You may have heard about the prospective merger between the Jewish Federations of Middlesex and Monmouth.  Each of our boards voted to approve the intent to merger last year and discussions have been progressing.

AN UPDATE ON MERGER DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN MIDDLESEX AND MONMOUTH

A small steering group, known as the Project Leadership Group or PLG (those of us signing this letter and representing the leadership of our two communities) have been engaged in highly productive conversations during the past several months since our Federations each voted to pursue a merger in principle.  We believe we have made significant progress in identifying many important opportunities through which a unified, combined Jewish Federation can do things better and operate even more effectively.

We want to share some more specific updates:

• Dozens of volunteers have been involved in planning discussions on both sides, broken down into 3 primary work groups focusing on Impact & Engagement, Financial Resource Development, and Finance & Operations.  Additionally, the PLG has been exploring governance considerations. The charge was to explore the potential synergies and benefits from a merger, to identify any risks or stumbling blocks and whether they can be overcome, and to make some recommendations as to what a combined community approach could be.
• Initial feedback from these groups is positive, with excitement about future possibilities and much exploration of details and possible expansion and collaboration opportunities.
• One realization that has emerged from these discussions is that the traditional role of a Jewish Federation, and modus operandi, needs to evolve to best respond to a changing environment and Jewish community.
• Currently, we plan to complete our prospective discussions and move for a vote in each community in the Fall.
• We want to stress that the overall objective of these merger discussions is to enhance the service and impact a combined organization can have in the Jewish community, through addressing key community challenges and providing additional resources and financial support to and through partner agencies.
• While the goal of this merger is to enable enhanced impact in our communities, it is also envisioned that it will also produce streamlining and cost savings.
• Both communities have strong professional leadership.  Middlesex Executive Director, Susan Antman, has been working in cooperation with Keith Krivitzky, Executive Director in Monmouth in planning a prospective merger.  We envision that a combined organization will have a very strong and complementary executive team.
• We are currently at work on many of the details of this possible merger and how any integration would look.  That said, the leadership teams in each community have become very excited for the possibilities through this merger and would be happy to discuss further and answer any community member’s questions.  Please feel free to contact any of us directly with any questions you have.

 

Again, we think that there are opportunities for our collective future to be bright, but we want to be fully transparent about the process and the steps involved.  If you have a question, just ask!

Thank you.