3211 N. Front Street
Harrisburg Pennsylvania 17110
717-409-8220
info@pajewishendowment.org
Sure, we love texts, tweets, our games, phones, TV’s, sports and music. We also love our community. And in the midst of all the wonderful things around us, we see hunger, prejudice, homelessness and hopelessness.
We want to make a difference. We want to make sure that the work we did to prepare for our special day lasts past our party. We learned about our history and know that it’s important for us to work to make the world a better place. It’s our world too! Here’s how we’re doing it – we joined the Jewish Community Foundation of Central Pennsylvania B’nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy Fund. We want you to join us, too..
Well, let’s say your name is Sarah. When you join, you create a new philanthropic fund called the Sarah B’nai Tzedek Fund. You start the fund with a contribution of $250 or more, and generous donors through the Jewish Community will give your fund another $250. So, the Sarah Fund has at least $500.
Then, every odd numbered year, you will pick a local Jewish charity and recommend a donation of 5% from the fund. As time goes by, you can contribute more to your fund. The more the fund grows, the more tzedakah you get to give away. The really great thing about starting a fund is that YOU ALWAYS HAVE MONEY TO DONATE! The Fund works like an adult investment fund and you only spend part of the money so it lasts in perpetuity. Look at this as a winning tzedakah investment.
The money comes from your Bar/Bar Mitzvah gifts, from babysitting, or even birthday and Chanukah gifts. This is a chance to make a real difference, and you don’t need a lot of money to do it. The money will also come from the interest that your fund is earning!
There are many different opportunities for involvement in the B’nai Tzedek program. You will meet other teens who want to help change the world—one person at a time. We will have exciting educational events – they are great opportunities for you to learn more about yourself, your community, and other teens in our area and the local charities that work so hard to make our Jewish community a great place to live!
How do we make our children’s Bar and Bat Mitzvah the life-changing, meaningful experience that we wish it would be? What can we do, as parents, to give this important rite of passage the sense of being an introduction to life as a responsible Jew and human being? B’nai Tzedek offers an engaging solution. By giving kids the opportunity to be philanthropists, we place into their hands the most valuable Bar and Bat Mitzvah gift we can give them: we help them to put into action the lessons about Tzedakah that they have learned from their families and Jewish Educators.
We want our kids, as Jews, to care about the world they live in. But the truth is – they already do. They just need a way to express how much they care. And their Bar or Bat Mitzvah is the perfect time to empower them, to allow them to begin to make their voices heard.
By starting a B’nai Tzedek account in their name, they will be hooked onto a lifelong habit of philanthropy, immediately exposing them to a diverse group of people and Jewish organizations that are working hard to change the world.
Not only will they become more conscious and aware of the world around them, but they will also gain a community of friends who share their passion and commitment. At an age when they are defining themselves, there is no better way to introduce them to other mature and socially responsible teens.
The success of B’nai Tzedek depends on your involvement. Parents are the decision makers as to whether or not kids participate. Now that you have approached the time of Bar or Bat Mitzvah, this is one of the most important Jewish decisions you will make regarding your kids’ Jewish future. Their participation in B’nai Tzedek will affect the rest of their lives.
