“The faith of our community in our work inspires us to go further for Chinuch,” shared Educational Director, Mrs. Chanah Rose, as Menachem Education Foundation (MEF) launched their campaign’s bonus round. The Chabad community deeply cares about their children’s Chinuch, and MEF faced an outpouring of support from countless donors as they fundraised to give A healthy Chinuch to EVERY child in Chabad schools worldwide. The extra funds will help MEF meet their ambitious goals for Chabad education.
So many people give to campaigns, but never find out what their contribution went towards. When the Menachem Education Foundation began their campaign bonus round, they shared how they have spent the money they raised last year, and what they plan to do with the funds they raised recently.
Their comprehensive and multi-faceted programs make a world of a difference to Chabad schools, students and educators across the globe. MEF reached their initial campaign goal of $600,000 before their 36 hour deadline, and followed the community’s lead and raised $684,675 to aim for better Chinuch than ever before.
In 2021, the Menachem Education Foundation:
1. Invested in new teachers, through training 17 teachers in our Teacher Training Program, which has graduated 293 teachers to date.
Goal for 2022: Make the training more accessible and affordable to new teachers.
2. Built the capacity of principles and executive leadership. 15 principles and 22 heads of school trained this year through our executive training. 87 schools trained to date.
Goal for 2022: Create new cohorts of leadership training, including in-person retreats.
3. Expanded into phase 2 of the Our Heritage matching grants program. We have enrolled 360 new public school students to date.
Goal for 2022: Create school programs and marketing strategies to attract new families.
4. Enhanced students’ social-emotional success with a new curriculum initiative piloted in 4 schools.
Goal for 2022: expand to 8 schools in year two.
5. Provided training and consultation for the Zekelman Standards for Chumash, expanding high quality Torah instruction throughout the world. 718 users on ZekelmanStandards.org, including 40 this year.
Goal for 2022: Rebrand and refresh our resource website and invest in new materials.
6. Rebranded our Mechaneches Training Program as “Teach and Reach” with 30 new participants.
Goal for 2022: Launch a parallel program for Mechanchim, Menahalim and Mashpiim.
7. Ran the 6th international Kinus Mechanchos Chabad for 500 educators.
Goal for 2022: Aim for 700 participants, both live and online.
8. Launched the Monthly Mechanchos Farbrengens, with 100 Mechanchos signed up for the Chavrusah learning.
Goal for 2022: Add in-person gatherings and regional conventions and farbrengens.
9. Trained 90 Chabad educators in Youth Mental Health First Aid.
Goal for 2022: Run crisis intervention training for school leaders.
This year, The Menachem Education Foundation also has plans to engage with Chabad schools in other English speaking communities beyond North and South America, to reach as many students as possible.
Educators and schools that utilize MEF’s program offerings share positive responses about the immediate results they see at their schools, and with their students.
- Ms. Chanie Greenfield, a Bnos Chabad leader in Bnos Menachem, Crown Heights, and graduate of “Teach and Reach” says, “This program gave me an invaluable feeling of confidence when I would walk into the school building, and speak to girls individually. I feel so lucky to have joined.”
- “It was so great to learn important skills to help our students during tough times, as well as systems to follow during mental health challenges,” shares Mrs. Rivka Fishman, veteran educator in Torah Day School of Houston, TX, about the Youth Mental Health First Aid Course.
- “The Menachem Education Foundation and its supporters have come through and transformed the lives of families who had little Jewish education. Many have transformed their homes to Jewish homes. Many were so inspired, they brought more families to enroll too,” adds Rabbi Yossi Mintz, director of Academy of the Arts, Redondo Beach, CA, who has students who greatly benefited from the Our Heritage program.
MEF thanks the 818 donors who contributed, and the matching donors who made their new goal possible. “Hayom katzar v’hamilacha meruba,” quotes Executive Director Rabbi Zalman Shneur. “This just proves how much more work we still have to do.”
