Atlanta layoffs
The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta has laid off close to 20 percent of its staff, according to an email sent out by its president Steve Rakitt.
Rakitt included the following passage as part of his weekly e-mail update:
It was a tough day at the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta on Wednesday, when we made the very difficult decision to eliminate 14 staff positions in an effort to adjust to current economic conditions and refocus operations. Wednesday’s layoffs followed the Executive Committee's approval of up to a 19% reduction in Federation's operating budget.We offer our sincere appreciation to each and every individual for their commitment to the community and contributions to our organization. Their hard work and passionate support of our mission made a difference in the lives of so many. We join the entire community and Federation staff in wishing them the very best.
While this action is a difficult one, it underscores our commitment to operating your Federation in a way that is both cognizant of current conditions and prepared for the opportunities that lie ahead. We are confident that we will weather this economic storm and emerge stronger than ever, continuing to fulfill our great mission and meet the needs of our community as we have for more than 100 years.
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rm plotzker
03/16/09 03:56 PM
This would be an interesting story to explore more thoroughly beyond a telegraphic agency summary. Presumably the Atlanta Jews were less able to support their central agency though no mention of how the depletion came about in such a grand scale. How dependent are Federations on a few big donors as compared to widespread small contributions? How dependent are they on donations of stock or endowments which have contracted in value or income? Did any of the economic leaders or senior staff go out and mend fences with those who sit on Federation sidelines from adverse prior experience? There may be a lot to be learned about how organized Judaism operates and where its vulnerabilities lie.
rich the furrydoc