The OFJCC is proud to be supported by the Taube Initiative on Jewish Peoplehood.
The OFJCC is proud to offer programs that
sustain and celebrate Jewish life, learning and peoplehood, funded by the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life and Culture through the Taube Initiative on Jewish Peoplehood.
Through this initiative, we present programs and celebrations that bring community together, travel and education programs that build connections to Israel and the heritage of the Diaspora communities, innovative classes and participatory experiences that elevate Jewish literacy and invigorate Jewish practice.
The OFJCC believes that the ongoing vitality of the Jewish people lies in the richness of its communal life, the vibrancy and diversity of its cultural and spiritual expression, and the shared experiences that inspire a sense of connectedness to Jews everywhere and in every generation.
What is "Jewish Peoplehood"?
Love of education. Respect for hard work. Appreciation of community. And pastrami on rye. Mix together in equal parts and you have the makings of a people—the Jewish people.
For thousands of years, the concept of Jewish Peoplehood has inspired, intrigued, vexed and perplexed Jews and non-Jews alike. Many believe that the principal form of Jewish expression is no longer found exclusively in the synagogue but also in Jewish humor, music, food and art. Today, Jewish identity is often defined by tradition, heritage, culture and family.
To better understand and cultivate a positive Jewish identity, the Taube Philanthropies have taken a grant-making approach that spans the San Francisco Bay Area, Poland and Israel, called The Taube Initiative on Jewish Peoplehood.
We embrace Jewish Peoplehood as a framework for engaging in the global conversation about a collective Jewish experience and identity, and exploring a more connected, better networked sense of Jewishness. Programs are designed to help develop the sense that one's Jewish identity is a positive, not a negative or even neutral aspect of individual identity.
Grant-making strategies are designed around four main principles: Coming Together in Communities, Celebrating Jewish Ideas and Culture, Fostering Global Dimensions of Jewish Peoplehood and Recognizing Contributions of the Jewish People to Western Culture.
Our specific interest in encouraging engagement in Jewish life has energized the Jewish cultural scene. The initiative focuses on collaboration among Jewish organizations celebrating the connection, continuity and culture that come from diverse Jewish traditions. In the Bay Area, we fund Jewish Community Centers, campus Chabad and Hillel houses, Jewish cultural institutions and family services, among other areas. In addition, we support programs and capital projects in Israel and Poland.