What We’ve Been Up To

 

Yom Hashoah: JCRC partnered with Indiana Civil Rights Commission for the 20th Annual State of Indiana Holocaust Remembrance program at the Indiana Statehouse.  This year, JCRC invited representatives from the Black, Disabled, LGBTQ+, Muslim, and Hispanic communities to join us in lighting candles of remembrance, making a powerful addition tothe program.  Mayor Hogsett spoke eloquently about the import of remembering, honoring, and using the lessons of the Holocaust to compel us to stand up against hate in all its forms.  While our Members of Congress were in DC, and Governor Holcomb was traveling, they each wrote moving letters of support and had their senior staff members read their sentiments on their behalf.  Immediately following the program, we conducted our Reading of Names of Holocaust Victims Ceremony in which several dozen members of the community-at-large took time to read names, thereby honoring the lives lived and lost in an incredibly personal and powerful way.  You can find a slideshow of pictures from the program on our website here.

 
Community Engagement & Intergroup Affairs: The NEW JCRC COMMITTEE  is up and running! The committee had its first meeting in early May.  Members of this committee will help JCRC build bridges between the Jewish community and other faith and ethnic communities, as well as work to amplify the diversity of voices within the Jewish community. If you want to learn more, or if you’re interested in joining the committee, please reach out to JCRC Program & Communication Coordinator, Aaron Welcher.
 

Engaging Jewish Teens: As the semester comes to a close, JCRC is thrilled to share that the “Student to Student” program has been an overwhelming success!  Over a dozen Jewish teens were trained to speak about their lives as Jews, and reached over 100 of their high school peers, breaking down stereotypes and prejudice by putting a “human face” to Judaism – the best antidote to bigotry and intolerance. We are now accepting applications for new participants for the 2018-2019 academic school year.  If you know a Jewish high school student who will be entering 11th or 12th grade who might be interested, please have them email JCRC Israel & Antisemitism Education Coordinator,  Marla Topiol.

 
 

Life & Legacy: Through the leadership of our Jewish Federation, the Indianapolis Jewish community has been participating in the national LIFE & LEGACY initiative, which is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. The goal of LIFE & LEGACY is to engage local Jewish organizations, synagogues, and agencies in a collaborative endeavor that will ensure the strength of our collective Jewish community now and in the future.  LIFE & LEGACY is an endowment program designed to help you create permanent legacy gifts, demonstrating your belief in the continuity of Jewish life by creating ongoing support for the Jewish causes you care about.  All of us, regardless of age, wealth, or affiliation, have the ability to help sustain a vibrant Jewish community now, and for generations to come.Where JCRC currently stands:

We are so grateful to the 39 JCRC supporters who have submitted “Letters of Intent” indicating their interest in exploring the idea of a Legacy gift to the JCRC.  We are truly humbled by the fact that 13 of those supporters have taken the next step and “Formalized” their Legacy intentions.  In order to meet this year’s requirements, and earn the immediate financial incentive grant, JCRC still needs to secure 2 MORE LETTERS OF INTENT and 5 MORE FORMALIZATIONS by June 30, 2018

If you’re interested in learning more about the program and ways you can help, please contact JCRC Executive Director, Lindsey Mintz 

 

Save these Dates!

May 17: A Unity Project Program film screening, “Purple Dreams”, reveals an Arts-in-Education success story. The documentary follows six black high school students on an emotionally powerful, three-year journey of transformation in a racially biased city. With access to the arts and academic mentors, the teens have the potential to break the cycle of poverty in a single generation. Struggling with homelessness, low-income neighborhoods, gang-related violence and single-parent households, these students broaden their education through participation in a triumphant musical production that ultimately propels them into a world of opportunity they never expected. 

May 22: Join the JCRC for our annual meeting which will include keynote remarks from Carmel Mayor Brainard, updates on the past year, and installment of the new officers. There will be light refreshments served after. RSVP here.

July 8 and July 9: In partnership with the Institute for Curriculum Services, the JCRC is hosting a free professional development program for History/Social Studies teachers on Teaching the Arab-Israeli Conflict & Peace Process with Primary Sources. The training will equip teachers with pedagogic content knowledge about the complexity of the conflict and ready-to-use lesson plans that are aligned to Indiana’s state standards, as well as strategies for engaging students with primary source documents.  We will run two sessions of the workshop, both taking place in Room A-25 of the Jewish Community Center. Please share this opportunity with any teachers you may know. Register here.