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Initiatives

Targum Shlishi is a venture philanthropy foundation that devotes the bulk of its energy to funding promising organizations and projects. However, the foundation also initiates projects. Some of these projects are ideas generated by Targum Shlishi that are accomplished by partnering with other organizations. In other cases, we work to generate further support for worthy causes through awareness campaigns. In special cases, we produce projects internally, such as books and websites. Below is a selected list of our initiatives undertaken over the course several years.

Online Archive for Rabbi Irving (Yitz) Greenberg

Targum Shlishi conceived, developed, and produced this online archive dedicated to showcasing and preserving the work of Rabbi Greenberg, a leading modern Orthodox rabbi.

Go to more information about the online archive.

Jewish Sages of Today: Profiles of Extraordinary People book

Jewish Sages of Today: Profiles of Extraordinary People is a book edited by Aryeh Rubin, Targum Shlishi’s founder and director, and published by Devora Publishing and Targum Shlishi in 2009. The book contains profiles of twenty-seven individuals dedicated to improving the Jewish world.

Go to more information about the book.

Jewish Sages of Today Teacher’s Guide

The Jewish Sages of Today Teacher’s Guide is a companion to the book. Also developed by Targum Shlishi, it is a flexible curriculum adaptable for grades seven through adult learners.

Go to the Jewish Sages of Today Teacher’s Guide.

Jewish Sages of Today Online

The Jewish Sages of Today website complements the book by providing further information on each of the sages profiled in the book. The website contains a wealth of materials to explore, from outtakes of interviews conducted with each sage for the book to samples of their work, and more.

Go the the Jewish Sages of Today website.

Before It’s Too Late: The Search for Mass Graves of Jews Massacred by Nazis in Ukraine

Aryeh Rubin of Targum Shlishi is spearheading an effort to raise awareness and funds for an extraordinary effort now underway by Father Patrick Desbois to locate and document the mass graves and preserve history.

Go to more information about the project, including a cover letter explaining it, a 10-minute film produced by Targum Shlishi, FAQs, contribution information, and media coverage.

Grants Awarded for Dissertations on Jewish Studies Topics

Targum Shlishi’s commitment to supporting scholarship in the field of Jewish Studies extended to supporting dissertation research for scholars throughout the U.S., Israel, and elsewhere. This initiative took place for several years; while it is not currently available, the foundation continues to support scholarship in multiple ways.

Go to more information about the grants and recipients.

A Race Against Death Initiative

In March 2007, Targum Shlishi sent copies of this important book to 1,500 individuals in an attempt to motivate people to address the monumental problems facing the Jewish world at this critical time, including the threat of a nuclear Iran.

Go to more information about the project, including our cover letter explaining it, quotes from the book, samples of ads protesting the Holocaust, and resources about the threat to Israel posed by a nuclear Iran.

The Jewish Relationship to the Environment: A Series of Podcasts

Three podcasts on Jewish law and the environment based on the book, Environment and Judaism: Legal and Philosophical Perspectives, by Nahum Rakover, Ph.D. and produced by the Jewish Legal Heritage Society, at the suggestion and with the support of Targum Shlishi.

Go to more information about the podcasts, including descriptions and downloadable files.

Enhancing Jewish Education in the Baltic States

There are four Jewish day schools in the Baltic region, none of which have effective Jewish Studies programs. Targum Shlishi is working with the Lookstein Center at Bar Ilan University and partnering with Van Greenfield to improve the Jewish Studies programs at these schools by funding a training program that will address curricular materials and pedagogical skills.

Why the Baltics? In 1930 the region (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia) was home to almost 200,000 Jews. Today, the Jewish population is approximately 23,500. Members of the small Jewish population remaining in this once-thriving region are in general not well educated Jewishly, but are eager to learn.

Targum Shlishi Excellent Learner/Educator/Mentor Awards (TSELEM) for the Miami Community

For five years, beginning in 2005, Targum Shlishi funded annual awards to recognize the dedication and contributions of ten exceptional teachers at day schools, congregational schools, and early childhood programs in Miami. The awards program, administered by Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE), identified and promoted Jewish educational leadership at the local-school level to encourage and motivate educational innovation and excellence.

Targum Shlishi Student Scholarship Initiative, Miami

In 2003, Targum Shlishi provided several scholarships for students attending Jewish day schools in Miami-Dade County.

J.J. Greenberg Memorial Lecture and Workshop Series for Educators

Targum Shlishi conceived and funded this 2003 series to serve Miami’s Jewish education providers. One area of focus was the problem of sexual abuse in children; workshops instructed educators on warning signs of childhood sexual abuse. The workshops were conducted by Ohel, a New York-based organization, and were administered by Miami’s Central Agency for Jewish Education. The series honored the memory of Jonathan Joseph (J.J.) Greenberg, the son of Rabbi Irving (Yitz) and Blu Greenberg.

Peace of Mind Program, Miami

The Peace of Mind Program was initiated by Targum Shlishi and implemented in Miami by the Shul of Bal Harbour for several years in the early 2000s. A free-loan program, Peace of Mind was unique in that it focused on helping educators in Jewish day schools of all denominations and had a no-questions-asked policy.  In the program’s first three years, thirty-eight loans were provided to teachers from eleven  schools. Targum Shlishi also disseminated information on the program and its success to other communities throughout the country, encouraging them to establish similar initiatives.

Promoting Awareness Among Jewish Women

In 2000, Targum Shlishi gifted more than one hundred Jewish women in South Florida with subscriptions to each of three Jewish women’s publications: Lilith Magazine, a Jewish women’s quarterly; Re://collections, the newsletter of the Jewish Women’s Archive; and JOFA Journal, the newsletter of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance. The foundation undertook this initiative to promote awareness of women’ issues at a time in which women’s roles are in flux in both U.S. society and within all denominations of Judaism.

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