JEWISHcolorado and Colorado Agency for Jewish Education Announce Merger

CAJE to Become the Educational and Programmatic Division of JEWISHcolorado

Denver, CO – JEWISHcolorado (Jco) and the Colorado Agency for Jewish Education (CAJE) announced today that the boards of both organizations unanimously voted to move forward with a formal merger. The two organizations, which have been working together as strategic partners for the past two years, will become a single entity. A detailed merger plan will be implemented during the remainder of 2016. Some operations will be combined immediately, while others will roll out over the course of the next several months. The legal merger is expected to be completed by the end of December 2016.

The merger will create efficiencies for both organizations and for the community, and is expected to reap approximately $175,000 in annual savings. These savings will be realized as the two organizations share back-office services, such as bookkeeping and HR, and as shared programming becomes more streamlined and accessible to more of the community.

CAJE, which will retain its name and brand, will become the educational and programmatic division of Jco. Phyllis Adler, executive director of CAJE, will be expanding her role to include the oversight of most of the Jco programming as well. Adler, along with the rest of the CAJE staff, are enthusiastic about the opportunities the merger will create as they transition into similar or expanded roles within Jco. This will also create opportunities for job growth, professional development and increased cross-departmental knowledge.

Donors and grantors who would like to give directly to CAJE may continue to do so, as gifts can be earmarked for CAJE, or a CAJE program. Historical CAJE programs, such as IST and Jewish Explorers, will continue to grow and thrive, with full support from Jco and the community at-large.

“Jco and CAJE have been working together very successfully for the past two years. This next step is a natural evolution of our partnership and will help our organizations maximize efficiencies while expanding our programming at the same time – all of which will benefit our Jewish community immensely,” explained Doug Seserman, president and chief executive officer at Jco.

“CAJE is a critical element of Jco’s mission to Engage the Next Generation in being Jewish,” added Tiffany Glucksman Appel, CAJE Board Chair. “As Jco’s educational and programmatic division, we will work closely together to grow the Jco suite of programs, and make sure that PJ Library, IST, the Young Adult Department, Jewish Explorers and so many others are accessible to wider audiences across Colorado.”

About JEWISHcolorado
Founded in 1946, JEWISHcolorado is inspired by the collective responsibility to build and sustain Jewish life in Colorado, Israel, and around the world. Our mission is to secure, steward, and share philanthropic and human resources in support of vibrant Jewish life as well as mobilize the community in times of need. JEWISHcolorado is a proud member of Jewish Federations of North America, which is collectively ranked among the top ten charities on the continent. Last year, JEWISHcolorado’s Annual Campaign raised $11.2 million and the Endowment and Planned Giving arm house more than $60 million in long term assets.

About CAJE
As an advocate for Jewish education in all its diverse forms, CAJE’s mission is to make Jewish life sacred through learning. For almost 40 years, CAJE has filled Jewish educational needs in the community by supporting preschoolers, teens, adults, and seniors in the Colorado community, regardless of affiliation or observance level, with centralized programs and services that individual institutions could not realize as effectively.