CUJEF

CU Jewish Endowment Foundation

After 2018, CUJEF annual reports are included in the CUJF Annual Report.

ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18

 

Arthur Siegel and Barry Weiner, co-chairs

 

 

 

A subsidiary of CU Jewish Federation, the CU Jewish Endowment Foundation is dedicated to enhancing and preserving the quality of Jewish life in our community by establishing and maintaining a secure financial base for the wide range of programs and services designated by its individual funds.  So as to secure long-term support for Jewish organizations and individuals in the Champaign-Urbana area, CUJEF was established to receive, hold, invest, and manage contributions and to utilize the earnings accordingly.  It acts semi-independently to manage and administer endowments and to provide all members of our community with the means to arrange for long-term support of Jewish programs and institutions, either through donations to an existing endowment or creation of a tailored one.

 

The majority of CUJEF investments are in a well-diversified pool of low-expense stock and bond index funds.  Earnings are allocated monthly to each endowment in proportion to its share of total funds managed.  All funds are audited annually by an independent certified accounting firm.

 

CUJEF disperses funds through quarterly reviews of proposals submitted to its Board.  Board members are: Ben Fox, Hagit Itzkowitz, Paula Kaufman, Ira Lebenson, L. Lee Melhado, Julia Robinson, Randy Rosenbaum, Alexander Scheeline, Arthur Siegel, Maury Topolosky, and Barry Weiner.  Linda Bauer, and Robert Ore are ex-officio members of the board.

 

Thanks go to the many people through whose foresight and generosity our community has been able to meet countless needs that would otherwise go unfunded.  Thanks also go to Financial Officer Djavid Novrouzov, whose financial acumen and hard work ensures the integrity and well-being of the funds under CUJEF’s responsibility.

 

At the end of FY18, funds donated to CUJEF totaled $2,505,389 with a market value of $3,445,372. The following disbursements totaling $112,948.99, were made throughout the year:

 

  • $56,831.92 to the CUJF Annual Campaign
  • $2,277.16 to Sinai Temple


In support of programming for specific purposes:

  • $2200 for a new copier at Hillel (Hillel Director’s Fund)
  • $700 for Cohen Center maintenance (Hillel Robinson Building Fund)
  • $596.14 to support programming at Hillel (Hillel Robinson Fund)
  • $2000 to support Hillel’s student and staff travel to AIPAC Policy Conference (Allen Fund)
  • $3191.31 for camp scholarships (Lewis Family Fund; Charles R. and Helen Loeb Fund; Shapiro Fund; Sinai Sisterhood Camp Scholarship Fund))
  • $1800 to sponsor Sinai Temple religious school programming (Lewis Family Fund; Charles R. and Helen Loeb Fund)
  • $2900 to Sinai Temple to support its Yom HaShoah program (Jack and Sadye Marco Holocaust Fund)
  • $200 to finance the CUJF-run CHAI program for seniors (Golberg-Gordon-Yairi Fund; Libby and Harry Miller Memorial Fund)
  • $1363.61 to augment rabbinic salary (Sudman Rabbinic Fund; Smith Rabbinic Fund)
  • $1400 to Sinai Temple for the Scholar Weekend (Small Fund)
  • $1000 for CUJF’s Annual Dinner in March 2018 (Small Fund)
  • $497.85 to the CUJF-administered Gift of Israel program Lynn and Ira Wachtel Gift of Israel Fund)
  • $5000 in grants to four doctoral students at Tel Aviv University (Ehud and Janie Yairi Fund for Communications Disorders at Tel Aviv University)
  • $150 travel grant to a member of Sinai Temple to attend a conference (Stanley and Joyce Levy Youth Leadership Fund)
  • $1300 to finance the Interfaith Seder (CUJF General Endowment)

 

Sustaining and developing a vibrant Jewish community depends on visionary investments by its members.  If you are interested in starting a fund or have questions about CUJEF, please contact Art Siegel (art.siegel@comcast.net) or the CUJF office (cujf@cujf.org).