THE Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado has a long relationship with Lod, Israel. In 1986, the Denver Jewish community raised over $2 million to build a community center in a distressed neighborhood that helped revitalize the area. The $2 million amount was matched by the Jewish Agency.
The Denver Community Centers presence in Lod, and specifically in an area of widespread poverty and joblessness, has helped to create a sense of community in a challenging area.
The community center became one of the focal points for Lod, hosting classes, lectures and musical performances.
Unfortunately, due to a variety of issues, both economic and political, the center was shuttered in 2005, leaving a hole in community, says Doug Seserman, federation president and CEO.
In 2007, a newly formed non-profit organization called Garin Torani of Lod took on the community center and reopened it.
Federation raised $50,000 in 2007 to revitalize the heart of this community, the Denver Community Center. The next year, we raised an additional $35,000 to complete renovations.
However, the economic crisis allowed us the capacity to allocate only $9,000 in both 2009 and 2010.
In 2011, federation staff and lay leaders looked for ways to engage Denver in the Lod community.
The federation allocated and raised $15,000 this year for the Denver Community Center in Lod, and ensures that all Colorado missions and trips to Israel stop in Lod to visit the center.
Many Coloradans have participated in service projects at the center.
The young adult mission helped clean the playground and repaint the equipment last fall, while Jewish womens renaissance project participants helped prepare goods for a second hand store recently opened by the DCC.
IN January, 2011, a team from Lod came to Denver to meet individuals who were crucial in building the DCC and funding it. They spent time speaking with Jewish educational professionals and staff in Colorado.
The Denver connection to Lod grows stronger with every trip. Recently, high school students from DAT spent three days volunteering at the DCC.
The next phase of this relationship is to bring students from Lod to Denver and have them stay with the students from DAT while they do volunteer work in the local community.
This is by no means a one-way partnership; rather it is a global village where those who can, help, and those who struggle, still give back, said Rick Kornfeld, JCRC and Israel, National and Overseas chair.
The students of Lod fight a negative perception of their lives every day. Living in a developing town is similar to living in a frontier town 150 years ago. They are seen as poor and on the periphery, pioneers in an unknown location.
There is a social stigma that can transfer to the children themselves.
The DCC and Garin Torani are trying to change that perception.
By providing all children access to dance, art and other classes, they have the same opportunities as children in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.
There are 14 regularly scheduled classes and 400 students passing through the doors of the center every week.
There are options for adults as well.
This year, the federation was able to increase the allocations due to the assistance of Faith Bible Chapel.
Recently, the federation held a parlor meeting with members of EDOS and Rabbi Marc Gitler.
