The Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix (CJP) has awarded grants totaling more than $1.5 million to 29 local and international organizations. The programs funded range from Shabbat dinners for needy families and inclusivity training for summer camps to security funding for Arizona’s small and medium-sized synagogues and the resettlement of Jewish refugees in Israel.

CJP considers it a priority to let the Greater Phoenix Jewish community know where its money goes, who benefits and why it’s good for the community, said Richard Kasper, CJP CEO.

“I am really proud of the work that was done by the Community Impact Committee and by our board of directors, and you can see why when you look at the list of recipients. There is tremendous diversity in the organizations and programs and their constituents that we’re supporting. It feels like progress,” he said.

By funding organizations CJP is “helping them to serve people,” he said, noting it goes beyond the Jewish community.

For example, Scottsdale Arts was awarded $7,500 to support its “Hold on to Hope Traveling Exhibition,” which takes viewers on a visual journey to Nazi-occupied Poland via the personal photos and anecdotes of local Holocaust survivor Oskar Knoblauch. Although the organization is not Jewish, and many of those viewing the exhibit will likely not be Jewish, it is a valuable Holocaust education program for young students.

“We know that a lot of young people are very poorly informed about what the Holocaust was and why they should care,” Kasper said.

While most of the grant recipients are local organizations, CJP also funds global, primarily Israeli, programs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix and the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, CJP’s precursors, focused most of their grants on local organizations to ensure they had what they required. Now that many of those needs have diminished, CJP is able to consider requests beyond the local community.

“Most Jews, whether it’s in Phoenix or elsewhere, care about Jews in other parts of the world. We have an obligation as Jewish people to care for Jews where they are, not just those in our hometowns,” Kasper said.

To read the entire article, click here.

This post has been contributed by a third party. The opinions, facts and any media content are presented solely by the author, and JewishPhoenix assumes no responsibility for them. MORE