New Mexico’s Jewish federation is on brink of collapse with no staff or funding for programs – St. Louis Jewish Light

(JTA) – The Jewish Federation of New Mexico has practically run out of cash and workers, and all of its applications have been suspended or are being handed over to different group entities, in line with interviews and courtroom information.

The dysfunction is the results of mounting acrimony at a 74-year-old establishment chargeable for serving the state’s estimated 24,000 Jews. After board resignations, lawsuits and the flight of many longtime donors over the previous two years, the board has been discussing dissolving the federation totally.

“All of the applications are gone,” stated federation board member Marina Rabinowitz, who agreed to hitch the embattled board in January in hope of turning issues round. “The federation used to offer grant cash to nearly all Jewish establishments throughout the state. However not anymore.”

Among the many applications and grantees affected are the Jewish Care Program, which aids the aged, together with Holocaust survivors, and is being transferred to the Jewish Neighborhood Middle of Higher Albuquerque; PJ Library, which gives books without cost to Jewish households; the Santa Fe Jewish Movie Competition; and the Hillel chapter on the College of New Mexico.

“The scenario in New Mexico is unacceptable and we’ll do all the things in our energy to make sure that the federation is ready to proceed serving the Jewish group, supporting Jewish infrastructure, uplifting Jewish life, and serving probably the most weak,” stated Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, which represents 450 communities throughout North America.

What the longer term holds for New Mexico’s Jewish group is unclear. For now, all “central” applications historically supported via federation funding are nonetheless in operation, in line with a JFNA spokesperson.

However even when the federation folds, donors may materialize to maintain the applications afloat independently and the applications which have misplaced staff may very well be restaffed below new preparations.

The dispute in New Mexico, which the Jewish Telegraphic Company first uncovered in March, facilities on the tenure of Rob Lennick, the federation’s former government director, who departed lately. He has since been employed to move The Jewish Federation of Volusia & Flagler Counties, serving the world of Daytona Seashore, Florida, a JFNA spokesperson has confirmed.

A number of workers members started complaining in late 2020 that Lennick was susceptible to matches of rage and was at occasions intimidating and hostile. Lennick denied these allegations, discovering assist among the many government committee of the federation’s board.

The chief committee moved to supply Lennick a mortgage and a contract extension and the board permitted the provide in a vote in February 2021. However shortly after, a number of board members accused the chief committee of concealing the complaints in opposition to Lennick earlier than the vote.

About half the board quickly resigned and 4 members who stayed on filed a lawsuit. They’re now asking a New Mexico courtroom to take over the federation to make sure its administration construction could be overhauled.

Lennick is now contemplating submitting his personal lawsuit as a result of he says he has been unfairly maligned, in line with his lawyer, Daymon Ely, who declined to say who is perhaps focused within the lawsuit.

“I’m not going to call names, however you will have people who have a bit little bit of energy and in my judgment, have abused that energy,” Ely stated. “We’re contemplating bringing a lawsuit as a result of he has left and so they proceed accountable him for issues that weren’t his fault. They’re nonetheless speaking in regards to the acrimony being his duty, however I feel he actually did attempt to flip down the amount and I feel the info will present that he tried to do job.”

Present members of the chief committee didn’t reply to requests for remark. David Blacher, who resigned as president of the federation, declined to remark.

In January, with lots of the board seats vacant, the chief committee recruited Rabinowitz. An economist by career, she agreed and noticed a chance to contribute by finding out what appeared as messy monetary accounting.

However she says that when she requested for entry to the federation’s books, she was rebuffed by the chief committee. After repeatedly “begging,” she says she was lastly given some numbers, corresponding to a revenue and loss assertion, however not any documentation that might validate the figures.

“I’ve no confidence that no matter is introduced there’s truly true,” Rabinowitz informed JTA.

What she has been in a position to set up is that the federation coffers lately dwindled to about $22,000, a minuscule quantity for a corporation with a proposed finances of about $1 million in 2020, and a large drop from three years in the past when the federation reported that it had 18 months in working bills in its reserves.

Rabinowitz will not be certain the place the cash has gone. At the very least a few of it’s going to pay the lawyer representing the chief committee members in courtroom, in line with courtroom information.

“I have no idea what right here is mismanagement and what’s fraud,” Rabinowitz stated. “The one factor that I can inform you is that a corporation that has existed for over 70 years was destroyed within the final three years.”

Shelly Prant, the chief director of Albuquerque Jewish Neighborhood Middle, stated she believes the group will rally to make sure important applications will proceed and that her group and others are ready to select up any slack created by the issues on the federation.

“There’s a core group of individuals in Albuquerque and across the state which are actually caring, passionate and philanthropic,” Prant stated. “And so they’re actually taking all this very severely and attempting to assist, and so on the finish of the day, we’ll be okay although proper now, it’s difficult.”

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