Introducing the Jewish Appleseed Foundation, Inc.

The Jewish Appleseed Foundation, Inc., a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization, was established in March 1997 by Rabbi Jo David, who serves as the Foundation’s Executive Director.  The Foundation’s mission is to sow the seeds of Jewish Living through non-denominational, liberal Jewish outreach.  The Foundation’s efforts are concentrated in four specific areas:

1. Jewish Education,
   
2. Jewish Spirituality,
   
3. Jewish Community Building, and
   
4. Interfaith Understanding.

Many organizations involved in Jewish outreach target large population segments — e.g., Jewish singles, unaffiliated mainstream Jews, and interfaith families.  Small or “unstable” (low income producing) communities of Jews are often characterized by large organizations as “not worth the effort” and “statistically irrelevant.”

The Jewish Appleseed Foundation’s philosophy is that no Jew is “statistically irrelevant.”  We believe that every single Jew is a valuable member of the Jewish community with needs that the larger community is obligated to address.  For this reason, the Foundation’s outreach efforts are targeted at:

• Jews who are geographically distanced from established Jewish communities,
  
• Jews who are not affiliated with a congregation,
  
• Jews who are spiritually or emotionally distanced from Judaism, and
  
• Jews whose community needs are not being met by other organizations.

Another important mission of the Foundation is to create safe environments for Jews who live in small, predominantly non-Jewish communities.  For this reason, the Foundation fields a variety of programs that foster interfaith understanding between Jews and non-Jews.

The Foundation maintains this Web site (jewishappleseed.org). Designed to be “user friendly” for Jews and non-Jews alike who visit each month, the site offers a wide range of information about Jewish customs, religious practices, and Jewish spirituality as well as a free “Ask the Rabbi” service. Please let us know how we can improve this Web site to make it more helpful. 

The Foundation’s operating funds are drawn from solicited donations from individuals, foundation grants, and donations made through the Web site’s secure server.  Opportunities are available for individual and corporate website sponsorship.

The Foundation was established in the spirit of “tikkun olam” — the repairing of the world.  The vast majority of donated funds are used to implement the Foundation’s programming, rather than to support overhead expenses.  An investment in the Jewish Appleseed Foundation is an investment in the empowerment of fragile Jewish communities and in support of worldwide Jewish continuity.

To learn more of the Foundation’s recent past activities, see our online newsletters, Seedlings, Fall 2000 and Seedlings, Spring 2001.