June 16, 2005

Dozens of Synagogues Have Already Announced that they are Preparing Proposals for OU Initiative to Receive Grants of up to $20,000 Apiece for Innovative Programming

Following the announcement by the Orthodox Union in May of a first-time program that will provide five grants of up to $20,000 apiece to OU member synagogues, with the goal of encouraging initiatives to strengthen local synagogue and communal life, dozens of shuls nationally have already informed the OU that they are working on proposals to be submitted by the deadline of September 26, 2005, for programs beginning January 1, 2006.

“We are very gratified by the reception to the plan and we know that synagogue leadership will be busy throughout the summer fine tuning their proposals before submitting them, with the deadline a week before Rosh Hashanah,” declared OU President Stephen J. Savitsky.

The grants program will support a variety of activities, including, although not limited to: leadership development, membership, fundraising, strategic planning, education, communal outreach, social service, youth programs and multi-media technologies. Activities may include discussion series, conferences, symposia, public forums, and hands-on learning experiences that impact on the lives of congregants.

Preference will be given to programs replicable in other synagogues and communities so that OU shuls can assist one another, Mr. Savitsky said.

“This program was created by the OU to empower member synagogues by providing them with the resources to fulfill their dreams and their destinies,” added Mr. Savitsky. “The OU develops many programs on a national level that are utilized by its member synagogues. In addition, many synagogues have also developed unique and creative programming but may have financial limitations implementing these programs. To encourage continued creativity and development of a network of vibrant best practices in programming, the OU is providing the funding to help make many outstanding programs a reality.”

“Synagogues receive many benefits by being part of the OU,” Mr. Savitsky declared. “We are sure that this particular benefit will be very much appreciated.”

Mr. Savitsky also declared that at least one of the grants will be reserved for smaller Jewish communities, as part of an emphasis he is fostering to encourage Orthodox life outside of large cities.

“In my travels to OU synagogues around the United States and Canada and by getting to know both lay and rabbinical leadership, even by reading the synagogue bulletins, I have become familiar with the wide variety of excellent programming that takes place in each of our shuls,” declared OU Executive Vice President Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb. “In many cases, however, there is a program of a new or experimental nature for which the synagogue may not be able to provide funding without weakening existing initiatives. With the grants program, the OU now has the opportunity to say, ‘Think out of the box. Dream your dreams. Create. Think about what you want your synagogue to be known for five years down the line. Tell us about it. And if we can help you, we will.’ ”

The program is being funded from the general OU budget, Mr. Savitsky and Rabbi Weinreb explained.

“This is an historic development within the OU,” said Rabbi Moshe D. Krupka, Executive Director of Programming. “For the first time the OU is taking money from its budget, offering it to its member shuls, and saying, ‘Who can better understand the desires and aspirations of the community than the community itself?’ We feel this will be another way of generating the creativity necessary to meet the challenges of the future and enabling communities to reach their own potential. All of us can benefit by this.”

Emanuel J. Adler of Teaneck, NJ, Chair of the OU’s National Commission on Community and Synagogue Services, stated, "I am particularly excited by this program, because it will strengthen the bond among synagogues in various regions and of varying sizes and perspectives, as shuls are enabled to develop programs that will strengthen their own communities and serve as model programs for other communities. This will provide real 'value added' for the synagogues' membership in the Orthodox Union."

Criteria to be considered in proposals will include:

• Will the program be based on synagogue and communal life?
• Will results impact positively on synagogue membership and the community?
• Can the project be easily replicated by other synagogues?”

Applications, which have already been sent to OU synagogues, are due at OU headquarters by September 26, 2005. Applicants will be notified within three months of the submission deadline regarding the results.

The Grants Committee deciding on the applications will consist of members of the OU’s National Commission on Community and Synagogue Services, chaired by Mr. Adler, together with department staff, under the direction of Rabbi Krupka. The Committee will review all requests and forward its recommendations to the OU national administration for approval.

For further information and additional applications, contact Frank Buchweitz, OU Director of Special Projects, at 212-613-8188, or frank@ou.org.

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The Orthodox Union, now in its second century of service to the Jewish community of North America and beyond, is a world leader in community and synagogue services, adult education, youth work through NCSY, political action through the IPA, and advocacy for persons with disabilities through Yachad and Our Way. Its kosher supervision label, the , is the world’s most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 275,000 products manufactured in 77 countries around the globe.

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