talked about how the proposals are coming in, and what needs to happen as they come in. This is a basic summary of our meeting, tune in next month to see how the proposal process is working out for us!

Ali blogs on our January meeting

2010-01-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

On January 10th, at the Jewish Tzedaka foundation meeting, we had a speaker from the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation named Marna Edenson. She spoke to us about how the Federation and the Foundation work together, and how their donors decide where to give money to.

After she left, we split up into groups and discussed different topics. The topic my group discussed was Pidyon Shvuyim, which means freeing captured Jews. Most of us felt that it was extremely necessary for the Israelis to do anything they can to get back their captured Jewish soldiers. One of the other groups had the topic of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who was captured on 25 June 2006 by Palestinian militants in a cross-border raid. Most of us also said that the Israelis should do anything they can to get him back, although in order to do that, we in turn have to give back 1,000 Palestinian soldiers. I personally think it is imperative that we get him back, because if it was me I would be hoping and praying that my family, and country would do anything in their power to get me home.

After this we split into new groups and looked up organizations, and places we can donate our money. My group looked up a soup kitchen in Israel, that helps unprivileged families. We concluded the meeting by discussing the organizations every group looked up, and found many great places that we will consider giving our money to.

Jillian blogs on our January meeting

2010-01-18T11:24:00.000-08:00

To kickoff our meeting, we welcomed guest speaker Marna Edenson from the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation.

Next, we split up into three groups to learn about Chesed, Pidyon Shvuyim, and Gilad Shalit. Although the three topics are seemingly unrelated, they are actually interconnected with one another. The value of Chesed teaches us to be selfless, and the commandment of Pidyon Shvuyim instructs us to free any captured Jews, no matter the cost. Gilad Shalit is an abducted Israeli Sergeant, kept in Hamas’ clutches for over three years. According to the two principles we discussed, Israel should do everything within its power to have Shalit freed. However, there’s a catch: in order for him to be brought home, Hamas is demanding the release of 1,000 Palestinian terrorists from Israel’s prisons. As a group, we had a heated debate over whether Israel should refuse the negotiation and protect its civilians from future attacks, or listen to our morals and free Shalit. Personally, I feel Israel should accept the swap, despite the threat it might pose and the country’s vow to not negotiate with terrorists. How would you feel in Gilad Shalit’s position? His faith in all of us to fight for his freedom his what keeps him alive day to day. Do we want his blood on our hands?

Finally, we had an opportunity to research various charities to donate our funds to later this year. Everyone was reminded to keep the organizations within the boundaries of our mission statement. Aside from beneficiaries based in the United States, we looked at those aiding the impoverished of Israel and Jews worldwide. I am certain we will continue to search for the deserving charities.

New Year, New Knowledge

2010-01-18T11:21:00.000-08:00

January's meeting was packed with interesting ideas, debates, and new perspectives. We welcomed Marna Edenson from the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation to our group to help us understand the critical work they do to support our growing community. We tossed around some moral and spiritual ideas, as well. We ended our meeting beginning the exploration of non-profit organizations that benefit our community. Jillian's post will clue you in!

Fare thee well? (a rhetorical question)

2009-12-29T09:30:00.000-08:00

We Jews have such a rich tradition around the concept of giving and assisting others. In the preparation for the JYTF meetings, I encounter so many wonderful, lively, and interesting texts and ideas on the topic. I often marvel at how complex and intricate the details are in some of the references I find, all in the basic premise of improving another's situation and partnering with the Creator.

So, with such a foundation, imagine my bafflement at a recent opinion piece featuring a study of giving habits, both in the broader population and the Jewish population: http://www.forward.com/articles/120593/. In truth, I was shocked. Once I emerged from a bit of my own hypocrisy, I thought, how can we possibly explain/excuse this away, what with the virtual giving guidebook(s) we have in our culture?

The other point made in the piece is the definition of tzedakah. How broadly should it be defined?

So, what do you think: did the figures surprise you? What is tzedakah, in your view? Is Jill Jacobs making some good points, or just holding Jews, unfairly, to a higher standard?

Thoughts to ponder in the 'giving season'

2009-12-02T07:27:00.000-08:00

The media has dubbed this time of year the 'giving season.' Any tzedakah-savvy person knows that all year is the time for giving. But we sometimes benefit from the media focus on giving.

Two cases in point: just this week the NY Times has run two articles on the general theme of giving. The first one covers research done on small children, showing that the urge to help is innate: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/science/01human.html?_r=1&ref=health. The second article explores the benefit to the giver, not so much the receiver: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/health/01well.html?ref=health.

So, what do you think: is helping an innately human trait? Or something that we teach? Does giving to or assisting someone else relieve the physical or emotional symptoms of one who is ill?

Evie blogs on our third meeting

2009-11-17T07:21:00.000-08:00

At Sunday’s meeting, we had a simulation of the grant process. We split up into six groups, and three were organizations that were requesting funds, and three were foundations who were deciding where to give their money. We had to present our organizations in the best possible ways and make hard decisions about where to give our money.

Next we were split into different groups and we were each given a different assignment. One group had to make a skit about major ideas of Tzedakah. Another group had to find a text about Tzedakah that had to do with the game Jenga. A third group found a modern song that related to our texts, and the last group had to find ideas about Tzedakah in a fashion magazine. Though difficult, it showed us how the main ideas of Tzedakah can be applied in many different situations.

November meeting ideas

2009-11-17T07:14:00.000-08:00

At our recent meeting we had the opportunity to understand a bit better how the grant process works. Everyone had some type of role in the process and the teens made it interesting and fun.

After an exercise in Jewish texts it was time to hand out our new t-shirts!

Evie has the scoop... take a look at her blog!

More on hunger in America

2009-11-16T14:32:00.000-08:00

A new report was released today by the Agriculture Department. You can see the information here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/us/17hunger.html?hp.

How does this report (or reality) impact you?

Blake blogs on the Poverty Simulation

2009-11-12T10:35:00.000-08:00

I went to the poverty simulation at Beth Torah last Sunday (November 8th). At the simulation we were assigned a role, I was a 9 year old boy with learning disabilities, and you were put into a family. I had a dad who worked full time, a sister who went to school, had a job, and had a baby, she was 19, and my niece who was one year old. To help my family survive I had two jobs and i went to school. I learned that in times of desperation people will do whatever they have to to live. There were families in the simulation who had to steal. There were also teenagers who dropped out of school. I enjoyed the simulation mainly because I got to feel only a small small part of what some people go through every day and it made me more aware.

Food for Thought

2009-11-05T09:23:00.000-08:00

When you hear the phrase 'food stamps' what do you think? What is your estimate of how many children in the U.S. rely on food stamps?

10%?

15%?

Take a look at this report relased early this month on food stamps and children in the U.S.:
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/11/02/Many-US-children-to-be-on-food-stamps/UPI-95961257220576/

Now what do you think when you hear 'food stamps?'

Mission Possible!

2009-10-29T09:08:00.001-07:00

So, you may be wondering, 'what is the Tzedakah Foundation planning to focus on?' I am proud to announce:

Jewish Youth Tzedakah Foundation

Mission Statement:
The Jewish Youth Tzedakah Foundation is focused on reducing the impact of poverty among Jews. Through the Jewish values of tzedakah and communal responsibility we hope to bring forth positive change.

This is a great year of young leaders making a huge impact in the community!

Stay tuned.......

Max blogs on our second meeting

2009-10-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

In this week’s lesson the foundation determined our own personal values that each person assigns through Tzedekah. We learned that each person applies their personal circumstances which influence our ability to perceive value. The majority of the organization seemed to support the majority of the money being donated to influence college loans, which may be because we all have college on our minds.

After this exercise we moved on to narrowing down what exactly Tzedekah is, and how it is unique from Gimelut Chasidim, and Charity. We determined that Tzedekah is unique because it is a combination of both of these Jewish values, and that Tzedekah not only is the giving of money, but it is also determined by the motive. Without these key elements of value it would be hard for the foundation to determine Tzedekah’s worth because it would be nebulous.

Finally we worked on creating the foundation’s mission statement. The group managed to reach consensus and the struggle led to the fruitful results of our new mission statement. It is focused around helping Jews who are ailing from the plight of poverty. We came to a consensus that it was necessary to not focus on location because it would blind us from the troubles occurring in Israel, Europe, Africa, etc… if we specified locally. This consensus was a large leap forward in accomplishing our goal.

Marissa blogs on our second meeting

2009-10-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

This past meeting, October 18, we finalized our mission statement. Before doing so, Miranda gave us each a fake dollar and had us decide what to do with it based on three different scenarios. The first scenario involved an old woman named Sylvia who shakes a can for 24 years asking for change for JNF. The second scenario involved a man named Mike who calls around Rosh Hashana and asks for donations for a college fund he started because his son was killed in the Holocaust. This was a free college loan. The third scenario involved a homeless person who comes up to your face and asks for money. I chose to give my dollar to the free college fund because it really hit home for me. I have to apply to colleges soon, and I would want to be able to pay for college. After this activity, we talked about the differences between charity, gemilut chasadim and tzedakah. We decided that charity is giving money to those in need, gemilut chasadim is kindness to others, and tzedakah is a mixture of the two. Then it was time to decide on our mission statement. We had a lot of trouble deciding what the main focus of our group was going to be, but we finally came to a consensus. The Jewish Youth Tzedakah Foundation is focused on reducing the impact of poverty among Jews.

On a Mission (from God?)

2009-10-23T13:01:00.001-07:00

Our last meeting had quite a bit going on, but the main thing that we grappled with was forming a mission statement for the group. This mission statement is critical as it gives us and area or areas to focus on and a framework with which to proceed through the year. It is also the first 'test' if you will of the consensus decision making model. It was most interesting, but you will find out more from our bloggers this time. Take a look at their posts!

What motivates you?

2009-09-30T14:21:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this article in today's NYTimes online: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/arts/01donor.html?hpw.

Aside of wishing for his email address, what do you think of his perspectives?

Sophie blogs on our first meeting September 13

2009-09-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

This week was the inaugural session of the Youth Tzedakah Fund for this year. We spent a lot of time getting to know one another. We played games that helped us to understand one another, what is important to us, what inspires us and how we think. We spoke individually about our values and our beliefs. These conversations lead us to discuss how and why we construct a mission statement. The mission statement outlines our purpose and reason for being. We began the important work of crafting a statement as a group and had lively discussion about what should be included. Although we didn’t finish the statement we did narrow ideas that we want to include and what types of organizations we want to donate to. The types of organizations we want to serve focus on poverty and the environment. Next time we meet we plan to finalize the mission statement so that we can begin the challenging and exciting work of charity.

Our first meeting

2009-09-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

We had a great first meeting on Sunday to kick-off the Foundation for this year. The teens shared their perspectives on values and priorities around giving. I could tell you more, but I would rather have one of teens fill you in. See Sophie's post!

Are you oriented?

2009-09-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

Sunday August 30 was our orientation for teens and parents. We had a great turn-out and attendees got a taste of some of the activities and ideas we will be exploring as a group this year.

One of the topics we discussed was motivations: what motivates you in the volunteer work you do or the philanthropy you give? Some of the motivators were power, community, integrity, compassion, responsibility. As the teen foundation begins this year, they will examine some of their collective motivations in their giving. These ideas will help to shape their mission statement, the driving force behind what the teens will achieve together.

Stay tuned!

Welcome!

2009-08-27T12:51:00.001-07:00

If you are reading this, you have some connection to the Jewish Youth Tzedakah Foundation. This blog will include related items of interest, including posts from our 2009-2010 Foundation members.

The Jewish Youth Tzedakah Foundation is a program of the Center for Jewish Education of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas. The Foundation exists to bring Jewish 10th and 11th graders together to learn about nonprofits, group decision making, and tzedakah, the Jewish responsibility to give. Together teens will contribute money that is then matched by a local donor. With these funds, they will request grant proposals, review them together, and determine as a group where their funds will be donated.

This program is generously funded by Carol and Alan Bernon, the Morton H. Meyerson Family Foundation, the Howard and Leslie Schultz Family Foundation, and the Jewish Teen Funders Network.