Growing Support in Difficult Times

At the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 Benjamin Franklin exhorted his fellow revolutionaries, "We must all hang together, gentlemen, else we shall most assuredly hang separately."

That call to unity trumpeted at Independence Hall in Philadelphia is resounding with a modern twist at the Skokie office of the Kehillah Jewish Education Fund. In these challenging recessionary times, over 1,100 individuals and families are banding together to revolutionize the way Jewish day school education is funded in the Chicago area. Despite the difficult economy, the numbers are growing.

Kehillah is a funding system for the nine elementary day schools in the Associated Talmud Torah system, serving 2,400 children from preschool through 8th grade. Three of these schools are devoted to children with special needs.

The goal is to restore financial stability to our Jewish schools. The premise is simple: ensuring a vibrant Jewish Chicago requires an excellent educational system. Since we all gain from that vibrancy, we should all contribute to the system that enhances our community lifestyle.. It's loosely based on the concept of machatzit hashekel (half-shekel) and the kehilla tax in European towns that provided communal funding for every family that received a Jewish education. This model has spawned a 21st century cutting-edge grass-roots system, with on-line donations encouraged through Kehillah's secure website at www.jewisheducationfund.net. All donations are tax deductible.

Kehillah began in 2004, the dream of Dr. Yosef Walder, CEO of Integrated DNA Technologies and a recently elected board member of the Jewish Federation. He was spurred to action by the daunting difficulties the day schools were having in meeting their budgetary needs.

"We were looking for a method over and beyond the standard operating procedure of annual fundraising events and overburdened parents," remembers Dr. Walder. "It was a Holocaust survivor, Mr. Ernest Farkas, who introduced me to the concept of the Kehillah tax. So we thought, let's try to introduce that model here in Chicago.

"The results have been beautiful. Our goal is 100% participation, an array of corporate sponsors, and G-d willing, we will arrive at a point where we can contribute a thousand dollars or more per child."

In addition to spearheading the concept, Dr. Walder supplies Kehillah with the administrative resources of IDT, greatly reducing office expenses.

Under the leadership of Nesanel Siegal, Kehillah's executive director, the fund has grown from an initial group of about 20 pioneering donors to over 1,100 members disbursing $46,000 in December to the beneficiary schools. Those schools are: Akiba Schechter, Arie Crown, Gesher Hatorah, Hillel Torah, Joan Dachs Bais Yaakov/Yeshiva Tiferes Tzvi, Keshet, P'tach, Seymour Abrams Cheder Lubavitch, and Veitzener Cheder. Kehillah disbursed $573,500 in 2008.

Funds are given to the schools based on their enrollment. A school with 20% of the student population, for example, would receive 20% of the funds. The schools are free to use the funds as they see fit. "Kehillah cannot micromanage the schools' individual needs," explains Siegal. "Each one is unique. In one school, monies are used to supply aides for the younger grades. Another is using it to expand the reach of their resource room. For some it helps meet payroll, offer additional scholarships, or minimize the inevitable increases in tuition. "The schools depend on Kehillah, and the system has been designed to offer a reliable, broad-based source of unrestricted funds for them,"he added.

While there is a core group of annual donors, the vast majority of Kehillah's members make monthly donations by credit card or electronic check through a secure, automatic online system. Each person is encouraged to donate at the level he or she is comfortable with; monthly contributions range from $10 to $1,000.

The number of members continues to rise. "Even in this difficult economy, people want to participate. Some people have had to cut their monthly contribution, but practically everyone wants to continue to be a part of this venture," Siegal noted.

Kehillah constantly seeks new ways to encourage that participation. Currently it is running a new campaign for a limited time. New donations of $30 or more per month, or upgrades by current members to $30 or more per month, will be matched at 100% for one year by a group of visionary sponsors.

The Fund is garnering national attention. Siegal has fielded a number of calls from around the country from individuals wanting to transplant the model to their communities. He has also made presentations in the Long Island, NY area.

Kehillah Fund has also spawned a beautiful spirit of unity " achdut " as people unite across the spectrum to support Jewish education. The entire community benefits. The schools in the ATT system range from traditional to modern Orthodox, to more yeshiva-oriented, to two Yiddish-speaking cheders. Kehillah members include singles, married couples, and grandparents, with or without children, in the system. They represent a variety of professions, economic levels and religious expressions. Kehillah's members serve as a model of the power and benefits of achdut.

For more information about the Kehillah Jewish Education Fund, visit the website at JewishEducationFund.net or contact Nesanel Siegal, 847.745.1724, nsiegal@idtdna.com

View an interview with Mr. Siegal, below: