t Ease
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RUTH LITTMANN STAFF WRITER
DETRO I T J EW IS H NEWS
Jewish agencies react to their
Campaign allocations.
LLJ
14
" or the most part, they're
pleased but not relieved of a
quest for other pots of gold.
A majority of agencies re-
ceiving money from the Jew-
, ish Federation of Metropolitan
.e ..„ Detroit this month expressed
satisfaction with increases to
their annual allocation from a Cam-
paign that raised $26.8 million this
year — the community's second
largest total ever.
' However, some agency directors
worry about state, federal and other
kelIw funding cuts, apt to curtail services
provided to elderly and needy Jews in metro
Detroit.
Jewish education was the big winner in
the 1995 Campaign. Agencies in this divi-
sion received $215,000 more than last year.
School representatives say the increases
were in line with expectations.
'We're delighted," said Robert Schostak,
president of Hillel Day School. (Hinds al-
location rose 835,000 to 8374,000 this year.)
Leaders of Yeshiva Gedolah, Akiva He-
brew Day School and Yeshiva Beth Yehu-
dah reacted similarly to increases ranging
between $35,000 and $50,000.
In the culture and group services division,
B'nai B'rith Hillel groups at Wayne State
University and the University of Michigan
received allocation boosts, although Michi-
gan State University's piece of the pie stayed
the same as last year: $111,500.
Hillel of Metro Detroit (HMD), based at
WSU, received a second consecutive increase
of $15,000, following a 1993 revamping of
its structure and mission to include more
events and more students, as well as non-
students.
"I'm very happy with the increase," says
Miriam Starkman, HMD executive direc-
tor.
HMD has received somewhat more mon-
ey this year from the National B'nai B'rith
Hillel Foundation, which in 1992 cut sup-
port to university affiliates when it encoun-
tered financial troubles. Nevertheless, HMD
seeks to expand its activities with funding
from a new endowment campaign and di-
rect mail solicitations.
"It's important for us to assume the re-
sponsibility of fund raising ourselves," Ms.
Starkman says. "Notjust to depend on com-
munity dollars."
The Jewish Community Center also re-
ceived an increase from Federation (about
$162,000 more) this year, but has vowed
to develop strategies for enhanced autono-
my in the long run.
Plagued with a deficit, the Center in re-
cent months has cooperated with a Fed-
eration study of its operations. A review
team is offering financial and market-
ing advice. One goal of the JCC: to tar-
get grants and other funding sources.
Another goal: to boost health club mem-
bership.
While the extra dollars from Federa-
tion won't bring the Center completely
out of the red, they go a long way to pre-
vent further personnel and programming
cutbacks sustained last winter.
Leah Ann Kleinfeldt, JCC executive
director, considers the increase a vote of
confidence from Federation and the com-
munity at large and says it boosts em-
ployee morale.
At Jewish Federation Apartments in
Oak Park, Executive Director Marsha
Goldsmith is pleased with what she de-
scribes as a small allocation increase —
from an increase of $19,928 last year to
$30,000 this year.
(The former total does not reflect an
extra $15,000 allocated to JFA in 1994
for now-obsolete kitchen rental costs.)
Earmarked
funds from Fed-
eration will en-
able JFA to
maintain subsi-
dies for 175 low-
income residents
on a special, re-
duced-fee meal
program. Nearly
31 residents,
however, remain
on the waiting
list for these sub-
sidies.
Federation de-
nied JFA's re-
quest for money
to hire another
part-time trans-
lator for the 183
Russian immi-
grants who live
there. JFA cur-
rently has two full-time translators.
Ms. Goldsmith's bigger concern regards
money from the Department of Housing
and Urban Development. JFA relies on
HUD to support many of its 667 residents.
Without those funds, administrators ques-
tion their next step.
"Everything (in Washington, D.C.) is if,
if, if right now," Ms. Goldsmith says.
"There's a lot of speculation. We can't re-
act to anything until we know what Con-
gress is going to do."
Top:
The Jewish Center:
Working out strategies for
enhanced autonomy.
Right:
The JCC will aim to
increase Health Club
membership.
Left:
Pending legislation might
affect elderly at Jewish
Federation Apartments.
Alan Goodman, ex-
ecutive director of Jew-
ish Family Service,
expresses similar con-
cern about state and
federal dollars supporting programs
his agency offers.
Allocation decreases befell some
Campaign beneficiaries this year.
Most notably, the Jewish Commu-
nity Council took a $20,000 hit, which
will be followed by another slice of
the same amount next year. One staff
position, the public relations direc-
tor, already has been eliminated.
"It's going to translate into pro-
HAPPY page 16