When the Jewish Community Association of Greater Phoenix announced the first allocations under its auspices last month, funding for Kivel Campus of Care's kosher kitchen was dramatically cut and further funding was made contingent on finding a "sustainable solution" for funding kosher meals at the facility.
The decision was one of several that Don Schon, chairman of the association's Social Services and Vulnerable Populations Council, described as moral dilemmas for the council, which recommended funding the Valley's only Jewish senior-living facility's kosher meals program at $15,000 through April 30, and then at $10,000 for the last eight months of 2012 if Kivel can find a lower-cost alternative.
"Although we respect the difficulty in making allocation decisions, we regret the Jewish Community Association committee has essentially abandoned Kivel and its mission," wrote Ira Shulman, Kivel's CEO in response to questions from Jewish News.
There will be no Phoenix delegation heading on a March of the Living trip this April.
Local volunteer organizers, including Rabbi Micah Caplan, spiritual leader of Congregation Or Chadash, and Deborah Topcik, had hoped to send 20-25 high school students on the program ("Phoenix to send first March of Living group," Jewish News, July 22, 2011). During the final two weeks of April, the teenagers would have traveled to Poland with a Holocaust survivor to visit concentration camps, and then to Israel for Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day) and Yom Ha'atzmaut (Independence Day).
"It looks like right now, we're going to need an extra year to get all of our ducks in a row to make sure we have ample scholarship monies," said Caplan.
Pardes Jewish Day School will remain at its current site through at least the 2012-13 school year.
Jill Kessler, Pardes head of school, and Jeffrey Greenberg, board president, made the announcement in a joint statement on Jan. 24.
Pardes, a Reform K-8 school with about 320 students, has been at 3916 E. Paradise Lane, Phoenix, since 2006.
"We had shared information with parents in the past about the possibility of a move," wrote Kessler in an email to Jewish News. "We wanted to bring parents up to date and be clear about where classes will be held this coming fall."
