NEW YORK CITY – USY, the youth movement for Conservative/Masorti teens, has awarded Beth El Temple in West Hartford, CT with $1,500 in Local Engagement and Partnership (LEAP) Grant funding. These grants aim to support and enhance the programs and initiatives of the USY chapters, empowering young Jewish leaders to make a difference in their communities.

The grant funding will be used to support teen programming, including teen-led Shabbat services, a Tu Bishvat seder, and a Yom HaShoah conversation with a Holocaust survivor. The grant will also provide support for events featuring Asif Peretz, schlicha for the Greater

Hartford area. 

“We are thrilled to provide this LEAP Grant to Beth El and support the amazing work they do,” said Michelle Rich, Director of Teen Travel and International Engagement for USY. 

In addition to Beth El, the following synagogues nationwide are receiving LEAP Grants for their USY chapters:

• Beth El Congregation, Phoenix, AZ
• Flatbush Jewish Center, Brooklyn NY
• HAMAKOM, Woodland Hills CA
• Temple Beth Ahm, Matawan NJ
• Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley, Chandler AZ
• Tifereth Israel Congregation, Washington DC
• Tifereth Israel Synagogue, Des Moines IA

For more information about USY and its programs, visit www.usy.org.
For more information about Beth El Temple’s USY chapter and teen programming, contact Marisa Beede, WHUSY chapter advisor, at whusyadvisor@gmail.com.