The Jewish Cultural Society recently joined LIFE & LEGACY®, a North American program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation which provides training, financial support and consulting services to Jewish communities to help them and their organizations develop a culture of legacy giving. Locally, the program is funded and coordinated by The Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor. Through LIFE & LEGACY, we have an opportunity to assure our financial stability so our children and the generations that follow can be certain of having what JCS is so good at providing: a unique and welcoming community for secular Jews and their families.

We believe that people possess the ability to shape their lives, independent of supernatural authority. In an increasingly diverse Jewish world, we provide a vital community for cultural Jews and their families. Our membership is inclusive and diverse. We welcome individuals and families regardless of their age, sexual orientation, or racial, religious, or ethnic background.

Since our founding in 1965 as the Jewish Cultural School, we have worked hard to convey to our children, l’dor v’dor, from generation to generation, our pride in Jewish history and to instill in them a sense of Jewish peoplehood, of klal yisrael, our connection to other Jews around the world, whether they are in North America, elsewhere in the Diaspora, or in Israel. Our highly meaningful and individualized two-year b’nei-mitzvah program results in children who are proud to be Jewish and see themselves as a vital link in the chain of Jewish life.

Our community-wide holiday and Shabbat observances, as well as our life cycle events, adult programming, and social action efforts, all reflect our Jewish values, Jewish ethics, and commitment to repairing the world, tikkun olam. We sustain a humanistic vision, distilled from Jewish history and the Jewish wisdom tradition, of a fairer society with empathy and kindness toward all people and with peace among nations. 

Our legacy donors are people like you who share these commitments and believe that the Ann Arbor area needs the Jewish Cultural Society. Board members will be reaching out to those in our community about possible legacy giving to the JCS.

If you are a JCS community member thinking of how or whether to include our community in your estate planning, you can get the ball rolling with an email to info@jewishculturalsociety.org.

Learn more about the available giving options and other participating Jewish organizations