While the JCL receives the largest allocation from the Federation Campaign, it also provides a broad base of mission-related services designed to attract, engage and involve people in our community.
The Planning and Allocations Committee singled out Hillel and the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) for specific allocations this year to ensure that the critical work they do continues.
Hillel serves college students as a place to meet other Jewish students and to feel comfortable being Jewish. It provides opportunities to connect with the Jewish community and to participate in national and international conventions and activities. It is also the advocate for Jewish students on campus when issues arise from tests conflicting with Jewish holidays to anti-Israel programming. Hillel programs and activities are heavily subsidized, and many are offered free of charge.
The JCRC represents the Jewish community in Louisville in discussions, activities, programs and coalitions that further inter-group relations and protect human rights. It provides a forum for discussion and coordinated action on public policy issues, conducts educational, legislative and media efforts on issues including Israel, religious freedom, pluralism, separation of religion and state and equality of opportunity for all. Its activities include participating in the Community Hunger Walk, working with Interfaith Paths to Peace and similar organizations, the annual Yom HaShoah commemoration, interfaith Chanukah and Passover programs, a Purim appeal and more.
In addition, the JCL provides summer camp scholarships (this year $30,000 in scholarships to 27 children and teens for Jewish overnight camps and Israel trips in addition to financial aid for children at JCC Summer Camp), innovative programming for young children like the Discover CATCH program featured in the last issue of Community, the middle school Teen Connection program with over 125 participants, BBYO with over 100 participants, and Maccabi teams. The teens pay small fees for some of the programs, but the JCL covers the infrastructure.
The JCL also provides subsidized hot kosher lunches for seniors and programs to keep them healthy and engaged in the community, programs that connect the community to Israel like Partnership 2Gether and the Shlicha program that brought Dikla Levi to work with camp this summer, cultural arts opportunities like the Jewish Film Festival and lectures. Some programs like CenterStage and the fitness and aquatics programs are not subsidized.
The JCL publishes Community, maintains the web site (www.jewishlouisville.org) and manages eletters that carry news of the entire community. It provides the infrastructure that keeps the community running smoothly including planning, leadership development and missions. It also actively pursues financial resource development including running the Annual Federation Campaign, managing the Jewish Foundation of Louisville, facilitating planned giving, and pursuing grants and sponsorships while maintaining the necessary donor management system, accounting, personnel and benefits, some of which, like insurance, are available to other agencies in the community.
With an overall operating budget exceeding $7 million, the JCL’s allocation from the Federation Campaign is approximately $1.15 million. It receives income from membership and program fees, sponsorships, grants, designated endowments and advertising as well as the allocation.
Through conscientious planning and the generosity of the JCL’s many sponsors, expenses for the 2013 Federation Campaign are projected to be less than 13 percent of the funds raised, which is considered excellent.
