A year ago, in early March, one of the country’s largest Jewish foundations — the Jim Joseph Foundation, worth about $800 million — tried to inspire other mega donors to step forward with emergency funding by making available $11 million in matching grants for an emergency gift to help five communities deal with the high… More ▸
An anonymous donor has given a $5 million challenge gift to the Jewish Primary Day School in Washington. The gift, which was announced last week, will go to rennovating the school’s facilities and scholarships. Here’s the press release: DC JEWISH DAY SCHOOL RECEIVES $5M CHALLENGE GIFT The Jewish Primary Day School of the Nation’s Capital,… More ▸
The Jerusalem Post has a bit more on the fate of day schools. While several schools have closed, others are looking for creative ways to survive. NEW YORK – As schools across America opened their doors for the new academic year this month, in a corner of Orange County, California, the Morasha Jewish Day School… More ▸
The Avi Chai Foundation released the preliminary key findings of its 2008-09 census of American Jewish day schools. Among the findings of the survey conducted by Marvin Schick: There were 228,174 students enrolled in day schools, an 11 percent increase from 2003-04. Orthodox day school enrollment continues to grow: Over the past decade, enrollment in… More ▸
In the Jewish media this week: The Jewish federation in St. Louis and the Jewish Family and Children’s Services department there have given out some $176,000 as part of the federation’s new Lifeline Fund to 60 Jewish families in the area who have been hit hard by the recession, reports the St. Louis Jewish Light…. More ▸
"Now that the economy has crumbled and a critical mass of people are newly broke and worried, I am inspired to “out” myself as a committed Jew who has spent the past quarter century being broke and worried, forced into a state of financial struggle and work-related stress due to the high cost (and high-priced… More ▸
When I was looking into a story about the quandry that the Orthodox community was in when it comes to charter schools – essentially the schools could offer a cheaper alternative to day schools, but the Orthodox community is scared stiff about the government having any control over curricula at their schools and a fear… More ▸
Yeshiva University has conducted a survey of presidents of day school boards of trustees. What it found is pretty disturbing — essentially the vast majority of presidents of day schools feel that their boards are underperforming and that is a contributor to their schools’ financial difficulties. The information is embargoed until noon, but you can… More ▸
From the Jewish press this week: The Philadelphia Jewish Exponent has an interesting story this week about the effect of the downturn in the economy on the Jewish nonprofits in Philly. Good story. Eight Conservative congregational schools are working together to talk through how they can deal with their recession woes, according the New Jersey… More ▸
Jewish day schools in Los Angeles are in financial trouble, the L.A. Times is reporting. According to the story, there are some 10,000 Jewish kids in L.A. day schools, and about 40 percent of them receive some sort of financial aid. That number is expected to grow dramatically next year, and some schools already are… More ▸
Opinion
Yom Kippur is a reminder of the awesome, and awful, power of words