Over the course of the academic year, the students in Congregation Beth Israel’s Youth Engagement Program — aka, religious school — collected tzedakah in the amount of $500 which they then voted to donate to Jonathan’s Dream Reimagined, a playground for children and families of all abilities, located on the grounds of the Mandell JCC in West Hartford. Collecting tzedakah for worthy charitable causes has become an annual tradition of the Youth Engagement Program. Previous recipients have included the Hebrew Health Care, Jewish Family Services, Mazon and The Jewish National Fund.

CAP: Students in Beth Israel’s Youth Engagement Program, along with program director Lauren Benthien (bottom, right) presents a $500 donation to Ronit Shoam of Jonathan’s Dream Reimagined.