In 2017, Julie Rubenstein walked into a community-wide meeting at Temple Beth Sholom in San Leandro. Although she had been a member for only one year, she could see clearly that “the synagogue was in big trouble.” The entire eight-member board had resigned recently, the financial situation was bleak and membership was in steady decline.
Julie Rubenstein
“They needed to make some big changes very quickly if they were going to survive,” Rubenstein recalled.
Less than four years later, Beth Sholom has made a comeback. Through the diligence of a new set of synagogue leaders, membership is slowly growing again, finances have been diversified and new programs are being introduced.
NBCMiami has an analysis of religious organizations that received the most in PPP loans.
The list includes St. Thomas Episcopal and St. Stephen’s Episcopal both in Miami. Neither commented to NBCMiami despite numerous requests.
PPP loans are part of the federal Spring pandemic relief package. They are administered by the Small Business Administration. As long as they are used as intended, the recipient is not required to pay back the loan.
According to the SBA’s data, the Archdiocese of Miami and organizations associated with it got roughly $24,506,262 to help pay more than 2,500 employees at churches, schools, and charities.
We used it just for staying open and paying the salaries of our two part-time employees, Hechtman said.
According to data released by the SBA, Beth Or Temple received around $14,400 in PPP funding. This amount is just a sliver compared to the millions other organizations received.
King Jesus International Ministry Church got $2,027,537 in PPP funds, according to the SBA data. The Miami mega-church hosted an event for President Donald Trump earlier this year.
NBC 6 Responds found King Jesus International Ministry Church is one of at least 185 religious organizations in South Florida that received over $150,000 in PPP loans. At least 26 of those loans were for more than a million dollars.
Freeman Real Estate: 5th Annual GREAT TURKEY GIVE newswire.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newswire.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
December 13, 2020 @ 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm Free
Contemporary Jewish Museum conducts an online, hands-on art project for families. Pick up free supply kits at Beth Sholom (S.F.), Netivot Shalom (Berkeley), Contra Costa Jewish Day School (Lafayette) and Marin JCC (San Rafael) from 2-5 p.m. Dec. 11, and Peninsula JCC (Foster City) 3-6 p.m. Dec. 10. Zoom class at 4:30-5:30 p.m. Dec. 13. Free, with registration.Event Website