Editor’s Note: The Jewish Link is pleased to present our first ever End of Year Giving section to highlight the many incredible organizations that serve our communities. Their efforts and programs enrich our lives, but they can only continue with our support. As the year winds down, consider donating to some of these worthwhile charities. Tizku l’mitzvot!
Daily Giving
Are you looking for a way to make a difference in the world? Do you want to give back and make a positive impact on the lives of others? If so, we invite you to check out www.DailyGiving.org and join the Daily Giving family.
Daily Giving is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the power of daily kindness and generosity. Through Daily Giving, you can give as little as $1 a day to a different vetted Jewish organization, every single day. In other words, you can guarantee the mitzvah of giving tzedaka on a daily basis.
There are countless causes that need your support. Between organizations that support children with terminal illnesses and those that offer food for those who cannot afford it, it can be difficult to narrow your giving to a single area. That’s where Daily Giving comes in. Your tzedaka is given to a diverse portfolio of Jewish charities. As a result, you’re automatically supporting charities in a variety of sectors, just by being a Daily Giver.
By itself, a dollar a day doesn’t go so far. But when combined with over 12,000 givers, a dollar a day can cause waves of impact. We believe that no act of kindness is too small, and that every individual has the ability to make a positive impact on the world around them. Thank God, at this moment, we are giving almost $13,000 to a different Jewish charity every single day. That’s over $4.5 million a year! 100 cents of every dollar donated goes to our beneficiary organizations. Daily Giving takes nothing.
At Daily Giving, we rely on the support of givers like you to help us make a difference in the world. Your donations allow us to fund Jewish nonprofits that promote kindness and generosity, and make a positive impact on all of klal Yisrael.
We invite you to join us as we spread kindness, compassion and generosity to those around us. Together, we can make a difference in the world, one dollar at a time. Please come and join us at www.DailyGiving.org
SINAI Schools
SINAI operates inclusive special education schools for children with a wide range of developmental, intellectual, and complex learning disabilities, inside yeshiva day and high schools in New York and New Jersey. SINAI tailor-crafts a highly individualized program for each student based on his or her academic, social, and emotional needs. A typical SINAI classroom has 6-8 students and three master’s-level or above teachers. This figure, combined with additional professionals, therapists, and specialists, brings the total professional:student ratio to 1:1.2.
SINAI undertakes extraordinary costs in order to meet the unique needs of each of its students, doing everything they can to make sure that financial difficulties don’t stand in the way of any child who needs them. Often, children come to SINAI after struggling for years in other schools that have been unable to meet their needs. At SINAI, these children thrive. Donate now with your year-end tzedakah to attend the SINAI Annual Dinner on February 28. 2023. Visit www.sinaidinner.org.
Yachad
Yachad, a division of the Orthodox Union, is a thriving global organization dedicated to addressing the needs of all Jewish individuals with disabilities with a focus on inclusion. Yachad offers enrichment for individuals and their families through social and educational programs and support services, including clinical services, educational workshops, conferences and shabbatons, support groups and summer programs. Yachad also runs a network of special needs schools, under the name IVDU, in the New York area.
Yachad has multiple ways to get involved to serve its growing community. You can sign up to become a peer by visiting https://www.yachad.org/get-involved/peer and help with conferences, shabbatons, workshops, or even just to participate in community events. You can also volunteer as a Yachad adviser and form bonds with participants by facilitating inclusion at Yachad’s programming. To sign up, visit https://www.yachad.org/get-involved/volunteering, or to make a donation, visit https://www.yachad.org/donate.
Just One Life
By Rabbi Marty Katz
Many of you know me as EVP Rabbi Marty Katz. I have the merit (zechus) to be the executive vice president of Just One Life. My partners in this endeavor are Chairmen Jack Forgash and Steve Adelsberg. We have also recently added Chaim Kiss to our team as well. Over the past 33 years, we have helped bring over 19,700 babies into this world.
What is Just One Life about?
Just One Life works in Israel with pregnancies in crisis.
Partnership with Shaare Tzedek and other hospitals.
Unique formula balancing between moral and financial support and love, passion and guidance.
Amongst our stories over the years—even twins, triplets and quadruplets.
We are about helping women and families to give birth to their children in a safe, loving and supporting environment.
We need your generous support to continue. For $1,800 your support can make a difference for life… Visit
causematch.com/justonelife22/54875 to donate.
Thanks in advance and may you and your family be blessed. Every dollar you donate will be matched.
Hebrew Free Burial Association
For 134 years, HFBA has served the Jewish community with one vital mission: to provide a dignified funeral and burial for any Jew in need. In times of pandemic and times of calm. For young and old. For people who suffered from disease and people who died suddenly.
We are your agents in the important mitzvah of chesed shel emet. Your support has always been vital for our work, and now is no different. With the importance of tzedaka in mind, please make a donation and recommit to providing every Jew in need a traditional and dignified funeral and burial. Your support has been instrumental in allowing HFBA to care for those in need.
You can make a donation at www.hebrewfreeburial.org/donate.
With best wishes for a healthy and meaningful new year.
Lamdeinu
Lamdeinu is a center for high-level, accessible and inspiring Torah learning based in Teaneck, New Jersey. It was founded by Dean Rachel Friedman in 2014. Lamdeinu offers Jewish text study in Tanach, Talmud, Parshanut HaMikra, Halacha and other areas. Many classes are taught beit midrash style with guided preparation followed by interactive discussion. Lamdeinu is housed in the beautiful beit midrash of Congregation Beth Aaron, and most classes are available on Zoom. Classes are given weekday mornings and afternoons, Monday through Thursday. There are also special events such as Rosh Chodesh celebrations, melave malka and an all-day Yom Ha’atzmaut program for women that features tefillah, shirah and Israeli culture.
Lamdeinu hosted its eighth annual Chanukah Breakfast for men and women on Sunday, December 11, with a morning of Torah, warmth and inspiration. For more information, please contact Program Director Debbie Negari at [email protected] or Dean Friedman at [email protected].
Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services
Ohel provides transformative social services and mental health services to communities in the New York metropolitan area, across the United States and around the world. Beginning as a small foster-care agency for Jewish children, today Ohel cares for thousands of individuals through a broad range of programs, including housing and day programs for people with developmental disabilities, older adult services, housing and day programs for people with psychiatric disabilities and counseling for everyday people with everyday problems. Ohel’s Camp Kaylie welcomes children of all abilities to a summer of inclusive fun.
Families and individuals receive assistance through grief and trauma support groups and case management services. Communities have access to trauma-informed and resilience-building programs, including training for first responders, workplaces, synagogues and schools.
To help us continue our essential services, donate at www.ohelfamily.org/donate.
AMIT
Founded in 1925, AMIT educates 40,000 children each year in a network of 96 schools across 32 cities in Israel. AMIT enables students to realize their individual potential, strengthening Israeli society by educating and nurturing children from diverse backgrounds within a framework of innovation, academic excellence and Jewish values. For more information, please visit www.amitchildren.org/2022.
Project Ezrah
Project Ezrah—which directly translates to Project “Help”—has been providing financial assistance and job placement services since 2001. The organization was founded by Rabbi Yossi Stern, z”l, who wanted to create a way for people to become financially stable in a confidential and dignified way. Project Ezrah works with all of the community rabbis to ensure continuity of support for families needing support in Bergen County. They offer financial assistance and counseling, and assist families with accessing local resources and benefits. Project Ezrah creates customized plans for families to help ensure their success. Project Ezrah also provides day camp scholarships, Pesach grants and school break programs to help families at those more difficult times of the year. Their job development department assists individuals with a wide range of support, from resume writing to networking to interview prep. In 2021 the organization merged with the Teaneck Baby Gemach to serve as a community resource center for growing families, matching donors and recipients through its confidential network.
Project Ezrah not only accepts monetary donations, but has a large network of local professionals who provide pro bono assistance. Visit https://www.ezrah.org/how-you-can-help/ or email [email protected] to find out how you can help your neighbors in need.
The Bayit Association
The Bayit Association is a new local organization that was started by a small group of Northern New Jersey parents who saw the need for kosher, shomer Shabbos housing for young adults in their community with developmental disabilities (DD). The Bayit Association has purchased two homes, and renovations have begun on the first. All programming will be administered by Ohel, an organization with decades of experience running kosher, shomer Shabbos group homes.
Although the cost of programming is paid through government agencies, The Bayit Association must raise the money to purchase and renovate homes. The Bayit Association has a goal of $1 million or more to complete the renovations on their first two homes. To support The Bayit Association of New Jersey, go to their donation site: https://tinyurl.com/2p89mu4n or https://secure.myonlinepayments.com/bayitassociation. Or go to www.bayitnj.org and click on the “Donate Now” button on top.
You can also mail a gift to: The Bayit Association / PO Box 3131 / Teaneck, NJ 07666.
Our Tax ID No: 86-1535722. For those wishing to donate through a donor-advised fund, we have been vetted and approved by the Jewish Communal Fund and Fidelity Charitable.
Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Northern NJ
As you decide where to allocate your end-of-year giving this year, please consider Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Northern NJ (JFCS). JFCS is a social services and mental health agency that acts as a safety net for hundreds of families and thousands of individuals who rely on them for help. Every donation JFCS receives goes toward supporting the wide variety of direct services that they provide the community. These services include mental health counseling, a kosher food pantry, kosher meals on wheels, comprehensive services for older adults, programing for Holocaust survivors, career services, case management services and emergency financial assistance.
JFCS has offices in Teaneck and Wayne, New Jersey and supports the communities in Bergen, Hudson and Passaic Counties. No one is turned away because of their inability to pay. JFCS can offer most of their services for free or at little cost to their clients thanks to generous donors and supporters like you.
So please consider JFCS for your end-of-year donations this year!
If you would like to learn more about JFCS, please reach out to Michele Wellikoff at [email protected] or 201-837-9090 x250, or donate online at www.donate.jfcsnnj.org.
Tomchei Shabbos of Bergen County
Tomchei Shabbos of Bergen County provides fresh food for Shabbos to Bergen County residents with a financial need. Boxes are delivered weekly and are customized for each family based on their preferences, needs and size. The food is high quality and purchased fresh every week. All recipients are anonymous.
Tomchei Shabbos is run by volunteers and is based out of a Bergenfield warehouse. We try to keep the application process as simple and straightforward as possible. Approval is not income-based; each application is considered based on its own specific merits. To apply, to volunteer or to donate, please visit our website, www.tomcheishabbosofbergencounty.org
HASC
HASC is a non-profit agency, which provides a wide range of supportive services to children with special needs. HASC continues to provide high quality education and therapeutic services to children with special needs. Families are an integral component of our education process and we are guided by creativity, compassion and motivation as we strive to make a world of difference in the lives of our children.
Home- and center-based services are available. They include: special education, speech, occupational and physical therapies, psychological services, parent workshops and service coordination. Center-based services include: half day program (morning or afternoon), small groups, free transportation, cholov Yisroel breakfast and snacks, adaptive computer use, assistive technology, music and animal therapy.
Early intervention, preschool or school-age programs are available at either the Boro Park-Brooklyn, Spring Valley-Rockland County or Woodmere-Nassau County locations.
Visit https://www.hasc.net or call 845-356-0191 to find out more.
Aim Hire, Job Placement With Dignity
Starting at the inception of COVID, Aim Hire’s mission has been to facilitate the job placement of individuals who are struggling to find a career while facing the financial responsibilities of a Jewish home. Aim Hire’s platform provides individuals with an opportunity to tackle these challenges head-on and with a sense of dignity. We understand that the potential to build a lucrative and long-term career is something that goes beyond monetary value.
We specifically cater towards individuals over the age of 40 who have been unemployed or underemployed for at least 18 weeks. As an incentive for employers to consider our candidates, we offer to subsidize 40-60% of an employee’s salary for the first three months of employment, ensuring our confidence that they’ll be satisfied with their new employee.
If you are a job benefactor looking to hire, a job seeker hoping for employment or a donor looking to give, please visit our website at www.aim-hire.org.
Make Mentoring a Priority
The Jewish Entrepreneur (TJE) is a fast-growing, world-wide, not-for-profit organization that provides a full-service, pro bono mentoring program for entrepreneurs of all affiliations. Our mentorship program is targeted at entrepreneurs at all stages of business from concept through scale. Our mentors are professionals recruited from across the business spectrum and who are devoted to helping those looking to grow within their business. TJE Mentors service almost all business sectors including e-commerce, food, health and education, IT, marketing, real estate, retail, service, wholesale and many others. TJE has over 450 mentors across the world and creates over 700 connections a year. Our lifetime connections have been over 3,000—leading to total revenue gain of over $60 million.
TJE also offers 14 business-related WhatsApp groups to support questions and information for our mentees, in addition to maintaining a presence on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. In addition, TJE has a vast library of training videos and offers free monthly webinars by top professionals.
TJE maintains valuable connections to other organizations that can assist business owners looking for interest-free loans, career counseling, training, employment and other support services. These connections work under the Tribeworks banner. Tribeworks is a collaborative international effort led by multiple organizations and has created a one-stop shop location to offer support services to help you and your business thrive.
Tribeworks is made up of 18 Jewish organizations that together provide a wide range of services, aiming to fulfill any potential need for business owners in the global Jewish community. If you want to see more information about Tribeworks, go to tribeworks.org.
If you want to support TJE’s mission of helping businesses get started and grow, go to tjenetwork.com and click on Donate. To get a free mentor, go to tjenetwork.com and click on Get Mentoring. To become a mentor for TJE, email Robert Safren at
[email protected].
