On Sept. 17, Jewish families with young children and expectant parents will be able to browse through a brand new virtual shopping mall at mazeltot.org, developed by Rose Community Foundation.
After registering at mazeltot.org, they will receive discounts worth up to $1,000 to use over a 12-month period at 29 Jewish organizations and congregations in the Denver-Boulder area.
Residents will also find hundreds of activities and services for young families, and a comprehensive calendar will help them discover Jewish activities in their neighborhoods.
MazelTots main goal is to strengthen the connection between Jewish families with young children, expectant parents and Jewish community institutions.
It is also an effort to build community among these families.
Nationally, studies have shown that Jewish parents are more likely to develop positive, lasting connections to Jewish institutional life while their children are very young, said Lisa Farber Miller, senior program officer for Jewish life at RCF.
Meanwhile, our 2007 Denver-Boulder Jewish community study shows that our Jewish community is larger, more diverse and more spread out than ever, making it harder for young families to find points of connection that are meaningful to them.
That is especially important in a consumer-driven economy in which people are accustomed to varied points of entry, a wide range of choices and individually customized experiences.
In the 2007 study we learned that a large number of young adults in the area have moved here from somewhere else and live far away from their own family connections, according to Nancy Gart, study co-chair and member of the MazelTot task force.
Many of the areas newcomers feel strongly about maintaining a Jewish identity, but are disconnected from Jewish communal life and find it hard to meet other Jewish families.
We also know that people in this age demographic are not joiners, so we deliberately created a program that would let them sample and enjoy myriad experiences in the Jewish community with no request for membership.
Said Rob Klugman, co-chair of the 2007 study and a Rose trustee:
MazelTot has the potential to positively impact the community studys finding that, for interfaith couples who have not yet decided whether or not to raise their children Jewish, friendly pathways into Jewish life can have a huge impact on their decision-making.
We learned that 46% of children being raised in Denver-Boulder Jewish households live in intermarried households, he said.
We want to make sure they feel welcomed.
MazelTots offerings are grouped into five categories: classes, events, independent celebrations, preschools and camps, and retreats.
The website will also help connect families through social networking tools such as meetup.com and Facebook.
We learned two important things as we started talking to our Jewish organizations, said Sarah Indyk, RCFs Jewish life initiatives manager, who oversees MazelTot.
First, we were impressed to learn that congregations and organizations were eager to find new ways to reach out together to young families.
Second, we were surprised to find the quantity and diversity of Jewish programs available for young families.
Said Shayna Friedman, the JCCs director of family programs:
We see mazeltot.org and the MazelTot family networker as terrific resources to help people experience the richness of Jewish opportunities that exist for young families.
RCF made a grant of $846,660 to support MazelTot.
The 29 participating organizations will receive grant funds to cover the cost difference between MazelTot discount offers and the full price of activities and services.
Grant funds will also partially fund the organizations staffing costs related to Mazeltot activities.
