from The Jewish Week:
Conservative Movement Likely To Suspend College Outreach
The budget committee of the United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism will recommend that funding be halted for Koach, the movement’s national college outreach program, when the governing board meets June 10, as part of an effort to reduce the organization’s deficit.
… On Thursday Rabbi Steven Wernick, chief executive officer for the United Synagogue, said that while his organization remains committed to serving college youth, it has over the last three years been “very aggressive in aligning budget, staff and governance with our vision and mission in a strategic way.” Faced with an aging membership, a long-term decline in membership and attendant financial challenges, the United Synagogue has been focusing on shoring up existing congregations, seeking to integrate the educational system and engage the next generation of leadership.
The rabbi pointed to success in greatly increasing philanthropic giving while seeking efficiencies in governance, board size and staffing. With it all, though, he acknowledged that the organization is not out of the financial woods and that “non-strategic” programs had to be cut back or cut entirely. He said he held out hope that “philanthropic resources” could be found to bring back Koach after the program is closed in the near future.
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I find it very troubling that an organization such as Koach is not deemed “strategic” enough for USCJ.
“Faced with an aging membership, a long-term decline in membership and attendant financial challenges, the United Synagogue has been focusing on shoring up existing congregations, seeking to integrate the educational system and engage the next generation of leadership.”
What better way to “integrate the educational system and engage the next generation of leadership” than through Koach? Koach is the only provider of a truly Conservative Jewish community on college campuses, and the only way to ensure college students stay committed and interested in Conservative Judaism. What college student wants to be involved with a Jewish movement that is not interested in the involvement of college students? The aging membership IS the cause of the long-term decline in membership in the Conservative Movement; as older members pass on, USCJ have done very little to engage future leadership amongst college students and recent college graduates. The one way to solve this problem is to rebuild and strengthen Koach, not to disband it. The concept of cutting funding to Koach is nothing if not counterproductive. Good luck engaging young Conservative Jewish leaders once they feel altogether abandoned.
Rabbi Wernick gave the exact opposite message when he spoke to 150 students at a koach conference in Boston this past February. Koach has been a savior on my campus. Without them, we would have no non-Orthodox presence. What is he thinking?
In response KOACH students from throughout the country have started a campaign to “Save KOACH” (http://savekoach.org). I urge everyone to sign the petition and send it along to your friends, synagogues, parents, and leaders of the Jewish community and e-mail to the following people:
-Rabbi Steven Wernick, Chief Executive Officer of the USCJ (wernick@uscj.org)
-Richard Skolnik, International President of the USCJ (skolnik@uscj.org)
Thanks for your continued support.
http://savekoach.org
This is a good move. We need to make a better effort to support our campus hillels. There are just too many organizations and people are spread too thin financially in the conservative movement.
@Leslie:
Koach has always worked with and through Hillels as a true partner – just like JNF and other organizations. There is no competition or dilution of resources. On many campuses (including mine), they have enhanced the Hillel program.
Just the latest news on the dying Conservative movement, how sad.