ATT receives $5 million grant for Chicago-area Jewish day school students

The Associated Talmud Torahs and its REACH program have been selected to receive multi-year grants from Northwest Home for the Aged (NWHA) and Park Plaza Jewish Senior Living Community, the home’s flagship facility. This $5 million multi-year gift, earmarked for operational use for all Jewish schools in Chicago, is in addition to a $5 million endowment ATT received from NWHA and Park Plaza in 2019 to support and sustain Jewish day school education across the Chicago Jewish community.

A division of the Associated Talmud Torahs, REACH was founded a decade ago to serve children with diverse learning needs.

Funding from the gift will be allocated in three ways:

1. Building well-resourced, highly effective support services departments in all Jewish day schools, including hiring new resource staff.
2. Hiring fulltime occupational therapists and speech and language pathologists to provide services in schools.
3. Working with all school staff to ensure that student needs are being met in the most inclusive classroom setting.

“The Northwest Home/Park Plaza has generously provided loving care to our seniors for nearly 80 years,” said Steve Landes, who serves on the NWHA board. “It’s now sharing its mission of caring with our youngest generation, making it possible for every child in our day schools to learn and thrive. We are blessed to have Park Plaza as a vibrant institution in our community and as our essential partner in Jewish education.”

The grant will have a far-reaching impact on ATT’s REACH program, according to Julie Gordon, Executive Director of REACH. “This incredibly generous gift is a game changer for REACH and the schools we serve,” she said. “This grant will enable us to greatly expand our ability to increase the capacity of our schools to meet the needs of all their students.” We will be able to hire additional special education teachers and provide a new set of services, such as occupational and speech therapy to help us service the whole child.”

The Park Plaza board initiated the gift to the day school community. “It’s rare to find such a group of individuals that takes the initiative to reach out to us to further their support of children in our day school community,” said Rabbi Mordechai Raizman, CEO of ATT. “That is what is called Ahavas Chesed (love of kindness)–not just reacting to a need but being proactive to meet the needs of our children.”

A sign with the phrase “l’dor v’dor”–from generation to generation–greets people when they enter the building of the Northwest Home for the Aged. “It’s the first thing you see when you enter the building,” said Alan Caplan, NWHA President. “[We] couldn’t be more pleased to put our primary principle into action with these gifts to the ATT’s REACH program. They are investments in the future of our community.”

REACH is a partner with JUF in serving our community and a division of the Associated Talmud Torahs of Chicago.

Sadly, two weeks before this story went to print, Alan Caplan, quoted above, passed away.