Springfield Jewish Community Center establishes fund for low-income families
Updated Dec 16, 2020;
The Springfield Jewish Community Center has established the Rabbi Mark Dov Shapiro Memorial Fund for Social Justice to help lower-income families send their children to summer camp at the center. The fund honors the life and legacy of Shapiro, who died in July.
Attorney Gary Weiner initiated the endowed scholarship as a way to recognize Shapiro’s “passionate commitment to social justice and ensure that the J’s summer day camp is accessible for children of all backgrounds.”
“Mark Shapiro was someone who continually crossed boundaries, spiritually and socially, to strive for inclusion of all individuals, whether they were Jewish or not,” said Weiner. “In setting up this scholarship, it is my way to, hopefully, be part of the solution as we all try to bring people together of different faiths and cultures.”