Jewish Women's Foundation - A committee of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County

2005-2006 GRANT AWARD RECIPIENTS

Temple Judea – Jewish Teen Initiative, Commission for Jewish Education, Arthur I. Meyer Jewish Acadcemy
Collaborative Grant
$10,000

This grant will fund the implementation of two enriching programs based on Jewish values that empower girls in a preventative way to deal with important issues they will face in their adolescent years. The programs give girls the leadership sills and tolls they need to reach their full potential. The programs will serve girls of different ages throughout the community.

Kol Ha-Isha; The Jerusalem Women’s Center
Comprehensive Program for the Economic Empowerment of Women in Israel
$15,000
Empowers Israeli women by giving them the skills and opportunities they need to become economically self-sufficient, break the cycle of poverty and support themselves and their families.

Yad L’Isha Legal Aid Center and Hotline
Women’s Advocacy for Agunot and Other Women in Distress
$5,000
Advocates for economically disadvantaged women, whose husbands refuse them a get in the rabbinical courts in Israel; raises awareness of the needs of Jewish women trapped in unhealthy and abusive marriages; promotes progressive change for all women under Jewish law.

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2006-2007 GRANT AWARD RECIPIENTS

Project Kesher
Halting Traffic: Raising Awareness to Stop the Flow of Sex Slaves Between the CIS and Israel
$10,150
Reduces the influx of women as sex slaves into Israel from the former Soviet Union by empowering women at the grassroots level through education, advocacy and legislation; this cutting-edge social action project improves the lives of all women in Israeli society.

Jerusalem Shelter for Battered Women
Empowering Battered Women to Break the Cycle of Violence in Their Lives
$13,000
Educates battered women after they leave the shelter, helps their children escape the cycle of violence, and works to prevent further violence through emotional and financial empowerment.

Haifa Rape Crisis Center
Youth Violence Prevention Project
$5,000
Educates 4th through 12th graders and school professionals on gender issues, sexuality, safe Internet use, healthy relationships and date rape; prevents future therapy and rehabilitation by investing in education.

Kol Ha-Isha Women’s Center
Comprehensive Program for Economic Empowerment of Women in Israel
$15,000 (Renewal Grant)
Empowers Israeli women by fiving them the skills and opportunities they need to become economically self-sufficient, break the cycle of poverty, and support themselves and their families.

Yad L’Isha Legal Aid Center and Hotline
Women’s Advocacy for Agunot and Other Women in Distress
$10,000 (Renewal Grant)
Advocates for economically disadvantaged women, whose husbands refuse them a get in the rabbinical courts in Israel; raises awareness of the needs of Jewish women trapped in unhealthy and abusive marriages; promotes progressive change for all women under Jewish law.

Nismat
Ethiopian Women College Preparatory Program
$20,000 (Matching Grant)
Educates young Ethiopian-Israeli women and provides them the opportunity to attend university or professional school, affecting real change in their lives, the lives of their families, their communities and Israeli society as a whole.

WEPOWER
Empowerment of Women into Leadership
$10,000
Empowers Israeli women in identifying and supporting female community activists in the early stages of their political lives, giving them the resources and tools to enter politics and win elections; increasing the number of women in leadership and decision-making roles in Israel and enabling women to affect change through political power.

Haifa Rape Crisis Center
Helping “Survivors” Survive the Criminal Justice Process
Creates change in the criminal justice system as a whole, through public awareness and education to lawyers, judges, police and investigators, on how to respond to survivors of sexual violence. Survivors are empowered by reporting their abuse, rather than being further traumatized by the experience.

Jewish Teen Initiative and Temple Judea
Rosh Hodesh: It’s A Girl Thing
$9,750 (Renewal Grant)
Empowers and prepares Jewish middle and high school girls in Palm Beach County to navigate through their adolescent years, using Jewish values and tradition in an educational and preventive program that helps them build self-esteem and reach their full potential.

Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family & Children’s Service
Teens Teaching Teens: Dating Abuse Prevention Through a Jewish Lens
Raises awareness about violence against women in our community through a preventive and empowering program for teenage girls based on Jewish values, where girls teach their younger peers about how to prevent dating abuse.

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2007-2008 GRANT AWARD RECIPIENTS

Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family & Children’s Service
“Focusing For Change: Identifying the Needs of Senior Women in Palm Beach County”
$45,380
A formal study enabling the Palm Beach County community to strategize, plan and demonstrate a commitment to social change in the Jewish community.

Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family & Children’s Service (Renewal)
“Teens Teaching Teens: Dating Abuse Prevention Through a Jewish Lens”
$2,850
A peer education program based on Jewish values to raise awareness about violence by focusing on abuse, gender stereotypes and building self-esteem.

Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family & Children’s Service
“Women Ambassadors Program”
$6,000
Prepares senior women to become peer counselors and community liaisons, enabling them to be advocates for themselves and their contemporaries.

Haifa Rape Crisis Center (Renewal)
“Youth Violence Prevention Program”
$15,000
Educates fourth-12th graders and school professionals on gender issues, sexuality, safe Internet use, healthy relationships and date rape. Promotes respectful interpersonal relationships among youth and effects social change in the area of gender equality.

Jerusalem Shelter for Battered Women (Renewal)
“Women to Women/Isha L’Isha”
$10,000
Empowering battered women to break the cycle of violence in their lives, by providing life and work skills.

Project Kesher (Renewal)
“Halting Traffic: Raising Awareness to Stop the Flow of Sex Slaves Between the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Israel”
$11,000
This program protects the health and welfare of women and girls in the CIS through grassroots education, advocacy and legislation.

Yad L’Isha Legal Aid Center and Hotline (Renewal)
“Support and Advocacy Program for the Rights of Agunot and Economically Disadvantaged Women in Distress”
$10,000
Promotes progressive change for women trapped in abusive marriages under Jewish Law by lobbying for corrective legislation in civil and rabbinical courts.

Temple Judea (Renewal)
“Rosh Hodesh: It’s A Girl Thing”
$7,300
A preventative and empowering program using Jewish values and tradition to prepare Jewish middle and high school girls to navigate their adolescent years.

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
“Ramla Women’s Leadership Group”
$12,800
A leadership training program for Ethiopian women, enabling them to make meaningful contributions to their community.

Association of Community Centers in Israel
“Youth Coordinator Training Program for Empowering Adolescent Girls:
$7,500
A program to increase teen girls’ awareness of gender issues, and create and implement economic initiatives.

Kol Ha’Isha/The Jerusalem Women’s Center (Renewal)
“Comprehensive Program for the Economic Empowerment of Women in Israel”
$10,000
Empowers women through feminist grassroots organizating and projects for social change.

Mahut
“Monitoring Employment & Economic Well-Being of Women Who Live in Poverty”
$18,000
A research project related to the status and experience of women from marginalized communities to document and monitor harmful employment practices and economic justice in employment in the Haifa area.

Nishmat (Renewal)
“Ethiopian Women College Preparatory Program”
$20,000
This program prepares Ethiopian-Israeli women for university or professional school, affecting real change in their lives, the lives of their families and their communities (Challenge Grant).

Rackman Center for the Advancement of the Status of Women at Bar Ilan University
“The Joseph Alexander Program for Legal Aid, Advocacy & Outreach in Family Law and Women’s Rights”
$10,000
Advocacy and training to familiarize law students with the needs and rights of women in Jewish and Israeli law.

WEPOWER (Renewal)
“Empowerment of Women into Leadership”
$11,682
Encourages women community activists in Israel to enter the political arena, increasing the number of women in leadership and decision-making roles, and their representation in politics.

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2008-2009 GRANT AWARD RECIPIENTS

Achoti (My Sister)

“A Woman’s Campaign and Center to Promote Fair Trade for Women in Israel” educates and advocates for fair trade principles that ensure women have a balanced trading system. The campaign will include educational programs and the opening of a Fair Trade Center and Fair Trade Store.

$50,000

Project Kesher

“Building a Corps of Jewish Women Advocates in the Commonwealth of Independent States of the former Soviet Union” by creating advocacy training modules on issue research and problem identification, developing and analyzing policy options, delivering advocacy messages and creating a self-sustaining advocacy process. Advocacy training will be provided for senior and emerging women leaders at the Advanced Leadership Program.

$50,000

Mahut Center

“Monitoring Harmful Employment Practices” through research, reporting and advocacy on issues surrounding harmful employment practices that violate women’s dignity during job search and employment, but do not break any laws. A conference will be held in October to publicize and address the study results.

$48,000

The Ruth & Emanuel Rackman Center for the Advancement of the Status of Women at Bar Ilan University through “The Joseph Alexander Program for Legal Aid, Advocacy and Outreach in Family Law and Women’s Rights” trains law students to analyze issues through ha gender lens, and develop and deliver advocacy messages including proposed corrective legislation which they follow through the formal court and/or Knesset (Parliament) process. A primary focus of the program is the issue of agunot, women who are unable to obtain a religious divorce and are considered to be ‘chained,’ therefore unable to remarry under Jewish law.

$40,000

Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family & Children’s Service

“Dating Abuse Prevention for our Daughters,” an educational evening program for parents presented by Cindy Wasko, creator of the Teen Date Abuse Program (Denver), that has been successfully implemented in the greater Palm Beaches,. Ms. Wasko’s Teen Dating Abuse Program of the AJFCS is funded by the JWF.

$3,500

Harold & Sylvia Kaplan Jewish Community Center of the Greater Palm Beaches

“In Whose Image?” Parents Weekend Program” with photographer and author of “Girl Culture,” Lauren Greenfield, who will also present a program for professionals working with girls. A documentary film, “My Nose,” may be shown and Wendy Shanker, author of “The Fat Girl’s Guide to Life,” will be invited to speak.

$3,500

Lorraine and Jack N. Friedman Commission for Jewish Education

”The J Girl’s Guide Book Club,” at which Jewish teens will discuss issues raised in the “Young Woman’s Handbook for Coming of Age.” Dr. Shulamit Reinharz will conduct a workshop for all Judaica Institute students which will be open to the general community, including parents.

$3,500

Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family & Children’s Service

“Helping Your Daughters to Develop a Good Body Image,” an educational program open to the community for parents of daughters. After the program, AJFCS clinicians will provide clinical referral information to all parent attendees in the event a parent thinks his or her daughter may be ‘at risk.’

$2,000