Transformimg Jewish Lives
We also want to thank the following Federations for their generous support of Jewish education and JESNA:
Jewish Community Board of Akron • Jewish Federation of Central New York • Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis • Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City • Jewish Federation of Greater Monmouth • Jewish Federation of Peoria • Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey • Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley • Jewish Federation of Nashville & Middle Tennessee • Jewish Federation of San Antonio • United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula • Youngstown Area Jewish Federation
JESNA offers numerous philanthropic options that are designed to fit your individual needs. Consider which of the many giving options best suit you:
Undesignated and Designated Gifts
An undesignated gift is the most flexible kind of gift. Donors who make undesignated gifts enhance JESNA's ability to apply financial resources where they are most needed. Designated gifts are earmarked toward one or more specific campaign goals. Donors may target their contributions in ways that reflect their interests while also addressing important JESNA needs. Both undesignated and designated gifts may take a variety of forms.
Gifts of Securities
Increasing numbers of supporters are making gifts to JESNA using appreciated securities including stock, bonds and mutual funds. A donor is entitled to take a charitable deduction for the full fair market value of appreciated securities held longer than one year and usually avoids paying the capital gains tax that would be due if the donor sold the securities. To learn more, or to make a gift of stock, contact
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by email or by calling our Development Office at 212-284-6886.
Planned Gifts
Planned gifts support campaign goals while meeting the financial planning needs of the donor. Planned gifts typically come from a donor's assets rather than income, and can be either outright or deferred. They are often structured to provide income to the donor, family members, or his/her designees for life or a term of years. There are many planned gift options; each has certain tax and investment advantages. Your financial adviser and JESNA's Development Office can help structure a planned gift that will meet your personal financial and philanthropic objectives. Your gift allows you and your family to realize your own personal goals and wishes while furthering JESNA's mission. It is highly recommended that donors consult with their own tax or legal advisors prior to making a planned gift.
For further information about these or other opportunities of giving, please contact the Development Office at 212-284-6886.
The Rabbi Joshua ben Gamla Society
The Rabbi Joshua ben Gamla Society honors individuals who give undesignated annual gifts of $10,000 or more. When it became clear that many children were not receiving a Jewish education, Rabbi Joshua ben Gamla, the leader of the Sanhedrin in the first century, took it upon himself to establish a system of public education for Jewish children in ancient Judea, the first of its kind in the world. Joshua ben Gamla virtually saved Torah observance by assuming the responsibility of Torah education for those who could not help themselves.
The Ben Zakkai Society
The Ben Zakkai Society honors individuals who give undesignated annual gifts of $25,000 or more. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai is known as the "father of wisdom and the father of generations [of scholars]" because he ensured the continuation of Jewish scholarship after Jerusalem fell to Rome in 70 C.E. He was the youngest and most distinguished disciple of Rabbi Hillel. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai convinced the Romans to spare Yavneh, (which then replaced Jerusalem as the new home of the Sanhedrin) the Jewish Supreme Court, and its Torah sages. The school that ben Zakkai established at Yavneh became the center of Jewish learning for centuries.
The Ner Tamid Society
The Ner Tamid Society honors individuals who give a planned gift of $100,000 or more. The Ner Tamid, eternal light, represents the light of Torah, of Jewish learning and teaching. JESNA is dedicated to ensuring that the light of Torah never dims, that it continues to illuminate our path and guide our deeds across generations. We are deeply thankful for the generosity of devoted individuals and families who have made bequests and other planned gifts to JESNA providing support into perpetuity.
For more information on joining any of our unique societies, please contact Ellen Goldstein at
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or call 212 284-6886 respectively.
Information submitted on this form is for the use of JESNA only and will not be shared with any outside individuals or institutions. JESNA uses PayPal for secure online payment processing.
Three easy ways to donate online:
1. Make a General Donation to JESNA
2. Make a Donation in Honor or in Memory of Someone
3. Make a Donation by Purchasing a Pack of Ten (10) Tribute Cards
Five memorial cards and five honor cards for $360.
JESNA works in partnership with a diverse and dynamic array of innovators, educators, funders, and decision-makers across North America who share our commitment to excellence in Jewish education. These relationships enable JESNA to ensure that every Jewish learner in our communities has access to the richness of our tradition through experiences, classrooms, curriculum, books or online resources. Please join us in helping Jewish education thrive and ensuring our future as a people.
How can your contribution make a difference?* 
A gift of $36 helps JESNA maintain our high quality of work in communities across the United States and Canada
A gift of $100 enables one young Jewish education innovator to participate in a conference where his/ her project can be nurtured and developed by mentors and peers
A gift of $180 enables our staff to conduct the research and vetting that brings ten valuable new resources online for easy access by educators in your community
A gift of $250 helps us produce a two-hour “webinar” on professional development for educators attended by key staff from Central Agencies for Jewish education in communities like yours across North America 
A gift of $1,000 provides an opportunity for a college student in our Lainer MASA Israel Interns program to attend an annual retreat that reinforces their commitment to a career in Jewish education when they graduate
A gift of $10,000 or more can provide in-depth evaluation and consulting services to program providers serving Jewish children, teens, or adults in your community
There are many ways to provide the financial support that fuels our work:
- Become a Friend of JESNA
Undesignated gifts allow JESNA to allocate funds where they are most urgently needed, while designated gifts allow you to fund a specific project.
- Give a Gift in Honor or in Memory
Tribute and memorial contributions honor, memorialize, or congratulate friends and family. JESNA will send a beautiful, artist-designed card on your behalf to the recipient, or you may purchase packets of blank tribute cards for your own use.
- Join a JESNA Giving Society
JESNA's Giving Societies recognize and honor the significant annual contributions of our most committed leaders. Annual gifts to the Ben Gamla Society of $10,000 and over, our Ben Zakkai Society of $25,000 or more, as well as planned gifts of $100,000 and above to the Ner Tamid Society provide the vital foundation for all our initiatives to flourish.
If your company has a matching gifts program as an employee benefit, your gift to JESNA could be eligible for such a match. The Human Resources office at your workplace can tell you more about this benefit and how it can help you increase the impact of your gift to Jewish education.
For more information on giving please call our Development department at 212-284-6886 or visit our website at www.jesna.org and look for the “Support Jewish Education” button.