Considering sponsoring an Intro or conversion class in 2023? If you charge less than $18 per person per session you could receive additional funding from NCEJ!

NCEJ offers grants to synagogues, JCCs, and other Jewish nonprofits that provide programming that welcomes new people to Judaism. We give grants for marketing, program materials, and other expenses that help individuals and families establish a Jewish identity and create a Jewish home.

We want to encourage groups to offer Intro and conversion classes at a lower cost than they might otherwise, to widen the audience and reduce potential barriers to participation. Apply by January 31 and if the per-person charge for each session is under $18, your organization could be eligible for a bonus of up to 18% (up to a maximum of $1,000). For example, you could offer a 10-session course for $175, or a 6-session course for $100. For examples of recently funded projects, see our “Introduction to Jewish Traditions” profile page.

What We Fund

We fund a mix of advertising methods, to help grantees reach more people and increase attendance. Examples of promotional materials we have funded recently include:

We cover a variety of program materials, including:

NCEJ has funded translations in Spanish, French, and Portuguese for Intro to Judaism and conversion classes, and given grants for programs located in over a dozen countries.

We also reimburse for security and some staff and technology costs.

Recently Funded Judaism 101 And Conversion Programs

Community Wide Course: Judaism for Conversion Candidates – Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City

RAKC’s year-long 36-week course is taught on a rotating basis by rabbis from the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movements and is intended to acquaint those considering conversion to Judaism with what it means to live Jewishly. The course cost is $250 (including textbooks).

This program provides a comprehensive forum to engage, educate and connect potential Jews-by-choice to Judaism, and guides them in learning how to create a Jewish home. Students gain insight on a wide range of topics, presented from the perspective of all three major denominations.

Judaism for Conversion Candidates – Simply KC magazine ad

“By combining community resources students gain a much stronger and richer experience as they explore their spiritual journey.” – Annette Fish, Administrator/Program Director

Each class includes a 30-minute Hebrew component. Hands on extra-curricular activities enhance Jewish learning as students take part in a Shabbat worship service, Chanukah celebration, and Passover Seder, and are provided with ritual kits that help them observe and celebrate Jewish holidays.

Marketing: The class is promoted through print and digital advertising, including 2 local monthly Kansas City magazines, Google ads, the RAKC website, and social media. The magazines created the ad featured here for the consortium.

For details contact Annette Fish, Administrator.

“Seeking Judaism” – Institute of Southern Jewish Life, Jackson, MS

The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) is dedicated to serving even the smallest Jewish communities in the South. ISJL employs a staff rabbi who visits places too small to have their own local Jewish clergy. NCEJ gave a grant earlier this year to help ISJL expand outreach to potential conversion students.

The rabbi now has 8 conversion students, with more requests continuing to come in. This represents an increase of 300% over the past three years. (In prior years there were only l-2 active conversion students per year). This number does not include program participants, inquiries, or referrals to other programs such as the Union of Reform Judaism’s Introductory Judaism class.

Marketing: The marketing team used Canva Pro to enhance its promotional efforts. Marketing included Instagram and Facebook posts introducing the rabbi and mentioning conversion opportunities.

“The exponential increase in conversion requests truly seems to correlate with our increased marketing efforts as supported by this grant.” – Beth Kander-Dauphin, Chief Strategy Officer

For more information contact Beth Kander-Dauphin.

To see examples of effective marketing techniques from our grantees see our Marketing Gallery.

Conversion Class – Temple B’nai Israel, Monroe, LA

Temple B’nai Israel offers a 10-month conversion class every year, followed by a formal conversion to Judaism led by the congregation’s part-time rabbi, Rabbi Judy Ginsburgh. The class met 1-2 times a month in 2021-2022, mostly on Zoom. In addition to books the students also received 4 holiday ritual kits to make it easier for them to celebrate holidays at home. The program cost $600.

“As a Rabbi, I loved how excited these students get about learning and how they are sharing this learning and Jewish rituals with their families. I also like how all of them have already become active members of our Synagogue.” – Rabbi Ginsburgh

Marketing: The class was promoted using local bulletins, flyers and social media.

Temple B’nai Israel used the NCEJ grant to provide some basic ritual items to their students, partly pay for the cost of the books and materials, and help pay for security for in-person events.

For more information contact Rabbi Judy Ginsburgh.

Exploring Judaism Class – Mishkan Chicago

Mishkan Chicago has seen substantial growth in its “Exploring Judaism” class in the last few years. There will be 49 participants in the 2022-2023 class. The class is geared towards people who didn’t grow up practicing or identifying with Judaism—whether they are studying to convert or looking to bring Judaism into their multi-faith home.

There were 2 cohorts of the class: in-person and online. The virtual class enabled people who did not live in Chicago, or have a disability, or for whom it is more convenient to meet and learn online to participate in the program.

“It is a complete joy to be able to offer this program and bring so many people into the Jewish community.” – Rachel Cort, Executive Director

Marketing: Mishkan Chicago promoted the class via an email newsletter, social media channels, and word of mouth.

Follow-up Plans: Mishkan Chicago would like to establish a more robust alumni network so that prior students could serve as a resource for current students.

For more information contact Rachel Cort.

Miller Introduction to Judaism – Temple Beth Israel of Highland Park and Eagle Rock, Los Angeles

Temple Beth Israel (TBI) is offering the Miller 18 week “On One Foot” Introduction to Judaism class for $350 in 2023. The class will be available in both English and Spanish, geared primarily to residents of East Los Angeles who are interested in learning more about the basics of Judaism.

“Our primary goal is to welcome new people into Judaism, whether they be interested individuals, families, or non-Jewish spouses seeking to draw closer to their spouse’s tradition.” – Rabbi Daniel Chorny

Marketing: The congregation plans on conducting an extensive multi-channel marketing campaign, including the local Jewish press, Google/Facebook/Instagram, YouTube, and flyers.

For more information contact Rabbi Educator Daniel Chorny.

The Open Door: Stepping into Jewish Life / Intro to Judaism – Temple Israel of Boston

The Open Door Program at Temple Israel (TI), a large Reform congregation in downtown Boston, is an entry point for those who are looking to explore, rediscover, or connect with Judaism and synagogue life.

“Journeys to Judaism are vast and varied. Who you are and how you locate yourself in the Jewish story is a journey that all who are drawn to Judaism take, including those born into its heritage, those who choose it as their inheritance, and those whose legacy is love and who cherish the people in their lives who are Jewish.” – Rabbi Andrew Oberstein

Each semester TI offers holiday kits and a Shabbat dinner experience to Introduction to Judaism students. One of the goals of the Shabbat dinner is to help build community and foster new relationships among the cohort. Once the Intro to Judaism students receive the kits, one of TI’s rabbis leads an online discussion and talks about celebrating holidays at home.

For more information contact Shoshanna Goldberg, Director of Membership and Development.

Conversion Program – Congregação Israelita Paulista, Brazil

The main objective of the 1-year conversion program was to introduce the basic concepts of Judaism so that students could “follow their life within the community.” A pluralistic view of Judaism was emphasized. Teachers were from both the Reform and Conservative denominations.

“Judaism belongs to us because we study, live, practice, and feel it.” – Congregação Israelita Paulista

Marketing: The congregation used the NCEJ grant to increase marketing, and as a result attracted more participants to the program. The program was publicized on the synagogue’s website and on social media, and some printed materials were also produced.

For more information contact Beatriz Muller, Director of Membership and Development.

Promoting Judaism

An NFL football game this fall featured an ad from the Institute for Jewish Spirituality highlighting the benefits of Judaism. Read more here: “Going on offense: Why we ran an ad for Judaism during an NFL game” By Rabbi Josh Feigelson, EJ Philanthropy November 16, 2022.

Here are just a few of our recent grants:

Have an idea for a program but not sure if it’s something we will fund?

We welcome inquiries about our grants process. Reach out to us at 301-802-4254, or contact Ellen Gerecht, Executive Director.

Please tell your colleagues about NCEJ and let them know we accept applications throughout the year.

Top photo courtesy of Mishkan Chicago. Participants of their “Exploring Judaism” class.

The post NCEJ is Offering a Bonus for Groups Offering Intro & Conversion Classes – Apply Now! appeared first on National Center to Encourage Judaism.

NCEJ Grant Enables JDC to Connect More Families to Judaism in Eastern Europe

Many people in Poland, Latvia, and other parts of Eastern Europe are only now discovering they have Jewish ancestry. Slowly some of them are starting to reclaim their Jewish heritage by attending programs at the Warsaw and Riga JCCs (partly funded by the Joint Distribution Committee). At the JCCs they meet others from similar backgrounds and learn how to incorporate Jewish practices into their lives.

Warsaw: The Warsaw JCC serves as the focal point of Jewish life in Warsaw. Activities include holiday celebrations, cooking clubs, and discussion groups. A fathers’ group and a women’s group meet monthly.

Participants posted pictures with the social media campaign #Shabbat hashtag

Riga: This past May, JCC Riga joined forces with Riga’s synagogue to create an explanatory brochure about Shabbat. Prior to its publication, JCC Riga launched a social media campaign, #ShabbatJCCRiga, in which community members were asked to “Gather your family, call your friends, and before the candle is lit, take a picture of your Shabbat.” Participants who posted pictures with the #Shabbat hashtag received a free copy of the colorful brochure.

In 2020, NCEJ will help support JDC programming in Riga and Estonia. For more information contact Sandy Katz, Director of Strategic Relations.

Project Kesher Uses NCEJ Funding to Expand its Global Jewish Women’s Holiday Celebrations Initiative in Russian-speaking Countries

Images of Simchat Torah from Project Kesher Russia

Project Kesher’s mission is to build Jewish community and advance civil society by developing and empowering Jewish women leaders in Russian-speaking countries and Israel, connecting them to each other and strengthening their Jewish identity. Project Kesher-trained leaders hosted Jewish holiday celebrations in 120+ locations throughout Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, and Georgia in 2019. Group leaders and facilitators of these programs were trained throughout the year via webinars by expert Jewish educators. The group gathered on Zoom before each major holiday to study together and to learn how to facilitate the new programs.

Each new curriculum created this year was added to an online program database featured on the Project Kesher Russian language website. Group leaders and Jewish activists throughout the region can access the database and facilitate a range of programs for their community. This year’s events used social media in new ways and were well attended by young people, ages 15 – 35.

“I live far from the central part of Russia. Despite the distance, the Jewish holiday training webinars gave me an opportunity to study among like-minded people, to ask questions and analyze the answers, and bring the lessons back to my community.”– Svetlana, Magnitogorsk, Russia

Eleonora, a community organizer in Vladimir, Russia, says:

“Project Kesher provides a big database of tested educational materials and programs for different audiences and different levels of familiarity with Jewish life. PK’s programs are an important and unique resource.”

For more information contact Shira Pruce, Director of Development and Communications.

An NCEJ Grant Helped Bet Shalom, a Progressive Synagogue in Barcelona, Offer Special Holiday Programming for Interested Individuals

Purim Celebration, Bet Shalom

Bet Shalom provided a series of special programs for Purim, Pesach, Shabbat, and other holidays designed for people who were studying in their conversion classes and others who wanted to know more about Judaism. Here are two examples:

Purim: Over 75 people attended the Purim celebration, which included a costume workshop and party for young adults.

Pesach: First, there was a class of 35 participants, led by a teacher who talked about the traditions of the seder. The organizer states that, “This experience was very meaningful for those who are not used to being in contact with Judaism from an experiential perspective. It also helped some people get more involved in the community and build bonds with the rest of the members.”

This was followed by the seder itself, open to anyone interested in celebrating and learning about Judaism, as well as members. There were games for the children and an opportunity for the families to get to know each other.

Why Congregation Sha’ar Zahav San Francisco’s Journey to Judaism Discussion Group is so Successful Year after Year

Artwork advertising Sha’ar Zahav’s Adult Education

Sha’ar Zahav, San Francisco offers a Journey to Judaism discussion group, as well as a Judaism 101 class. This discussion group explores issues that arise for people who are considering, are in the process of, or have recently completed converting to Judaism. Those with a Jewish parent, but raised with little or no Jewish experience, and who are interested in exploring their connection to Judaism, are also welcome to attend. Topics include questions of identity, community and family. This group is not an Introduction to Judaism course, but rather a place to ask questions and discuss issues with others who are also on this journey.

After ten years of annual groups the coordinators have learned that:

A minimum of 6 – 8 participants is necessary for the group dynamics to be effective

Of the six sessions, the group is closed to new participants after session 2 to foster the intimacy and confidentiality that makes the group work

Continuation of no cost barrier to registration has provided diversity and allowed for folks to explore with minimal commitment in advance

Beginning each session with the personal story of an invited guest who is a member of the congregation who has chosen Judaism is an effective teaching element

The mikveh visit demystifies this important part of the conversion process

Ending the discussion group with a Friday evening Shabbat pot luck increases the appreciation of ritual in Jewish tradition

Grant News

Congregation Emanu-El of Waukesha, WI received a grant for a 4-session course called “A Basic Understanding of Judaism.” The subjects covered were “How Jews view God”, “Holidays and Shabbat and Services”, “Jewish Ethics and Interpreting it in the Torah”, and “The Jewish Community and Israel”. Several participants wished the class had been longer than 4 weeks. The class was promoted in the local paper, the Jewish press, and on the temple website and Facebook page. For more information contact Cantor Deborah Martin.

Pictured: KI “schlep” tote bag (click to enlarge)

Congregation Keneseth Israel, Allentown PA regularly offers A Taste of Judaism® class. The latest class had 18 participants, most of whom who had heard about the class through advertisements in the local papers or the lawn signs surrounding the building. About half of the class said they would be interested in an Introduction to Judaism class. Last year’s Taste class had 40 participants, and 2 of those are in the process of converting. The coordinator said that participants especially liked sampling a different Jewish dessert each week. One distinctive take-away from the class – each participant received a KI “schlep” tote bag. For more information contact Martina Obenski.

Lawn sign for A Taste of Judaism® class offered by Congregation Keneseth Israel

Tidewater Chavurah, Virginia Beach offered a program similar to URJ’s Taste, entitled “Belonging, Believing, Behaving.” Rabbi Ellen Jaffe Gill taught the class through a Reconstructionist lens, emphasizing that there are myriad ways to be Jewish. One person who attended had recently converted but wanted to fill in gaps in her knowledge. For more information contact Rabbi Ellen Jaffe Gill.

Friends of Bnei Anousim is an Israeli-based nonprofit that just received a grant for a conversion program in Mexico for descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jews who were forcibly converted to Christianity during the Inquisition and who wish to practice Judaism. For more information contact Yaffah da Costa.

Jewish Learning Lab, Montreal will be offering a year-long “Raising a Jewish Family” geared primarily towards people who did not grow up Jewish to help them live a Jewish life and connect to the larger Jewish community. The Jewish Learning Lab is a group of informal Jewish educators who seek to provide the knowledge that will enable individuals to choose the kind of Jewish life that’s right for them. The JLL works closely with other Jewish organizations in Montreal, particularly the Sylvan Adams YM-YWHA. For more information contact Rabbi Avi Finegold.

Recent Grant Renewals

• Union of Reform Judaism
• Joint Distribution Committee
• Jewish Federations of North America
• JHUB, Jewish Federation of Cleveland
• Temple Beth El, Charlotte, NC
• Rocky Mountain Rabbinical Council, Denver

Special Passover Grant Bonus

Pesach Celebration, Bet Shalom

NCEJ is offering up to a 15% bonus* for grants for programs geared to people who are new to Judaism to help them prepare for Passover. Examples include workshops on how to choose a haggadah and lead a Passover seder. ** NCEJ grants are designed to welcome new people to Judaism, and support programs both in the US and abroad. For details visit our website or contact us: Ellen Gerecht, Executive Director, or call 301-802-4254.

*For grants up to $5,000
**Seders do not qualify for the bonus.

Featured photo above: from Bet Shalom, a Progressive synagogue in Barcelona.

The post NCEJ Expanding Funding Throughout the Nation and the World in 2020 appeared first on National Center to Encourage Judaism.

• A post-conversion program
• Introduction to Judaism for Spanish speakers
• Interfaith outreach initiatives
• PJ Library subscriber get-togethers
• Expand the Circle discussion groups
• Family to family connections

* For grants up to $5,000, NCEJ will award a 20% additional bonus on applications received before December 31, 2018, once approved by the foundation.

Apply today for an NCEJ Grant — tell your friends in the field, too. Simply fill out our short two-page grant application: Download Application. See a special mention of our funding bonus in eJewish Philanthropy.

Sign up for grant news to get ideas for how you can promote Judaism in your community and learn more about all the innovative programs NCEJ supports.

Recent Grant Highlights & Updates:

Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis

The Indianapolis Federation recently advertised its innovative programming, supported by NCEJ. Each program was featured in the latest JFGI Connections magazine resulting in strong community interest and registrations. View a digital copy of the magazine here, where you can find the feature about Taste of Hebrew on page 13 and Finding Your Place in B’nai Mitzvah on page 15. Program descriptions can also be found below:

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. The class is intentionally designed only as a very basic introduction to Hebrew in order to make it easily accessible and open to everyone. Learn More

View Program Flyer

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. 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. Learn More

View Program Flyer

Grant News

Many other groups throughout the country are developing new approaches to welcome individuals, couples, and families who want to become part of the Jewish community. Here are a few examples:

Congregation Bnai Amoona, St Louis was awarded a marketing grant for its Introduction to Judaism class. Last year Bnai Amoona received a NCEJ advertising grant through the Rabbinic Assembly. It has offered a wide range of courses for newcomers to Judaism for many years.

The Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City just received a grant for a post-conversion program that will provide support to new Jews by choice. This is in addition to the grant they receive every year to promote their introduction to Judaism class.

JCC of Pittsburgh received another grant to promote a series of family holiday camps, following up on the success of last year’s Chanukah and Passover programs which attracted over 200 participants.

Temple Aliyah, a Conservative synagogue in Needham, MA is a first-time NCEJ grantee for a program entitled “Exploring the Joys of Shabbat, Purim, and Pesach through Jewish Food”.

Have an idea?

Give us a call or send us an email, contact Ellen Gerecht, Executive Director or call 301-802-4254.

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