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Jaffa Institute is Recognized for Sound, Effective Practices and Awarded over
Half a Million Dollars by Emergency Assistance Fund
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 The Government Assistance Fund for Nonprofit Organizations was established at the initiative of Israel's Minister of Welfare and Social Services, Isaac Herzog, in May, 2009 to assist organizations who experienced significant funding difficulties following the global economic crisis. To enable them to continue to provide vital services, the government set out on a 9-month vetting process to determine which organizations were deserving of support totaling up to 10% of their annual budget.
Nonprofits wishing to apply for this funding were required to completely open their doors - and accounting books - to a vetting team, consisting of representatives from the national Ministry of Welfare, Education, Health, Absorption, Finance, Justice and the Office of the Prime Minister. Organizations needed to meet strict criteria concerning professional standards, equal opportunity employment, and rigorous budgetary oversight including management salaries totaling less than 20% of the organization budget.
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 Out of 11,000 Israeli nonprofit organizations, 577 began the application process, 382 were awarded some level of assistance, but only 17 organizations were awarded 1 million shekels and over.
The Jaffa Institute was ranked 7th and awarded 2,229,254 shekels (approximately $586,645).
Although this is a significant help, the Institute is still battling to provide all of our vital services in light of the drastic drop in funding we have been experiencing over the past 16 months. Nevertheless, the Jaffa Institute is honored and grateful that our effective, cost-efficient practices are being recognized at a time when donations are down and our community needs us the most.
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| Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel visits the Bet Shemesh Residential Center |
 The Bet Shemesh Residential Center was honored with a visit from the Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Shlomo Amar on Wednesday, January 13. After an inspiring meal with the Center's administration and staff, he spoke to the students about his own childhood, motivating the students to take advantage of this period in their lives when they can build a strong foundation for their future.
The Bet Shemesh Educational and Residential Center is a junior and senior high boarding school for boys dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged children. For more information,
please visit www.betshemesh-educenter.org.il. |
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| Inspirational Young Leaders |
 The Jaffa Institute would like to extend a warm "thank you" to Alana Entin, active in Kehilat Israel, Yaniv Cohen, from Caulfield North Victoria, Australia, Noam Cohen from New York, and Matan Blechman, of Greenwich, Connecticut, for thinking of those less fortunate during their Bat and Bar Mitzvahs.
Alana's Bat Mitzvah donation will enable hundreds of the Jaffa Institute's at-risk children to receive hot meals while Yaniv is the third sibling in his family to donate his Bar Mitzvah money and celebrate his milestone by packing parcels for the needy at the Food Distribution Center. Noam, during a visit to the Institute with his grandfather, parents, and siblings donated and distributed art supplies to the after school program participants. Matan's generous gift will enable our new-immigrant Ethiopian students to celebrate their Bar Mitzvahs and receive a gift of tefillim and talitot. Below is an excerpt of Matan's letter to his friends, family, and greater community:
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 My goal as a Bar-Mitzvah is not only to raise money for a worthwhile charity, but to be an active participant in our community. To not only support an organization that offers aid, but to actively work with a group that creates hope and opportunity. As such, so inspired by their scope of services dedicated to a forgotten segment of Israel's population, I've been moved to offer my time to The Jaffa Institute of Israel.
…For my goal, I have chosen to raise money for the Ethiopian boys in the Bet Shemesh Residential Center so that they are able to enjoy a simple tradition that we too often take for granted: to have a Tefillim and Tallit at the time of their Bat Mitzvah.
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Mazel Tov to these inspirational young adults on their Bat and Bar Mitzvah. For more information on the Institute's Youth-4-Youth program and to get involved, please contact Deena Lusky: deena@jaffainst.co.il.
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| Teach English at the Jaffa Institute |
 The Jaffa Institute's "Closing the Gaps" English tutoring program is always looking for committed volunteers to help make a difference in an at-risk student's life. The Program pairs native English speakers with Jaffa students in a one-to-one, or two-to-one setting to help the children in our community learn vital English skills.
The Program runs annually from September through to the end of June. The last date to start tutoring for the current school is May 1. A typical Closing the Gaps tutor will be able to commit for at least 6 weeks and will have at least one fixed day per week that he/she can dedicate to the Program. For more information on how YOU can help Jaffa's underprivileged students sharpen their English language skills, please contact Program Coordinator, Marc Schoen annmarc1@hotmail.com.
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| Beit Ruth Receives Support from National Department of Welfare |
 After three years of program activity combined with consistent advocacy, the Beit Ruth Hostel for at-Risk Girls will now receive financial support from Israel's Department of Welfare. The Hostel, a first step in creating a full-scale campus uniquely catering to the therapeutic and academic needs of at-risk teenage girls, was selected for support based on its proof of effectiveness, expert staff, and in light of a 200-person waiting list. This new support will provide the Hostel with added financial security, which will in turn enable Beit Ruth to aggressively pursue funds for the full-scale campus. For more information on Beit Ruth,
please visit www.BeitRuth.com.
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| Jaffa Institute's Israel Public Council's Bi-Annual Meeting |
 The Jaffa Institute's 30-person local public council met on Tuesday, March 2nd, to discuss the Institute's mid-range goals, including the impending Passover food distribution initiative, 2010 summer camp programming, and more. The meeting was hosted by Pelephone chairman, Mr. Gil Sharon, at the company's head offices in Givatayim. The members of the Public Council are ambassadors of the Jaffa Institute, representing our interests, projects, and the people we serve to their community, at special events, and at our annual gala dinner. For a complete list of the Jaffa Institute's Local Public Council, please visit.
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| Purim at the Jaffa Institute! |
 On Wednesday, February 24th the Jaffa Institute's After School Program hosted it's annual Purim party. Students and staff arrived in costume and took part in a carnival of games, face paining, music, and treats. The generosity of thirteen-year-old Benji Cooper from South Orange NJ, who donated 150 Purim costumes to Jaffa Institute children whose families could not afford them, enabled ALL after school program participants to fully celebrate. One of the event's other highlights for the over 180-students in attendance was an exciting magician who juggled fire batons and used children from the audience to demonstrate mystifying tricks. Thanks to everyone who helped to make this Purim magical for the Jaffa Institute's children!
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| Spotlight On: Metsuba - After School Program for Children with Special Needs |
 In order to address the dire need for an after school program in the Hatikva Quarter of East Tel Aviv - specifically designed to address the special needs of children with attention deficit and behavioral disorders - the Jaffa Institute has begun renovating a currently neglected, Jewish Agency-owned building to facilitate the coordinated therapeutic activities for 30 special needs children and their families. The program will be operated in cooperation with the National Ministry of Education and the Tel Aviv - Jaffa local Ministries of Welfare, Education, and Social Services. The goals of the after school program are to: |
Provide a therapeutic response for the children in the community and prevent removal from their home and into in-patient behavioral treatments.
Improve the emotional condition of the child in the framework of school, home, and the after school program.
Strengthen each child's social connection and improve his/her intellectual capabilities.
Improve the relationship between the child and his/her parent, and each parent's skill set as a parent of a special-needs child.
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This ground-breaking project is offering unique naming opportunities for families and individuals who wish to be a part of this momentous program. For more information, please contact Mitch Chupak (mitch@jaffainst.co.il).
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| Annual Scholarship Ceremony |
 On Monday, February 15, the Jaffa Institute distributed over 100 scholarships to the graduates of its after school programs. In step with annual tradition, the Polak family and Mr. Henry Jonas flew in from Holland and Great Britain to distribute the awards at the ceremony. Each student came up to receive his or her award, very excitedly, as he or she shook hands with and even embraced Jaffa Institute staff and donors in attendance. After receiving their award, the student announced what he or she was about to study - business administration, economics, behavioral science, law, Jewish studies, and many other disciplines. These students, many of whom are the first to go to college or university in their family, have applied and been accepted to college or university. The Jaffa Institute congratulates its former students, wishes them much luck in their studies, and is excited to follow them through their bright future. |
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| Jaffa Institute's Annual Gala Raises over Half a Million Dollars for Disadvantaged Youth |
 Held on Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 at the Avenue Events Hall in Airport City, the Institute's Annual Gala mobilized friends and supporters from across the globe to give generously in order to help Israel's at-risk youth. The event was chaired by Pelephone Telecommunications CEO, Gil Sharon and honorees included Mr. & Mrs. Zalman and Kana Shoval, from Israel, Sir Harry and Lady Judy Solomon, from England, and Mr. and Mrs. Maurice and Edith Janin from France. |
 In addition to our honorees, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, Chairman of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), took to the stage to applaud the increase in awareness and rise in donations raised from within Israel. He commended the work of the Institute and surprised - and thrilled - everyone when he announced a $50,000 increase in IFCJ's support of the Institute's Hot Meals Program.
The musical and educational ensemble, The Shuk, (http://www.the-shuk.com/about.html) opened the entertainment portion of the evening and moved guests with their captivating interpretations of Israeli and Jewish traditional songs. Next, the children in the Institute's Musical Minds program took the stage to wow audience members and they were later followed by multi-platinum Israeli singer/songwriter Daniel Solomon and his band. The Jaffa Institute would like to thank all guests for their participation, and performers for donating their talents and helping to make this year's gala truly memorable.
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| Passover Appeal from Jaffa Institute Chairman, Dr. David J. Portowicz |
 As the Jaffa Institute prepares for our annual campaign to provide food parcels for Pesach to over 1,000 families, we turn to you, our dedicated friends and supporters, and ask you to give what you can to help those less fortunate.
This year we are once again participating in the matching grant challenge of Mr. Alan Feinstein of the Feinstein Foundation. This will enable us to receive matching funds in proportion to the amount that we are able to raise. Thanks to all of you, last year we raised close to $450,000 by participating in this challenge! |
 All funds that are received between March 1, 2010 and April 20, 2010 are eligible for matching and are for the express purpose of feeding the needy. We are very hopeful that we will succeed in raising as much money as possible to fund this vital campaign.
Each of our parcels contains 20 kg. of food including the basic items for the Pesach holiday. The families who will receive these parcels are among the most impoverished in Israel including new-immigrant families from Ethiopia, single-parent households, and over 300 elderly, many of whom are Holocaust survivors.
I appeal to you to come to our aid in this heartfelt endeavor to bring the joy of Pesach into the lives of so many of our less fortunate brethren in Israel. |
As ever,
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Dr. David J. Portowicz
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| Purchase a Jaffa Institute T-Shirt Online! |
 Did you know that purchasing just one Jaffa Institute T-shirt will provide one of our students with hot meals for an entire week?! Our colorful T-shirts make great presents for every occasion and cost only $15 +$5 shipping. Make sure everyone you know has a Jaffa Institute T-shirt! To purchase a shirt from our secure website please visit: http://www.jaffainstitute.org/sale.html |
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The Jaffa Institute relies on the generosity of its friends around the world in order to continue with our work in support of needy children.
To help us by making a donation, please visit the secure donations part of our website:
www.jaffainstitute.org, or you can send your donation to any branch of the Friends of The Jaffa Institute.
Thank you so much for your wonderful support .and don't forget to come visit!
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The Jaffa Institute
11 Pahad Yitzhak St.
PO Box 8216
Jaffa 61081
Israel
ATTN: Mr.Yechezkel Portowicz
Tel: 972-3-683-2626
Fax: 972-3-683-2620
File No. 58-003-811-5
info@jaffainst.co.il
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American Friends of The Jaffa Institute
c/o Dr. E. Hartman
171- 06 76th Ave.
Flushing NY 11366
USA
Toll-free: 1 866 471 1923
Tax ID NO. 11-2697261
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Canadian Friends of The Jaffa Institute
22 Lambert Road
Thornhill, Ontario L3T 7E6
Canada
Toll Free No. 1 866 892 1915
Charity No. 863333118RR0001-nationwide
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Dutch Friends of The Jaffa Institute
Waleweg 1
3291 AX Strijen
The Netherlands
ATTN: Mr. Wim van der Hoek
Tel: +31 78 674 5014
Giro No. 5138814
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British Friends of The Jaffa Institute
16 Chalgrove Crescent
Clayhill, Ilford
Essex, IG5 OLU
UK
Toll free No. 44 208 551 8870
Registered Charity No. 282049
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French Friends of The Jaffa Institute
c/o Mr. Anito Tropper
9 Bis, Bld. des Filles du Calvaire
Paris 75003
FRANCE
anito.tropper@jaffainstitute.fr
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