American Jewish University receives grants for cultural programs, including mikvah

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Michelle Moreh, Rachel Richter, or Nathan Miller

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American Jewish University Receives Three Prestigious Grants to Support Growing Programs

Grants from the Covenant Foundation, CANVAS, and the National Center to Encourage Judaism will strengthen and build several programs at the University.

LOS ANGELES—Today American Jewish University (AJU) announced that it has been awarded a total of $185,000 in grant funds from the Covenant Foundation, CANVAS, and the National Center to Encourage Judaism. The funding will go towards building and strengthening educational, cultural, and community programs at the University. 

As part of $1.7 million in new grants that the Covenant Foundation is distributing in 2022, AJU has received a $150,000 grant to create a new initiative, Mikvah L’Amcha: Mikvah for the People. This program will connect new audiences in the Jewish community to AJU’s Community Mikvah—the only pluralistic mikvah in Southern California—through diverse educational partnerships, replicable curricular materials for partner organizations, and a space for healing during the pandemic.

“Mikvah is a sacred part of the Jewish tradition and has been a powerful experience for our community through milestones and difficult moments,” said Kyla Sokoll-Ward, AJU Director of the Community Mikvah. “The support of the Covenant Foundation allows us to dramatically expand access to the mikvah and develop curricular materials that can be utilized by partners to create a meaningful mikvah experiences across denominations.” 

AJU has also received a grant from CANVAS, a program that elevates the ecosystem of Jewish arts and culture in North America through giving, education, and cross-sector exposure. This $25,000 grant will be used to strengthen and build Jewish arts and culture networks, and to increase the quantity and quality of support for Jewish creatives and creatives working in the Jewish cultural space. 

“We are grateful to CANVAS for its support as we develop, create, and expand our vision for our Jewish arts and culture offerings at AJU,” said Dr. Rotem Rozental, AJU Chief Curator and Senior Director of Arts and Culture.

AJU has also received a $10,000 grant from the National Center to Encourage Judaism to support the marketing and distribution campaign of a new video series within the Miller Introduction to Judaism curriculum. This video course, titled On One Foot: A Taste of Judaism, is a series of 19 videos. 

 “The support of the National Center to Encourage Judaism will allow us to share ‘On One Foot’ with communities across the country, providing an opportunity for a variety of audiences to access a dynamic curriculum that draws on Miller Introduction to Judaism’s core subject areas,” said Rabbi Adam Greenwald, AJU Vice President for Jewish Engagement.

About AJU: American Jewish University (AJU) is a thriving center of resources and talent that advances the Jewish journeys of individuals, organizations, and our community through excellence in scholarship, teaching, engaged conversation, and outreach. AJU equips students, faculty, campers, and learners of all ages with the tools to create the ideas, build the structures, and develop the programs to advance Jewish wisdom and elevate our world. For more information, visit www.aju.edu.   

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