The 36-week course is taught on a rotating basis by Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Orthodox rabbis, giving participants multiple perspectives. The average class size is 20-25 students. Each student is required to secure a rabbinic sponsor from one of the local congregations and meet the conversion requirements developed by his/her sponsor. Students gain an introduction to Judaism and a reading knowledge of Hebrew; participate in Shabbat, holiday, and ritual observances, and make connections with individual congregations and the larger community.

Post-Conversion Program

In 2018-2019, the Rabbinical Association for the first time is offering a post-conversion program to help new Jews-by-choice become more familiar with Jewish traditions and assist them in connecting with local congregations and the larger Jewish community. NCEJ is pleased to be supporting this innovative program.

For more information contact Annette Fish, Administrator/Program Director.

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Innovative Outreach Program Highlights:

Program: “A Taste of Hebrew”

A Taste of Hebrew is designed to teach Hebrew decoding skills to both Jews and non-Jews who cannot read Hebrew, with a focus on parents of children who are in the process of learning Hebrew. JFGI will promote and sponsor a series of 6-week Taste of Hebrew classes throughout the community. The class is intentionally designed only as a very basic introduction to Hebrew in order to make it easily accessible and open to everyone. JFGI will hire the teacher(s), help design the curriculum, provide materials, and take care of publicity for the Taste of Hebrew programs. It is hoped that these classes will generate additional interest in continued Hebrew learning among parents and others in the community and lead to further adult Hebrew education classes being developed and offered in the years ahead.

Program: “Finding Your Place in B’nai Mitzvah”

Finding Your Place in B’nai Mitzvah, aims to create a place for non-Jewish parents to deepen their understanding of b’nai mitzvah and feel supported as their children go through this important life-cycle event. JFGI will design a 4-session seminar with a focus on the non-Jewish partner, with the Jewish partner invited to the final session. Special outreach to interfaith families who are currently synagogue members along with unaffiliated interfaith families who may be seeking b’nai mitzvah outside the organized Jewish community will be made to identify participants for this seminar.

These seminars will provide participants with a comfortable place to ask questions and express concerns. Participants will have the opportunity to request a b’nai mitzvah mentor (a volunteer member of an interfaith family who has already experienced a child’s bar/bat mitzvah).  Additional reading materials, resources, and community connections will be provided as well.  While this seminar is focused on b’nai mitzvah, it can also serve as an opening for participants to find out about other ways to learn more about Jewish ritual and potentially explore ways to learn along with their children.

Participants of the program will:

• Hear about other interfaith families’ personal b’nai mitzvah experiences.
• Learn more about b’nai mitzvah ritual and halachic considerations with regard to non-Jewish family members.
• Develop tools for communicating with extended non-Jewish family.

For more details about these programs contact Nina Price, Director of Jewish Education Initiatives, JFGI, via email here, or call: 317-726-5450 (ext.1245).

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Contact us at 301-802-4254 if you have an idea and you’re not sure if it meets our funding guidelines.  Be sure to tell others in the outreach community about us so they can get funded, too.

New Grant Opportunities for 2018

This year we are expanding funding of innovative programs for interfaith families and those who want to learn more about Judaism. We want to encourage Jewish organizations to reach out beyond their walls and welcome people in their communities to Judaism, either through traditional methods or experiential learning.

Our goal is to spur connections and thus help Jewish institutions grow and flourish.  NCEJ will continue to support marketing efforts for Introduction to Judaism and conversion classes, and similar programs.  This includes both online and print advertising, brochures, and other forms of publicity.

New Look for the New Year

Our website has undergone a complete makeover the last few months. Please click around to see for yourself.  Our goal is to clarify our funding focus, and make it easier to apply.  We welcome any feedback you might have.

Grant Updates

• Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA): JFNA has been awarded an NCEJ outreach grant to help smaller communities offer programming for interfaith couples/families and others who are interested in exploring what Judaism is all about.  Read more

• Federation of Jewish Mens Clubs (FJMC):  NCEJ has renewed an agreement with FJMC for up to 20 grants to Conservative synagogues for ”Welcoming Websites” and programming for interfaith families, which are open to both their membership and the public.  Read more

• JCC of Greater Pittsburgh: NCEJ has awarded an advertising grant to the JCC to promote their family holiday camps, with the aim of attracting a wider audience.

• Joint Distribution Commission: NCEJ is finalizing an agreement with the JDC to support several Jewish renewal projects in Central and Eastern Europe.

If you have ideas for proposals we might fund, contact Ellen Gerecht or call 301-802-4254.

Know a Jewish non-profit who might be interested in NCEJ funding?

Share our newsletter!

The post NCEJ is Expanding Funding in 2018 appeared first on National Center to Encourage Judaism.

Eligible initiatives include:

• Those that are intended as an ongoing series to offer attendees a variety of learning opportunities that can build upon each other.
• Those that use teachers from the community who work with those who are interfaith or interested in converting, including those teaching “Introduction to Judaism” courses.
• Partnerships with groups whose client/member base may likely include nonJews who could be interested in learning more about Judaism, such as interfaith families with children at a Jewish Community Center childcare facility.

The grants are intended to provide opportunities for communities that do not otherwise have the resources for such programs and/or where such programs would add a new dimension to outreach efforts. The funds will also benefit communities with low synagogue affiliation rates or communities with smaller, less affluent synagogues.

Grant Award Schedule

Awards will be made by March 2018 for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. Grants will be awarded by JFNA before March 31, 2018, and programs will begin in April.

About NCEJ Grants

* NCEJ offers direct grants to synagogues and other Jewish nonprofits in the U.S. and abroad who want to run programs helping nonJews learn more about Judaism. We also fund larger organizations across the country that in turn provide subgrants to other organizations in their specific networks who want to implement such programs.

For more information contact Executive Director Ellen Gerecht via email here, or call 301-802-4254.

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