In May, Maura Koenig and Miranda Lapides, recent participants on
JDC Entwine’s latest “Inside India” trip, organized a fundraiser for GPM. They hosted
two Shabbat dinners, one in New York City and one in Washington, DC with a goal
of raising $10,000 for GPM’s educational programs at the Joshua Jacob
Greenberger Learning Center (JLC) in the slums of Kalwa, and the village of
Ashte.
Between the Shabbat dinners, the sale of Masala Mama cookbooks and
paintings by local artists from Ashte, and sharing the campaign link across
social media, $15,000 was raised! These funds will support our local teachers
for the year, monthly teacher trainings, teaching aid kits for classes and
desks for children.
The May 3rd NYC Shabbat dinner hosted 70 people, and in DC 30 people attended. Both events provided a delicious Indian meal, a presentation on GPM’s initiatives and the work we do, and caring communities that came together to contribute to a cause that spoke to them. Attendees, whether they were from the Jewish community, the Indian community, friends of GPM, or participants of a JDC Entwine trip, all had one thing in common: they were passionate about the cause.
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| (Photo Credit: Becca Siegel) |
Maura, a Jewish educator in New York, relates
her trip experience to the Hebrew word “hineni,” meaning “here I
am.” “Hineni means ‘I felt this, I saw this, I was there’,”
Maura explained. “Our visit to the slums in and around Mumbai meant so much,
with so much to be done, and I wanted to do something about it…and we did. It’s
incredible how many people can care about something when you share your story.”
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| (Photo Credit: Elizabeth Leff) |
Miranda, a communications professional in Washington, DC, knew
from her first day in the slums that she wanted to help raise money for GPM. “I
was inspired by GPM’s work the moment we set foot in the slums, seeing the
smiles on the children’s faces in the JLC classrooms, the mothers receiving
medical care at the Shravan Health Center, the daily nutritious meals being
served and women’s collectives providing financial empowerment to women in the
slums,” Miranda said. “I had to bring this experience back home with me and get
others excited about it as well.”Maura and Miranda decided that hosting Shabbat
dinners would be the most effective way to engage the community and to raise
funds. “There’s a very low barrier to entry: come and eat good food and drink
good wine (and whiskey!) with good people, and hear a message that is important
to the world and the Jewish people,” Maura said.
Thank you so much to
Maura and Miranda who conceived these events, and all the Entwine volunteers
who helped turn them into a reality. Additionally, a special thank you to
Michael Braun, for his generous matching grant. Lastly, many thanks to
Greenberger and Cortese families.
A special thank you to all those who contributed as sponsors for
the dinners:
Ayurveda Cafe
Breads Bakery
Bread Furst
Coffy Cafe
Indian Delight
JDC Entwine
Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan
Moishe House Without Walls
Nachman, Phulwani, Zimovcak (NPZ) Law Group, P.C.
Rasika West End
Trader Joe’s
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