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Shortly before Yom Kippur, the Boulder Jewish Community Foundation announced its 2009 grantees. In 2008, the BJCF gave grants to 17 organizations; in 2009 the grantees totaled 22 local Jewish charities providing services within Boulder County including, for the first time, the Boulder Jewish News.
Allen Hittelman, Executive Director of the BJCF, reflected on a story told about the Lubavitch Rebbe.
“A few hours before the onset of Yom Kippur each year, the Rebbe would enter the synagogue with a bag of coins. The tables were covered with charity plates, representing an array of causes like food for the needy and assistance for poor brides, to schools and mitzvah campaigns, and more. Deliberately and methodically, the Rebbe would place a coin into each plate, taking great care not to skip a single one. Each represented a community — or an individual — who needed help, materially or spiritually. Not one was deemed insignificant to the Rebbe in his urgent focus to help each individual.
“The Boulder Jewish Community Foundation acted very much in this tradition. All our 2009 grants (and pledges) were made prior to Yom Kippur.”
Hittelman also emphasized that “since our organization currently has no employees and all work (including annual tax preparation) is performed on a volunteer basis, all funds available for allocation (100%) are distributed to community organizations. Overhead fees are absent!”
Boulder County Jewish Organizations Receiving 2009 BJCF Grants
| 9 News Health Fair at the Boulder JCC |
| Anti-Defamation League |
| Boulder Aish Kodesh |
| Boulder Jewish Community Center |
| Boulder JCC Preschool |
| Boulder Jewish Day School |
| Boulder Jewish Festival |
| Boulder Jewish Elder Housing |
| Boulder Jewish News |
| B'Yahad TREX |
| Chabad Center of Longmont |
| Conscious Learning Community |
| Congregation Bonai Shalom |
| Congregation Har HaShem |
| Etz Chayim of Nederland |
| Hillel at CU Boulder |
| Jewish Family Services |
| Lubavitch of Boulder |
| Menorah |
| Nevei Kodesh |
| Pardes Levavot |
| Stepping Stones |
The Boulder Jewish Community Foundation was founded in 1995 with a mission to create “a gathering place where Jewish life will flourish.” Early in its history, the BJCF:
- acquired facilities for a Jewish preschool (1996)
- acquired a much larger facility for the Boulder Jewish Community Center (1999)
- raised $1 million for an endowment to support future operational (space) needs of the Boulder Jewish community, with the support of the Rose Community Foundation and the Allied Jewish Federation (2002)
- spun off the Boulder Jewish Community Center as a separate charitable entity (2005)
While the Boulder Jewish Community Foundation does not actively solicit gifts, it welcomes the opportunity to provide Boulder organizations with more support.
