December 1, 2009/14 Kislev 5770

Dear CAJE Friends,

Were you shocked and saddened to hear that CAJE was closing its offices, dissolving as an organization and filing for bankruptcy? As a founder and past president of CAJE, I felt a responsibility to find out what could be done to make sure that the important work of CAJE continued. Today, I'm glad to report that I am writing to you with REALLY GOOD NEWS!

There is a way to build a New CAJE, I'm going to suggest how, but I want to make it clear that I can't do it without your help.

CAJE's ideals did not go bankrupt. There were 1400 attendees at the last conference in August of 2008. CAJE was a vital organization, one that was important to Jewish educators both personally and professionally.

If you are like me and want to know all the details, please read the FAQs first. If you want the short and sweet version, keep reading.

Before you read one more sentence, ask yourself if you believe in the power that comes when Jewish teachers pull together and embrace the future. If your answer is yes, this letter lays out what happened and what we can do about it---but it will take a few minutes to read. If, on the other hand, you feel that you're powerless to make a difference, then you needn't read further.

Here's how we build a New CAJE: We reorganize ourselves as a new organization. We buy the assets of CAJE from the bankruptcy court which we can legally do without incurring its debt. The assets include the intellectual property of CAJE--its name, mailing lists, conference software, the curriculum bank etc.

In fact, the organizing committee (see FAQs 12) has already made a leap of faith and offered the bankruptcy trustee $15.000 dollars for the assets, an offer he has accepted!

I know that a lot of you feel that we have a moral obligation to repay the university. I agree. You'll be happy to learn that the plan is to negotiate a settlement with UVM and repay them over time.

Ironically, the CAJE bankruptcy affords us a real opportunity to start again and to re-imagine Jewish education for the 21st century in partnership with a new generation of talented, passionate Jewish educators.

NewCAJE is not a pie-in-the-sky idea.

• NewCAJE already had a first conference this summer at in the Baltimore area. Over 150 participants came together because of the volunteer efforts of Chair Bunnie Piltch and Program Chairs Dina Maiben and Marilyn Fine. The conference was inspiring to me. It brought together CAJE vatikim as well as younger educators and first timers for an excellent educational experience and great networking opportunities. See the program at www.newcaje.org/MANAJE
  
  
• Volunteer teams are publishing a new issue of JEN (Jewish Education News); they are scheduling Forums across the country to consult with you about the future of NewCAJE; and most importantly we are reaching out to the next generation of Jewish educators.
  
  
• Thanks to Sandy Piltch, who has volunteered his legal services and serves as treasurer, our financial and governance structure is in order. We filed for a 501(c)(3) which makes all contributions tax exempt.
  
  
• What would you say if I told you we have a plan to be financially self-sufficient! With your support, we will not have to approach the Jewish community for operational funding in the near future (more on this below). There is a building momentum and energy, and all that is missing is YOU.
  
  

How Positive Thinkers Can Do Four Things to Help:

1.Contribute money. Economic times are tough for all of us, for the Jewish community and even for the donors we've counted on in the past. Understandably, some donors lost faith in us because of the bankruptcy. We can restore their faith if the people who are affected by the loss of CAJE the most contribute what we can to its revival. What value do you place on the gifts CAJE brought to your life and to the lives of your students? Along with other leaders of CAJE, I have already pledged to make a contribution that is significant for me. Can you do the same? If 1,000 of us give $100, we'll have reached our first ambitious goal. If you can give $500 or $1,000 dollars, we'll do even better. Please be generous!

Your financial investment will enable us to buy the assets of CAJE, pay legal fees and produce the first NewCAJE conference.

CONTRIBUTE HERE!

2. Pand the next conference - and plan to come: One of NewCAJE's great strengths is that hundreds of CAJE members have expertise in planning a conference. Volunteer your time to plan the first NewCAJE conference. You can help by chairing the conference or the program or planning a piece of a conference. You can be a Mentor to a new volunteer. Frankly, we will not be able to have another conference unless experienced volunteers as well as new ones step up.

Commit to attending the first NewCAJE conference. It will be a historical moment and you won't want to miss it.

If you need a subsidy to attend, make the case to your synagogue and Federation that they should restore teacher subsidies lost when CAJE folded.

Find alternative sources of income like Sharon Frant Brooks has done. Sharon was inspired to organize a professional day in her community of Flemington, NJ. She got a donation of space from her local JCC, and volunteer presenters. All the proceeds from her event will go to provide teacher subsidies. NewCAJE needs your great ideas too in order to succeed!

VOLUNTEER HERE

3. Identify the next generation of Jewish educators. I have been talking with many passionate, committed people from the next generation of Jewish educators. They understand how important NewCAJE is for the world of Jewish education they hope to build.

I was so impressed that I invited them to endorse the effort to build NewCAJE. You will see their names below. They come from every denomination, from all over the country and from a variety of educational settings.

You can see that they are well prepared to do the work of Jewish education. What you can't see from the list is the creative work they are doing, the innovative ideas they have or their enthusiasm for Jewish education. This list is just the tip of the iceberg of talented young educators who may not yet be familiar with NewCAJE. I can't reach everyone by myself, but together we can.

If you are reading this and want to add your name to the Young Leadership Group, we welcome you to do so.

ADD YOUR NAME TO THE YOUNG LEADERSHIP LIST

If you are the parent or teacher or clergy of a terrific Jewish educator, here's what you can do. Talk to them about your CAJE experience and why you think NewCAJE could make an impact on their lives as it did on yours. Encourage them to be part of the leadership of a NewCAJE.

Then, please send us their names and contact information.

SEND NAMES HERE.

4. Support LEHRHAUS ONLINE. NewCAJE will become self-sustaining by doing what we do best- teaching and learning. Imagine! The greatest rabbis, scholars, activists and newsmakers of our time will volunteer their time to teach webinars as their gift to building a strong, independent NewCAJE. For example, Rabbi Ed Feinstein, Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, and Ruth Messinger have already agreed to teach. Who else would you most like to hear?

Your cost to participate will be reasonable and the profits will benefit NewCAJE. These exciting classes will be available once a month beginning in January and you will be able to access them by computer or over the phone.

The subjects taught will be of interest to a general Jewish audience. The more people that attend, the more successful our fundraising efforts will be. We need you to publicize LEHRHAUS ONLINE to your congregations, friends and social networks. Will you to let YOUR LIST KNOW WHEN WEBINARS ARE SCHEDULED?

Help by taking our Webinar Survey.

Here's the bottom line.

Whatever you can do, whatever you can offer will be most welcome. I hope I've been crystal clear that unless you care enough to take action today, NewCAJE won't see the light of day. Can I count on you? If you didn't get to be a founder of CAJE the last time around, become one now.

• Make a generous donation today. You can use your donation to honor a person or memorialize them. We will acknowledge your gift.
• Volunteer to create the next conference.
• Provide the names and contact information for the next generation of educational leaders.
• Support LEHRHAUS ONLINE and help publicize the webinars. Consider giving tickets as Hanukah gifts to your staff or friends.

Please accept my sincere thanks in advance for your help. May the Holy One continue to bless you and your family for the wonderful work you do in Jewish education and for the lives you touch each day.

With love and gratitude and wishes for a joyous Hanukkah,

(Rabbi) Cherie Koller-Fox,
Facilitator, NewCAJE