Contributions to our funds can be made online using the “Donate” button below,
or checks may be mailed to:
Vasssar Temple
140 Hooker Avenue
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Unless otherwise noted in the description of funds below, checks should be made payable to “Vassar Temple” with the fund name on the memo line.
Contributions are fully tax deductible. Notification will be sent promptly to those who are honored or to the family of the deceased if applicable. Contributions (not amounts) are listed in the monthly Bulletin. For further information or questions, call the Temple office at (845) 454-2570.
Click the name of any fund below to see a description of it.
Funds to which one can donate online OR by sending a check to the Temple
-
Contributions to this fund provide an additional source of revenue to the Temple. The fund is administered by the Board of Trustees and is to be used for operating expenses and appropriate non-capital projects. This fund is relied upon by a variety of Temple committees and directly benefits the entire congregation.
-
This fund is used for repairs, maintenance and improvements to the Temple. Each new Temple member unit is assessed a contribution to the Capital Fund, which is due in the first year of full membership, but which may be paid in up to five equal annual installments. As is the case with all financial obligations to Vassar Temple, alternative arrangements will be considered on a case-by- case basis. Additional contributions to this fund are welcome as we hope to avoid frequent general assessments for the upkeep of our facility.
-
The Cemetery Fund supports care of our cemeteries in perpetuity. This includes regular and seasonal property maintenance, repairs, and care of monuments. Funds are carefully managed in anticipation of the need for additional property in the future.
-
This fund supports Vassar Temple’s commitment to worthy organizations serving the needy in our community.
-
The Hineni Fund provides ongoing support for Vassar Temple’s Seth A. Erlebacher Religious School and youth programs. The name Hineni – meaning “here I am” – reflects the devotion to Jewish youth and education of Temple President Seth Erlebacher (1965-2011) and his enduring legacy of service.
-
This fund is used to support our long-time commitment to feeding the hungry in our community through meals provided at the Lunch Box at Dutchess Outreach.
-
The Music Fund was established to support the musical programming at Vassar Temple. Expenditures from the fund are recommended by the Music Committee and approved by the Temple Board. Music provides us all with a powerful bridge between our history and our future, and a special connection to the religious experience during services.
For more information and to arrange special donations for cantorial sponsorships please email music@vassartemple.org
-
Disbursements are used to enhance the education of our youth and children in a variety of ways, such as sponsoring supplementary educational experiences, purchasing Religious School materials, and supporting Youth Group events.
-
The Groten Fund supports Social Action programming at Vassar Temple and generally offsets expenses of the Social Action Committee. Expenditures from this fund are recommended by the Social Action Committee and approved by the Temple Board.
-
This fund honors the memory of Lila Matlin, a long-time beloved member whose family recognizes the value of technology in keeping Vassar Temple vibrant and relevant in a changing world. The fund supports the expansion of the Temple’s reach through the use of virtual and other technology by providing for both system upgrades and related professional services.
-
This Fund, endowed in 2021 by her family, honors the legacy and memory of former member Marjorie Gluck. Designed to support the Temple’s relevancy in a changing Jewish community, it enables our outreach through information technology and social and traditional media. It also supports outreach and membership development and has a special focus on sustaining the future of Judaism through engagement with youth, students, and young adults and support for our religious education programs.
-
Whatever the occasion, or simply for the joy of giving, a donation made toward the purchase of books, CDs, etc. for our Temple library builds on the strong Jewish tradition of learning. Donations are used for the purchase of new books and materials to be selected by our Rabbi and the Library Committee. A bookplate noting the name(s) of the donor and person honored or remembered is inserted in a book or other item for a minimum contribution of $15.
-
To honor Rabbi Golomb’s love of teaching, proceeds of this fund will support educational opportunities of a non-political nature for the membership of Vassar Temple and the public.
-
This fund was established in memory of Robert H. Lipshultz to perpetuate the values and ideals he espoused. His dedication to Jewish education and community service translates to an award every other year to enable a Vassar Temple college-age student to pursue a special project in Jewish Studies and to funding for special music programs. A committee to determine the award is made up of the Rabbi, the Educational Director and members of the Adult Education, Music and Youth Committees.
-
Our regular prayerbook is Mishkan T’filah, published by the Central Conference of American Rabbis in 2007. The generosity of Matthew and Muriel Lampell and Ralph and Marian Schwartz enabled Vassar Temple to acquire a full set of the new siddurim as soon as they were published. Their donation is recognized on a large bookplate facing the inside front cover of each book.
If you wish to dedicate one or more copies in honor of a person or occasion, or in memory of a loved one, you may do so for $36 per copy for the upkeep of the new books and their replacement when necessary. Each dedication will be recognized on a bookplate on the inside front cover of the siddur.
-
This fund is used for ongoing maintenance of our precious Torah scrolls, associated ritual objects, and the ark where they are stored.
-
The annual High Holy Day Appeal directly supports Temple operations.
Funds to which one can donate ONLY by check or by using the contact information provided
-
To honor the living and commemorate joyous events … (in the entrance hall of the Temple)
Leaf $180.00 Large Branch $1800.00 Rock $2800.00 Trunk $7500.00 Half of the proceeds from the Tree of Life will go directly into the Endowment Fund; the other half will go to support the ongoing programs and operations of Vassar Temple.
Contact the temple office to arrange for your additions to the Tree of Life including your desired engraving.
-
The names of departed loved ones are listed on bronze plaques in the Sanctuary. On each Yahrzeit and at Yom Kippur a memorial light is kindled beside the plaque. Names are read for Kaddish during the week of the Yahrzeit and listed in the Memorial booklet used for Yizkor Services throughout the year. The donation for a Memorial Plaque is $500.
Contact the temple office for more information.
-
This fund will provide a revenue stream for religious, cultural, educational, social and other programming that will supplement Vassar Temple dues and fund raising activities. Gifts to the fund will be invested to generate income. A portion of that income will be used to enhance programming. The balance will be reinvested.
The Endowment Fund is structured to receive lifetime and testamentary gifts from members of Vassar Temple and others. Gifts can be made in the form of cash, checks, stocks, bonds, real estate (both income and non-income producing), interests in family partnerships and life insurance policies, and may be paid over 3 years. A donor who makes a gift of $10,000 or more may designate the specific area to which the income generated by the gift shall be applied, and those funds shall be acknowledged in the donor’s name. Anonymous gifts are also welcome. The Board shall determine whether proposed gifts should be accepted. Under no circumstances shall the funds of the Endowment Fund be commingled with those of any other fund.
Contact the temple office for more information.
-
Tree sponsorships are purchased directly from the Jewish National Fund at
https://usa.jnf.org/jnf-tree-planting-center/ -
Donations “in appreciation” or “in memory” are accepted for the general fund for Sisterhood and may be used for a wide variety of purposes. For example, donations have been made to offset the costs of Tiny Temple. Sisterhood is also directly involved with the Andrea Rabin Scholarship Fund (scholarships for teens to attend the National Federal of Temple Youth conclaves). Money from this fund may also used for youth programming through the Youth Scholarship Fund (scholarships to attend summer camps with Jewish programming and also for programs in Israel.)
For your donation, write a check payable to “Vassar Temple Sisterhood.”
-
Contributions to this fund may be in any amount to commemorate a happy occasion or in tribute to loved ones and friends. This fund is administered solely at the Rabbi’s discretion to provide additional professional materials or services and to make financial assistance available to individuals and causes deemed appropriate. Your donation may go to help a fellow Temple member in need.
For your donation, write a check payable to “Vassar Temple Rabbi’s Fund.”