Jewish Communities
The CJC provides direct support to Jewish communities in 38 countries across 5 continents in the Commonwealth. Over 30 are in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, where our smallest and most vulnerable communities often operate in extremely challenging environments. Some practise their Judaism without a synagogue building, or a rabbi to offer leadership and guidance. The resilience and energy of these communities are truly remarkable.
Thanks to direct support from the CJC, Jewish communities around the world are able to maintain their religion and culture, and continue Jewish life even in very difficult circumstances. Small grants are allocated to build capacity, and we help to ensure the delivery and development of skills and knowledge within these communities.
The CJC works hard to ensure all are able to celebrate the Jewish religion, culture and maintain Jewish life safely. We do this through a number of ways, from funding Jewish programming, diplomatic engagement, and campaigning.
We meet with Jewish communities throughout the Commonwealth. We pay particular attention to small and vulnerable communities, to establish their needs.
Our programme of regular contact and the depth of our personal relationships, gives scope to communities to ask for support with developing their Jewish lives, or to air concerns about security and safety.
Areas of Support
We offer support for Jewish life, such as the provision of prayer books or Jewish education.
We connect smaller communities, offering the opportunity for mutual support and collaboration around local issues.
We provide rabbinic support to several African communities who have no other access on the ground to leaders with traditional teachings and practices.
International Programmes
The CJC works with important Jewish international partners, including The Shabbat Project, Mitzvah Day, Limmud, and March of the Living, to promote and increase participation from Commonwealth communities.
We design programmes, develop templates, and sponsor participation in international programming, helping to leverage their impact when participants return to their home communities.
We work to enhance intercommunity activities, contribute to the wider society, and find ways to support local leaders while developing the next generation of communal leadership.
For more information on our Recommended Programmes click here
Extending Horizons
The CJC supports tailored Jewish education programmes to meet the specific needs of our affiliated communities. In Mozambique, this meant training for Jewish parents to enable them to teach weekly Hebrew classes to their children. The Ugandan community created a Hebrew literacy programme for over 100 members of the community, which enhanced their ability to learn, read and write Hebrew. In St Lucia, there are now regular weekly classes on Judaism for all Jewish residents and temporary/part-time residents on the island.
The CJC has also made it possible for the Nairobi Hebrew Congregation to employ a rabbi and rebbetzin. This is through a creative partnership with the local community, with a portion of the couple’s time dedicated to working with our affiliated communities in Uganda and Tanzania.
We have been helping several struggling and new communities to develop their programming. In Pakistan, we have supported two initiatives in Karachi and Lahore that enable Jewish learning opportunities and gatherings. In Uganda, the CJC has supported the fragmented communities in the country to establish an umbrella structure to manage interactions and issues.
Enhancing Local Relationships
The CJC helps local communities build links with local institutions, in order to raise their profile and enhance local relationships. For example, the CJC sent funds to the Mumbai community in India to host an event commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Taj terrorist atrocity, which included an interfaith dialogue and a children’s art competition ‘Symbols of Peace’. In Jamaica, we supported a tree-planting ceremony on the campus of the University of the West Indies, organized to mark Tu B’Shevat (New Year for Trees) and International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which fell on the same day: 27 January 2021.
We have also extended quality Holocaust education beyond the Jewish community. For example, we enabled young Jews from Singapore and Mumbai to take part in the March of the Living, who then delivered Holocaust education programmes to local non-Jewish schools on their return.
We supported the Gibraltar Jewish community in planting trees as their contribution to the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy Project.
The CJC co-ordinated a fundraising campaign during the Covid pandemic to provide oxygen machines to be administered by the Mumbai Jewish community for the benefit of all.
Creating New Activism in Communities
The CJC holds regular Regional Meetings bringing together the leaders of communities in Africa, Australasia, the Americas, and Europe, to help them make the most of our network and share best practices. These meetings are also an opportunity to discuss new ideas and common challenges. Topics have included: shared festival resources and programming, how to facilitate meaningful conversations about anti-Semitism with our young people, and ways to upgrade Jewish education in small communities.