BUSINESS IN CELEBRATION OF THE GRAND OPENING OF OUR BERNHARDT GALLERY Clashing Demands AT TEL-TWELVE MALL... Continued from Page 38 related to the economic prob- lems." If the economic nosedive continues, Jewish agencies expect new demands on their limited resources — in- cluding requests for cash as- sistance to help clients, many "newly poor," with such basics as food and rent. With unemployment assis- tance for people laid off dur- ing the recession's darkest days, in late 1990, beginning to run out, Jewish social ser- vices are experiencing an in- crease in requests for direct assistance. "We are seeing a signifi- cant increase over last year's levels," said Dr. Steinitz, who expects a 25 percent in- crease in direct financial aid requests by next year. "Our requests for kosher foo'd have gone through the roof. And our internal analysis shows that a majority of recipient households are living on in- comes of under $5,000." 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KOSHER-PARENT a ® 932-4161 AN Local & Nationwide Delivery, VALERIE TAYLOR FASHION RESALE W a o a m ee ss nas s rie C lothing 7 Exclusiv aely A Financing Available • Current Fashions Sizes 2-14 [ Ask About Our: Preventive Maintenance Program HIGH EFFICIENCY 540-9548 "We Pay Cash for Fine as low as INSTALLED 40 1 block North of 14 Mile Rd CENTRAL AIR $1295. FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1991 11.1)1844 S. Woodward Birmingham Clothing and Accessories" 38 TH018 Mon-Fri 12 noon-6 pm Sct 11 am-6 pm Closed Sunday The expanding client load for Jewish welfare organiza- tions is being matched by funding problems that threaten the very existence of many of these programs*. Despite the successes of Operation Exodus, many Federation fund raising campaigns — a key source of funding for Jewish social service agencies — have been flat in recent years. The situation could de- teriorate as more resources are diverted to Israel and to the resettlement of Soviet Jewry — and as many large donors, traditionally the bedrock of Jewish philan- thropies, are hit hard by the recession. "In Washington, you have major donors who are corn- ing up with zeros this year," said Ellen Witman, the con- sultant for non-profit organ- izations. "Here, as in many cities, the real estate downturn is having a major impact. You have some peo- ple who usually make six- figure donations who are not making pledges this year; a number of big real estate de- velopers are in Chapter 11." New York, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia, with their dependence on banking, finance and real estate, have also been hard hit. Another factor are declines in government funding. In recent years, the federal government has been pass- ing off more and more pro- grams to state and local governments. But in 1991, many of these smaller government bodies are hov- ering on the brink of bankruptcy. Even in communities that have successfully limited their dependence on government funding, the current mood of austerity is having an effect. As the recession deepens, the crisis for Jewish social service agencies is likely to worsen. And one result will almost certainly be a new debate over the Jewish community's economic priorities. "If this recession con- tinues, the smaller, human care agencies, some of which have been around for a cen- tury, are going to be the first to suffer," said Jack Moskowitz, vice-president for government relations for the United Way of America. "These kinds of agencies have a major problem: they're very important for "You can't shut the door on helping the Soviets because you don't know how long the door will be open." the community, but they're not popular. They don't have the image, or the big fund- raising mechanisms. They're more dependent on the Federations, on the United Way, on government agencies. So the first to get hit are the hard-working Jewish social service agen- cies." The result, Mr. Moskowitz said, is a growing competi- tion for scarce funding. The sense of urgency was echoed by CJF's Mark Talisman. "Most people simply don't understand that this is a ge- nuine budget emergency we're facing," he said. "And they don't understand that the Jewish community is not invulnerable to the effects of this kind of crisis." Decisions about allocating funds will grow increasingly difficult, he said. "You can't shut the door on helping the Soviets," he said, "because you don't know how long the door will be open. You know Israel has these tremendous needs; we can't turn our backs on them. But we have these tremendous needs here, as well. It's a Hobson's choice; you have to meet all these needs at once. The only an- swer is that we have to raise more money. We don't have any choice."