As congregants experience job losses, pay cuts, home foreclosures and significant investment declines, synagogues throughout the Valley are taking measures to deal with decreases in revenue.
Two Valley synagogues will not renew rabbinical contracts this year.
At Temple Kol Ami in Scottsdale, board members were not able to offer a contract extension to the congregation's current spiritual leader, Rabbi Jordan Goldson, according to Helene Rashkow, temple president. He will leave the Reform congregation at the end of June; Rabbi B. Charles Herring, the synagogue's founding rabbi, will work on an interim basis during a restructuring process, she said.
"We are reviewing (our budget) line item by line item," Rashkow said. "We haven't really worked through what it's going to look like" but programming, early childhood center and the school will all remain intact, she said.
Goldson has been with Kol Ami since 2004, when Herring retired. Kol Ami laid off its executive director in December 2008 and has not filled the position.
The synagogue expects the restructuring to take six months to a year, Rashkow said. The temple is receiving guidance from the Union for Reform Judaism, the national organization of the Reform movement, which announced a restructuring of its own in March. The URJ's reorganization eliminated about 60 staff positions, according to a press release.
At Har Zion Congregation, a Conservative synagogue in Scottsdale, members received a letter last month from President Jerry Landau announcing that the contract for Assistant Rabbi Elon Sunshine would not be renewed. Sunshine's contract ends in May and the position will not be filled, Landau said. Sunshine has been with Har Zion since 2006; Rabbi Mark Bisman is the senior rabbi there.
In addition, the religious school director position, currently held by Fran Richter, is being reduced from full-time to part-time status; Richter's contract also ends in May. That position has only been full-time for two years, Landau said. After surveying congregations with similar-size schools, it was determined that a part-time position is appropriate, he said. "The economy figures into it, but I think we would have done it regardless."
These two congregations are not alone in taking action.
At Congregation Beth Israel in Scottsdale, "there's good news and bad news," said Rabbi Stephen Kahn. "People are still giving tzedakah and coming to programs; the synagogue is strong." The synagogue's recent fundraising golf tournament drew 84 golfers, about the same as last year.
"I've been much more encouraged than discouraged because people are still stepping up to the plate," he said.
The Reform congregation hasn't cut positions but hasn't filled vacant posts either. "We could probably use a few more hands on deck right now, but we aren't going to" do any hiring now, Kahn said. "We're going to keep the programming at the same level it's been at, we're going to make the budgetary cuts as we can, but we're not going to do it at the risk of programming."
Spokespersons for every synagogue contacted for this article said that no programs are being cut at this time.
Beth Israel staff members have voluntarily agreed not to attend conferences and conventions; "everyone has made sacrifices," Kahn said.
On a case-by-case basis, CBI is working with families who may need assistance to help pay for their child's bar or bat mitzvah, by restructuring or waiving certain fees. "We're not going to cancel their kids' bar mitzvah," Kahn said. "Synagogues are not fundraising organizations, they're service organizations."
At Temple Emanuel of Tempe, members of the Reform congregation are feeling more of an impact of the recession than the synagogue itself, said Rabbi Andrew Straus. Many members have lost their jobs or have had to switch from full-time to part-time work.
From June 1, 2008, to the present, 201 families have received membership dues relief, said Nanci Wilharber, Emanuel executive director; in prior years the average has been 180 families per year. The synagogue has about 550 member families.
Although that may not seem to be a major shift as far as the number of families receiving reductions, she said, it is vastly significant in the number of dollars. The difference between this year and last year is $65,000, or about 25 percent more in dues relief, she said. "The temple was able to manage our finances by carefully watching our expenses," Wilharber said.
"Congregations know families are going through rough times," Straus said. "This is the time for families to reach out to their congregations."
Temple Emanuel also hosts a job-networking group.
In the past year, Temple Chai in Phoenix has cut four full-time positions and two part-time positions; and two positions have been reduced from full- to part-time status, according to Executive Director Joe Miller. One eliminated position was the Reform congregation's religious school director. Associate Rabbi Evon Yakar has absorbed the responsibilities of the school director's position, in addition to his youth programming and bimah work.
The synagogue's other clergy include Senior Rabbi Mari Chernow and, on a part-time basis, Rabbi Bonnie Koppell.
Temple Chai's Shalom Center hosts supportive programs for members impacted by the recession, such as "Service of Hope and Perspective in These Changing Times" on April 22, and provides free space to the Scottsdale Job Network.
A year ago, the job network had 50-60 attendees at its meetings, said Pat Elliot, SJN communications director. Earlier this month, 240 people attended. This growth reflects several trends, he said, including the increasing numbers of unemployed professionals in the Valley and the length of time it takes to find a job.
Chai members have also donated gift cards for congregants in need, Miller said. "(We're) gritting our teeth and trying to get through it," he said. "Trying to conserve our resources as best as possible without eliminating our soul."
Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley in Chandler has taken "a proactive approach rather than have us get swallowed under an oppressive situation," said Rabbi Bryan Bramly, the synagogue's spiritual leader. "We're running a tight ship, but it's a healthy thing."
The Conservative congregation, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, cut an administrative position and left a part-time office position unfilled, according to Issac Levy, TBS-EV immediate past president.
Donations are down in general "because people are experiencing hardship right now," Bramly said. "But those who have the ability are reaching a little bit deeper."
A letter sent to congregants this week by Dianne White, TBS-EV president, informed members that a shortfall remains for the fiscal year ending June 30. "Our greatest hope lies in the generosity of our congregation," she wrote. "Ideally, if every family could donate an additional $150, we should be able to avoid ending the year in the red. We recognize that many may not be able to give that much, but we also know that many can give more. ... Together, we can weather this economic storm as we have so many other challenges in the past."
In addition to some members giving more financially, others donate time; the TBS-EV office is currently operated by volunteers.
"People love their community, they're a part of it because they want to be a part of it and it's part of who they are," Bramly said.
