With the click of a button, anyone with a computer and modem will soon be able to download all the information they need about scholarships, educational loans and camperships available to the Bay Area Jewish community.
The Bureau of Jewish Education will bring an updated version of its popular scholarship and loan guide online next month, thanks to a grant of nearly $22,000 from the Jewish Community Endowment Kohn Fund of the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation.
“This grant gives the bureau the opportunity to bring the scholarship and loan guide into the computer age and make this important information more accessible to more people,” said Marcia Goldman, a member of the Kohn Fund Advisory Committee.
The $22,000, to be given over a five-year period, was one of eight grants totaling nearly $154,000 just awarded by the Kohn Fund, which seeks to strengthen Jewish education and youth by focusing on leadership development, special education programs and assistance programs for needy Jewish students.
The Bay Area Jewish Community Scholarships and Loans Guide, first published with a Kohn Fund grant in 1984, has been updated twice. The current version, published five years ago, includes 89 different funds for camperships, conference scholarships, educational scholarships and Israel programs.
However, program and financial aid information changes constantly, according to BJE officials. An online version of the guide addresses that problem, as information can be updated on the Web site nearly as quickly as it changes.
“Young people who want and need this type of information expect that there will be a high-tech way to get it,” said Kerin Lieberman, BJE associate director.
Those without computer access won’t be out of luck, Lieberman added. Anyone phoning or writing the BJE, the JCF or other Jewish agencies for information will be mailed printouts of relevant Web pages.
Michael Jacobs, chairman of the Kohn Fund advisory committee, said the high-tech leap advances the missions of the BJE and the Kohn Fund to increase learning opportunities in the Jewish community.
“This is taking advantage of technology to reach a dispersed population and get them the information they need,” he said.
Once the scholarship and loan guide is updated, it will be available via the BJE’s Web site at www.bjesf.org
In addition to funding the online scholarship and loan guide, the Jewish Community Endowment Kohn Fund announced the following grants:
*Jewish Vocational Service received a $78,000 grant for its Kohn Summer Internship Program for 1998-99. Launched in 1985 with a Kohn Fund grant, the program aims to develop future lay and professional Jewish leaders by selecting 30 college students from the San Francisco and East Bay federation areas to work in Jewish communal agencies. The grant will also be used to upgrade the Kohn Program by involving interns in community projects and offering them career-building counseling.
*The BJE received a $19,000 grant to fund special education programs in Jewish day schools and synagogue schools for students with learning differences, such as dyslexia and attention deficit disorder. A portion of the grant will be used toward building future programs for developmentally disabled students, such as those with autism or Down syndrome.
*Brandeis Hillel Day School received a $15,000 grant to hire a specialist to create a pilot program at the school’s Marin campus providing Hebrew instruction to children with learning disabilities. An additional $5,000 grant is pending to help fund the school’s English as a Second Language program.
*National Council of Jewish Women received a $12,000 grant for the Home Activities for Toddlers and their Families program in Kiryat Shmona, Israel. The two-year program, now serving 45 families, aims to improve the child-rearing skills of educationally or emotionally disadvantaged parents through home visits by professionals. The NCJW also received a $4,000 grant to fund scholarships for needy Jewish students in the Bay Area.
*The BJE received $11,000 for its early childhood education program, which provides training in Jewish education to preschool teachers in Jewish community centers and synagogues in the S.F.-based JCF region.