AFTER nearly half a century in Denver, the American Jewish Committee will cease its brick and mortar presence in Colorado at the end of June, the national office of the organization confirmed last week.
A few weeks ago, the AJCs national executive committee voted to close its Colorado chapter, Dan Elbaum, the organizations director of regional offices, told the Intermountain Jewish News.
The chapter, whose last regional director Don Schlesinger left recently to start a new career with Jewish Family Service, will close its office in late June and its board will formally cease to function at the same time.
Some local supporters of AJC, whose Denver office opened in 1967, have expressed anger and disappointment about the decision.
Some have made their feelings known to the New York-based organization that has long devoted its energies to inter-group relations, church-state issues, Israel, international affairs and the fight against anti-Semitism.
AJC national spokesman Elbaum emphasized that although the organization will no longer have a professional staff or lay board in Denver, it hopes to maintain support among Denver Jews and conduct at least some programming here.
Its important at the outset to say that the AJC is very proud of the advocacy work that youve done particularly with inter-religious relations, Elbaum said of Colorado AJC.
That makes this a very difficult decision. In fact, its one of the most difficult decisions Ive had to make as director of regional offices.
The closure of the Denver office is part of a system-wide AJC effort to find new and innovative ways to expand our outreach, Elbaum said.
This is one of those tough decisions of whether to have an investment, a physical structure, in a particular city or making that investment elsewhere. The decision was made to make it elsewhere.
Elbaum acknowledged that other cities with AJC offices might follow in Denvers wake.
Its a good question, he said, and I dont know the answer at this point. Were certainly looking at the map, trying to figure out where we can be most effective.
In the last year, before closing Denver, the AJC consolidated its Baltimore and Washington DC, and its Los Angeles and Orange County, offices as part of a pattern of retrenching some of these offices in certain areas.
We dont plan on leaving Colorado other than the brick-and-mortar presence, Elbaum added.
We have membership we hope to engage. We hope to continue sending people to Israel and continue our dialogues, but we will not have a physical office there.
It would be done certainly by volunteers, by AJC lay leadership, in addition to having a national staff where were able to come in and assist that.
Weve created a new position called director of regional engagement. One of her main responsibilities will be to engage communities where we dont have an office.
Denver is certainly a city where we will want to engage. Its important for us to keep a hand in the community and still be able to do our work. We would never want to abandon them.
WHEN asked whether the AJCs decision to shutter its Colorado office might suggest that the national organization is facing financial difficulties, Elbaum was quick to quash the notion.
He also denied that the AJC is losing in the relevancy and territorial area to such organizations as the ADL, or that it might be facing the kinds of financial and turf challenges that eventually forced the American Jewish Congress a group with very similar programming to AJC to shut down its operations in 2010.
I think AJC has a very important function in Colorado and nationally, Elbaum said, particularly in Colorado, what weve done with outreach and the work thats being done now on immigration. I dont live in Colorado but it appears to me that isnt being done by others.
The fact that the AJC recently laid off much of its staff in Israel and without explanation, according to coverage in the Forward last month is also not indicative of any organizational money squeeze, Elbaum added.
Theres absolutely no linkage between Jerusalem and Denver. The Israel office is going to remain staffed. On financial health, we had a better year than weve had in the last couple of years. This isnt a cost-saving move.
Theres no truth that this represents a decline of the agency or, G-d forbid, something like AJCongress. We remain financially strong.
Elbaum, however, did not deny that the organizations Colorado decision has angered Colorado Jews, at least some of whom have made their opinions known to the national office.
Closing a regional office is a difficult thing, he said.
This is a committed, dedicated core of lay leadership. They have done, and continue to do, phenomenal work. Its very understandable that some people would be upset about this decision.
I completely respect and understand that, but with that being said we are hopeful that we can maintain a presence in Denver and find a way to effectuate our mission in Colorado.
ONE Denverite who fits well into the category of unhappy AJC supporter would be Natalie Goldman, co-president of the Colorado chapter, who notes that as of the end of June, the board she co-leads with Roberta Klein will cease to exist.
Im sure that they want to continue in this state, Goldman told the IJN this week. But I dont know how that will happen without an official AJC representative.
Goldman was until recently also a member of the AJC national board of governors. She resigned the position in the wake of the national decision to shut down in Denver.
She has been active with AJC for years, she says, and takes particular pride in the Colorado chapters work in inter-group and inter-religious relations between the Jewish community and Roman Catholics, Hispanics, evangelical Christians, the LGBT community and other groups.
It has also been a leader in pushing for immigration reform and has consulted frequently and closely with Colorado political leaders who are trying to draft and pass national immigration legislation.
Goldman traveled to New York recently to speak to the AJCs executive board, and argued that the Colorado office should not be closed.
Her testimony was in vain. She was told that the organizations decision to close the Denver office was based on the chapters fundraising track record.
Our understanding is that it was closed because of money. They had a good year nationally, but I guess they looked at our dollars and cents. It had nothing to do with the work we had done.
Our advocacy work was unbelievable, both in immigration as well as in dialogue. Its an organization that does fabulous work, quietly and behind the scenes, and a lot of us, on and off the board, are very sad right now. We were very sorry about the decision.
Copyright © 2013 by the Intermountain Jewish News
