Rabbi Tendler Honored
The Los Angeles Friends of Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim invites the community to participate in honoring Rabbi and Mrs. Aron Tendler at the annual reception on behalf of the yeshiva on Saturday, Sept. 8, at 9:45 p.m. at the home of Rabbi George and Dr. Lisa Lintz, 5145 Bellaire Ave., Valley Village.
Tendler became senior rabbi of Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Valley Village last July, having served in the capacity of rabbi, assistant principal and principal of YULA for 20 years. He has also worked as a marriage/family/crisis counselor. Tendler serves on the executive board of the Rabbinical Council of California, where he is chairman of the Vaad Hakashrus, and is responsible for the formation and upkeep of the eruv that serves the Valley.
Esther Tendler, a respected speech pathologist, is no less devoted to the community. She has served as the president of the Mikva Society for the last 15 years, and she is known for her involvement in a multitude of chesed activities. — Staff Report
CAJE Increases Funding
For 16 years, the Coalition for the Advancement for Jewish Education (CAJE), has awarded grants to fund innovations in programming. These grants have been modest, drawing from a total funding pool of about $2,000. Now CAJE, a national body serving Jewish educators from across the denominational spectrum, has decided to think big. Its board has voted to increase its grant funding by 900 percent. As a result, individual members can now receive up to $10,000 to turn their bright ideas into reality.
While significantly increasing the size of its grants, CAJE is also striving to maintain a simple set of application requirements. Mark Charendoff, CAJE board member and chairman of the grants committee, sees the new policy as benefiting educators, especially those from underserved communities, who are short on professional grant-writing skills. In Charendoff’s words, “CAJE is the only agency in a position to cut through the process and put money directly into the hands of educators with creative ideas.”
Programs which have just received the larger-sized CAJE grants include “Becoming a Mensch,” a Virginia-based effort to train leaders for Jewish parent-teen workshops, and “Machaneh JCH,” a camping experience through which Brooklyn’s Russian émigrés can learn more about their Jewish roots. Next year’s applications will be available in January, with an April 2002 deadline. More information is available through CAJE at (212) 268-4210 or by browsing www.caje.org.
— Beverly Gray, Education Editor
Foundation Grants Announced
Jewish Community Foundation (JCF), the charitable gift-planning agency in partnership with The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, has distributed a total of $617,000 to a wide variety of programs in Jewish Los Angeles that cross all denominational lines. The breakdown is as follows:
– $426,340 in New and Innovative Grants awarded to 16 recipients. Recipients include:
– American Jewish Committee’s Latino-Jewish Institute, to develop relations between the Latino and Jewish communities.
– Cal State University’s master’s degree in education with emphasis in Jewish education, Holocaust education and Hebrew language instruction; child abuse, substance abuse and healing connection programs at Jewish Family Service.
– Lomed L.A., a reading, math and Hebrew tutoring program for students with special-learning needs, through the Bureau of Jewish Education.
– $100,690 in Synagogue Grants awarded to 11 temples. Recipients include:
– Kehillat Ma’arav’s international Jewish customs cultural programming.
– A martial arts/Jewish studies program at Temple Beth Haverim.
– Or Emet’s Shabbat Torah Teaching Service
– The Santa Clarita Biannual Jewish Festival
– $59,819 in General Community Grants awarded to agencies.
– $30,000 in Discretionary Grants to be awarded as needed during the year.
The Foundation has also awarded $62,500, part of a two-year grant to support the 16-year-old Wexner Heritage Program, to help deepen the involvement of leaders in the Jewish community .
For more information about the Jewish CommunityFoundation, call (323) 761-8700 or visit
Michael Aushenker,Staff Writer
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