Help Send Rav Rehberg to El Salvador for Rosh Hashanah
This Tisha B’av, many of us will remember the tragedy of the Spanish Inquisition, which forced thousands of Spanish and Portuguese Jews to convert to Catholicism, go into hiding, or leave their homes and native lands in search of a safe harbor where they could practice Judaism without fear. Today, 500 years after the Inquisition, many Anousim (the descendants of Jews forcibly converted) want to return to Judaism, but lack the education and resources to do so.
Kulanu is helping one such group of Anousim, who live in the poor rural village of Armenia, El Salvador, where they and a small number of Jews-by-choice long to connect with Jewish tradition and embrace a Jewish life. However, the community has few resources. Currently, they share one set of tefillin (phylacteries) and five prayer books. Sadly, their newly established Hebrew school lacks educational materials and teacher training opportunities for those eager to assume that role in their community. Kulanu needs your help to provide the resources necessary for this remarkable community.
Your generosity will help enrich Armenia’s Jewish life by paying for educational materials, prayer books and ritual objects, and teacher training programs. The funds we raise will also sponsor Rabbi Aaron Rehberg on his third trip to Armenia to help strengthen the community’s connection to the larger Jewish community and to help further their knowledge of their heritage and faith.
How can you help? Kulanu has just launched an exciting new way to raise funds: Personal Fundraising Pages. With Personal Fundraising Pages, you can create your own individual or team fundraising campaign to raise money for the Anousim and Jews-by-choice of Armenia, El Salvador. You can also link your friends and family to your fundraising page through email, Facebook and other social media networks. With your generosity and creativity, we can reach our goal of $11,255 to help the Anousim of El Salvador get the resources they need to reconnect with Judaism and the worldwide Jewish community. Please click hereto become one of the pioneers who tries out this new tool!
Of course, we will always welcome donations payable to Kulanu sent by mail to Kulanu, 165 West End Ave 3R, New York, NY 10023, or online donations via our website. Just mention “El Salvador” in a note or in online comments to direct your donation to our El Salvador Fund.
We thank the Good People Fund for their generous gift that supported Rabbi Rehberg’s trip to work with this community earlier this year and laid the foundation for our current efforts. To learn more about Rabbi Rehberg’s last trip to El Salvador, click here.