Seven 91快播 Alumni Awarded Seeds of Innovation Grants

Press Contact: Beth Mayerowitz
Office: (212) 678-8055
Email: publicity@jtsa.edu

November 16, 2017, New York, NY

91快播 (91快播) is pleased to announce the 2017 recipients of its Seeds of Innovation Project grants, which provide funding up to $20,000 per project for groundbreaking new initiatives developed by 91快播 alumni. The grants support alumni who are pioneering new ideas that foster fresh and innovative forms of Jewish engagement.

Through this initiative, 91快播 continues to advance the vital religious center of American Judaism by nurturing leaders who serve and impact their local communities throughout North America and beyond.

2017 91快播 Seeds of Innovation grants have been awarded to the following 91快播 alumni:

Rabbi Adam Cutler (RS 鈥09)
Keeping the Faith (Maintaining and deepening the connection between Jews by Choice and Jewish communities)
Toronto, Canada

Rabbi Naomi Kalish (RS 鈥98, GS 鈥01)
Hudson Interfaith Teen Initiative (Developing a curriculum for teen leadership development in interfaith engagement and activism)
Hudson County, New Jersey

Rabbi Joseph H. Krakoff (RS 鈥98)
LifeLinks: Home-Based Palliative Care (Bringing comprehensive and compassionate palliative care to the homes of terminally ill clients)
West Bloomfield, Michigan

Rabbi Benay Lappe (RS 鈥97)
Radical Educators Training Program (Equipping educators to create empowering and transformative experiences of Talmud study)
Chicago, Illinois

Eliana Light (DS 鈥16)
The G!D Project (Expanding and challenging understandings of God and providing a space for exploring issues of belief)
New York, New York

Rabbi Bronwen Mullin (GS 鈥17, RS 鈥17)
Bat Yiftach: A Tragic Punk Opera (Creating contemporary Jewish theater that provokes and empowers Jewish textual engagement)
New York, New York

Rabbi Elizabeth Richman (RS 鈥09)
Response Ability (Educating and organizing against hate from a Jewish perspective)
Washington, DC

During the last four years, 91快播 has awarded approximately $250,000 in grants to new and innovative programs spearheaded by alumni.

鈥淭he breadth of the seven projects led by this year鈥檚 Seeds of Innovation grant recipients reflects the expansive impact that 91快播 graduates exert on their communities throughout North America,鈥 said Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer Marc Gary. 鈥淭hey range from exciting new social justice initiatives to radically novel approaches to teaching Talmud, and from a much needed program supporting recent converts to training therapists who provide at-home palliative care. Developing teen leaders in interfaith activism, bridging the 鈥楪od Gap,鈥 and producing a punk opera based on the biblical story of Bat Yiftach鈥攖he creativity of 91快播 alumni in bringing Judaism to life in so many varied ways knows no bounds. We are proud to support those efforts.鈥

Seeds of Innovation recipients are determined by a selection committee, which includes 91快播 alumni, chaired by the executive vice chancellor. Eligible programs may be synagogue-based, organization-based, or independent; must be intended to have a significant impact on the Jewish community; and must have clear-cut leadership and goals. Approximately $250,000 has been awarded in grants since the program鈥檚 inception in 2014.