H EADLINES
PPP endowment,” said Amy Krulik,
CEO of the Kaiserman JCC.

Aft er initially laying off 176
of its 178 employees, the JCC,
which received a loan of about
$466,000, was able to bring
back 38 full-time employees
less than a month later.

As unemployment spiked
last spring, the loans were
intended to help employers
cover payroll costs, as well as
health insurance, retirement
benefi ts, sick leave and more.

According to publicly avail-
able data, 172,566 businesses and
organizations in Pennsylvania
received PPP loans from the SBA
last spring, averaging $119,941
per loan. In Southeastern
Pennsylvania, Jewish nonprofi t
LEGAL DIRECTORY
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Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia received a PPP loan of just under $1.5 million
last spring.

Photo by Jordan Cassway
We lived in the same fantasy world as everybody else. ‘Oh, maybe
we’ll be able to go back on, you know, April 7.’”
AMY KRULIK
organizations were among the
successful applicants, scram-
bling in the confusing early days
of the program to understand
the terms and gather the neces-
sary documentation in hopes of
approval. The Raymond and Ruth
Perelman Jewish Day School
received a loan of around $1.5
million to ensure that its staff
would remain employed. Th e
Jewish Relief Agency, Jewish
Learning Venture and even the
Messianic Jewish Alliance of
America were all able to secure
loans for their employees. Th e
Jewish Exponent received PPP
funds, too.

When the JCC applied for
its loan last April, “We lived
in the same fantasy world as
everybody else,” Krulik said.

“‘Oh, maybe we’ll be able to go
back on, you know, April 7.’”
But now, almost a year later,
businesses and organizations
that missed out on the initial
loans are lining up next to
those that have exhausted their
JEWISH EXPONENT
fi rst loan.

Th e Germantown Jewish
Centre, which received a loan
of $351,100 last year, is applying
for a second loan.

According to GJC President
Dan Livney, the fi rst loan
allowed the organization to
refrain from layoff s to give
prorated refunds to parents
for the time that their children
missed in the Early Childhood
Program. Such moves did more
than allow GJC to operate in
the short-term, Livney believes;
it let the institution signal to
its constituents that they were
not being abandoned. It was
a long-term investment in
goodwill. “It was obviously very
helpful the fi rst time, and
being able to help the institu-
tion, being able to support the
community, in terms of the
parents, is important to us and
the staff ,” Livney said.

Jewish Family
and Children’s Service of Greater
Philadelphia received a loan
of just under $1.5 million last
spring. Th e social services
organization, which serves Jews
and non-Jews alike, was deter-
mined from the beginning to
retain all of its employees at a
time when they were stretched
thinner than ever, serving an
expanding client base remotely.

Th e PPP loan, JFCS President
Paula Goldstein said, helped
the organization achieve that
goal. “That was very, very
important to us,” Goldstein
said. JFCS CFO John Sawyer
added that the loan also allowed
the organization to stay current
on its rent and utilities.

Even so, JFCS was forced
to close sites in Northeast
Philadelphia and Elkins Park,
but its fi nances are in a good
enough place that it doesn’t
qualify for this newest PPP
loan. “Which is good,” Sawyer said. ●
jbernstein@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0740
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



F TAY-SACHS
R F R E E E E
H eadlines
Biden Continued from Page 1
voters are deeply invested in,
fueled by an awareness of their
roots as perpetual refugees and
recent immigrants.

Biden put forward a plan that
outlines an eight-year pathway
to citizenship for immigrants
without legal status and an
expansion of refugee admissions.

That would dramatically change
the current system and allow
millions of immigrants to pursue
citizenship. After a waiting
period of five years, those who
pass a background check and
prove that they have paid taxes
would be granted green cards
and allowed to apply to become
citizens three years later.

Under Biden’s plan, the
“Dreamers,” or Deferred
Action for Childhood Arrivals
recipients, who were born in
the United States to parents
without legal status, will be
allowed to apply for green card
status immediately.

Cathryn Miller-Wilson,
executive director of HIAS
Pennsylvania, said the new plan
would help 11 million undoc-
umented immigrants — many
of whom came to the country
legally but were not able to renew
their visas — live without fear of
being deported and separated
from their loved ones.

“The proposal for a pathway
to citizenship is the right
proposal. It allows people who
have formed roots, who are
busy contributing to every-
thing that is wonderful about
the United States — they’re
contributing their tax dollars,
they’re contributing their diver-
sity of language and culture,
they’re contributing their love
of democracy, which is most
often what drew them here in
the first place — to strengthen
their standing,” she said.

Miller-Wilson said raising
the number of refugees
admitted to the U.S. would
benefit the country by creating
population growth in the face of
declining birth rates. It would
also make the U.S. a global
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM and in practical terms,”
leader during an unprec-
said Rabbi
Arthur edented humanitarian
Waskow, climate activist
crisis of displacement
and founder and director
caused by armed conflict
of The Shalom Center in
and climate change.

Philadelphia. Immigrants from Israel
He added that he was
would also benefit from the
delighted that Biden
plan, according to Yoni Ari,
decided to rejoin the Paris
the Philadelphia regional
director of the Israeli-
Agreement, an interna-
American Council.

tional climate change
Cathryn Miller-Wilson (right) with a refugee
“The immigration
Photo by Susan Kessler treaty to cut carbon
restrictions had a signifi-
emissions, but that it was
cant effect on workers and
a more symbolic action.

immigrants from Israel,” Ari the FBI and the Department
Waskow, who authored a
said. “Many Israeli Americans of Homeland Security and will petition calling for action on
who came to work, especially in draw on analysis from across climate change last year that
the tech industry, are waiting a the U.S. government and outside amassed 500 signatures from
long time for a green card, and organizations. She said the Jewish spiritual leaders, wants
some Israelis with legal status administration is aiming to the administration to take more
issues are waiting for the DACA strengthen the National Security decisive steps, such as creating
plan. The executive order about Council’s ability to focus on a federal program for creating
immigration is a great relief to domestic violent extremism.

solar co-op developments that
so many.”
“We welcome the admin- would provide clean energy and
Biden hopes to revive istration’s commitment to cut fossil fuel emissions.

other programs for refugees, making these issues, especially
As of press time, several
including ones for minors fighting anti-Semitism and other areas of Jewish concern
from places such as Central fighting domestic extremism, will have to wait on Biden’s
American countries and Cuba a priority, and following
seeking asylum. On his first day through already,” said Shira
in office, he reversed President Goodman, regional director
Donald Trump’s 2017 execu- of Anti-Defamation League
tive order banning travelers Philadelphia. “It’s important
and immigrants from seven for our leaders to use the
power of their positions to set
Muslim-majority countries.

Biden is also taking steps an example to stand up against
to tackle domestic violent anti-Semitism and racism
extremism, which is often closely and all forms of bigotry, and
tied to anti-Semitism. On Jan. so we look forward to seeing
22, he asked the director of that coming out of the highest
national intelligence to draw up a levels of government, coming
comprehensive threat assessment from the president.”
on domestic violent extremism,
She hopes the new admin-
which the new administration istration will appoint an
deemed a “serious and growing anti-Semitism envoy and
national security threat” in the expand Holocaust education,
wake of the Capitol insurrection and that Congress will pass
on Jan. 6.

legislation that will help the
Violent acts of anti-Semi- federal government monitor
tism like the deadly Tree of Life and thwart extremist violence.

and Poway synagogue shoot-
“We need to quickly enact
ings fall under this category.

legislation like the Domestic
“We need a comprehensive Terrorism Prevention Act,
approach to battling anti-Sem- which was just reintroduced
itism that takes seriously both this week in the House and the
the violence that accompa- Senate,” she said.

nies it and the hateful and
Biden signaled a commit-
dangerous lies that undergird ment to combating climate
it,” Biden wrote in a JTA op-ed. change by revoking a permit for
White House Press Secretary the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

Jen Psaki said the threat assess-
“That was extraordinarily
ment will be coordinated with important, both symbolically
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desk. They include the
questions of the Iran nuclear
deal and Israeli-Palestinian
peace talks, among others. l
spanzer@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0729. Gabe Friedman is a
reporter for JTA, where portions of
this article first appeared.

JANUARY 28, 2021
13