What They’re Saying About Us

Barry Shrage, President of Combined Jewish Philanthropies, celebrating 20 years at the helm of Boston's Jewish Federation, the oldest in America:

Gateways is an opportunity to give all of our kids a Jewish education. There’s nothing more important than an educated Jewish future for our community and for American Jewry, and it will never be complete until every single kid has that right and that privilege…

Liz, Mother of Harry, Bar Mitzvah, February 2008:

I think what was important from our family's perspective is that we knew we wanted an "out of the box" event.Gateways supported our vision and gave Harry the tools and experience to make it a reality.

Nancy, Mother of Josh, as she prepares for his Bar Mitzvah in September, 2008:

Without all these years of learning about being Jewish, Josh would not be as connected to the faith as he is. He so much enjoys reading the Hebrew, attending services, and attending other Jewish events...Gateways brought this to him, gave him the chance to mature and supported him until he was able to be the wonderful, young man he is today who values and can actively partake in Jewish life. It's hard to believe we're here after all these years and struggles. Please know that we value your efforts to ensure children such as mine have the opportunity to discover and rejoice in their Jewish heritage.

You should be so proud not only of where you've taken the 'organization' but also that the organization itself is full of caring, educated, staff and volunteers (especially).

Helayne, Parent of Teen Volunteer:

I observed my daughter at your program and I was so touched. What a fabulous program and what an amazing opportunity you have afforded my daughter. I want you to know how thankful I am to you and Prozdor for allowing my daughter to make a difference in the life of a child. This experience will help to guide her in her college/career decisions. I really saw my daughter in a different light and it was wonderful.

Penina,who wrote her senior thesis at Tufts about Jewish education:

Thank you for all that you do to make these children feel that they are an included part of the Jewish community.

Michael Gilbert, Director of Development for Hebrew College, and father of a three-year teen volunteer, commenting on our Inuagural Volunteer Appreciation Event in May, 2008:

Thank you for a truly wonderful event. In its own modest and charming way, it was as profound and moving as any tribute evening that I have been to. Rebecca was really touched. It was a nice thing to do -- showing gratitude to the teens -- and it brought closure to what had been an important life experience for everyone involved.

Bil Zarch, Former Prozdor High School Director

Reflections on Inclusion:

Inclusion… it's a buzz word that we educators use all the time. What does it mean to be inclusive? How do we make inclusion a real and natural part of any school community ...? We all know that the opposite of inclusion is exclusion. Many of us shudder to think about a time when we were excluded from something or some group. Feelings of sadness or despair may wash over us as we remember times when we were excluded...

Inclusion in the classroom takes on many different levels. When a teacher purposely pre-assigns groups to work in, this is a form of inclusion... An inclusive community is one that accepts everyone for who they are. An inclusive community is not one that picks apart other members of the community because of perceived differences. A community that allows others to get bullied or teased because they look, act or say something differently is not an inclusive community. But inclusion isn’t limited to what we on the staff and faculty can do — it takes an entire community to make sure everyone feels a part of the whole...