Fund Descriptions
Kol Nidre Partnership Appeal: Gifts to the KN Partnership Appeal provide general operating funds in support of all of our synagogue’s activities.
Adult Education Fund: Gifts to this fund help support an array of our limud (education) offerings, including our introductory series on Judaism, more advanced classes on spiritualism and other topics, as well as one-time learning experiences with distinguished teachers.
The Arthur P. Morgan Fund: Gifts to this fund support students and their families with special learning needs as they prepare for their B-Mitzvahs and supply tutors where needed.
ASL Interpreting Fund: Gifts to this fund are used periodically to provide ASL-interpreted Shabbat and holiday services for Jews who are deaf.
Aviv 20s and 30s: Gifts to this fund help support 20s and 30s engagement and educational opportunities.
Beba Bronstein Jewish Camp Scholarship Fund: Gifts to this fund are used to provide children with opportunities to attend summer camp.
Bikkur Holim Fund: Gifts to this fund help volunteers fulfill the mitzvah of visiting the sick.
BJ/SPSA Homeless Shelter Fund: Gifts to this fund make it possible to provide hot meals, overnight accommodations, and a light breakfast five days a week to those in need of food and shelter.
Book Hammock Fund: Gifts to this fund are directed toward the production of hammocks that provide simple and elegant storage underneath the chairs in our sanctuary.
Building Fund: Gifts to this fund support the ongoing maintenance of our beloved, but aging, campus. From fixing a leaky pipe to refreshing stairwell treads, the Building Fund allows us to keep our sanctuary and Community House clean, safe, and welcoming.
Children’s Services Fund: Gifts to this fund help provide support for our weekly Shabbat morning children’s services for families with children ages six and younger. This dynamic service fulfills the kavannah (intention) for Shabbat and includes singing, dancing, and storytelling.
Community Engagement Fund: Gifts to this fund support initiatives that build and strengthen relationships among members, helping everyone find their place of belonging here.
Concert Fund: Gifts to this fund enable us to secure top-tier artists for our annual concert series.
Fund to Support People in Need: Gifts to this fund provide support to members of our community who are experiencing financial need.
General Fund: Gifts to this fund support all of our programs and administration, allowing our leadership to put the money where it is needed most.
Greening BJ Fund: Gifts to this fund enable us to adopt the increased costs of implementing environmentally-sustainable practices in our synagogue, helping to reduce our community’s carbon footprint.
Hebrew School Fund: Gifts to this fund help provide a vibrant and compelling Jewish educational experience and enable our classrooms and initiatives to grow.
Helen Radin Memorial Zayin Adar Teaching: Gifts to this fund support the annual Zayin Adar Teaching in memory of Helen Radin, beloved BJ member and former BJ staff member, who provided a loving and supportive foundation for so many in our community in her role as Director of the Rabbinic Office, staff member of Hevra Kadisha for over 11 years, and as a committed volunteer.
Hevra Kadisha Fund: Gifts to this fund support the Committee that performs tahara (preparation of the body for burial), provides siddurim and leaders for shiva minyanim, and comfort to those who are in mourning.
Jewish Home Project: Gifts to this fund help provide programming and resources to support all those on their Jewish journey looking to establish or reinvent their Jewish home.
Judith Bernstein Lunch Program Fund: Gifts to this fund provide lunch to those in need every Thursday, when dedicated volunteers serve a hot meal and distribute brown bag lunches, helping hundreds of hungry adults and children each month.
Julia Matalon Hesed Fund: Established in honor of Rabbi Roly Matalon’s mother Julia Matalon z”l, gifts to this fund support holiday visits to the homebound, cooking for a shiva or a new baby, and other means of caring for our community.
Katie Sanders and Lawrence Gardner Memorial Fund: Katie Sanders and Lawrence Gardner, beloved members of our community, both died well before their time in 2018. They had a vision that their daughter Evie would always have a second home at BJ as a teen, imagining a teen lounge and countless ways the youth of BJ would have not only a place to hang out, but a community enriched by Torah, justice, and love. The teen lounge is named in their memory.
Kiddush Fund: Gifts to this fund help cover the costs of holding kiddushim on weeks when they are not sponsored privately.
Rabbi Marshall T. Meyer Memorial Fund: Established in memory of Rabbi Marshall T. Meyer z”l, spiritual leader of BJ from 1985 to 1993, gifts to this fund support projects outside the BJ community that honor his lifelong pursuit of tikkun olam.
Morning Minyan Fund: Gifts to this fund are regarded as tzedakah, and as such, directly help people in need.
Operating Endowment Fund: Membership dues cover only 40% of our operating expenses. Gifts to this fund help ensure our future vitality.
Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein’s Immersive Experiences Fund: Gifts to this fund support scholarships for community members to engage in transformative retreats and immersive experiences.
Refugees, Immigrants, and Asylum Seekers Support Fund: Gifts to this fund provide direct support to individuals and families who are rebuilding their lives in New York City. Donations help cover expenses, including emergency housing needs and Metrocards for job seekers to travel to interviews and mothers to attend medical appointments.
Shabbat Dinner Fund: Gifts to this fund support our catered community Shabbat dinners.
Shira Palmer-Sherman Memorial Fund: Gifts to this fund help bring prominent scholars to BJ to speak about egalitarianism and pluralism in the Jewish world.
Sifrei Kodesh – Sacred Books Fund: The purchase and maintenance of siddurim and humashim, Torah scrolls and their ornaments, and ritual objects (Kiddush cups, havdalah sets, etc).
Social Action Fund-Tzedek v’Shalom: Gifts to this fund support programs reflecting our commitment to justice, peace, and social change, all rooted in the prophetic vision of Judaism.
Teen Programming and Scholarships: Gifts to this fund support our growing teen program, which is designed to empower teens through education, advocacy, direct service, and immersive experiences. Contributions also assist those in need who could not otherwise afford to participate in programming and teen trips.
Yizkor Fund: Gifts to this fund provide general operating in support of all of our synagogue’s activities.
Youth and Family Fund: Gifts this fund support the activities of the Family Life and Learning Department.