Projects we are
Passionate About
The Leon family is proud to have donated more than $8 million to charity over the last decade. Below are a sample of projects that we are very thrilled to support.
Completed Projects
Chicago
Mitzvah
Campaign
2757 W Pratt Blvd, Chicago, IL 60645
The Chicago Mitzvah Campaign was developed to provide help and support to patients and seniors from the entire Chicago Jewish community. We offer our services when people need them most, at times of frailty, illness, infirmity and loss. Our programs assist individuals with information, social support and material aid, and avail them of spiritual counsel, Jewish traditions and observances.
Congregation Shaarei Tzedek Mishkan Yair
2832 W Touhy Ave, Chicago, IL 60645
Shaarei Tzedek opened its doors in 1992 with the inspiring leadership of Rabbi Reuven Gross (Z”L). Today it has grown to more than 250 families. Known for its warmth and growth, the Leon family is proud of its involvement with the Congregation from the beginning, and look forward to making Rabbi Gross’s vision become a reality.
Ohr Somayach
Shim’on ha-Tsadik Street 22, Jerusalem
Nearly 50 years ago, a handful of students began meeting with a cadre of teachers for frank and open dialogue. The learning experience is at the heart of Ohr Somayach, where every new concept a student discovers pulsates with the lifeblood of Jewish learning. At Ohr Somayach, the guiding principle is Jewish identity through Jewish knowledge. Therefore, it is the quality of education that has made Ohr Somayach the most prestigious institution of its kind, with thousands of students around world.Situated on Shimon Hatzadik Street and Jerusalem Highway One, the campus is on a main artery linking old and new Jerusalem.
Yeshivas Mir Yerushalayim
Beit Yisra’el St 14, Jerusalem, Israel
Yeshivas Mir Yerushalayim (the “Mir”), was founded in 1817 in the town of Mir, Poland and resettled in post war Jerusalem in 1944. In its 200 year history, the Mir has grown from a handful of students to the largest Yeshiva in the world. Today, the Mir is led by Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Finkel Shlita.
Since its inception, the Mir has occupied a unique position among its peers, shouldering a sense of responsibility that extends far beyond its own students to the Torah world at large.
The Mir is home to students from the most geographically and culturally diverse backgrounds in the Jewish world. Its doors are open to all who seek to study Torah – whether on a full time basis, during bein hazmanim, or during a week’s vacation in Jerusalem.
The Eim Hayeshivos, the mother of all Yeshivos, the Mir, nestled in the heart of Jerusalem, has a student body of more than 11,000 students.
Future Projects
Arie Crown Hebrew Day School
Skokie, IL
ACHDS is an extraordinary school with dynamic teachers who help create an environment of Jewish growth for our students. We provide a challenging dual Judaic and Secular curriculum while underscoring the integral values of family and community. Our rigorous academic curriculum is taught through a Jewish lens in a rich, nurturing community of teachers, mentors and peers – all passionate about Torah and mitzvos. We are dedicated to expanding minds, instilling values, and preparing the future generation of our Jewish community.
More than 1000 students from pre-K through 8th grade attend ACHDS and we are proud to partner with Keshet and REACH on campus.
Midwest Refuah Health Center
Chicago, IL
In times of crisis or joy, The Chicago Center strives to be there for every Jew, every day of their life. We combine the strengths of various community resources to provide a wide range of necessary services. This comprehensive focus on all ages and stages of the Jewish lifecycle has made The Chicago Center the one-stop address for Torah and chesed in our community.
Heritage Russian Jewish Congregation
Chicago, IL
At the heart of Chicago’s West Rogers Park neighborhood, stands Jewish Heritage Congregation. Known as a home for many Russian Jews, it offers a place to pray and celebrate different lifecycle events. The Leons are proud to partner with the expansion of this most worthy Congregation, in order that they may have the space to continue their inspiring work.
Active Involvement Projects
A Safe Haven
2750 West Roosevelt Road
Chicago, IL 60608
A Safe Haven offers an unprecedentedly comprehensive approach to addressing homelessness. Our central goal is to help people find a path to sustainable self-sufficiency. To guide our residents on this journey, our multi-faceted team delivers individualized case management to connect each resident to appropriate services in a cohesive and coordinated way. One of the first and most important steps is to provide semi-private accommodations based on specific needs. This first step provides our residents “A Safe Haven” from which to begin their journey back to health and independence.
Everyone who comes to A Safe Haven is treated with the highest level of respect and dignity. A Safe Haven is an environment that fosters success. We help thousands of people each year to restore their lives and move toward a more practical, secure future.
Momentum Unlimited
6101 Executive Blvd
Rockville, MD 20852
In 2008, eight Jewish women from different walks of life, affiliations, observance, and ages ( fondly known as the Utah 8) came together to make a difference. They agreed that it was time to empower and inspire women with the rich beauty of their Jewish heritage, and Momentum was born. Momentum seeks to inspire women to transform themselves, transform their families, their communities, and the world. Our flagship program, the MOMentum Year-Long Journey, empowers women to connect to Jewish values, engage with Israel, take action, and foster unity, without uniformity.
Bright Star Community Outreach
333 E. 35th Street
Chicago, IL 60616
Over the course of our proud twelve-year history, Bright Star Community Outreach has made significant contributions to the renewal of Chicago’s most vulnerable communities as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Driven by hope for change in Chicago, and the families that call it home, Bright Star’s presence has been marked by effective programming, social development, and advocacy; particularly in the 3rd and 4th wards of the south side.
Led by founder and CEO Pastor Chris Harris, Sr., who grew up in Bronzeville, our strategy includes developing impactful community development initiatives to address our largest societal challenges: violence, poor economic opportunities, inadequate mental health services, homelessness, child safety, and drug abuse. These efforts are designed to strengthen families and communities, as well as leverage key partnerships with organizations and businesses that share our passion for seeing renewal in Chicago.
Chicago Torah Network
2832 West Touhy Avenue
Chicago, IL 60645
Our mission is to empower every Jew along their own Jewish journey by sharing the beauty, wisdom and relevance of Judaism and Jewish traditions. For more than 25 years CTN has inspired thousands of people, from all backgrounds and beginnings, to discover and develop their own personal relationship with their Jewish heritage.
