United Jewish Appeal's
Annual Campaign

 

Led by the efforts of Campaign Chairs Karen Simpson Radomski and Harley Mintz, and the Chair of UJA Women's Philanthropy, Leslie Richmond, along with our committed and passionate volunteers, United Jewish Appeal’s Annual Campaign aims to strengthen Jewish life and assist Jews in need in Toronto, Israel, and around the world.


 



We CARE for the vulnerable

 

UJA embraces Jews in need across the GTA, at every age and stage. Together with our network of partner agencies, UJA provides a safety net for thousands of our most vulnerable citizens, serving over 25,000 clients per year. For community members who need temporary support, we offer a "hand up" to lift them to a position of self-sufficiency. For thousands of others, our programs provide support services which vitally enrich their quality of life.


The following highlight just a few of the many programs your UJA dollars support in the community:

 

URGENT RESPONSE

The Intake Department at Jewish Family & Child (JF&CS) provides information and referrals to the community. In 2010 alone it answered the call of over 10,500 Jews in need including emergency calls regarding child welfare, women abuse, hospice and supplementary financial assistance.

 

SUPPLEMENTAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SFAP)

Administered through JF&CS, the purpose of SFAP is to provide vulnerable members of the community with supplementary financial assistance, counseling, and rehabilitation, all within a Jewish environment. The program serves 1,600 people monthly, representing a caseload of 500-600 families.

 

WOMEN ABUSE/CHILDREN WITNESSING VIOLENCE

Established by JF&CS in 1986, this program provides counseling and support services to women and their children who have been victims of domestic violence. It provides crisis intervention, development of a safety plan, advocacy, community development, referral and practical assistance to any woman who identifies herself as a victim of family violence. In 2010, approximately 1,400 women and children were served, with the number of cases totaling 572.

 

HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS' EMERGENCY NEEDS

Toronto has the only Holocaust survivor population in the world, outside of Israel, that is growing due to ongoing migration. The demand for emergency funds has grown considerably over the years from 180 survivors in 2007, to 242 survivors in 2008, to over 400 survivors in 2010. Funds assist survivors with urgent needs such as rent shortfalls, paying utilities, health costs not funded by OHIP, dental care, repairs to medical and home health care equipment, eyeglasses and other essentials.

 

JUMPSTART

This program pairs newcomers with mentors and resources in the community to find careers that are appropriate for their training and expertise. Over 120 newcomers receive assistance from Jewish Immigrant Aid Service of Toronto's (JIAS) JumpStart initiative annually. The program utilizes volunteers' connections to ensure newcomers secure meaningful employment.

 

EMPLOYMENT 

A unique Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) Toronto employment service which combines state-of-the-art website technology with traditional job placement and career counseling services, reaching out and connecting Jewish job seekers with employers. In 2009-2010, JVS secured employment for 884 community members. 

 


 

We BUILD Jewish identity and education

 

Programs that strengthen and nurture Jewish Identity are essential in maintaining our community's growth. UJA Federation's investment in identity programs and Jewish education in Toronto is without parallel in North America. The Julia and Henry Koschitzky Centre For Jewish Education, UJA Federation’s educational pillar, serves more than 70 day schools and supplementary programs as well as 1,500 educators and 16,000 students in Toronto, with the mandate of strengthening, enriching and promoting the quality of Jewish education in our schools.

 

Here is a sampling of the many Identity and Education programs your UJA dollars support:

 

BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL

In 2010, 650 young Torontonians participated in a Birthright Israel trip, with another 6,000 alumni being served through post-program activities. The gift of Birthright Israel was established to strengthen participants' personal Jewish identity and connection to Israel and the Jewish people through this unique and transformative initiative.

 

One Happy Camper

Providing a financial incentive to families of first-time campers, Jewish youngsters are experiencing the joys of Jewish overnight camp like never before. More than 475 campers received One Happy Camper grants to attend Jewish camp in 2010.
 

CAMP SUBSIDY PROGRAMS (THROUGH JF&CS AND JIAS Toronto)

Through the subsidy program, Jewish children from low-income families received scholarships to attend Jewish summer camp. Community funding supported 640 summer camp sessions in 2010.
 

ARTS. CULTURE. HERITAGE

UJA Federation invests $1.3 million annually in arts, culture, and heritage programs that serve audiences of over 260,000 a year and hundreds of thousands more globally, via web and social networks.
 

JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTRES

Each year thousands come together to exercise, learn and socialize at one of the three centres across the GTA. Whether it's downtown at the Miles Nadal JCC, mid-town at the Prosserman JCC, or north at the Schwartz/Reisman Centre, our community thrives on the programming offered by these agencies to enrich their Jewish lives.

 

SARAH AND CHAIM NEUBERGER HOLOCAUST EDUCATION CENTRE

The Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre is dedicated to preserving the past while educating future generations. Through education and remembrance we safeguard the lessons of the Holocaust in order to nurture an inclusive society. Each year the Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre engages over 70,000 students, educators and community members through a vast array of dynamic professional programs, events and services.
 

UJA ON CAMPUS

UJA Federation provides approximately $1 million annually to Hillel of Greater Toronto for Jewish identity and activism programming on behalf of 15,000 Jewish students studying at Toronto colleges and universities. UJA Federation also helps to fund Hillels on campuses across the country.
 

FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR SCHOOLS

UJA Federation allocates over $11 million annually towards the funding of Jewish day schools, tuition subsidies and supplementary schools. In addition, schools receive specific services from such UJA Federation partner agencies as Jewish Vocational Services and Jewish Family & Child to enhance educational programming. Some schools also receive remedial support for diverse learning programs including teacher mentorship while other schools receive special education consultation where there is no capacity for a resource within the system.

 


 

 

We STAND with Israel and the Jewish world

 

Since the birth of Israel in 1948, UJA has strengthened Israeli society by investing in vulnerable Israeli communities and assisting new immigrants. By leveraging our investments with matching dollars from Israeli philanthropists and the Israeli Government and working in partnership with the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), UJA is making transformational changes.
 

In partnership with JAFI, UJA has been instrumental in:

  • Facilitating Aliyah for those who choose to make Israel their home.
  • The absorption of thousands of Ethiopian Jews across the country.
  • The reconnection of Jews from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) to their Jewish roots from which they were forcibly separated over 70 years of communist rule.
  • Being the first responder to crises in Israel and around the Jewish world.
  • The engagement of young Jews from Israel and across the globe in social activism.
  • The addressing of needs of vulnerable Jewish populations worldwide.
     

SPECIAL TORONTO PARTNERSHIPS

In order to deepen and enhance the impact of the work we are accomplishing with JAFI, UJA has initiated three unique partnerships with the Israeli municipalities of Bat Yam, Eilat/Eilot and Sderot. Work being carried out in these communities through UJA's support is transforming vulnerable populations, offering opportunity and possibility where once there was none. Through innovative programs which provide educational, vocational and health services, UJA is changing the socio-economic and cultural landscape of Israeli society.

 

OVERSEAS

Working on behalf of UJA Federation for the past decade, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) has been striving to accomplish two things for vulnerable Jewish populations worldwide:
Offering relief to the poor and infirm, mainly the elderly, many of whom are Holocaust survivors.
Renewing Jewish communal leadership in the former Soviet Union where communism and the Holocaust devastated Jewish life and culture.
 

UJA's impact in Kishinev, Moldova and its relationship with Szarvas, Hungary

UJA has developed a special relationship with the community of Kishinev in Moldova enhancing the work of the JDC by offering support and much needed relief to the Jewish elderly who are living in poverty and neglect.

UJA is also investing in cultivating the next Jewish leaders of the FSU through focusing assistance efforts on an international leadership training program at a Jewish summer camp in Szarvas, Hungary.

*Funds raised for Israel and overseas are allocated to Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA for which authorized organizations deliver services.


We LEAD Jewish and Israel advocacy

UJA Federation ensures that our community is heard and respected by decision makers at all levels, inside and outside of government. Whether it's Canada's relationship with Israel on Parliament Hill, seniors' policy at Queen's Park, or anti-Semitic activity on a university campus, the Jewish community has a strong voice through UJA funded organizations.
 

ENSURING OUR PLACE IN CANADIAN SOCIETY

Supported by UJA Federation, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) identifies issues important to the Jewish community and assists in communicating with government, media, community, business and academic leaders to build understanding and close relationships.
 

CANADA-ISRAEL RELATIONS

With the aim of promoting and advancing all aspects of the Canada-Israel relationship, CIJA communicates on a regular basis with government officials, journalists, academics and others who have an impact on public policy and public opinion in Canada.
 

HUMAN RIGHTS

UJA Federation and CIJA are involved in human rights issues and the promotion of human rights for all Canadians. Through our commitment to human rights, we demonstrate our community's core values to support both Jews at risk and others whose rights are threatened.
 

DELEGITIMIZATION AWARENESS

UJA Federation, in cooperation with CIJA, has embraced several initiatives to educate community members about the disturbing trend of Israel delegitimization. Among them are:

Activism Now – A program that teaches young people to identify online assaults on Israel's right to exist. Students are taught to recognize the code words that are used to question Israel's legitimacy and encouraged to take online action to deal with this phenomenon.

Grassroots Activism – UJA Federation promotes the creation of community grassroots groups to act as activists for Israel. These groups are inclusive, ranging from "left" to "right", all united behind the common cause of Israel's right to exist peacefully as a Jewish state.

International Action – UJA Federation, together with its affiliated organizations, such as CIJA, Jewish Federations of North America, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, and the Tel Aviv based Reut Institute are at the forefront of international efforts to combat the assault on Israel's right to exist. UJA Federation is a founding and active member of the Israel Action Network (IAN), which unites North American Jewish Federations and associated global organizations in the anti-delegitimization initiative.
 


 

CRA Registration number for United Jewish Welfare Fund of Toronto BN: 108155797RR0002

CRA Annual Information Return (T3010) for United Jewish Welfare Fund of Toronto

CRA Registration number for United JewishAppeal of Greater Toronto BN: 119276723RR0001

CRA Annual Information Return (T3010) for United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto

 

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