The East Valley JCC is proud to announce that it has received a $15,000 grant from Arizona Humanities and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), as part of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021.
The grant supports the EVJCC’s Conversation with the Rabbi podcast, virtual live tours of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and two upcoming exhibits.
Conversation with the Rabbi is a project of the EVJCC’s C.O.R. E. (Community. Outreach. Relationships. Engagement) department, featuring Rabbi Michael Beyo, EVJCC CEO, and anthropologist Adrian McIntyre, Ph.D. These conversations with faith-based and secular leaders challenge views and encourage honest dialogue.
The Center for Holocaust Education of the East Valley JCC recently launched Auschwitz Virtual Live Tours, offering a live, virtual experience through the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp led by a tour guide from the Auschwitz Memorial museum. Since November 2020, thousands of people from throughout the U.S, Canada, Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom have participated in the tour.
The grants also support two upcoming Arts & Culture exhibits, “Lost Voices: Greek Jews and the Holocaust,” exploring how the Shoah affected the Jews of Greece, and “Jerusalem: Art and Mystery,” a photographic exhibition featuring photographs by Viviana Tagar that depict the daily life of people observing the three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem. Please stay tuned for information about dates.
“We are honored to receive this support that enables us to continue providing thought-provoking, educational programs,” said Rabbi Michael Beyo. “Thanks to the support of the NEH American Rescue Plan, we can continue offering these programs that challenge each of us to reflect on how we perceive the world around us.”
The mission of Arizona Humanities is to build a just and civil society by creating opportunities to explore our shared human experiences through discussion, learning and reflection. Since 1973, Arizona Humanities has supported public programs that promote understanding of the human experience with cultural, educational, and nonprofit organizations across Arizona. Arizona Humanities is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and the Arizona affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities and awards grants to cultural, educational, and nonprofit institutions, such as museums, libraries, tribal entities and universities.
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency created in 1965. It is one of the largest funders of humanities programs in the United States. The National Endowment for the Humanities supports research, education, preservation and public programs in the humanities. NEH is committed to Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP).
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 recognizes that the humanities sector is an essential component of economic and civic life in the United States. The Act appropriated supplemental funding to NEH to provide emergency relief to institutions and organizations working in the humanities that have been adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Over $51 million of this funding was distributed to the 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils for local re-granting. The remainder will be distributed from the NEH in direct grants to institutions and individuals.
