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- First established as the Shefa Fund in 1988
- Merged with the Jewish Fund for Justice in 2006
- Leftist Foundation which advocates for 'social justice'
Jewish Funds for Justice (JFSJ) traces its roots to the year 1988, when it was first established as the Shefa Fund. In 2006 the Shefa Fund merged with Jewish Fund for Justice, forming JFSJ. The JFSJ Board of Directors is co-chaired by Steve Fahrer (a principal of the investment firm Progressive Asset Management and the former Board Chair of Grassroots International) and John Levy (the former Chairman of the Jewish Fund for Justice).
JFSJ activities include programs in the following areas:
Tzedec: This is a national program that "pools low- and no-interest loans from Jewish philanthropic investors, and reinvests those funds in Community Development Financial Institutions" designed to benefit "low- and moderate-income" communities that are "typically neglected by mainstream banks."
Grantmaking: Viewing the United States as a nation rife with social, racial, and economic injustice, this program "supports community-based organizations tackling the root causes of poverty." It also seeks to "promote access to the American promise of universal economic security" (emphasis added), as distinguished from access to economic opportunity. Additional JFSJ grants are earmarked for groups that advocate on behalf of expanded rights for illegal immigrants and increased funding for public education.
Shareholder Activism: "By organizing proxy votes held by Jewish communal institutions and applying Jewish values, we can affect corporate behavior in the areas of the environment, health, and employment discrimination as well as in corporate governance."
Hurricane Katrina Fund: Launched in September 2005, this program focuses "the resources and attention of the Jewish community on those with little income or influence who were disproportionately affected by the disaster" of the hurricane that struck the Gulf Coast in August of that year. Founded on the premise that minorities were disproportionately harmed by the hurricane, the Fund's objective is to help "the region's poor and working-class residents, especially immigrants and people of color."
Congregation-Based Community Organizing: This is a national initiative designed to mobilize Jewish religious congregations "to address systemic issues relating to domestic poverty and social injustice."
Selah Collaborative Leadership Program: This collaboration between Jewish Funds for Justice and the Rockwood Leadership Program was made possible by seed funding from the Nathan Cummings Foundation. Its purpose is to provide training aimed at cultivating new activist leaders for "social change … movement building" in an American society allegedly in need of wholesale transformation.
Seminary Programs: These are designed to help rabbis "face the challenges of engaging their communities in the critical and profoundly Jewish work of meaningful social justice." The programs provide rabbis with internships and "leadership development" training for this purpose.
Jewish Education: This program "provides educational materials on Judaism and social justice, including articles, divrei torah, curricular materials, text studies and holiday resources." It also maintains a speakers' bureau of presenters who are available to speak or teach about related issues to synagogues, schools, campuses, and organizations.
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