The Wisconsin Society for Jewish Learning, Inc., is engaging in a campaign to raise funds to secure its future, according to a release.
Due to the deaths of numerous major donors and to economic conditions that have affected many people, the organization has had to make changes, which include cuts in staff and other measures to lower its operating costs. Now the WSJL is reaching out to individuals to secure the funds needed to move ahead.
For 56 years, the WSJL has filled a unique position in the Wisconsin Jewish community. It brings together members from many varied segments of the Jewish community statewide to foster learning through top quality speakers and cultural programs.
The WSJL has also been a leader in collaborative programs with other organizations in the community. Some of the statewide programs and initiatives that the organization has delivered in the recent past, or is currently working on, include:
• The development of the Department of Hebrew and Semitic Studies at the University of Wisconsin Madison and Milwaukee campuses.
• The creation of the Jewish archives at the Wisconsin Historical Society.
• Providing student scholarships and faculty development grants.
• Sponsoring the “Jews of Kaifeng” exhibit at Alverno College.
• Developing an online curriculum on the Jews of Wisconsin for fourth-eighth graders.
• Producing a documentary film on the Jews in Wisconsin’s small communities, “Chosen Towns,” of which a DVD is available for purchase.
• Implementing a statewide Bible Study Project.
Most of WSJL’s programs have been provided free of charge.
The organization’s executive director is Kathleen R. Jendusa, and its president is Rabbi Steven H. Adams. (Full disclosure: Chronicle editor Leon Cohen is also director of the WSJL’s Wisconsin Small Jewish Communities History Project.)
For information on how to become a WSJL member or how to contribute to its future, call the office at 414-963-9620 or visit the website www.wsjl.org.
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