Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc
Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc, which operates as BJE: Builders of Jewish Education, is a Los Angeles-based public charity focused on Jewish education. It works with families, educators, schools, and community partners to improve the quality and accessibility of Jewish learning across greater Los Angeles, with particular emphasis on children and youth.
Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc at a glance
In short: Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc gave $341K across 31 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $340,903
- +2.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 31
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,997
- +2.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,400
- Total assets
- $21,565,101
- +9.4% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- California (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc
- Contact
Mailing address: 6505 Wilshire Boulevard 300, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Phone: (323) 761-8605
Website: https://bjela.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Milken Community Schools ($20K). Together the top 10 received $137K.
Organizations only. It also paid 18 individual scholarships ($182,164), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
158 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 158 grants of 158 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
BJE describes its work as serving the Jewish communities of greater Los Angeles. Its 2025 grants were entirely to recipients in California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 31 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc gives
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+6%). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $230K (2020) to $341K (2025). In 2025 it made 31 grants totaling $341K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 18 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $182,164 |
| Milken Community Schools Los Angeles, CA | Student Scholarships | $19,800 |
| Emek Hebrew Academy Sherman Oaks, CA | Student Scholarships | $19,000 |
| Yeshiva University HS Los Angeles, CA | Student Scholarships | $19,000 |
| Wise School Los Angeles, CA | Student Scholarships | $13,075 |
| Gindi Maimonides Academy Los Angeles, CA | Student Scholarships | $12,200 |
| Brawerman Elementary School Los Angeles, CA | Student Scholarships | $11,814 |
| Pressman ACAD TEMPLE BETH AM Los Angeles, CA | Student Scholarships | $10,900 |
| Yeshiva Ketana of Los Angeles Valley Village, CA | Student Scholarships | $10,650 |
| Yavneh Hebrew Academy Los Angeles, CA | Student Scholarships | $10,400 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The filing states that endowment corpus is intended to remain invested, with income appropriated according to each fund’s donor agreement. For fiscal year 2024–2025, the calculated endowment appropriation rate was 4.5%.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $21,565,101 | $5,463,534 | $4,903,100 | $340,903 | 31 | $425,050 |
| 2024 | $19,719,148 | $6,249,840 | $5,741,399 | $331,500 | 31 | $485,003 |
| 2023 | $17,782,936 | $6,714,826 | $5,807,596 | $302,300 | 30 | $306,079 |
| 2022 | $14,848,786 | $6,007,513 | $4,779,004 | $320,350 | 33 | $244,626 |
| 2021 | $15,756,335 | $8,347,310 | $3,874,588 | $332,300 | 33 | $3,952,939 |
| 2020 | $14,993,691 | $4,798,431 | $4,522,236 | $229,550 | 25 | $167,765 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
BJE states that its mission is to enhance the quality of, increase access to, and encourage participation in Jewish education throughout the Jewish communities of greater Los Angeles. It describes itself as an advocate, planner, catalyst, and creative leader for strengthening Jewish learning, especially for children and youth, their educators, and parents.
The organization’s programs include direct student services, scholarships and financial assistance, educator training and professional networks, school consultation, family and teen learning resources, and experiential education. In its 2024 filing, BJE reported that it administered scholarship programs benefiting 275 students and that 254 students received direct financial aid. It also reported emergency scholarships for seven early childhood families.
BJE’s 2025 grants were reported as student scholarships. The supported schools include organizations with varied educational missions. An individual recipient High School describes its aim as developing intellectually curious, academically driven, ethically grounded students guided by Jewish values. Yeshiva Ketana of Los Angeles says it provides Judaic and general education using traditional and modern teaching methods. Or Hachaim Academy describes itself as a Jewish religious school serving preschool through eighth grade, alongside a California-required curriculum. Bais Yaakov School for Girls describes its mission as providing religious high school education with rigorous secular and general studies.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, BJE reported 31 grants totaling $340,903. Grants ranged from $5,100 to $20,000, with a median of $10,400. All reported grant dollars went to recipients in California. The largest listed awards included $20,000 to an individual recipient, $19,800 to Milken Community Schools, $19,000 each to Emek Hebrew Academy and Yeshiva University HS, and $13,200 to an individual recipient Hebrew Academy. These grants were designated for student scholarships.
Other listed 2025 awards included $12,500 to an individual recipient High School, $10,650 to Yeshiva Ketana of Los Angeles, $8,600 to Or Hachaim Academy, and $7,200 to Bais Yaakov School for Girls. The filing describes tuition assistance as support requested by schools for individual students; payments may be made in fall or spring after enrollment is verified. It also states that scholarships for internal programs reduce participant costs, while awards for external programs are paid directly to program providers.
BJE also coordinates access to federal education services rather than directing those funds as grants to schools. For the 2025–26 school year, its Los Angeles Unified School District consortium represented 27 schools and 8,128 students, accessing $1.57 million in funding and services.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Dr Gil Graff as executive director. Other listed officers and directors include Roberta Berrent, director of donor and community relations; Lauren Adelson, director of finance; James Rogozen, director of day school education; David Lewis, director of part-time education; Abby Cutler, director of teen experiential education; Bonnie Duboff, Gregg Bernstein, and Brian Dror as directors; and Cheryl Davidson as vice president.
Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc is led by David Lewis, Director Part-Time Executive Director since 2024 (on filings since 2020); 6 of 59 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David Lewis
Director Part-Time Executive Director
Director Exp Executive Director & Eng → Director Part-Time Executive Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$104K (2020) → $120K (2025)
Gil Graff
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
55 hrs/week
$246K (2020) → $281K (2025)
James Rogozen
Director Day Sch Executive Director
Director Early Chld & Day → Director Child & Day Sch, 2023
Director Child & Day Sch → Director Day Sch Executive Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$56K (2020) → $75K (2025)
Abby Cutler
Director Teen Exp Executive Director
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$99K (2024) → $103K (2025)
Craig Rutenberg
President
Vice President → President, 2024
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lauren Adelson
Director of Finance
Controller → Director of Finance, 2023
On filings since 2020
55 hrs/week
$111K (2020) → $151K (2025)
Roberta Berrent
Director Donor & Community Relations
On filings since 2023
50 hrs/week
$156K (2023) → $177K (2025)
Adrian Miller
Director
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alan M. Spiwak
Director
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ann Lieberman
Director
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bennett L. Spiegel
Director
Vice President → President, 2021
President → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bonnie Duboff
Director
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Donna S. Nadel
Director
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Elaine Lindheim
Director
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Herbert Glaser
Director
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Janet Farber
Director
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jay Stein
Director
Director → Treasurer, 2022
Treasurer → Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jill Lasker
Director
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kathi Barnhard
Director
Director → Vice President, 2021
Vice President → Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Linda G. Mayman
Director
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Lainer-Fagan
Director
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marc Rohatiner
Director
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marci Barnhard Spitzer
Director
Vice President → Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marjorie Gross
Director
Vice President → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mark Lainer
Director
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mark S. Berns
Director
President → Director, 2021
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Miriam Istrin
Director
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rachael Gordon
Director
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rhea Coskey
Director
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sheila Baran Spiwak
Director
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sheilah Miller
Director
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steve Shapiro
Director
Treasurer → Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Beverly Woznica
Director
On filings since 2022
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Stacey Weiss
Director
On filings since 2022
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brian Dror
Director
On filings since 2023
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Horowitz
Director
On filings since 2023
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Weiner
Director
On filings since 2023
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gregg Bernstein
Director
On filings since 2023
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jason Kboudi
Director
On filings since 2023
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Steuer
Director
On filings since 2023
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Payman Vahedifar
Director
On filings since 2023
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ari Mark
Director
On filings since 2024
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jessica Jablon
Director
On filings since 2024
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jessica Schreiber
Director
On filings since 2024
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Liora Petel
Director
On filings since 2024
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Sternberg
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Faith Gershbock
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Linda Brettler
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Naama Pozniak
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alan Petlak
Vice President
Director → Recording Secretary, 2023
Recording Secretary → Vice President, 2025
On filings since 2020
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Cheryl Davidson
Vice President
Director → Recording Secretary, 2021
Recording Secretary → Vice President, 2023
On filings since 2020
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mel Plutsky
Treasurer
Vice President → Director, 2023
Director → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2020
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nancy R. Schulman
Vice President
Secretary → Corr Secretary, 2021
Corr Secretary → Vice President, 2023
On filings since 2020
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sharon De Mayo
Vice President
Director → Corresp Secretary, 2022
Corresp Secretary → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2020
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Susan Baum
Parliamentarian
Vice President → Director, 2022
Director → Parliamentarian, 2024
On filings since 2020
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joanna Kasirer
Corresp Secretary
Director → Corresp Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2021
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jonathan Gerber
Vice President
Director → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2021
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mayer Brenner
Recording Secretary
Vice President → Recording Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2021
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Donald Snyder
Vice President
Director → Vice President, 2025
On filings since 2022
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (31)
- Former: Liz Rosman Schwartz (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Mark Goldenberg (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Max Candiotty (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: SUSAN Jacoby STERN (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Eric Hartung (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Lee Broekman (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Jacqui Jacobs (2024) — Director
- Former: David Nimmer (2020–2023) — Parliamentarian
- Former: Dorit Naftalin Nelson (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Phalen G HUREWITZ (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Sam Yebri (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Andrew Goldberg (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Kim Schwarz (2023) — Director
- Former: Amy Leibowitz (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Bonnie Smigel-Derin (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: ILANA GOLDschein (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Jill Lefferman (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Karen Silver (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Miriam Prum Hess (2020–2022) — Associate Director
- Former: Natalie Shooshani (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Darryl Schall (2022) — Director
- Former: Jay Sanders (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Linda Resnick (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Nurit Robin (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Tammy Temkin (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Don Snyder (2021) — Director
- Former: Ralph Bijou (2021) — Director
- Former: Eileen Horowitz (2020) — Director
- Former: Ellen Cervantes (2020) — Director
- Former: Keren Aviad Dunn (2020) — Vice President
- Former: Parham Zar (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $281K, to Dr Gil Graff (Exec Director). 6 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc
How much does Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc give each year?
Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc gave $341K across 31 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $332K across 31 grants.
What is Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc's typical grant size?
Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc's median grant in 2025 was $10,400, and its average grant was $10,997, across 31 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc give grants?
Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc gives mostly in California: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (9 grants).
Does Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 31 grants with a stated purpose on Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Student Scholarships" (31 grants).
Who are Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc's largest grantees?
Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Milken Community Schools ($19,800), Emek Hebrew Academy ($19,000) and Yeshiva University HS ($19,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. It also paid 18 individual scholarships ($182,164), which are not listed by name. Together they received 17% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc?
Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc reported $21.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $5.5M.
What does Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc fund?
BJE states that its mission is to enhance the quality of, increase access to, and encourage participation in Jewish education throughout the Jewish communities of greater Los Angeles. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc?
Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check bjela.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc's EIN?
Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-4280178. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 6, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/bureau-of-jewish-education-of-greater-los-angeles-inc-morg_36347e7404704ff99e9769373c0a3d4b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_954280178_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/bureau-of-jewish-education-of-greater-los-angeles-inc-morg_36347e7404704ff99e9769373c0a3d4b},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-06. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
} The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles Inc's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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