Chananya Backer Memorial Fund Grant

STAR-K awarded a substantial grant to the Chananya Backer Memorial Fund of the Baltimore Community Kollel to support a teen outreach and summer employment program.

Geographic Scope: Baltimore, Maryland

Focus Areas:

• Youth outreach and mentoring
• Summer employment for yeshiva students
• Torah learning combined with practical work experience
• Spiritual guidance and community support for teenagers

Program Supported:
The Chananya Backer Memorial Fund is an innovative mentoring program emphasizing Torah and avoda (service) ideals. The program memorializes a 16-year-old Baltimore resident who tragically died from injuries sustained in a car crash three summers before the grant (approximately 2008).

Summer Youth Program:

• Provides employment opportunity in a "kosher" atmosphere for young men, many returning from a year learning in Israel
• Occupies participants from morning until evening with structured activities
• Averts potential spiritual challenges faced during summer months
• Started with 5 participants; approximately 45 participated in the grant year

Daily Schedule:

• Morning: Davening (prayer)
• Mid-morning: 2 hours of Torah learning with kollel mentors (one-to-two or one-to-three ratio)
• Afternoon: Construction work with trained foremen (demolition, painting, deck building, etc.)
• Evening: Community-hosted recreational activities (barbecues, swimming, games)

Program Outcomes:

• Participants earn salary for work performed
• Many earn enough to purchase return tickets to Eretz Yisroel (Israel)
• Learn marketable skills for future employment
• Build meaningful mentoring relationships
• Culminates with out-of-town trip strengthening camaraderie

Endorsement: Strongly endorsed by the Vaad Harabbonim of Baltimore

Program Leadership: Rabbi Aryeh Zigdon (founder/director); Bonnie Pollak (Director of Operations)

STAR-K's Role: "As a not-for-profit organization, STAR-K Certification has had the good fortune and luxury of being able to devote itself to projects which do not generate any revenue, but are nevertheless of vital interest to the world of kosher consumers." - STAR-K President Avrom Pollak