Honoring Our Commitment to Older Adults
Your support helps address crucial needs for older adults and funds efforts that promote cognitive activity, social engagement, and spiritual and religious connections. Last year, 410 older adults received geriatric care management services from Jewish Family Service of Metrowest (JFS) and Jewish Family & Children’s Service; many of these older adults have low incomes and would otherwise go unserved. Also, 403 older adults participated in JFS Healthy Aging programs, which include educational workshops, special holiday events, exercise classes, and presentations from wellness speakers.
IACT® by the Numbers
Inspired, Active, Committed, Transformed (IACT) is CJP’s signature campus initiative that builds on the success of Birthright Israel trips by providing opportunities for students to deepen their Jewish connections once they’ve returned from Israel.
93%
of Hillel partners say IACT has transformed Jewish life on campus
2,275
students engaged in Jewish educational and immersive experiences led by IACT across our New England campuses
17,000
students have participated in IACT across 30 campuses nationwide since it launched in 2007
Making Sense of Israeli Elections
As Israel navigated a challenging political chapter, many in the U.S. were paying attention, but still had questions about the complex election process, what to expect, and what it all meant. CJP helped by holding election briefings in Greater Boston. To foster respectful and thoughtful discussions around Israel, CJP provided grants to seven community organizations for trainings and facilitated dialogues. In all, 235 event attendees engaged in 50 total hours of conversation. Expert speakers included Tzipi Livni (pictured above), a veteran politician, diplomat, and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice in Israel from 2013–14.
Creating Space for Young Adults
CJP proudly supports the Riverway Project at Temple Israel of Boston. From intimate gatherings to large Shabbat services, this decades-old initiative helps young adults create meaningful relationships with each other and to Judaism.
“Riverway is about finding new meaning from old memories — tunes and prayers I grew up with, sung in new ways with new people in new spaces.”
Ben Poor, Riverway Participant
Welcoming Families with Open Arms
CJP’s Families with Young Children (FwYC) initiative invests in a range of programs that help introduce families and their children (ages 0–5) to Jewish life — from age-appropriate learning opportunities, to holiday celebrations and drop-in playgroups. Last year, 325 new parents received a personal visit from Welcome Baby!, complete with information on family-friendly events and community resources. We also supported PJ Library’s® effort to send free books that celebrate Jewish values and culture to more than 9,000 families in Greater Boston with children six months through eight years old. In all, CJP’s FwYC initiatives reached more than 11,000 families last year.
Building a More Inclusive World
The Ruderman Synagogue Inclusion Project (RSIP), a partnership between CJP and the Ruderman Family Foundation, has transformed how congregations welcome people of all abilities. Just five years ago, three synagogues partnered with RSIP; today that number stands at 52. Each of these congregations champion inclusion, affirming that Jewish organizations are stronger when our entire community is participating.
Learning More About Our Russian-Speaking Community
With help from Brandeis’ Hornstein Fellows, we set out to learn more about Russian-speaking Jews in Greater Boston. We conducted interviews, an exploratory market research survey, and a listening tour event to better understand their unique needs and contributions as members of our growing community. Participants helped us develop a specific list of recommendations to strengthen this relationship.