Address: Jewish Federation of St. Louis, 12 Millstone Campus Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146-5776 | Phone: 314-442-3776 | Email: [email protected]

Beth Koritz, Director

The Teen Tzedek St. Louis Youth Philanthropy Program empowers teens to improve the world by launching them on a personal and engaged relationship to life-long Jewish giving. Participants typically enter the Teen Tzedek program during the year of their bar/bat mitzvah, although it is not unusual for them to enter the year before or within a few years after.

Teen Tzedek provides teens with the opportunity to create their own philanthropic funds, and each year they allocate five percent of their fund to the Jewish charity of their choice. The lessons of giving and the philanthropy continue every year until they are at least 25 years old.

Teen Tzedek is funded by a grant from the Kranzberg Family Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. 

 The objectives are:

• To engage a growing number of youth in the ongoing care of our Jewish community.

• To empower Jewish teens to change the world through philanthropy.

• To create a greater community focus on Jewish giving through Teen Tzedek participants, their families and social networks.

• To cultivate the next generation of leadership for our congregations and community agencies.

• For Jewish teens to experience an allocation process for non-profit organizations.

Additional benefits: 

• Great tie-in with your mitzvah project.

• Wonderful addition to a college resume.

• Opportunity to meet other teens interested in making a difference.