On April 22, the Jewish Community Foundation hosted its 15th annual youth philanthropy fair, the B’nai Tzedek Shuk.
The B’nai Tzedek Shuk is a highlight of the Foundation’s philanthropic programming and connects teens with Jewish community organizations for an evening of education, engagement and fun.
Due to COVID-19, the event was adapted to a virtual format where teens and their parents could log on to watch videos contributed by community organizations, participate in a drawing and raffle for prizes, and “Zoom” with the B’nai Tzedek Youth Council, a cadre of 18 teens that worked together to plan the event.
The theme of this year’s event was “All Shuk Up,” an acknowledgement of this unprecedented time.
The Foundation’s B’nai Tzedek program introduces bar and bat mitzvah-age youth to the joys of tzedakah by allowing them to establish their own personal charitable giving accounts at the Foundation.
Once a year, teen fundholders may donate 10% of their funds to a Jewish charity, either locally or in Israel.
The shuk gives fundholders the opportunity to learn about the missions of community organizations and how their donations can make a positive impact. In many instances, the shuk is the first time teens are introduced to the wide array of diverse organizations working in the community.
“Giving is important to me because it makes me feel like I’m making a difference in the world,” said Aviva Clauer, B’nai Tzedek Youth Council Member. “At this year’s shuk I learned more about organizations I didn’t know much about. The shuk gave me the opportunity to consider which causes spoke to me and think about who could use the money most.”
Sixteen community organizations contributed short videos to the shuk website in which they explained their impact and how young people could support their work.
Many described how a donation of $36 or $50 — the amount that many B’nai Tzedek fundholders have to donate — could make a difference.
For example, the video submitted by the Mitzvah Garden showed that $50 could buy a tray of tomato plants, while Jewish Vocational Service’s video explained that $36 could provide a backpack full of school supplies for a refugee.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to present Jewish Federation as an organization—what we do, who we help, and how—to the rising teen philanthropists and leaders in our community,” said Derek Gale, vice president and chief operating officer at the Federation. “While this year was a different format—creating a short video vs. having a member of our staff participate in person in the B’nai Tzedek Shuk—we wanted to meet audiences where they were, and we were thrilled to partner with the Jewish Community Foundation in promoting teen philanthropy.”
Dozens of teens and their parents participated in the event, and B’nai Tzedek fundholders donated more than $3,000 to community organizations that evening.
In addition, five new B’nai Tzedek funds were opened at the event. One positive aspect of the shuk being virtual is that the giving doesn’t end when the event ends; the event website remains accessible to those unable to attend the event, as well as to the hundreds of B’nai Tzedek participants that are now in their 20s and 30s.
During their own time, they may visit the website, watch the organization videos, and make their annual donations. Since the B’nai Tzedek program’s inception in 2001, more than 500 teens have opened funds and more than $275,000 has been donated to Jewish nonprofits.
For more information about the B’nai Tzedek program, contact Beatrice Fine at (913) 327-4618 or .
