Struggling To Do More In Troubled Times

While Jewish poverty has always existed, it’s now exacerbated by the increased costs of food and energy coupled with major government reductions.

While Jewish poverty has always existed, it’s now exacerbated by the increased costs of food and energy coupled with major government reductions.

During the past 18 months, we have witnessed the decline of the stock market, the growth of unemployment, and the rising costs of fuel and food. Our nation, our city, and our community are coping with heightened economic anxiety and reduced government budgets in a rapidly changing global economic context.

At UJA-Federation of New York, where we are guided by an abiding mission to care for those in need, rescue those in harm’s way, and renew Jewish life, this moment raises complex challenges: How do we most effectively respond as a community? And how do we maintain our commitment to care for those in need while also renewing and strengthening Jewish life?

Even in the best of times, allocating finite communal

resources for maximum impact is a daunting task. UJA-Federation’s immediate past president, Morris W. Offit, wisely coined the term “moral triage” when referring to the allocation of funds. Businesses face these decisions all the time. The difference with nonprofits is that our choices translate immediately into lives. And when it comes to strengthening Jewish life — investing in Jewish day schools, camps, Israel experiences, and more — some would say the very future of our people is at stake.

For those of us in the “caring business,” Jewish poverty is not news. During the prior period of wealth accumulation in the 1990s, there were large numbers of New York Jews, often unseen and forgotten, who were barely making ends meet. The Jewish Community Study of New York: 2002 documented 244,000 poor and 104,000 near poor (those above the federal guideline for poverty), for the most part the elderly, large families and immigrants.

While Jewish poverty has always existed, it’s now exacerbated by the increased costs of food and energy coupled with major government reductions. A case in point, one UJA-Federation agency faces a shortfall of $450,000 this year in its ability to provide for its New York City food pantries. The Department for the Aging is facing more than $10 million in program cuts, including a cut of $700,000 for services for Nazi victims, an area in which the Jewish philanthropic community will now have to take full responsibility.

It’s not only the poor and near poor who are under duress. Middle-income families are suddenly struggling to pay for Jewish day schools. All it takes is one layoff or the loss of health insurance, and more people will be driven to the precipice of financial ruin.
UJA-Federation is closely monitoring the extent to which our agencies are receiving additional calls for cash assistance from Jews unable to pay their rent and put food on their tables. Our government relations department is working intensively with city and state government officials and our agencies to preserve essential programs and ensure that budget reductions don’t eliminate important core services.

And yet, combating poverty is only one of the pressing challenges facing us as a community and a people. The threat posed by a nuclear Iran cannot be ignored, which is why we are sponsoring a rally with the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and United Jewish Communities on Monday, Sept. 22, at 11:45 a.m. at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, the day President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addresses the United Nations.
And despite these very real threats, there are extraordinary opportunities that come with living as Jews in America. That’s why UJA-Federation continues to invest in the places, institutions, and experiences that shape Jewish identity. This is where Jews will come to understand the values that inspire so much of what we do. And this, too, is a priority that can’t be set aside for better days.

In planning for the coming year, UJA-Federation leadership took concrete steps to prepare for tighter financial times. First, we eliminated $1 million of expenditures in this year’s administrative budget. While this did not keep our budget flat, it reduced its growth. Second, although we’ve come off a year of record-breaking fundraising and strong endowment growth, we held back 1.5 percent of new grants until December 31st to reassess what is needed.

During years of plenty, UJA-Federation has wisely built substantial reserves, specifically maintained for global crises and times like these. If needed, UJA-Federation will make these funds available to make certain that Jews in our city do not go hungry and the elderly continue to receive the essential care they need to live with their dignity intact.

UJA-Federation, as the embodiment of collective Jewish responsibility, will do what is needed to make certain that those in our community who need additional support receive it. But we will also be steadfast in recognizing that most Jews in New York are still among the more privileged Jews in the world. We will continue to strengthen the institutions, both here and abroad, that provide the framework for Jewish life, Jewish communities, and the Jewish future. Holding both our challenges and opportunities in hand will guide our work, hone our focus, and ensure our enduring impact.
John S. Ruskay is executive vice president & CEO of UJA-Federation of New York.

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