Jwb Offers Guidelines to Ease Impact of Energy Crisis

The National Jewish Welfare Board has developed guidelines to aid its affiliated centers and Ys in easing hard ships the energy crisis may create in their operations in the first such action by a national Jewish organization. A second major phase of the guidelines are recommendations to make the centers and Ys effective educational resources in clarifying the significance of the Arab oil boycott, JWB officials said.

The guidelines on energy conservation are in addition to those Issued by federal, state and local governments related to the impact of the energy shortages. The JWB guidelines recommend that centers and Ys should work closely with Jewish Federations in developing plans for combining the use of facilities of Jewish community agencies for various programs and activities. The JWB suggested a similar approach might be feasible with United Way general community fund-raising agencies.

Another recommendation was that centers and Ys should explore the Joint use of transportation with other agencies; involving establishment of car pools and cooperative use of vehicles by several agencies. The JWB statement noted that a number of public school systems were revising their winter vacation programs, with the possibility of extension of weekends and vacations. If this happens, the JWB said, there would be a need for additional center and Y services during non-school days.

The JWB also pointed out that if the regular school year is extended into the summer, this will affect the opening of resident and day camps under Jewish sponsorship. The JWB memorandum urged centers and Ys to look ahead to their summer camp programs and to consider the effects the energy crisis might have on those programs. The JWB said bus pickup and delivery schedules might have to be changed, the length of the camp season may require adjustment, and alternatives for trips away from the centers and Ys may have to be found.

The memorandum suggested that any discussions sponsored by centers and Ys on the Jewish community relations aspects of the energy problem should be planned in consultation with local Jewish community relations agencies.

CONGREGATION USES CAR POOLING

The rabbi of a Conservative congregation in Springfield, Mass, reported that the congregation had put into effect a program of car pooling by congregants in support of efforts to conserve fuel. Rabbi Jordan Ofseyer of Temple Beth El said the 60 participants in the Sisterhood Great Jewish Ideas Class which he teaches, had divided the class participants into convenient geographic areas with captains for each area. He said car pools were in operation.

Rabbi Ofseyer also reported that the Sisterhood was preparing information on all of its members for development of such areas for car pooling and naming coordinators for each area. A car pool program is being developed to bring its members to programs and services. He said the next step would be creation of car pools for congregants who regularly attend services. He said that once a car pool structure is organized users of the car pools can disseminate Information on such programs to other groups in the community.