Here’s how the Fellowship Program works: All students at HUC-JIR who have completed the year-in-Israel program are eligible to apply. The KAVOD board reviews the applications and awards four-year Fellowships to the most promising candidates. Each year KAVOD Fellows receive an up- front allocation of $250 that they can distribute to the tzedakah of their choice. All of their selections must be approved by members of the KAVOD Board.

In addition to the up front sum, a 1:1 matching challenge grant is offered. That grant grows each year, creating a bigger and bigger incentive for the Fellow and his/her supporters. Each fellowship “costs” KAVOD $6,000 over four-years ($1,000 in up-front grants and $5,000 in matching grants). The total tzedakah yield, assuming the Fellow makes the match, will equal $11,000 (that is, the $5,000 matching grant will yield $10,000 in tzedakah + the $1,000 up-front grant). If the Fellow surpasses the challenge grant (as a few have already done), s/he can donate more than $11,000 over the course of her/his fellowship.

If you know someone who would like to fund a Fellowship in honor or memory of a loved one or simply because it’s a great tzedakah investment, please direct them to us at [email protected]. Most of the funds for this program come from donors who wish to sponsor a full, four-year Fellowship. Additional funds, as needed, come from the KAVOD general account. If you are interested in supporting the work of a particular Fellow, please make sure to note that on your donation (e.g., “For Sandi Intraub’s Fellowship.”)

Rabbi Ana Bonnheim gave $1741.87 to American Jewish World Service (www.ajws.org), an organization dedicated to using Jewish values to guide them in alleviating poverty, hunger and disease among the people of the developing world; and $580.63 to the Jerusalem Rape Crisis Center (#11 below),which provides a comprehensive response to the suffering of local women subject to the trauma of sexual violence.In addition to the up front sum, a 1:1 matching challenge grant is offered.

Sandi Intraub directed $904.85 to the Jericho Project (www.jerichoproject.org), a New York based organization that provides a holistic solution to homelessness; and $904.85 to Picture the Homeless (www.picturethehomeless.org), a grassroots organization founded and led by homeless and former homeless people.

Rabbi Beth Kalisch directed funds to anti-hunger organizations that are under increasing strain during the recession: $1000 to Table to Table, which transports excess, unserved food from catering halls, bakeries, farmers, and manufacturers around Israel to organizations serving those in need; $1000 to the Food Bank for New York City; $1355.26 to MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger; and $300 to the HUC-JIR Soup Kitchen on the New York campus.

Matt Soffer directed $3593 through the Ride4Reform to support Reform Judaism in Israel. Sponsored by the IMPJ (Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism), the 5-day ride starts in the North in Metula and ends overlooking the Mediterranean at Zichron Ya’akov. Funds raised support progressive Judaism in Israel through synagogues, kindergartens, youth groups, and educational programs.