Submission #15404 by Temple Israel of Sharon Brotherhood - Sharon, MA (738)

I have read the 2021 Torch Awards Program Guidelines.
Club Name
Temple Israel of Sharon Brotherhood - Sharon, MA (738)
March of the Living
Club Representative
Person completing form
Stanley
Hurwitz
Club President at time of convention if known at this time
Scott
Shikora
Club President Now
Harold
Waisel
Youth Programming

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March of the Living (MOTL), an international youth education program now in its 30th year, inspires young participants from around the world to become knowledgeable, active community leaders. Since 1988, MOTL has brought 260,000 teens to Eastern Europe and Israel, where they learn about the Jewish community that once flourished in Europe, the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the establishment and survival of the State of Israel. Another important goal: To teach about the roots of anti-Semitism and prejudice in general, and to help inform a new cadre of Jewishy community leaders.
For several years, with Temple Israel of Sharon Men's Club's Irv Kempner as Mass. Chapter Chair, we have sponsored and organized a multi-pronged awareness, fundraising and teen-involvement program designed to reach all temple members:
(1) Recruitment of temple teens (high school juniors) to join the two-week MOTL Poland Israel trip. The cost is $5400. As an incentive to help defray costs, the Kempner Family Foundation provides the first $2000 to every Mass. teen participant. To date, ______ TIOS teens have participated in MOTL since ________.
(2) Annually, the Brotherhood sends a Yellow Candle Letter to 680 TI family members reminding people to light the candle on Yom Hashoah to memorialize the Shoah. Temple Israel Brotherhood also asks them to make generous donations to the TI brotherhood Yellow Candle program to support Teen Holocaust education programs like March of the Living and trips to the US Holocaust Museum in Washington.
- Proceeds from the sale of Yellow Candles have been used these past 4 years to provide $1000 MOTL trip Scholarships to teens that are the sons or daughters of TI Brotherhood members. Participating teens and their parents have to fund the balance of the trip cost
- Through this program, we also help other Temples and their Brotherhoods to help their congregations' families send their teens. We help bring the cost to a more affordable $2400 -- while building a farm team of future Jewish leaders from MOTL Alumni

Attachments
Self Assessment
Several Temple Israel of Sharon (Mass.) Men's Club members are involved in teen participant recruitment and fundraising. One member is the NE Chapter Major Gifts Chairman. In the last several years, many members have helped us to recruit their own teens to go. Students return with a new outlook and a strong desire to be more active in the community, in college, and as adults. A national survey of past participants bears this out. Our students often speak at temple events to discuss what they saw and learned, how it changed their lives forever, and how they intend to put their lessons of 'tikkun olam' to work going forward in their everyday life. Our congregation and the parents are beaming with pride. Success on many levels!
This program crosses intergenerational boundaries: A great life-changing experience for participating teens and shared 'nachas' with their families, friends. There are _____ Brotherhood/Men's Club members and 680 temple members who hear about the program several times throughout the year in shul, in the bulletin, in local news media, at temple events. MOTL gives families a target program for their own teens to participate. The post-event recollections by recent travelers are exciting and memorable, and stirs interest in the temple and general community. Parents speak about how the experience has changed their sons or daughters in so many positive ways.
March of the Living enables Men's Club members to support scholarships for local teens who might not otherwise be able to afford the cost of this unique, life-changing journey to Poland and Israel. The innovative program makes the next generation aware of their history, the origins and results of prejudice and anti-Semitism, and how they can do their own part in college and throughout their life in their own communities and temples as a new hope for our Jewish future. There is no other similar program that juxtaposes the WW II Eastern Europe component with the Israel experience -- showing the value of a Jewish homeland that only came about 70 years ago.

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Original Program
Previous Submission
Yes