B'NAI MITZVAH Project

Mazel Tov on becoming a B’nai Mitzvah!

Thank you so much for considering Ofanim for your Mitzvah Project! We are excited to be working with you this year and so thankful for your support and the support of your family and friends. We are thrilled to be sharing the value of Ofanim and the opportunities it provides to children in Israel with you.

As you know, Ofanim is an Israeli nonprofit that exposes children living on Israel’s social and geographic periphery to new worlds of content in the fields of science and technology (STEM), with the aim of increasing their motivation to learn while empowering them. Founded in 2004, 30,000 graduates have participated in its programs in just 16 short years. Every week, Ofanim brings high standard STEM programs to 60 communities, serving 4,000 children annually in multiple study groups. Graduates of Ofanim score higher on their matriculation exams than those who do not participate, 23.5%, 24%, and 13% receive the maximum scores in math, biology, and physics, respectively, compared to 9%, 16%, 8% receiving the highest marks without Ofanim’s programming.

LEARN About Us

To learn a bit more about Ofanim, we recommend checking out the following links:

HOW Can I Help?
WHAT Can I Do?

You might be thinking, ok, I’m here for this mitzvah project with Ofanim, but what do I DO?! We’ve got you covered! Below are just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing, but we’d also love to hear yours too! And if your parents want to be involved, that’s great with us as well.

Here are just a few ideas to help get you started in thinking about how to raise funds and/or physical products to support Ofanim

In your invitation

Ask for donations directly to Friends of Ofanim as part of gifts – you can include this link for donation
Include a personal note as to why this is so important to you (we have some talking points for you below)
Consider including an actual brochure about Ofanim in each of your invitations so your guests can learn more right away (we’re happy to send these out to you if you like)

Hang flyers, send emails,
post on Facebook and/or Instagram to raise awareness about Ofanim and its impact

Ask for donations directly to Ofanim instead of gifts – you can include this link ofanim.org/bmdonation
Include a personal note as to why this is soimportantto you (we have some talking points for you below)
Consider including an actual brochure about Ofanim in each of your invitations so your guests can learn more right away (we’re happy to send these out to you if you like)

Ask specific people in your life to donate money to Friends of Ofanim in your name instead of giving you a gift

Organize a big dinner (spaghetti is an easy one to have you and your parents pull off) at your synagogue to raise donations and awareness about Ofanim

Organize a reading pledge drive (or a sports pledge drive) – for every book read or goal scored, people pledge a certain amount to raise funds for Ofanim

Host a car wash or a bake sale to raise funds to support Ofanim

“Adopt” a class or an individual on one of the Ofanim buses

If you’re interested in this, we can talk about prices for symbolic “adoptions”

Make STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) the theme of
your Bar or Bat Mitzvah

Each table could be a different STEM component
The centerpieces could be supplies related to each of the components and then you could donate those supplies to Ofanim after your party