The Future is Very Bright for JCLP

– Sam Bernstine, Board Chair During the past two years in my role as Chair of the JCLP Board, I have truly been blessed. A good Jewish friend of mine, Judge J. Q. Salmon—who has since passed away—once reminded me, “Sam, it’s amazing what you can accomplish in this world if you don’t care who […]

Sunset, Sunrise

Rob Goldberg In late March, the Buffalo Jewish community welcomed Kansas City playwright Victor Wishna, whose play Tree of Life tells the story of a small Jewish community in Iowa grappling with the closure of its historic synagogue. Though fictionalized, the story is rooted in real experience. The Jewish Community Legacy Project (JCLP) worked with […]

Energizing a Small Congregation

by Ann Tettlebaum Temple Beth El of Jefferson City, Missouri, was founded in 1883. Twenty-two years later, in 1905, the once thriving congregation had only four members. By 1920, there were only three members. Yet this small Jewish congregation witnessed a growth in membership with the influx of eastern European immigrants. It was with this history of changing membership […]

Understanding Donative Intent

How to protect your community’s legacy  by Jackie Jacobs Cy Pres is a legal precedent governing the disposition of assets when a charity is dissolved, or if for some reason, donative intent can’t be honored. Perhaps the need no longer exists. In such cases, the next closest related use must be identified.   Authors Georgia Lockhart, Austin […]