Grants awarded in memory of Dave Burnett
THE work of young Jewish leader Dave Burnett, who died tragically in Israel last year, continues with the announcement of grants from the foundation set up in his name.
CHANTAL ABITBOL
FRIENDS and family will always remember young Jewish leader Dave Burnett as a proud Jew and Zionist, who worked tirelessly for Israel’s cause until his life was tragically cut short last year.
Now thanks to new grants set up by a foundation in his name, his work will also carry on.
This month, the Dave Burnett Foundation Fund awarded three community groups from across the country project grants aimed at promoting Jewish leadership and identity.
Among the recipients are the NSW Board of Jewish Education (BJE), which received funding to support 12 scholarships for its BJE Dave Burnett Jewish Student Network Leadership Initiative; and the Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) for 15 subsidised scholarships to its AUJS Political Training Seminar.
Zionist group Hineni Youth and Welfare also received funds for a speaker and eight subsidised scholarships to its Advanced Leadership and Ideology Seminar.
“The foundation was overwhelmed with responses and applications for funding support,” said Burnett’s father, Leslie Burnett, from Sydney, who serves as the fund’s chairman.
“It is very impressive to see how many within our community are seeking to provide new services of value to our youth, and the fund regrets it was not able to assist even more of these groups. But [we] plan to make another call for grant applications next year.”
Dave Burnett died tragically last January at the age of 22, when walking along a cliff-top ledge, which collapsed in the Jordanian historical town of Petra.
He had just completed leading a Taglit-Birthright Israel Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) Academy program in Israel.
Burnett had served as NSW president, and then national vice-president of AUJS.
Last June, the foundation -— managed by the Jewish Communal Appeal -— was established in his ¬≠memory.
For more information about the Dave Burnett Fund, go to www.aujs.com.au or email dave.burnett.fund@me.com.
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