Project Dignity
Project Dignity Montana is our social service division devoted to helping those less fortunate amongst us in their time of need. It provides them with vital assistance such as urgent medical care, hunger relief, temporary shelter, funding during financial crises, counseling during family emergencies and more.
"Project Dignity saves lives, reunites families, and averts crises."
Services
Humanitarian Aid Fund
The post-pandemic economy, as well as the rise in inflation, is affecting many in the Treasure State. Families and individuals continuously reach out to us for support in getting their basic necessities like food, fuel, heating for their homes and in some cases shelter and medical treatment.
We reach out to the elderly, single moms, orphans and widows, and other vulnerable members of society to ensure that they have the basics to get through their challenging time. No child in Montana should go to sleep hungry, no single mom should be stranded at home because their gas tank is empty, and no poor college student should have to think twice about getting antibiotics; we are here for them.
We reach out to the elderly, single moms, orphans and widows, and other vulnerable members of society to ensure that they have the basics to get through their challenging time. No child in Montana should go to sleep hungry, no single mom should be stranded at home because their gas tank is empty, and no poor college student should have to think twice about getting antibiotics; we are here for them.
Visiting the Homebound
Rabbi Chaim & Chavie Bruk, along with volunteers from Chabad, visit people who are homebound or in retirement homes throughout the state, bringing them joy and inspiration which they so desperately seek and certainly deserve.
Being immobile is a sobering experience: things taken for granted are suddenly scarce, and the homebound almost always find themselves reevaluating their life's priorities. There is often no better time for compassionate guidance and support, and the representatives of Chabad supply it in ample measure.
On many occasions we bring Challah or flowers before Shabbat, good cheer, holiday spirit and hope to those who have the gift of age or the challenge of disability. We also make sure to see them before each major Jewish holiday.
Would you like to help? Fill out our Volunteer Form
Being immobile is a sobering experience: things taken for granted are suddenly scarce, and the homebound almost always find themselves reevaluating their life's priorities. There is often no better time for compassionate guidance and support, and the representatives of Chabad supply it in ample measure.
On many occasions we bring Challah or flowers before Shabbat, good cheer, holiday spirit and hope to those who have the gift of age or the challenge of disability. We also make sure to see them before each major Jewish holiday.
Would you like to help? Fill out our Volunteer Form
Hospital Pastoral Care
On a weekly basis or upon request, Rabbi Bruk or a volunteer from Chabad visit patients at the local hospitals to cheer them up, recite a prayer, get their Hebrew name for the "Mi-Sheberach" blessing to be recited in the synagogue, and offer any other assistance they may need in their time of distress.
We are here to assist patients with their physical, material, spiritual & emotional needs.
We are here to assist patients with their physical, material, spiritual & emotional needs.
Prison Chaplaincy
We visit Montana’s prisons and spend time with the inmates studying Torah, putting on Tefillin and being their liaison to the Jewish community.
While imprisoned, many of our brothers and sisters use this difficult and unfortunate experience as an opportunity to discover their roots, and turn over a new leaf, thanks to the encouragement and support of these visits. The teachings of the Torah help a person become a healthy minded individual who knows that he or she has a vital part to play in the universe - even from the confines of a prison cell. This is also a preparation for eventual re-entry into society.
While imprisoned, many of our brothers and sisters use this difficult and unfortunate experience as an opportunity to discover their roots, and turn over a new leaf, thanks to the encouragement and support of these visits. The teachings of the Torah help a person become a healthy minded individual who knows that he or she has a vital part to play in the universe - even from the confines of a prison cell. This is also a preparation for eventual re-entry into society.
Counseling
We don’t anticipate it and we certainly don’t want it, but there are times when we’ll inevitably step back and say, “I need help”. In any kind of crisis, big or small, we are here to help. We will provide a listening ear and a shoulder to lean on when times get tough. Project Dignity helps individuals and families live through the ups and downs in the most positive way. At a difficult time, a chat with the Rabbi or Chavie may very well help a person see things in a clearer perspective.
We don’t hesitate, when needed, to guide the individual/couple to seek out professional medical help.
We don’t hesitate, when needed, to guide the individual/couple to seek out professional medical help.
Funerals / Jewish Burial Society
Understanding tragedy with compassion.
No one is ever prepared to cope with a tragedy. When people are thrown into that dark abyss of crisis or loss, the pain and the grief is accompanied by a crushing feeling of isolation and bewilderment by the many unknowns of this new uncharted territory.
Project Dignity’s mission is to provide support and assistance to individuals experiencing crisis or tragedy by providing vital community services, which include safeguarding the dignity of the deceased, arranging burial while discouraging cremation, working with the coroner's office to stop autopsies, and assisting the bereaved during these times. Throughout life’s darkest moments, Project Dignity is a source of light and warmth, encouragement and direction.
Click Here to learn more about our Neshema Gardens Cemetary.
No one is ever prepared to cope with a tragedy. When people are thrown into that dark abyss of crisis or loss, the pain and the grief is accompanied by a crushing feeling of isolation and bewilderment by the many unknowns of this new uncharted territory.
Project Dignity’s mission is to provide support and assistance to individuals experiencing crisis or tragedy by providing vital community services, which include safeguarding the dignity of the deceased, arranging burial while discouraging cremation, working with the coroner's office to stop autopsies, and assisting the bereaved during these times. Throughout life’s darkest moments, Project Dignity is a source of light and warmth, encouragement and direction.
Click Here to learn more about our Neshema Gardens Cemetary.
Montana's Free Loan Society
Montana’s Free Loan Society (Gemach) serves the Jewish community of Big Sky Country by providing interest-free loans to people struggling, helping them foster economic independence while preserving their inherit dignity. Interest-free lending is a profoundly Jewish and centuries-old response to financial need, most famously articulated by Maimonides: “A loan is better than charity, for it enables one to help oneself.” The funding for these loans comes from donations large and small; the moneys are then circulated in perpetuity as interest-free loans to deserving individuals and families. Your contribution to Montana’s Free Loan Society is truly the gift that keeps on giving, as the repayment rate on these loans is exceptionally high and the list of people in need of such loans is exceptionally long.
Click Here to Apply For a Loan
Click Here to Apply For a Loan
Military Support
Project Dignity assists Jewish men and women serving at Malmstrom Air Force Base and other military installations around the state with Jewish books, materials, and moral/spiritual support. Jews and other minority soldiers in the military face unique challenges in maintaining their identity. Away from home and community, these men and women in uniform are often challenged by not having the resources available to be able to study about, and observe, their respective traditions. Project Dignity provides them with a sense of family and community.
Students
Project Dignity and its umbrella Chabad Lubavitch of Montana seeks to be a "home away from home" for students on campus and offers a wealth of social, educational and spiritual programs at campuses across Montana. At college, students are exposed to new ideas and experiences and we seek to ensure that students graduate stronger and more empowered than when they entered.
Our doors are open to every student regardless of background or observance level. Programming always reflects tolerant, non-judgmental and open discussions, which is the hallmark of our inclusiveness.
Our doors are open to every student regardless of background or observance level. Programming always reflects tolerant, non-judgmental and open discussions, which is the hallmark of our inclusiveness.