WHEN RECESSION HITS HOME Clashing Demands Social service agencies throughout the United States have more requests for food and grants. JAMES D. BESSER Washington Correspondent I n Atlanta, this year's Super Sunday fund- raiser uncovered a startling number of Jews who are out of work. In New York, social workers for Jewish agencies are worried about a rising tide of Jewish homelessness — and about their growing inability to respond to the overwhelming needs gener- ated by the recession. In Baltimore, demand at a kosher food pantry has more than doubled in the past 18 months, with no end in sight. After months of recession, many Jewish social service agencies have their backs against the wall. The signs of this quiet upheaval are not always easy to detect. The commun- ity's priorities show continu- ing signs of health. Opera- tion Exodus has generated an unprecedented outpour- ing as Jews here seek to help Israel settle hundreds of thousands of Soviet Jews. But down in the trenches, where Jewish philanthropy meets the immediate needs of the community, things are bleak. "It's an unprecedented crisis," said Mark Talisman, Washington director for the Council of Jewish Federa- tions. "It's almost like plan- ning for a war. We have to maintain increased services at a time of downward in- come, at the same time that we have to meet huge in- creases in overseas needs. The bottom line is that our doors can't close, and we have to figure out new ways to meet these needs." For hard-pressed Jewish social service agencies, the crisis represents the con- junction of several problems. "What you find in hard times is that the social ser- vice agencies —food pan- tries, vocational services and the like — are hit by both a decline in giving and a huge 38 FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991 rise - in demand services," said Ellen Witman, a Wash- ington consultant for non- profit organizations and a former official with the Council of Jewish Federa- tions. "It's the combination of the two that puts agencies in such a dilemma; even if revenues remain stable, de- mand is such that you can't keep up with it." But this isn't just any recession. In fact, the Reces- sion of 1991 is taking on a particularly Jewish flavor. "The last few recessions in Michigan were blue-collar recessions," said Albert Ascher, executive director of the Jewish Vocational Ser- vice of Metropolitan Detroit. "This is a white-collar one. As a result, it is affecting the Jewish community dispropor- tionately." In most major American cities, the economic downturn is swamping Jew- ish social service agencies with new clients seeking Decisions about allocation funds will only grow more difficult. vocational counseling, col- lege placement services, credit and financial counsel- ing and even food and rent assistance. "We're finding a large number of upper-and middle- class Jews being laid off, people who were earning $50,000 to $300,000 a year," said Al Miller, director of the Federation Employment and Guidance Service in New York City. "And in many cases, these people who are now on the unemployment lines were the financial base for Jewish fund-raising cam- paigns." Middle management, where a disproportionate number of Jews have worked in recent years, has been particularly hard hit by the white collar recession of 1991. "Even before the reces- sion, there has been a move for several years to elim- inate middle management in corporate America," Mr. Miller said. "The trend is to upgrade the lowest levels — it is an unprecedented crisis." Mark Talisman, Washington Director, Council of Jewish Federations "This is a white collar one. As a result, it is affecting the Jewish community disproportionately." Albert Ascher, executive director, Jewish Vocational Service wiping out the middle. Un- fortunately for us, the downsizing of middle management is coming just at a time when many Jews are getting to those posi- tions." Also, Jews are over- represented in finance, real estate and insurance, Mr. Miller said — the areas that have been Ground Zero for the current economic cataclysm. At the same time, cutbacks by a large number of federal, state and local governments are throwing more and more severely needy people on the mercies of the voluntary community. "For the first time, there's a decline in the amount of unemployment assistance available through the states," said CJF's Mark Talisman. "These folks are showing up at Jewish agen- cies in growing numbers, on a daily basis. They're com- ing into our family service organizations, our Federa- tions, even our synagogues." Economic hard times touch off a wide variety of secon- dary problems, from substance abuse to domestic violence, from depression to homelessness. Many of the victims of these aftershocks are showing up on the doorsteps of Jewish agen- cies. "As the economic situation becomes worse and people are under more stress, it's translated into family troubles — including substance abuse and do- mestic violence," said Dr. Lucy Steinitz, executive di- rector of the Jewish Family Service in Baltimore. "Research has shown that kind of relationship — and we're certainly seeing those kinds of ills. More than 20 percent of our counseling cases are ones involving do- mestic violence. We are prepared to see increases in family strife, depression, substance abuse — a lot of it Continued on Page 40 .