Jewish Community Federation leaders are calling it a win-win situation. By a vote of more than 2 to 1, The organization will move its center of operations to Beachwood, while maintaining its offices on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland.
Neither location will be referred to as headquarters insists board chairman Harley Gross.
Gross: They're both offices of the Jewish Community federation - the building downtown will be available for board meetings committee meetings, for housing the community relations staff. The facility in Beachwood will be used to house operations, and will enable us to deepen our engagement with our donors and our recipients of our help.
But to many that sounds like semantics - the current staff of 130 will be reduced to 4 at Euclid Avenue and the remaining staff will move to Beachwood. Gross defends the decision as the best way to serve the needs of the Beachwood community without abandoning their commitment to serving Cleveland
Gross: We're not leaving, we're staying: that was our response as a board and we're also taking a very pragmatic step to have facilities closer to the community. Our main focus has always been on taking care of those in need whether they're in Cleveland, around the country or around the world. Our board members understand that and I believe they'll rededicate themselves to that effort.
Gross calls the plan a blueprint for the future - and says he plans to appoint a committee of people who are energized about maintaining the downtown effort to develop a new set of Cleveland based community programs, and ultimately expand the organizations social reach.
Gretchen Cuda, 90.3