The Jewish Community Council of Rochester, which is the central philanthropic, social planning and community relations agency for the Jewish community, has been reorganized in a move designed to expand its scope, increase the effectiveness of its operation and broaden the base of membership. The action was announced today by Arthur M. Lowenthal, who was elected interim president of the newly reorganized agency. Mr. Lowenthal is a past president of the United Jewish Welfare Fund of Rochester. He has been president of the Jewish Community Council as formerly constituted.
Under its new structure, the Jewish Community Council is based on a membership which falls into two categories; individuals who contribute to the annual United Jewish Welfare Fund campaign; and Jewish organizations with adult memberships of 100 or more. Representing the membership is a board of delegates, consisting of members-at-large and those designated by member organizations of the Council. The board of delegates elects a board of directors, consisting of officers, 35 members plus the department chairmen. Four standing committees are: Nominations, Organization Membership, Finance and Public Information.
The four departments responsible to the board of directors are: the Department of the United Jewish Welfare Fund, which plans and conducts an annual fund-raising campaign, serves as a clearing house for proposed fund-raising efforts in the Jewish community and recommends allocations to constituent agencies; the Department of Social Planning and Coordination, responsible for fact-finding, social research, planning, coordination and inter-agency cooperation; the Department of Internal Affairs, whose activities cover intra-relationships of groups and appropriate activities in the Jewish community not covered by established agencies; and the Department of Community Relations, whose function is to advance cooperation with the general Rochester community, combat discrimination and foster ideals of democracy.
This organizational structure is the result of an intensive study made over the past few years by a committee of more than 100 leaders of the Rochester Jewish community under the chairmanship of Joseph Goldstein. The study included an analysis and review of current operations of the Jewish Community Council and research into the structure and functions of similar organizations in other cities throughout the country. Officers and department heads have been elected to serve on an interim basis until the first annual meeting of the organization this spring, when the first election will be held.
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