Last week, Central Agency for Jewish Education and Engagement (CAJE) and the Jewish Federation of St. Louis announced that they were starting a formal process to explore integration or merger. The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. Many people closely involved with our organizations have expected to see this kind of collaboration for some time. 

Yet for some people, change is hard, and the talk of integration has raised some concerns. I thought it would be helpful to review some of the key issues that we have been addressing in an effort to be as transparent and direct as I can about what is going on. 

Why a merger now? 

For the past few years, Federation has adopted a community-development approach to our mission of preserving and enhancing Jewish life in St. Louis, Israel and globally.  Working with professionals in agencies, synagogues and nontraditional venues, Federation has created new programmatic grants to engage all sectors.  We have supported synagogue teacher training through CAJE, innovative programs such as Song Leader Boot Camp at the Jewish Community Center, and Next Dor, to reach young professionals.  Federation’s Millstone Institute is another good example, providing its signature Fellows, JPRO and Lens programs for leadership development.

During this period, CAJE has also been building even more vibrant programming to engage our community. The community concierge and PJ Library operate through CAJE, and each has touched hundreds in our community.  As CAJE’s executive director, Sonia Dobinsky, has framed it, education can be engagement and engagement can often be education. CAJE formally added “Engagement” to its name to recognize this emphasis.

With the increasing alignment of our missions, our staffs and leadership have already become more intertwined.  An integration of CAJE with Federation would thus represent an evolution aimed at maximizing and enhancing our effectiveness. Indeed, this partnership model is happening across North America, where 75 percent of all bureaus of Jewish education are operated within Federations and only seven independent agencies still exist.

How collaborative a process?

We have been describing this process as a collaborative evolution, because that is exactly what it has been.

In February and March, our top lay and professional leadership began exploratory conversations to imagine what integration might look like. Once we saw initial potential, we went to our respective boards to seek approval to begin a due-diligence process. After the second of those votes April 24, we announced that a formal evaluation would begin.  

It is important to know that both agencies’ board of directors unanimouslyapproved this next step.

If, after the review process, both sides agree that integration would be valuable, we would each bring our recommendation to our independent boards of directors for a vote.

What would happen to CAJE’s programs and staff?

We are approaching this as a model in which CAJE would fill out a department of community development within the Federation. CAJE programs would continue to be supported in alignment with the community’s strategic priorities. Each staff member would become a Federation employee, with CAJE’s Dobinsky taking a leadership role within Federation.  

What would happen to CAJE’s volunteer and community leadership?

For over 40 years, CAJE has developed dedicated lay leadership and inspired rabbis, cantors and Jewish educators throughout our community. As president and CEO of the Jewish Federation, I am committed to maintaining these collaborative relationships and involving CAJE’s leadership in meaningful roles. This is a shared value and one of our integration team’s key focus areas moving forward.

What is the timetable for next steps and who is involved?

Our organizations have established a small working group to address details.  Along with Dobinsky and me, the team’s members include: 

John Greenberg, chairman of the CAJE board; Marcia Moskowitz, immediate past CAJE board chair; Cindy Harmon, CAJE fiscal manager; Patty Croughan, chairwoman of the Federation board; 

Burt Garland, chairman of Federation’s subcommittee on Jewish engagement; Rob Granick, Federation vice president and chief operations officer; and Stephen Cohen, Federation vice president for planning and llocations

Over the next two weeks we will be reaching out to key constituent groups to schedule formal feedback sessions to ensure that all voices can be heard. We are committed to moving the process ahead in a deliberative and transparent way. Since the transition model we are looking at would move CAJE into a department of Federation, we believe this process can come to a board vote in an expedited manner.

Change is always difficult, but the challenges to our community demand innovative approaches. I believe this integration has the potential to further strengthen this terrific, vibrant community in a manner that builds greater efficiency and effectiveness. I look forward to updating you as this process continues.

I welcome your feedback at any time; email me directly at [email protected].