Faces of the Foundation

"Establishing a scholarship fund at the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation has proven to be an immense joy to clients who have done so. Scholarships may be created to fulfill the criteria that are most important to the scholarship donor. Some scholarships are created specifically for a single college or university, others for a field of study, and others for general purposes. Scholarship donors can help craft the eligibility requirements and they can name the scholarship in honor or memory of someone important to them.
The Foundation staff and Scholarship Committee handle the application and selection process, and the scholarship donors have the opportunity to see the results of their philanthropy. They can meet the wonderful young people who are the recipients of their scholarship and many keep in touch with the students throughout their college years."
Ira Silverman
Silverman Goodwin LLP

"When you are going through a difficult time, not sure what is not working in your body, why something so "simple" like becoming a parent does not happen to you- there is a lot of pressure. Physically, mentally, and emotionally, that takes a toll on every aspect of your life. Priya, A Fund for Jewish Reproduction of the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation took this pressure off.
The two-time assistance from the Priya Fund allowed us to focus on the physical aspect of the treatment. Thank G-d, we are now the proud parents of Ari and Eliana.
We truly feel like there should not be a financial barrier for couples who want to bear children. Priya A Fund for Jewish Reproduction of the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation puts this barrier down."
Shira and Dmitriy Olukhov and Family

"For me, the reward of being a DJCF fund holder is equally matched by the honor of serving on a DJCF scholarship committee. Each year, we help award college and graduate school scholarships to more than 40 young people with awe-inspiring stories of community involvement and academic achievement despite tremendous financial hardship. I'll never forget the application from the daughter of a laborer who moved here from El Salvador. She didn't speak a word of English when she arrived. She worked seven days a week, attended classes simultaneously, and mastered the English language in eleven months. Three years later she was serving on the student government in college – an academic opportunity that might not have been possible without a DCJF scholarship."
Ann Zimmerman Gallant
Photograph by A. Goodman

"I am forever indebted to DJCF for their generosity in awarding me scholarships* to receive my college degree. Since graduating from The University of Tulsa in 2009, I have traveled around the world with my one-man autobiographical play, Growing Up Jordy Pordy, started Richie's Spirit Foundation, a non-profit in memory of my younger brother that promotes organ donation, and currently hold the administrative position of Director of Student Life at Golda Och Academy in West Orange, NJ. I've been so fortunate to follow my dreams post-college and live my life with Jewish values that the Dallas Jewish community instilled in me."
Jordan Herskowitz

"Having a DJCF donor-advised fund for many years has greatly simplified our charitable giving. Through our donor-advised fund, we are able to recommend grants to many worthy organizations and fulfill our desire to help make the world a better place. In addition to our donor-advised fund, we have left an endowment to the community. This endowment will perpetuate our charitable gifts. Both our donor-advised fund and our endowment are part of our effort to set an appropriate example to our children that Tzedakah is an extremely important part of being Jewish."
Julie and Scott Miller and Family

"As an attorney (and CPA) who often represents families involved with complex tax and estate matters relating to wealth preservation and transfer strategies, it is reassuring to know that the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation is available as an additional resource for my clients. The Foundation consistently meets the needs of my clients with skill and professionalism. I enjoy hearing the excellent feedback from my clients who work with the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation. Our annual Professional Advisors Seminar clearly shows that the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation is one of our community's premier foundations. I am proud to serve as a member of its Board of Trustees."
Josh O. Ungerman

"We delight in the vibrant, diverse, active, growing greater Dallas Jewish community, and feel our participation with the DJCF assures its continued growth and development. A driving force in our lives has been to give back to the community which has given us so much. Therefore, we feel it essential, our obligation, to financially support, through our designated funds, the institutions and charities that actualize Jewish values, promote the visibility of a vibrant Jewish community and enrich Jewish life not just in Dallas but worldwide."
Carol and Harold Pinker

"We believe that the Jewish Community Foundation is one of the lowest cost, most efficient, best managed foundations we know of. We have complete confidence in the DJCF's financial investment policies, oversight and governance, and their commitment to serve in the best interest of their fund holders and the community."
Joyce and Selly Belofsky

We received this from a recent Israeli recipient of the Elia Gurvetch Vision Assistance Fund of the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation.
"Dear DJCF,
Shalom. My name is Ruth, I am 33 years old and my husband is a career soldier in the IDF. While I was giving birth to my son three years ago, I went suddenly blind. It was both the happiest and saddest day of my life. I knew that my family depended on me and that I had to move forward with my life, so I decided to get a guide dog. Roxi came into my life just a few months ago.
During Passover, we think about being released from bondage and having freedom. This is exactly how I felt the first time I walked with Roxi. There are many more people like me who need the love and companionship of a guide dog. Thank you for caring, and for being so generous. You are changing lives.
Chag Sameach,
Ruth & Roxi"

How does your garden grow?
"For the religious school students in Plano, Texas, at Congregation Anshai Torah, The Islamic Association of Collin County, and Preston Meadow Lutheran Church, our gardens now grow lush and green! Through the visionary grant of the DJCF, the Gardens of Friendship project is opening the world of gardening to our children, helping them grow and bloom along with their gardens. But the DJCF recognized much more than just the value of gardens for our kids. DJCF grasped the amazing opportunity our project offered to open an interfaith dialogue among our diverse religious communities, allowing us to find a common starting point for working and sharing together. Thanks to the DJCF's generosity of both financial support and community spirit, we have built bridges and now are growing not only gardens but relationships and understanding in our local interfaith community."
Gardens of Friendship Project - 2016 DJCF grant recipient
Contact Us
Dallas Jewish Community Foundation
Byrna & Joe Funk Family
Philanthropy Center
12700 Hillcrest Road, Suite 201
Dallas, Texas 75230
E-mail: info@djcf.org
Phone: (214) 615-9351
Fax: (214) 363-5942