Accomplishments

 Here Are Some of our Accomplishments

Growing Relationships Among Community Leaders

JCVT has provided opportunities for Jewish clergy, educators, and synagogue leadership from across the state to share, learn, and collaborate. Today there are growing personal and professional relationships as a result of JCVT’s efforts. Working with Jewish community leadership statewide has created a more vibrant and dynamic connected Jewish community in Vermont.

Regional Gatherings Bring People Together

Regional Gatherings include music, food and cultural offerings. Participants of all ages have expressed how wonderful it is to make new friends, discover new Jewish options and enjoy the Jewish spirit in the mountains of Vermont.

PJ Library in Vermont Turns 16!

Thanks to the support of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and many generous donors throughout Vermont and beyond, JCVT is the home of PJ Library in Vermont, an international program providing a monthly gift of books and parenting support for families looking to raise children in a Jewish home. JCVT offers parenting support through parent education classes, parent connectors who work directly with families and communities, and a variety of programs such as holiday concerts, shared celebrations, and family gatherings.

The Weekly News

Today more than 4,500 people get JCVT’s weekly informative newsletter.  This email informs readers of the abundance of Jewish offerings in their region.  Over the ten years of its publication it has helped with the expansion of both Jewish programming in Vermont and the increase in synagogue website and social media content.  Additionally, JCVT reaches 5,000 to 10,000 people through Facebook and Instagram each week.

Central Hub

JCVT is a central hub to learn more about Vermont’s Jewish community. Over the past few years, more and more Vermonters and non-Vermonters have reached out to JCVT in search of more information on synagogues, schools, Israel, Israel trips, Jewish music events, summer camps, Hillel and other organizations.  JCVT has helped make new connections and membership for various Jewish organizations.

With the increase in anti-Semitism (nearly every Jewish community in Vermont has experienced some form of anti-Semitic activity in the past 4 years), JCVT has responded to big and small requests for assistance.  JCVT has worked with the Vermont State Police, the Attorney General, the Vermont State Board of Education, and numerous local police departments on anti-Israel issues and synagogue security issues that arose from the Pittsburgh tragedy.

Covenant Grant Award

In January 2022, JCVT was chosen from a nationwide pool to receive a very competitive Signature Grant from the Covenant Foundation entitled Shmita Statewide! This is a three year  grant for $150,000. Convenant Foundation recognizes recipients, such as JCVT,  for some of “the newest and most exciting ideas in Jewish education.”

The purpose of Shmita Statewide is to develop a sustainable, predictable, and exciting statewide program of activities that unites the Jewish community through collaborative Jewish education activities focused on a variety of issues, including shmita and the seven-year cycle of renewal and action.

You can read the details of the grant application here.