HUC to close School of Communal Service?

The saga of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion’s budget woes may come to a painful close Tuesday. The Reform university’s board of governors is voting on a major reorganization that includes a plan to suspend admissions to the L.A. campus’ School of Jewish Communal Service.

“I think it is extreme shortsightedness, inserted there by people who don’t understand the importance of the School of Communal Service,“ Stanley Gold, a member of the HUC-JIR board and chairman of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, told me. “It hurts the college institution, the Southern California Jewish population and the LA campus.“

Gold, who said he will vote against the resolution if suspension of the School of Communal Service is included, added: “I don’t think that the resolution addresses the systemic problems that the college institution faces. It’s not really a plan. It’s a wish list and hopes, not a strategy.“

Gold’s comments are included in a story I just wrote for JewishJournal.com. Check it out here.