World Mizrachi leading unprecedented coalition for yeshiva funding
Powered by CauseMatch, the 48-hour “If I Forget You, Jerusalem” Emergency Campaign will launch on Monday, July 27, 6th Av, ahead of Tisha Be’av.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFRabbi Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi delivers a torah lesson at Ateret Yisrael Yeshiva in Jerusalem, November 19, 2019.(photo credit: AHARON KROHN/FLASH90)
World Mizrachi is initiating a global campaign to support Torah institutions across Israel to navigate the COVID-19 crisis and to secure urgently-needed scholarships for their gap year students.Last month, the Masa program cut all funding to yeshiva and seminary students under the age of 22, citing budget cuts made by the Israeli government and the Jewish Agency, which funds it. Most of the students are from the US, Canada and the UK.World Mizrachi is leading an unprecedented coalition of 50 yeshivot and seminaries spanning the Torah spectrum to restore funding for scholarships to gap year students so every student who wants would be able to attend a coalition-affiliated yeshiva or seminary this fall. Masa together with the Jewish Agency and the Israeli government will provide matching funds of 3:1 for a significant amount of the emergency campaign subsidies target.Powered by CauseMatch, the 48-hour “If I Forget You, Jerusalem” Emergency Campaign will launch on Monday, July 27, 6th Av, ahead of Tisha Be’av.“Few experiences transform Jewish lives more than a gap year in Israel, so let’s not allow the Corona crisis to weaken our incredible Torah institutions and deny even one needy student from this life changing year," said World Mizrachi's Chief Executive Rabbi Doron Perez.Research has shown the remarkable impact of year-in-Israel programs on Jewish identity and destiny. Through learning, experiencing, and engaging, these programs build future Jewish leaders. Mizrachi plans to launch a Gap Year Division that will constantly support, and advocate on behalf of Torah institutions across Israel, as well as the students and global Jewish communities they serve. The campaign, which will accept tax-deductible donations in multiple currencies, is designed to drive an influx of generosity in support of yeshivot and seminaries that cater to international high school graduates. "[The campaign] is a direct response to the loss of revenue that these Torah institutions must overcome," said Joseph Bornstein, CEO of CauseMatch. "This is a public demonstration that the global Jewish community stands behind the yeshivot and seminaries."
