Interest-free loans steeped in tradition
By Kristin E. Holmes
The Philadelphia Inquirer
June 10, 2009
In tough economic times, a centuries-old financial lifeline might be one of the best-kept secrets in the Jewish community.
It is a secret whose roots go back to the Torah, where it is called an act of "lovingkindness."
When rent is due or tuition is short, there are loans available for thousands of dollars -- interest free.
The programs are part of a tradition in the Jewish community of offering loans without interest to people in need. The money has helped families adopt babies, a woman buy a pacemaker, and immigrants start a new life.
"I was going to Israel, and I just needed some extra money," said Yaron Gola of Northeast Philadelphia. "It was a tremendous blessing. It makes you feel a part of a community."
About 50 groups in the United States and abroad lend millions in interest-free loans each year, said Mark Meltzer, past president and cofounder of the International Association of Hebrew Free Loans.
In the region, the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia in Elkins Park and the Chaya Mushka Lubavitcher G'Milus Chesed in Northeast Philadelphia are two of the independent organizations that carry on the tradition.
Jewish nonprofit groups also offer small interest-free loans, often for educational pursuits.
It is viewed as a mitzvah, a good deed, said Rabbi Zalman Lipsker, director of the Lubavitcher fund. In fact, G'Milus Chesed translates to "deed of lovingkindness" in Hebrew.
The underlying principle goes back to biblical instruction, said Rabbi Aaron Landes, founding rabbi of the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia and rabbi emeritus of Beth Sholom Congregation, the society's headquarters.
Exodus 22:25 says, "If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest." Similar instructions are in Deuteronomy and Leviticus.
"When immigrants came over from Eastern Europe between 1880 and 1914, they brought these associations with them," said Shelly Tenenbaum, author of A Credit to Their Community: Jewish Loan Societies in the United States.
Other ethnic and religious groups have their own loan programs. Interest is prohibited in Islamic law and references to the law appear in the Quran and in statements of the prophet Muhammad, said Masood Ghaznavi, professor emeritus at Rosemont College.
Among the Hebrew loan societies, organization assets range from $100,000 to more than $20 million. Groups vary with respect to professional staffing, business partnerships, and annual lending, Meltzer said.
The first Jewish immigrants to the United States "got $25 to get their pushcart," said Tamar Granor, who with her husband, Marshall, runs the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia.
A bond of mutual trust linked the society, the borrower, and his or her cosigner. Each borrower usually must have at least one.
"It's one thing to default on an impersonal institution," Tenenbaum said. "It's another to default on someone you're close to."
The process is designed to be dignified and devoid of embarrassment, so applications can be brief. The Lubavitcher group, which typically lends up to $1,000, doesn't ask a reason for the loan. The Hebrew Free Loan Society requires a credit check of the cosigner, but not the applicant. The group lends a maximum of $5,000. Terms for payback vary.
Default rates were typically lower than those of banks, Tenenbaum said. Some borrowers have failed to pay the Lubavitcher group, Lipsker said. Fewer than 1 percent at the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia have defaulted. Court action is extremely rare, Tamar Granor said.
The Northeast Philadelphia program, with rolling assets of $150,000, has been in operation since the early 1970s. In Elkins Park, the Free Loan Society celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The group has assets of $350,000.
Both organizations rely on contributions and fund-raising to replenish the money.
As the economy has worsened, loan inquiries have started to increase. But Marshall Granor, whose parents, Bernard and Marie, helped start the fund, is surprised that more applicants haven't turned to the society. He has money to lend but no takers.
"It's been hard to connect with people," he said.
With only a volunteer staff, public relations isn't often a priority. The group's members hope to hire a part-time worker who can help spread the word.
Said Granor: "It's a tremendous feeling when a parent calls and says, 'My son graduated from Drexel, and I couldn't have done it without you.' "
Copyright © 2009, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Showing posts with label Philadelphia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philadelphia. Show all posts
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Interest-free loans steeped in tradition
Interest-free loans steeped in tradition
By Kristin E. Holmes
The Philadelphia Inquirer
June 10, 2009
In tough economic times, a centuries-old financial lifeline might be one of the best-kept secrets in the Jewish community.
It is a secret whose roots go back to the Torah, where it is called an act of "lovingkindness."
When rent is due or tuition is short, there are loans available for thousands of dollars -- interest free.
The programs are part of a tradition in the Jewish community of offering loans without interest to people in need. The money has helped families adopt babies, a woman buy a pacemaker, and immigrants start a new life.
"I was going to Israel, and I just needed some extra money," said Yaron Gola of Northeast Philadelphia. "It was a tremendous blessing. It makes you feel a part of a community."
About 50 groups in the United States and abroad lend millions in interest-free loans each year, said Mark Meltzer, past president and cofounder of the International Association of Hebrew Free Loans.
In the region, the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia in Elkins Park and the Chaya Mushka Lubavitcher G'Milus Chesed in Northeast Philadelphia are two of the independent organizations that carry on the tradition.
Jewish nonprofit groups also offer small interest-free loans, often for educational pursuits.
It is viewed as a mitzvah, a good deed, said Rabbi Zalman Lipsker, director of the Lubavitcher fund. In fact, G'Milus Chesed translates to "deed of lovingkindness" in Hebrew.
The underlying principle goes back to biblical instruction, said Rabbi Aaron Landes, founding rabbi of the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia and rabbi emeritus of Beth Sholom Congregation, the society's headquarters.
Exodus 22:25 says, "If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest." Similar instructions are in Deuteronomy and Leviticus.
"When immigrants came over from Eastern Europe between 1880 and 1914, they brought these associations with them," said Shelly Tenenbaum, author of A Credit to Their Community: Jewish Loan Societies in the United States.
Other ethnic and religious groups have their own loan programs. Interest is prohibited in Islamic law and references to the law appear in the Quran and in statements of the prophet Muhammad, said Masood Ghaznavi, professor emeritus at Rosemont College.
Among the Hebrew loan societies, organization assets range from $100,000 to more than $20 million. Groups vary with respect to professional staffing, business partnerships, and annual lending, Meltzer said.
The first Jewish immigrants to the United States "got $25 to get their pushcart," said Tamar Granor, who with her husband, Marshall, runs the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia.
A bond of mutual trust linked the society, the borrower, and his or her cosigner. Each borrower usually must have at least one.
"It's one thing to default on an impersonal institution," Tenenbaum said. "It's another to default on someone you're close to."
The process is designed to be dignified and devoid of embarrassment, so applications can be brief. The Lubavitcher group, which typically lends up to $1,000, doesn't ask a reason for the loan. The Hebrew Free Loan Society requires a credit check of the cosigner, but not the applicant. The group lends a maximum of $5,000. Terms for payback vary.
Default rates were typically lower than those of banks, Tenenbaum said. Some borrowers have failed to pay the Lubavitcher group, Lipsker said. Fewer than 1 percent at the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia have defaulted. Court action is extremely rare, Tamar Granor said.
The Northeast Philadelphia program, with rolling assets of $150,000, has been in operation since the early 1970s. In Elkins Park, the Free Loan Society celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The group has assets of $350,000.
Both organizations rely on contributions and fund-raising to replenish the money.
As the economy has worsened, loan inquiries have started to increase. But Marshall Granor, whose parents, Bernard and Marie, helped start the fund, is surprised that more applicants haven't turned to the society. He has money to lend but no takers.
"It's been hard to connect with people," he said.
With only a volunteer staff, public relations isn't often a priority. The group's members hope to hire a part-time worker who can help spread the word.
Said Granor: "It's a tremendous feeling when a parent calls and says, 'My son graduated from Drexel, and I couldn't have done it without you.' "
Copyright © 2009, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
By Kristin E. Holmes
The Philadelphia Inquirer
June 10, 2009
In tough economic times, a centuries-old financial lifeline might be one of the best-kept secrets in the Jewish community.
It is a secret whose roots go back to the Torah, where it is called an act of "lovingkindness."
When rent is due or tuition is short, there are loans available for thousands of dollars -- interest free.
The programs are part of a tradition in the Jewish community of offering loans without interest to people in need. The money has helped families adopt babies, a woman buy a pacemaker, and immigrants start a new life.
"I was going to Israel, and I just needed some extra money," said Yaron Gola of Northeast Philadelphia. "It was a tremendous blessing. It makes you feel a part of a community."
About 50 groups in the United States and abroad lend millions in interest-free loans each year, said Mark Meltzer, past president and cofounder of the International Association of Hebrew Free Loans.
In the region, the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia in Elkins Park and the Chaya Mushka Lubavitcher G'Milus Chesed in Northeast Philadelphia are two of the independent organizations that carry on the tradition.
Jewish nonprofit groups also offer small interest-free loans, often for educational pursuits.
It is viewed as a mitzvah, a good deed, said Rabbi Zalman Lipsker, director of the Lubavitcher fund. In fact, G'Milus Chesed translates to "deed of lovingkindness" in Hebrew.
The underlying principle goes back to biblical instruction, said Rabbi Aaron Landes, founding rabbi of the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia and rabbi emeritus of Beth Sholom Congregation, the society's headquarters.
Exodus 22:25 says, "If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest." Similar instructions are in Deuteronomy and Leviticus.
"When immigrants came over from Eastern Europe between 1880 and 1914, they brought these associations with them," said Shelly Tenenbaum, author of A Credit to Their Community: Jewish Loan Societies in the United States.
Other ethnic and religious groups have their own loan programs. Interest is prohibited in Islamic law and references to the law appear in the Quran and in statements of the prophet Muhammad, said Masood Ghaznavi, professor emeritus at Rosemont College.
Among the Hebrew loan societies, organization assets range from $100,000 to more than $20 million. Groups vary with respect to professional staffing, business partnerships, and annual lending, Meltzer said.
The first Jewish immigrants to the United States "got $25 to get their pushcart," said Tamar Granor, who with her husband, Marshall, runs the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia.
A bond of mutual trust linked the society, the borrower, and his or her cosigner. Each borrower usually must have at least one.
"It's one thing to default on an impersonal institution," Tenenbaum said. "It's another to default on someone you're close to."
The process is designed to be dignified and devoid of embarrassment, so applications can be brief. The Lubavitcher group, which typically lends up to $1,000, doesn't ask a reason for the loan. The Hebrew Free Loan Society requires a credit check of the cosigner, but not the applicant. The group lends a maximum of $5,000. Terms for payback vary.
Default rates were typically lower than those of banks, Tenenbaum said. Some borrowers have failed to pay the Lubavitcher group, Lipsker said. Fewer than 1 percent at the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia have defaulted. Court action is extremely rare, Tamar Granor said.
The Northeast Philadelphia program, with rolling assets of $150,000, has been in operation since the early 1970s. In Elkins Park, the Free Loan Society celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The group has assets of $350,000.
Both organizations rely on contributions and fund-raising to replenish the money.
As the economy has worsened, loan inquiries have started to increase. But Marshall Granor, whose parents, Bernard and Marie, helped start the fund, is surprised that more applicants haven't turned to the society. He has money to lend but no takers.
"It's been hard to connect with people," he said.
With only a volunteer staff, public relations isn't often a priority. The group's members hope to hire a part-time worker who can help spread the word.
Said Granor: "It's a tremendous feeling when a parent calls and says, 'My son graduated from Drexel, and I couldn't have done it without you.' "
Copyright © 2009, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Rabbi Yosef Lipsker
Rabbi Yosef Lipsker
Born: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Rabinnical ordination: Central Lubavitch Yeshiva, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Position: Rabbi at Congregation Shomrei Habrith since 1997.
Experience: Served two years in Sydney, Australia, as a student rabbi.
Other activities: host of a weekly radio show Thursday mornings at 10:30 on Philadelphia's WNWR, 1540-AM; consultant and spiritual counselor to patients and families at Caron Foundation near Wernersville; visiting chaplain at Reading Hospital and Berks County Prison; member of board of directors of Reading Jewish Federation.
Family: Wife, Chana, and eight children.
Born: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Rabinnical ordination: Central Lubavitch Yeshiva, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Position: Rabbi at Congregation Shomrei Habrith since 1997.
Experience: Served two years in Sydney, Australia, as a student rabbi.
Other activities: host of a weekly radio show Thursday mornings at 10:30 on Philadelphia's WNWR, 1540-AM; consultant and spiritual counselor to patients and families at Caron Foundation near Wernersville; visiting chaplain at Reading Hospital and Berks County Prison; member of board of directors of Reading Jewish Federation.
Family: Wife, Chana, and eight children.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Chabad's Answer to Mumbai: Spread Acts of Lovingkindness
December 11, 2008 - Bryan Schwartzman, Staff Writer
The worldwide Chabad Lubavitch movement must respond to last month's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, by doubling its efforts at Jewish outreach and react to acts of cruelty by spreading acts of kindness, stated Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, who chairs the executive committee of the Agudas Chassidei Chabad, Chabad's umbrella organization.
Shemtov, who also oversees Lubavitch activities in the region, delivered an emotional address to roughly 400 people who turned out for a Dec. 8 memorial ceremony at Congregation B'nai Abraham in downtown Philadelphia. The program was held in memory of the nearly 200 killed in the series of attacks, including the six Jews killed inside the Chabad house in India's commercial hub.
Those victims included Norma Shvartzblat Rabinovich, a Mexican citizen planning to make aliyah; and Israelis Yocheved Orpaz, Rabbi Benzion Kruman and Rabbi Areyh Leibish Teitlebaum; and Chabad emissaries Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg.
The Holtzbergs had moved from Brooklyn to India in 2003, starting out in a rented apartment. They eventually bought the building that became the Chabad house. Their 2-year-old son, Moshe, was rescued from the building and will be raised by relatives in Israel, according to Chabad's Web site.
"These murderers sought to disconnect humanity from decency," said Shemtov, 71, who traveled to Israel last week to attend the Holtzergs' funeral in Kfar Chabad, a village founded by Lubavitcher Rebbe Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn in 1949. "It is our test now to strengthen connections between people."
He said that the Holtzberg families had requested that Jews of all persuasions promise to perform additional mitzvot. Organizers distributed mitzvah pledge cards in honor of "Gabi & Rivky," in which people could promise to do things like light Shabbat candles, study Torah or give charity daily.
In addition, Shemtov said that Chabad is asking all Jews to try to respond to the pain and loss caused by the events by making connections with 10 new people during the traditional 30-day mourning period.
"I can't think of a better answer to the calls of the souls of Gavriel and Rikvah," declared Shemtov, who later said that the community could not remain paralyzed with grief and would have to move on.
Several speakers cited a precedent for responding to terror. In 1957, eight years after Kfar Chabad was founded in central Israel, a band of Palestinian fedayeen infiltrated the village and killed five children and a teacher.
The most recent Lubavitcher Rebbe -- Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who died in 1994 -- sent a telegram at the time of fedayeen attack, urging Kfar Chabad residents to seek comfort from overwhelming grief by continuing to build up the village and teach the young.
Fighting Back Tears
During the Philadelphia memorial, men and women sat on opposite sides of the recently refurbished, historic synagogue. While more than a week had passed since the attacks in India and a number of smaller programs had been held in the interim, raw emotions still colored this event. Some audience members seemed visibly shaken; a few looked to be fighting back tears, while others buried their faces in their hands.
Rabbi Zalman Lipsker, who works with the city's Hebrew-speaking population, led the room in a recitation of Psalm 107.
Israeli Consul General Daniel Kutner read the eulogy that Israeli President Shimon Peres had delivered at the Holtzbergs' funeral. Leonard Barrack, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, offered brief remarks.
"The loss of cherished souls are being grieved throughout our city," he said.
Organizers also played a 15-minute video about the Holtzbergs -- including clips from interviews conducted in India -- that portrayed the couple as eager, idealistic and doing work that they considered a calling.
Rachel Wise, a Northeast Philadelphia woman who lingered for a few moments after the program, said that she felt inspired to translate her pain into some tangible action.
"This was like a wake-up call to remind us of what we should be doing," said Wise. "When light is extinguished, you have the opportunity to bring light back into the world."
The worldwide Chabad Lubavitch movement must respond to last month's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, by doubling its efforts at Jewish outreach and react to acts of cruelty by spreading acts of kindness, stated Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, who chairs the executive committee of the Agudas Chassidei Chabad, Chabad's umbrella organization.
Shemtov, who also oversees Lubavitch activities in the region, delivered an emotional address to roughly 400 people who turned out for a Dec. 8 memorial ceremony at Congregation B'nai Abraham in downtown Philadelphia. The program was held in memory of the nearly 200 killed in the series of attacks, including the six Jews killed inside the Chabad house in India's commercial hub.
Those victims included Norma Shvartzblat Rabinovich, a Mexican citizen planning to make aliyah; and Israelis Yocheved Orpaz, Rabbi Benzion Kruman and Rabbi Areyh Leibish Teitlebaum; and Chabad emissaries Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg.
The Holtzbergs had moved from Brooklyn to India in 2003, starting out in a rented apartment. They eventually bought the building that became the Chabad house. Their 2-year-old son, Moshe, was rescued from the building and will be raised by relatives in Israel, according to Chabad's Web site.
"These murderers sought to disconnect humanity from decency," said Shemtov, 71, who traveled to Israel last week to attend the Holtzergs' funeral in Kfar Chabad, a village founded by Lubavitcher Rebbe Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn in 1949. "It is our test now to strengthen connections between people."
He said that the Holtzberg families had requested that Jews of all persuasions promise to perform additional mitzvot. Organizers distributed mitzvah pledge cards in honor of "Gabi & Rivky," in which people could promise to do things like light Shabbat candles, study Torah or give charity daily.
In addition, Shemtov said that Chabad is asking all Jews to try to respond to the pain and loss caused by the events by making connections with 10 new people during the traditional 30-day mourning period.
"I can't think of a better answer to the calls of the souls of Gavriel and Rikvah," declared Shemtov, who later said that the community could not remain paralyzed with grief and would have to move on.
Several speakers cited a precedent for responding to terror. In 1957, eight years after Kfar Chabad was founded in central Israel, a band of Palestinian fedayeen infiltrated the village and killed five children and a teacher.
The most recent Lubavitcher Rebbe -- Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who died in 1994 -- sent a telegram at the time of fedayeen attack, urging Kfar Chabad residents to seek comfort from overwhelming grief by continuing to build up the village and teach the young.
Fighting Back Tears
During the Philadelphia memorial, men and women sat on opposite sides of the recently refurbished, historic synagogue. While more than a week had passed since the attacks in India and a number of smaller programs had been held in the interim, raw emotions still colored this event. Some audience members seemed visibly shaken; a few looked to be fighting back tears, while others buried their faces in their hands.
Rabbi Zalman Lipsker, who works with the city's Hebrew-speaking population, led the room in a recitation of Psalm 107.
Israeli Consul General Daniel Kutner read the eulogy that Israeli President Shimon Peres had delivered at the Holtzbergs' funeral. Leonard Barrack, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, offered brief remarks.
"The loss of cherished souls are being grieved throughout our city," he said.
Organizers also played a 15-minute video about the Holtzbergs -- including clips from interviews conducted in India -- that portrayed the couple as eager, idealistic and doing work that they considered a calling.
Rachel Wise, a Northeast Philadelphia woman who lingered for a few moments after the program, said that she felt inspired to translate her pain into some tangible action.
"This was like a wake-up call to remind us of what we should be doing," said Wise. "When light is extinguished, you have the opportunity to bring light back into the world."
Friday, May 23, 2008
Lubavitch Rabbi Given Sizable Grant for Project of Choice
Rabbi Menachem Schmidt said that he had no idea he was even being considered for a fellowship from a major foundation. But several weeks ago, the founder of the Lubavitch House at the University of Pennsylvania learned that he had been awarded a $225,000 grant to a project of his choosing.
At a March 12 press conference at its New York offices, the Avi Chai Foundation, dedicated to promoting Jewish education and identity, announced that it was handing out $1.5 million over the course of three years to four individuals and a team of two.
The recipients were selected from an initial pool of more than 40 nominations. Throughout the process, the identities of the nominators, as well as the selection committee members, were kept anonymous, said the foundation.
"Obviously, it's not something we expected. [But] it's nice to know that somebody thinks you are doing something right," said Schmidt, 54, who has spent roughly 30 years in Philadelphia as a rabbi affiliated with the Chabad Lubavitch movement.
Schmidt said that he plans to use the money to bolster two organizations he's created: the Old City Jewish Art Center and the Jewish Heritage Programs.
The art center opened in 2007. It hosts rotating exhibitions and, on nights corresponding to the first Friday program -- when Old City galleries remain open until well after dark -- Chabad hosts a Shabbat dinner in the space.
Schmidt envisions a lot more happening there, from regular lectures and classes about the intersection of art, personal expression and Judaism, along with a series of musical performances.
"Whether or not a person is in services on Friday night or not is really immaterial. There are many opportunities to connect Jewishly, as well as portals of engagement," noted Schmidt, who also plays guitar for a group called the Baal Shem Tov Band.
In 1993, Schmidt started the Jewish Heritage Programs in order to facilitate peer-to-peer programs that would focus on Jewish identity. Begun at the University of Pennsylvania, it now holds events throughout Philadelphia, as well as in New York and Florida.
Specifically, Schmidt is hoping to upgrade JHPs mentoring program, which pairs college students with young professionals who offer both career and life guidance. He said that the mentoring program has existed as a kind of side project; he wants it to become more formalized.
He acknowledged that $75,000 a year is not nearly enough to pay for all the programs he'd like to put together. In fact, he said the recognition may be at least as important as the monetary award.
The other, nonlocal recipients were: Betsy Dolgin Katz, North American director of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Rabbi Elie Kaufner, co-founder of the New York-based Mechon Hadar: An Institute for Prayer, Personal Growth and Study; Rabbi Dov Linzer, head of academics at the Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School in New York; and Ariel Berry, the current editor of Presentense magazine, and Aharon Horowitz, who along with Berry co-founded a group called the Creative Zionist Institute.
At a March 12 press conference at its New York offices, the Avi Chai Foundation, dedicated to promoting Jewish education and identity, announced that it was handing out $1.5 million over the course of three years to four individuals and a team of two.
The recipients were selected from an initial pool of more than 40 nominations. Throughout the process, the identities of the nominators, as well as the selection committee members, were kept anonymous, said the foundation.
"Obviously, it's not something we expected. [But] it's nice to know that somebody thinks you are doing something right," said Schmidt, 54, who has spent roughly 30 years in Philadelphia as a rabbi affiliated with the Chabad Lubavitch movement.
Schmidt said that he plans to use the money to bolster two organizations he's created: the Old City Jewish Art Center and the Jewish Heritage Programs.
The art center opened in 2007. It hosts rotating exhibitions and, on nights corresponding to the first Friday program -- when Old City galleries remain open until well after dark -- Chabad hosts a Shabbat dinner in the space.
Schmidt envisions a lot more happening there, from regular lectures and classes about the intersection of art, personal expression and Judaism, along with a series of musical performances.
"Whether or not a person is in services on Friday night or not is really immaterial. There are many opportunities to connect Jewishly, as well as portals of engagement," noted Schmidt, who also plays guitar for a group called the Baal Shem Tov Band.
In 1993, Schmidt started the Jewish Heritage Programs in order to facilitate peer-to-peer programs that would focus on Jewish identity. Begun at the University of Pennsylvania, it now holds events throughout Philadelphia, as well as in New York and Florida.
Specifically, Schmidt is hoping to upgrade JHPs mentoring program, which pairs college students with young professionals who offer both career and life guidance. He said that the mentoring program has existed as a kind of side project; he wants it to become more formalized.
He acknowledged that $75,000 a year is not nearly enough to pay for all the programs he'd like to put together. In fact, he said the recognition may be at least as important as the monetary award.
The other, nonlocal recipients were: Betsy Dolgin Katz, North American director of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Rabbi Elie Kaufner, co-founder of the New York-based Mechon Hadar: An Institute for Prayer, Personal Growth and Study; Rabbi Dov Linzer, head of academics at the Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School in New York; and Ariel Berry, the current editor of Presentense magazine, and Aharon Horowitz, who along with Berry co-founded a group called the Creative Zionist Institute.
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