American Jewish Committee chapters to close

Hal P. Kingsley, president of the Board of Directors for the local chapter of the American Jewish Committee, said, "A major strategic national restructuring plan, which involves the operation of several AJC chapters, has been approved and is now being implemented."

He added that this directly affects the Buffalo/Niagara Chapter which will soon be served by a regional director based out of the AJC Chicago office.

The national organization will no longer pay the salaries for Buffalo's two part-time employees, the executive director and administrative assistant, as well as the rental for office space as of July 1, 2007.

According to Kingsley, the chapter is considering the option of raising money locally to pay for an on-site part-time coordinator/administrative assistant who would work with the regional professional based in Chicago to provide administrative staff support and coordination of chapter activities.

If the position of a local part-time coordinator is funded, donated office space would be available.

"Our chapter Board of Directors decided a letter should be sent to local AJC members and former members to determine if there is a willingness, on the part of the local community, to support the salary for a part-time coordinator," he said.

It is estimated the annual salary and limited benefits would be in the range of about $10,000. Donors might be eligible to take a tax deduction for their contributions.

The Amherst chapter is located in the Jewish Community Center at 2640 N. Forest Road, Getzville.

To contribute, call Kingsley at 480-2286 or e-mail hal@ halkingsley. com.