Bureau of Jewish Education facing closure

Barry Shrage isn't giving the BJE any choice, even as he says the BJE Board will decide the BJE's fate. If it ain't broke, don't fix it - BJE worked well as a model for decades, providing an intimate setting for Jewish educators to brainstorm about bringing Jewish life into Sunday School, Hebrew School, home, and the interfaith community. Now, thanks to the CJP, Jewish education will become from formless mass.

"Now, thanks to the CJP, Jewish education will become from formless mass."

If their services are THAT valuable, why cannot they get the 1.4 million USD/year that it takes to run the BJE?

Go collect donations, convince the organizations that benefit to pay a little bit, donate your own money... going on a message board to whine while doing NOTHING about it is disingenuous.

Good.

We have to give Shrage and CJP credit for making the most of the current economic scandle to shove his agenda through. They have played it to the max. If you attended last Sunday's Yom HaShoah service and looked at this year's program and remembered last year's - you would see where the cuts are being made --- only in services. I continue to get high end mailings for money. I continue to no longer respond to the Shrage and Kraft family calls for cash for pet projects they only want their names on but are too cheap to fund.

Me thinks Bernie Maddof strikes again.

As a Boston Jew living in Toronto, both cities with equal Jewish populations, the state of affairs for Yiddishkeit in Boston does not bode well for Jewish continuity. The percentage of Jewish kids attending top notch day schools is higher in Toronto. The level of observance is higher among non-Orthodox in Toronto with lots of thriving synagogues. Interfaith marriage, while still a scourge, is lower in Toronto. It all starts with strong Jewish education, which we have here in Toronto.

you guys are not being fair. the BJE has not served the schools well for a while. it is a dinasaur and it has been for quite some time. Don't put this on Barry Shrage. he has tried to do this right.

KosherSoxFanInToronto: "Interfaith marriage, while still a scourge, is lower in Toronto"
Come on, you are sounding like a bigot. That makes all Jews look bad so knock it off!

The Bureau of Jewish Education has done so much for the jewish communities all over, i am astounded and horrified that they are cutting of the money supply. This will greatly affect all people of the jewish religion as well as the jewish interaction programs that take place all over the world. This is ridiculous.

Indeed, the BJE has not done any real productive service to warrant a 1.2 million dollar stipend from the CJP..all the local schools that the CJP support do not get even close to what the BJE gets..is that right?
Better question for Mr Sharage who is "cleaning house" is why is the salary of Mr Sharage higher than most of the allocations that the local educational schools receive form the CJP?
yes, the BJE allocation should be cut, but so should Mr Sharages very hefty salary be cut to ...Its not the intent of the contributor to give Sharage a half million dollars

Maybe if Barry Shrage would take a pay cut (earning well over 300k a year) with his cronies at the CJP it could save the program. But then again the CJP is the same organization that abandoned the Jewish Community in Roxbury and Mattapan in the early 1970's.. Typical of the CJP to look after their own payroll costs rather then helping out the community at large. This why I stopped giving money years ago.

Hebrew College who indeed has some nice classes gets a stipend of 8 million dollars from the CJP...whats that all about?
A hebrew college that for the most part serves a handful of students at night classes should receive 8 million dollars when a day school like maimonides which has over 700 children receives 500k? something is terribly wrong..as a contributor, if they the CJP tells me they are supporting day schools and general education , i would like to see the 8 miilon go to Maimonides and the 500k to hebrew college..

Another sneeze, therefore there must be a report. Wow.

Well the CJP strikes again! First they sell the South Shore JCC and now they close a program that supports Jewish educators and of course Jewish kids.

Well done! Keep it up!

Now i have no reason at all to support the joke that the CJP has become.

To Commenter01 - get off KosherSoxFanInToronto's back! They have a very valid point.

As a former officer and board member of the BJE I find CJP's decision extremely disheartening. In good economic times and bad, the Bureau and its professional staff have given their hearts and considerable skills to work for the betterment of Jewish education in Greater Boston.
CJP hasn't changed since I left Boston for sunnier climes. They love to control, but unfortunately they can not deliver services. In this instance we have the usual letter of platitudes, but where is the "meat." I see no plan. I see no concept of organizational structure. In their rush to supposedly save money they are destroying an organizrtion to meet their own agenda, not the community's.

At the end of the day, BJE is responsible for generating its own revenue and managing its expenses. Relying on CJP for the majority of its revenue stream is poor management, poor strategy, and incompetence. This goes for any non-profit. You have to be resposible for generating your own revenue, else you are not an independent non-profit, but just an employee of whomever is giving you money.

As former trustee of CJP, a former Board member of the JCRC, a former board member of a Jewish day school, a former member of the UJA National Young Leadership Council, etc, etc; I have never found CJP sympathetic to Jewish education. Yet Jewish education is the one thing that cements the community and insures the future. a generation ago, it became clear that the biggest threat to the Jewish community is assimilation. In fact, assimilation as experienced in the 50's and 60's is the biggest threat to all communities. For any community to retain its identity, there needs to be an ability to integrate with the greater society while maintaining and acknowledging ones history and roots.

I personally watched several of my relatives with a poor Jewish education intermarry or convert. I personally watched many without a fundamental training lose their ability to relate.

Jewish education inculcates core values. These values go well beyond training in traditional religion. They include teaching people ethics and loyalty.

Canceling any program in Jewish education, is a guarantee that the future of the Jewsi community in Boston and the level of giving to CJP will decrease.

CJP has now shot itself in the foot.