The Bertha Effron Fund committee reviewed nine grant requests totaling $19,500.   Funding priority was given to organizations that preserve and strengthen Jewish culture and Jewish institutions in this area.  Eight organizations were awarded $9,075 in grants.

Fall 2006 Grant Awards

Community Hebrew School of Dutchess County
$2,075.00
Hebrew Enrichment           

Support for various educational classes including Hebrew Regents preparation and special needs programs.

Congregation Schomre Israel of Poughkeepsie 
$1,000.00
Adult Lecture Series

Purchase of a projector to enable speakers to present their programs effectively.

Jewish Community Center of Dutchess County 
$1,000.00
Judaism 101 - The Basics           

Support for a Judaism 101 basics class.  It will consist of sessions in Jewish history, culture, ritual, custom, religion, the land of Israel, the Hebrew language, Shabbat, and religious services.  The goal is to connect non-affiliated Jewish families to the Jewish community in a variety of ways.

Jewish Family Services of Dutchess County      
$2,000.00
Mitzvah Day

Mitzvah Day is a concerted effort, on a single day, to bring the Jewish community together to spend one day volunteering for a social action project or activity.

Jewish Federation of Dutchess County, Inc.     
$1,000.00
Yom Hazikaron/Yom HaAtzma'ut

Israel's Remembrance Day Event:  Funds will be used for food, supplies, equipment, printing and mounting display items, prizes for children and a dance instructor.

Jewish Federation of Dutchess County, Inc.     
$500.00
Jewish Cemetery Project         

Support for the Jewish Cemetery Project.

Poughkeepsie Day School       
$500.00
Understanding Genocide in the Modern Age           

This program seeks to provide students, and subsequently, local community residents, with a conceptual and historical overview of genocide from a broad interdisciplinary perspective which will provide participants with a deeper and more nuanced understanding of genocide in the modern age.

Temple Beth-El   
$1,000.00
Temple Beth-El Annual Family Concert Series

Support for the first annual concert for families and children.  The objectives are to organize a performance of an outstanding Jewish professional musician or group that will engage families and keep ticket prices affordable.