Jewish Schooling Wins Big Support
October 30, 1997 | Read Time: 1 minute
Ten prominent Jewish philanthropists and business leaders have teamed up with the UJA-Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York and AVI CHAI–A Philanthropic Foundation to create 25 to 30 new private Jewish day schools across the country.
Each of the 12 members of the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education contributed $1.5-million, for a total of $18-million. They include the financier Michael Steinhardt and Charles and Edgar Bronfman, co-chairmen of the Seagram Company.
The average grant will be about $300,000, officials said, and recipients will be required to match the grants dollar for dollar.
The five-year grants will cover two years of planning and three years of start-up operation.
The project is intended to expand access to Jewish education in the wake of studies that have found that such schooling helps to foster a strong Jewish identity, said Joshua Elkin, the partnership’s executive director.
A grant application may be obtained by contacting the partnership through its World-Wide Web site (http://www.peje.org) or by calling the group’s information line at (617) 868-6741.
