Education
Education has been central to Jewish life since biblical times. To ensure a vibrant future for our Jewish community, the Milwaukee Jewish Federation supports education by funding Jewish schools and through our own programs and services.
Jewish Schools
Families across all streams of Jewish life can find high quality education at Jewish schools in Milwaukee. The Federation provides funding to two Jewish pre-schools (Jewish Beginnings and Gan Ami) and three day schools (Bader Hillel Academy, Milwaukee Jewish Day School and Yeshiva Elementary School).
Schools funded by the Federation educated 1,037 students last year.
Holocaust Education
The Nathan & Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center (HERC), a program of the Federation, is dedicated to Holocaust remembrance, education and the preservation of the memory of its victims. By teaching about the Holocaust, the HERC aims to promote awareness of the evils of hatred and prejudice and to inspire ethical behavior.
HERC taught the lessons of the Holocaust to 21,397 students, teachers and community members last year.
Coalition for Jewish Learning
The Coalition for Jewish Learning (CJL), the education department of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, provides education consultation and advocacy to educators, schools and congregations.
CJL improved the education of 531 students in congregational schools by educating their teachers at no cost to the teachers or the synagogues last year.
Jewish Museum Milwaukee
The Jewish Museum Milwaukee, a program of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, is dedicated to preserving and presenting the history of the Jewish people in southeastern Wisconsin and celebrating the continuum of Jewish heritage and culture. The Museum is committed to enhancing the public’s awareness and appreciation of Jewish life and culture.
Jewish Museum Milwaukee educated and entertained 12,000 visitors last year.
Scholarships
The Milwaukee Jewish Federation helps students access education through the Hecht Family Memorial College Scholarship Fund, which helps Jewish students fund their freshman year of college, and the Sarah B. and Louis M. Kesselman Israel Program Scholarship Fund, which helps fund study in Israel. In addition, our Coalition for Jewish Learning administers $500,000 in scholarships provided each year by the Helen Bader Foundation to make Jewish day school education more affordable to Milwaukee families.
The Milwaukee Jewish Federation distributed more than $600,000 in scholarships last year.
