Zionist Federation confirms redundancies

VTHE ZIONIST Federation has confirmed that its executive director, Steve Winston, is to be made redundant, along with its two other permanent staff, as the cash-stricken organisation attempts to stay afloat.

Acting chairman Richard Woolf paid tribute to “all the staff who have been co-operative in what we are doing” but added that it was “clear there was no other way ahead”.

As well as the three employees now facing the loss of their jobs, two freelancers worked for the ZF, which will retain one of them on an “as-needed” basis.

Mr Woolf said the measures were “not quite putting it into deep freeze” but were intended to cut non-programming costs “down to zero”.

While the ZF was the fourth largest Zionist federation in the diaspora, it was the only one to be professionally staffed.

Mr Woolf said it had taken him the eight months since his appointment as acting chair to get to the bottom of its financial situation.

Under its previous business model, subscription income had been insufficient, “which is not sustainable”. Subs had not been raised for many years. The World Zionist Organisation’s grant last year was $20,000 (around £14,800) — lower than it once had been — and was not guaranteed for this year.

The ZF partners with the WZO on programming, which includes webinars, ulpan classes and a Sunday school for Israeli children. The WZO opened premises in London three years ago.

Mr Woolf said his aim was to establish the ZF as a non-profit company with “modern standards of transparency, accountability and governance”.

In the meantime, there was an opportunity to review the role of the federation which, he said, offered a “midway, moderate voice that within the community is struggling to be heard. It is hard work to try and achieve a consensus at times.”

The intention is to cut nonprogramming costs down to zero