The Jewish Foundation For The Righteous

What The Jewish Foundation For The Righteous does

The Jewish Foundation For The Righteous (JFR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1986 by Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis and headquartered at 80 Main Street, Suite 380 in West Orange, New Jersey. The organization operates a dual mission: (i) providing monthly financial assistance to aged and needy Righteous Gentiles — non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust, with the majority of recipients living in Eastern Europe and the largest concentration in Poland; and (ii) operating a nationally recognized Holocaust teacher education program for middle and high school educators across the United States. Rescuer support includes the Christmas Food Program for food, medicine, and heating fuel. Geographic reach of the rescuer program spans 11 European countries including Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and others; the organization holds 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status granted by the IRS in 1994.

JFR's core products and services include the Summer Institute for Teachers held annually at Columbia University, Advanced Seminars for Lerner Fellows, the How Was it Possible? (HWIP) online Holocaust curriculum launched in 2024, the European Study Program with study tours to Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands, two editions of the 'Whoever Saves a Single Life...' traveling exhibit, the Ask a Rescuer student engagement program (launched 2011), award-winning documentary films, and a content library of more than 200 documented stories of moral courage plus a recommended reading library of 34+ Holocaust books. The Centers of Excellence Program partners with 15 Holocaust centers across the United States that nominate educators to JFR programs. All educational programs for teachers are free of charge.

The organization's business model is entirely donation-funded. JFR relies on tax-deductible contributions from individuals, organizations, and foundations. According to disclosed program-spending ratios, approximately 86% of each donation goes to program-related activities, of which 85% funds direct rescuer support and 15% funds the education program. There are no product or service sales; no pricing model exists for end beneficiaries. The organization employs 1-10 staff, is governed by a board of trustees, and has no parent company, subsidiaries, or private equity ownership. Key leadership includes Executive Vice President Stanlee Stahl, who has been with the organization since 1992.

Name

The Jewish Foundation For The Righteous

Legal name

The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous

Website

https://jfr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Jewish Foundation For The Righteous is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides monthly financial assistance to aged Holocaust rescuers across 11 European countries and operates a nationally recognized Holocaust teacher education program serving middle and high school educators across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Holocaust Education and Rescuer Support

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Holocaust education programs
• Teacher training seminars
• Nonprofit rescuer support
• Holocaust curriculum resources
• Educational documentary content

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The JFR operates as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that relies entirely on tax-deductible donations from individuals, organizations, and foundations to fund its dual mission of rescuer support and Holocaust education programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides monthly financial assistance to aged and needy Righteous Gentiles (non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust), primarily living in Eastern Europe. It also operates a nationally recognized Holocaust teacher education program for middle and high school teachers, including a Summer Institute at Columbia University, an online curriculum, advanced seminars, European study programs, and a network of Holocaust Centers of Excellence.

Product overview

The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous operates as a non-profit organization offering a unified portfolio of Holocaust education programs and rescuer support services. The core offerings include the nationally recognized Holocaust Teacher Education Program, the How Was it Possible? online curriculum (HWIP), and the Summer Institute for Teachers held at Columbia University, alongside the Centers of Excellence partnership network. The organization supports Righteous Gentiles through its Rescuer Support Program providing monthly financial assistance, and maintains educational resources including documentaries, a traveling exhibit, Stories of Rescue (200+ stories), Recommended Reading, and Haggadah Supplements. The portfolio also includes European Study Programs, Advanced Seminars for Lerner Fellows, the Ask a Rescuer student program, and the Christmas Food Program for rescuers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• How Was it Possible? A Holocaust Curriculum For and By Teachers: An online Holocaust curriculum program for middle and high school teachers and their students.
• Summer Institute for Teachers
• Whoever Saves a Single Life...Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust

Products and services

• Rescuer Support Program Provides monthly financial assistance to aged and needy Righteous Gentiles (non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust), primarily living in Eastern Europe with Poland having the largest number of rescuers. Also includes the Christmas Food Program for purchase of food, medicine, and home heating fuel.
• Holocaust Teacher Education Program Nationally recognized program that educates middle and high school teachers from across the United States and U.S. Holocaust center personnel about the history of the Holocaust, antisemitism, rescue, and the context in which heroic rescuers acted.
• Summer Institute for Teachers Annual week-long intensive teacher training program held at Columbia University in New York City for educators nominated by partner Holocaust centers across the United States.
• How Was it Possible? A Holocaust Curriculum For and By Teachers (HWIP) Online Holocaust curriculum program for middle and high school teachers and students, providing comprehensive study units with essential questions about antisemitism history.
• Centers of Excellence Program Partnership with 15 outstanding Holocaust centers across the United States that nominate middle and high school educators to attend JFR education programs including the Summer Institute.
• Advanced Seminar Annual advanced seminar featuring leading Holocaust scholars for Lerner Fellows, covering topics in Holocaust history and pedagogy.
• European Study Program Educational study tours to Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands visiting Holocaust memorial sites, concentration camps, and historical locations for Lerner Fellows and educators.
• Traveling Exhibit - Whoever Saves a Single Life...Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust Freestanding traveling exhibit showcasing stories of non-Jews who rescued Jews during the Holocaust, designed for small venues and accessible to middle school students through adults.
• Documentaries Award-winning films documenting the courage of Righteous Gentiles and the Jews they saved during the Holocaust, available for educational screenings.
• Ask a Rescuer Program Student engagement program allowing students to ask questions directly to Holocaust rescuers.
• Christmas Food Program for Rescuers Special annual award program providing funds for the purchase of food, medicine, and home heating fuel for aged rescuers during Christmas.

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 15 Holocaust Centers of ExcellencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1986The JFR partners with 15 outstanding Holocaust centers across the United States that nominate middle and high school educators to attend the JFR Summer Institute and other education programs. These centers participate in the Holocaust Centers of Excellence Program.
• Columbia UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe JFR Summer Institute for Teachers is held annually at Columbia University in New York City, providing a prestigious venue for educator training.
• Yad VashemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority in Israel, is the official body that recognizes individuals as Righteous Among the Nations. Rescuers are referred to JFR by Yad Vashem, and JFR uses this recognition as the eligibility criteria for financial support.
• Fritz Bauer InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe JFR met with Professor Dr. Sybille Steinbacher and staff of the Fritz Bauer Institute in Frankfurt, Germany during their 2018 European Study Program. Discussions focused on Holocaust education in Germany at high school and university levels.
• Museum of Tolerance-New YorkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Museum of Tolerance-New York serves as a venue for JFR seminars for NYC and New Jersey teachers, hosting events focused on Holocaust education and pedagogy.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Simon Wiesenthal Center / Museum of Tolerance: The Simon Wiesenthal Center operates the Museum of Tolerance and Holocaust education programs targeting teachers and students, overlapping materially with JFR's educator training, teacher seminars, and antisemitism education work.
• USC Shoah Foundation: Founded by Steven Spielberg to preserve Holocaust and other genocide testimony, USC Shoah Foundation operates a large archive of survivor testimonies and educator programs that overlap with JFR's documentary, oral history, and teacher education missions.
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: USHMM is the U.S. national Holocaust memorial and education institution, providing teacher training, curriculum resources, and educator programs that directly overlap with JFR's Holocaust Teacher Education Program, Summer Institute, and HWIP curriculum offerings.
• Anti-Defamation League (ADL): ADL is a major Jewish civil rights and antisemitism-education organization that runs Holocaust education programming and teacher resources; it competes with JFR for donor dollars and educator attention in the Holocaust and antisemitism curriculum space.

Direct peers

• Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference): The Claims Conference administers compensation programs for Holocaust survivors and is a structural peer in the Jewish philanthropic ecosystem that supports aging Holocaust victims, overlapping with JFR's direct financial support to aged Righteous Gentiles.
• Yad Vashem: Israel's official Holocaust remembrance authority is both a JFR partner and a direct peer: it recognizes Righteous Among the Nations (the eligibility criteria JFR uses) and provides Holocaust education programs and educator training that compete for the same teacher and institutional audiences.
• March of the Living: March of the Living organizes annual educational trips to Auschwitz-Birkenau with Holocaust education curricula for students and educators, directly comparable to JFR's European Study Program and its broader teacher education mission.

Emerging players

• Echoes & Reflections: Echoes & Reflections is a partnership among ADL, USC Shoah Foundation, and Yad Vashem providing Holocaust curriculum and teacher professional development, directly comparable to JFR's HWIP online curriculum and Summer Institute offerings for U.S. middle and high school teachers.
• AZRIELI Foundation (Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program): The AZRIELI Foundation publishes Holocaust survivor memoirs and supports Holocaust education initiatives, overlapping with JFR's documentary publishing, rescuer stories, and educational content strategy but operating through a narrower set of publishing-driven programs.

Regional players

• Holocaust Educational Trust: The UK-based Holocaust Educational Trust runs teacher training, survivor testimony programs, and Holocaust education initiatives comparable to JFR's mission, but it primarily serves British educators and students rather than the U.S. market JFR targets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/JFRDirector
• Facebookfacebook.com/JewishFoundationForTheRighteous
• Instagraminstagram.com/jfr_photos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-jewish-foundation-for-the-righteous

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Jewish Foundation For The Righteous