Rabbi Gerald L. Zelizer, who has led Congregation Neve Shalom in Metuchen, N.J., since 1970, described a phenomenon of financial extremes. On the one hand, more than 50 families out of a total of 580 in his congregation this year asked for their annual dues to be reduced. On the other hand, several large donors in the congregation, knowing of its budgetary struggle, increased their contributions to the annual fund, which rose to $67,000 from $53,000 over the past year.
Still, with what Rabbi Zelizer calls the “graying” of Conservative Jewish congregations, and a “growing disinterest in organized religion,” a few philanthropic angels cannot provide a long-term solution.
“This is a different dip than we’ve ever had before,” he said. “You have to work harder to overcome this. The mountain is steeper.”
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Congregations Reeling From Decline in Donations
Rabbi Gerald L. Zelizer, who has led Congregation Neve Shalom in Metuchen, N.J., since 1970, described a phenomenon of financial extremes. On the one hand, more than 50 families out of a total of 580 in his congregation this year asked for their annual dues to be reduced. On the other hand, several large donors in the congregation, knowing of its budgetary struggle, increased their contributions to the annual fund, which rose to $67,000 from $53,000 over the past year.
Still, with what Rabbi Zelizer calls the “graying” of Conservative Jewish congregations, and a “growing disinterest in organized religion,” a few philanthropic angels cannot provide a long-term solution.
“This is a different dip than we’ve ever had before,” he said. “You have to work harder to overcome this. The mountain is steeper.”
Read it all.