from The Jewish Chronicle:

Jewish charities warn of cuts as donations fall

Jewish charities have been hit by a huge drop in donations this year and may have to make further cuts as local authorities, which use their services, tighten their belts.

… UJIA is making 15 redundancies as part of a drive to make £400,000 worth of cuts after a dramatic fall in donations – £11.7 million last year compared to £14.45 million in 2008. However, the charity’s chief executive Douglas Krikler said it would not affect the projects currently running in the UK and Israel.

JNF may consider closing its regional offices in Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Birmingham, but chief executive Elliot Conway has previously said no final decision has been made.

World Jewish Relief must raise £280,000 by the end of the month to avoid making cuts in its international welfare programmes. Its work in Ukraine has been particularly hit by the falling value of sterling against the Ukrainian currency, the hryvina.

Recent research by Investec Bank has shown that donations to charities are down 9.6 per cent from last year. The north-west is the region which has seen the biggest drop of 14.8 per cent. UJIA has already cut four jobs in its Manchester office.