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Q: Why does the Yiddish Book Center need an endowment?

A:  After 20 years of hard work and mazl, the Yiddish Book Center has largely succeeded in its initial mission: we've saved Yiddish books and made the literature accessible to all. Now we are undertaking an even greater challenge: launching a major educational effort so our children and grandchildren can discover Yiddish and Jewish culture and understand more fully their yerushe -- who they are and where they come from. Your contribution to the Yerushe Fund -- the Endowment of the Yiddish Book Center -- will ensure that Yiddish culture survives, that Jewishness thrives, and that our crucial work will continue for the next genertion and beyond.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) considers this initiative so important that it has awarded the Yiddish Book Center a $500,000 Challenge Grant over the next three years to help us build our endowment. The challenge is three for one -- we must raise three dollars for every one dollar that's granted by the NEH.

Q: How do I make a gift to the Yerushe Fund?

A: We would be happy to speak with you personally about the many ways you can contribute to the Yerushe Fund. You can make an outright gift of cash, stock, real estate or shares in a mutual fund or dividend reinvestment program. You can also choose to make a planned (also known as a "deferred") gift, such as a bequest in your will, donation of a life insurance policy, IRA or other retirement fund designation, Charitable Gift Annuity or Charitable Remainder Trust. You may choose to name your endowment fund in honor or in memory of a loved one -- creating a permanent legacy while bringing Yiddish and Jewish cultural knowledge to new generations.

Q: What kind of endowment fund can I create?

A: Since the needs of our organization change over time, unrestricted endowment gifts are extremely important. The distribution of unrestricted monies is approved by the Board of Directors of the Yiddish Book Center after careful consultation with the president and senior staff. We use our endowment funds to help launch exciting new programs, appoint the best teachers, and match challenge grants from foundations. The minimum gift for a named, unrestricted fund is $10,000.

You may also choose to restrict your contribution to a specific aspect of the Center's work. The minimum gift for a named, restricted fund is $25,000. Previous restricted endowment gifts have provided scholarships for student interns, created an annual public lecture series, and underwritten Pakn Treger, our award-winning English-language magazine.

Q: I want to support the Book Center but I am not ready to contribute money today. Are there other options?

A: There are many ways to make a contribution that do not require a gift from you now. The most common method is to designate the Yiddish Book Center as a beneficiary in your will. If your estate plan is complete, you can request that your attorney add a simple codicil naming the Yiddish Book Center as a beneficiary. You can also designate the Yiddish Book Center as a recipient of pension plan assets, an IRA or life insurance.

Q: I'd like to learn more. What can I do next?

A: Please call Maxine Stein at 413-256-4900 x117, or email us at mstein@bikher.org.