Shalom Orlando

In 2010 we launched our PJ Library program. This initiative provides free Jewish content books, to about 900 families in our community. Fifty percent of Jewish homes with preschool children in Central Florida are now PJ families. The beauty of the PJ Library is that it creates Jewish memories by bringing Jewish content to the recipients’ homes. With beautifully written and colorful books, parents read to their children stories of treasured Jewish values like kindness, respect, and tolerance as well as the Jewish holidays sparking an interest in the child and a sense of belonging. JFGO then magnifies the effect of the books by providing relevant community programs and partnerships with our synagogues and agencies.
PJ Library helps grow our children’s values with Jewish concepts. It ensures that they make Judaism second nature, instead of second best. It nurtures relationships to Jewish tradition, learning, beliefs and practices. pastingFor tweens, PJ Our Way provides free chapter books that readers 81/2 to 11 choose themselves. This year we have 950 families enrolled. We also sponsor a similar program in Israel at our partner city Kiryat Motzkin.For tweens, PJ Our Way provides free chapter books that readers 81/2 to 11
choose themselves. This year we have 950 families enrolled. We also sponsor a
similar program in Israel at our partner city Kiryat Motzkin.

To strengthen our connection with Israel, we have built a long-term partnership between Greater Orlando and Kiryat Motzkin (an Israeli city, north of Haifa) to foster economic, educational, and cultural opportunities in both cities.
Through Partnership2Gether, we help the community by funding a leadership program through many initiatives including: The Kiryat Motzkin Youth Unit that 150 teenagers participate in to help build tomorrow’s Israeli leaders. In Kiryat Motzkin, many Holocaust survivors participate at no charge in the activities of Mashmaut Center thanks in part to funding from JFGO. Each year funding from JFGO allows low-income families to benefit from remedial teaching at the MASHAL after school facility for students with learning and other disabilities. Sifriyat Pijama is a reading enhancement program, that now operates in Kiryat Motzkin. Kindergarteners enjoy receiving new books each month that teach Jewish traditions and values.

The
Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando excitedly announces the establishment of Jewish
Teen Education Network (JTEN), an innovative response to the changing needs of
today’s teens.  JFGO hopes this
initiative will act as a clearing house for all Jewish teen education in
Central Florida.  For more than two decades, Jewish teens have come together to engage in Jewish learning through Beit Hamidrash (the Community Hebrew High School). During this time, more than one thousand teens have come through its doors. As times change and the expectations of teenagers continue to increase, the program has adapted as well. Today’s teens are under tremendous pressure to build a college resume. With so much at stake, teens are often forced to make a choice between Jewish education and other activities. At the same time, in the past few years, the synagogues have introduced new ways to keep teenagers involved and engaged, such as Madrichim (teachers’ assistants) program, which has become very popular with teens. It is with these changes in mind that JFGO has decided to retire the Beit Hamidrash model to make way for JTEN. The Jewish community of Greater Orlando has many offerings for our community’s Jewish teens. Teens have opportunities through synagogues to participate in youth groups such as USY and GORFTY. These are connected to national movements and offer students the opportunity to attend regional and national conventions. BBYO has three local chapters in Maitland, Oviedo and South Orlando that offer nondenominational programming and connections to national events as well. The Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando offers sports programs, J-Serve, JCC Maccabi Games, and camp programs for teens. JFGO’s continued commitment to Jewish teen education will be the cornerstone of all of JTEN’s initiatives. JTEN’s first initiative will offer grants to synagogues and community agencies that provide Jewish educational opportunities for teens. Grant applicants will be required to meet specific requirements including course length, staff qualifications, and program content. The grants will also require that all courses must be open to all Central Florida teens, regardless of affiliation. Other exciting initiatives will include community-wide teen education days (the first will be held on November 9, 2014), providing resources and networking opportunities for Jewish educators, as well as awarding grants for organized teen Israel trips made possible by the Ronald Coleman Israel Scholarship Fund.

border:none windowtext 1.0pt;mso-border-alt:none windowtext 0in;padding:0in">About
RAISERAISE (Recognizing Abilities and Inclusion of Special Employees) is a work and social skills training program for adults with special needs. RAISE provides paid, supported employment at partnering agencies and transition to employment in our local community. The RAISE Mission is to build confidence and support adults with special needs and their families in alliance with the Vocational Rehabilitation job search process. It is our intention to create awareness and promote inclusion in our Central Florida community and beyond. RAISE offers each participant the self-worth that comes from earning a paycheck, the satisfaction of being a participating member of society, the self-respect that comes with productivity, the dignity of having a job in an accepting work environment, a feeling of contribution, and the social benefit of interfacing with our community. During a participant’s time in RAISE, job skills are modeled and refined. RAISE builds self-esteem, teaches independence in the workplace and at home, educates and inspires participants and their families to set new goals, supports and encourages social growth, and creates awareness of professional services and social opportunities in Central Florida.RAISE Web page: https://orlandojewishfed.org/raise/

In partnership with Jewish Family Services, we help fund the Community Rabbi program that ensures no Jew feels alone during difficult times. The Community Rabbi visits people in hospitals and hospice, conducts funerals, and offers spiritual guidance to those in need. Last year, the Community Rabbi led 327 life events that brought care and comfort to more than 2400 people in our community.

Through the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), the advocacy arm of JFGO, we represent the organized Central Florida Jewish community within the Greater Orlando community. JCRC advocates for a just society based on Jewish values in order to protect the rights of Jews and non-Jews alike. pastingThe Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) is the leading advocate for
the Greater Orlando Jewish community, engaging in important public policy discussions
and ensuring that our voices are amplified. 
We are one of the 125 JCRC’s in the nation that form the grassroots of
the national umbrella organization, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.