Kolot: The Center for Jewish Women’s and Gender Studies, Kolot’s Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing!, Miami
Navigating the challenges of adolescence is no easy task. The program “Kolot’s Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing!” provides a supportive monthly forum for groups of teenage girls. Led by a trained adult facilitator, the girls socialize, learn, and engage in hands-on activities. The premise of the group is to celebrate the new Jewish month and then use the theme of the month as a springboard for discussing other issues relevant to adolescent girls. Now in its second year of national implementation, data has indicated that the program has a positive effect on the self-esteem of the girls who participate. “Adolescent girls today travel in a teen culture that makes dangerous values and risky behaviors…seem normal,” said Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair, a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School. “…this program…gives girls a deeper and more meaningful connection to Jewish culture, women, rituals and values.” Targum Shlishi funded the establishment of two Rosh Hodesh groups hosted in Miami, with additional groups planned for the future. “Targum Shlishi planted the seed for ‘Kolot’s Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing!’ in Miami, making it possible to bring this program to Jewish adolescent girls in the area. With Targum Shlishi’s help, we believe this program will keep growing and make an impact on the lives of Jewish girls in Miami,” said Mindy Shapiro, national project director for Kolot. www.kolot.org

Women’s International Zionist Organization (Florida), Workshops for Single-Parent Women, Miami
The Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO) is an international organization that serves the needs of women in Israel and promotes Jewish education throughout the world. Established in 1920, it has more than fifty federations and 250,000 volunteer members worldwide. Targum Shlishi’s funding is being used to establish a twelve-session workshop for single mothers in the Miami area. The workshop will focus on developing and strengthening parenting skills such as strategies for stress management, financial management, communication skills, and assertiveness training. www.wizofl.com

LILITH magazine, investigative journalism fund, website improvements, and Spanish translations, New York City
LILITH magazine is a Jewish women’s quarterly now in its twenty-eighth year of publication. The magazine is dedicated to exploring the interrelationships of Jewish identity and feminism. Targum Shlishi’s funding supports three projects:

• An investigative journalism fund to help LILITH maintain and expand its in-depth reporting, which in the past has resulting in groundbreaking articles on topics such as the growing market for Jewish women’s eggs in the IVF marketplace.
• Website improvements to increase content and user-friendliness.
• Spanish translation and dissemination of previous LILITH articles, including posting the translations on the website in a dedicated section to be created.

www.lilithmag.com

Click here to read “An Interview with LILITH’s Editor”.

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