The Central Agency for Jewish Education of St. Louis (CAJE) has been awarded a $20,000 Ignition Grant from the Covenant Foundation to develop “Families Without Borders,” an interactive, online community for Jewish children and their families. The New York-based Covenant Foundation, a program of the Crown Family Philanthropies, has provided more than $25 million to develop and support Jewish education and community-building projects and programs in North America since 1991. 

CAJE will use the grant to plan, research and design an online space for Jewish families with children in second to fourth grade (ages 8 to 10 years). 

“St. Louis families who have participated in the PJ Library and Our Jewish Home programs have expressed an interest in the development of additional avenues to connect to the Jewish community and to each other,” says Joan Wolchansky, senior program director for CAJE.

In the next several months, Wolchansky and Jennifer Baer Lotsoff, PJ Library coordinator, will spearhead the effort to further develop this concept, holding focus groups, developing content and designing a website. If the agency determines that the forum is a viable way to disseminate Jewish content and connect families, they will seek additional funding to launch the online community.