The Rabbi Raymond and Sidelle Krinsky Award for Advanced Jewish Studies

Introduction

Rabbi Raymond Krinsky and Sidelle Krinsky served Beth Israel Congregation in Waterville, ME with distinction for over thirty years. They lovingly committed themselves to the religious, spiritual, and intellectual growth of Jewish families in central Maine, while at the same time serving the broader community with distinction. In their honor, Beth Israel Congregation has established a fund to facilitate the deepening of Jewish education for the central Maine population in two ways:

1) Assisting congregants (including children of congregants) who seek to advance their Jewish education; and

2) Assisting student rabbis who spend time at Beth Israel to enhance their training by assisting our leaders in teaching and leading our community.

Applicant Requirements

Applicants should submit a one-page, single-spaced letter in which they explain how a Krinsky Grant will help them to engage in an intensive Jewish learning experience. In the case of members of our community, this experience should be through an accredited program, or an established program that is in line with the mission and values of Beth Israel. In the case of a student rabbi, this should be demonstrated through a mentorship relationship with the religious leaders at Beth Israel.

Participants should explain how the proposed experience fits into their personal development in a way that will allow them to complete the course of study or service to which they commit. If they do not complete their intended experience, their grant must be returned in full to Beth Israel Congregation.

Applicants should append to their letter a brief paragraph that explains how they will be funded for their experience and how the Krinsky Grant will augment this funding. They should also include a letter of recommendation.

All Krinsky Grant recipients are expected to share how they benefited from this grant with the congregation through either a presentation at a Beth Israel event or an article for the Beth Israel newsletter.

Grants are capped at $750, and depending on circumstances, may be taxable. Krinsky Grant funds cannot cover political advocacy.

Selection Procedures

Applications will be reviewed and grantees will be selected by a committee comprised of Beth Israel’s Rabbi, the congregation’s Executive Director, and three members appointed by the congregation’s president with the approval of the Board, and one member of the Krinsky family (ex-officio).

Each spring a call for applications will be posted on the synagogue website and noted in the weekly newsletter; the call will be posted in appropriate places to be seen by student rabbis at the same time. The deadline for applications will be June 28th of each year. Decisions will be announced by mid-July each year as well.

The committee will choose among applicants based on their evaluation of the applicants’ commitments to the pursuit of Jewish learning and their explanation of how this experience will contribute to their lives in a Jewish community. The committee will also take into account the expected follow-through and the contributions that the applicants can or will make to the Beth Israel community.

The committee will award one or two grants a year, with the number and the amount of the grants dependent upon the income derived by the Krinsky Fund. If sufficient funds exist to make only one substantial grant in any given year, the committee will choose the applicant deemed to be the most deserving, either a congregant or a student rabbi, but then will give preference to an applicant in the other category in the next year.