CJA must raise more to meet spiraling needs: chair

Jeff Segal

MONTREAL — The leaders of the 2013 Combined Jewish Appeal (CJA) are asking donors to increase their contribution by at least 10 per cent to meet a growth in local needs, which is outpacing Federation CJA’s ability to raise funds.

General chair Jeff Segal and women’s philanthropy chair Wendy Spatzner warn that the CJA is facing an uphill battle as its traditional donor base continues to erode.

The campaign is officially launched Aug. 21 at Place des Arts’ Théâtre Maisonneuve, when the celebrity guests will be American actors Henry Winkler and Marlee Matlin.

“The annual CJA campaign has not been growing in proportion to the ongoing and growing needs of our community,” Segal said. The disparity between demand and resources is widening at an alarming rate, he said.

The cost of living – and in particular of living a Jewish life – is rising dramatically, and Jewish poverty with it, he said.

“In short, funds and resources do not go as far as they did five years ago, and over that time, the cost of participating in Jewish life has increased by an average of 20 per cent.”

Last year’s campaign netted $1.1 million less than in 2011. The federation allocated $31.7 million from its proceeds, including $23.5 million to its 11 agencies and other local organizations and schools for 2013-14.

Segal and Spatzner insist this trend cannot be allowed to continue if the Montreal Jewish community is to maintain the quality of its services.

There were approximately 16,000 donors last year, but many more are needed, said Segal, and his primary goal is to reach new people.

CJA is starting to reverse a drop off of more than 5,000 donors over the decade after the turn of the millennium.

That loss has been attributed to the passing of key philanthropic families, whose younger generations are in many cases no longer here, as well as the economic downturn.

The federation’s analysis of Statistics Canada’s 2011 National Household Survey data released this spring concludes that the number of Jews in Montreal is slightly over 89,000, somewhat higher than it was thought it might be.

Although the Jewish population is not falling precipitously, its composition is changing.

The federation estimates that 17,000 Jews are living in poverty, or about 19.1 per cent. In 2001, about 18 per cent of the community was considered poor.

Child poverty is even higher. The federation says 21.8 per cent of kids are economically disadvantaged, or some 3,700.

The number of Jews in the prime earning years between the ages of 25 and 64 declined from 42,880 in 2001 to 40,950 in 2011. There is a shrinking number of people able to support the growing numbers dependent on community support or services.

The Montreal Jewish community remains an aging one, with 20.6 per cent over 65, well above the average of the general population.

Montreal is still home to a large number of Holocaust survivors, over 3,300 today, according to the federation, and many are needy. Almost half of these elderly people are receiving aid from the Holocaust Survivor Emergency Assistance Fund, administered by the Conference on Material Claims Against Germany.

Last year, the federation saw a 25 per cent increase in demand for some kind of support amongst all seniors.

At the other end of the spectrum, nearly 4,000 children are receiving financial support to receive a Jewish education. More than 56 per cent of Jewish children are today attending Jewish day schools.

In addition to keeping up with day-to-day concerns, the federation is taking measures to try to ensure the Montreal Jewish community’s long-term stability. This includes investing in the strengthening of Jewish identity, be it Jewish schools and camps, or activities for young people that encourage them to participate in community life.

“We have to think of where we will be in 10 years,” Segal said.

Spatzner  and Segal, who is a director and principal of Dorel Industries, a large public company manufacturing juvenile and other consumer goods, are strongly motivated to do what they can to ensure the Montreal Jewish community’s future and what they see as special quality of life.

Spatzner’s three adult children and Segal’s two children, as well as two grandchildren, are all living in Montreal, which is unusual for that generation.

Both are longtime volunteers, and Segal chaired the committee that finds corporate sponsorships to help defray the campaign’s costs. About one million dollars has been raised annually in recent years from corporations, often financial or professional firms, which has helped CJA to keep its overhead down to 9.7 per cent. Segal thinks that even more corporate funding will be forthcoming this year.

The campaign also relies on 800 volunteer canvassers.

“We want to make this to remain a community where people want to stay,” said Spatzner.