I hear Nancy Fields, former head of secular education at Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy, is going with him. Abecasis is the president of the board. He received a glowing portrait in the June 9, 2006 Jewish Journal:
A go-getter who prospered in real estate, Abecassis had supported the school when he first heard it was having troubles making ends meet eight years ago. Then in 2004, when he learned of the impending bankruptcy, Abecassis took the school on as a personal mission.
Although his three children were enrolled at nearby Maimonides Academy, Etz Jacob’s plight touched a chord: Abecassis himself had once been a poor immigrant in search of a Jewish education. In 1970, his family fled Morocco because of the increasingly hostile climate for Jews. “We left everything behind,” said Abecassis, who was 9 years old at the time.
The family went to Canada, but when his father tried to find a Jewish day school for his three children, “they came up with all kinds of excuses not to admit us,” Abecassis recalled. “I always felt I missed the structure and foundation of a Jewish identity that comes through Jewish education.” In addition to donating his own funds, Abecassis created a business plan to save the school. He enlisted rabbis throughout the community to appeal to their congregants for help. He solicited individuals to provide $10,000 student sponsorships.
Abecassis donated about one million dollars to the school and raised far more than that. Like David Rubin (former president of Yavneh), Abecasis has put his money where his mouth is. I hear Abecassis was frustrated with the school’s pace of change.
A source writes:
I was forwarded your blog on Abecases and Etz Jacob. There are substantial errors of fact, which falsely imply a fault in the management of Etz Jacob.
From the misinformation, it appears that the principals of the school were not interviewed prior to your blog.
Please understand, the school does not want publicity on what is going on, as it is in serious negotiations with Mr. Abecasses, however, you should be aware of the facts and the reason for this message:
1. Aron’s giving to the school has been in some thousands of dollars… not even in the hundreds of thousands, let alone a million. Any such exaggeration is an attempt to steal underserved honor.
2. Aron required the founder of the school to sign a document that Aron’s largest funding of $75,000 is a loan, not a gift, to the school, increasing the school’s liabilities.
3. On the one hand, a year ago the school would have been foreclosed, but for Aron’s bailing it out. That is true, but then came the price:Aron insisted that the school fire all of its unaccredited teachers and hire only accredited ones. This was done under the protest of both the Religious Principal and the founder and dean of the school, as it tripled the annual budget. They accurately projected to him the dire consequences. Aron’s assumption, based on no experience in school administration, was that ‘if you build it, they will come’. He was proved completely wrong. 30 children of the higher tuition paying families went elsewhere when their favorite teachers were fired. As the school has an 18 year reputation, few new children came, resulting in tuition payments dropping by a third, while costs were tripled.
4. At the time of his decision, Aron publicly made it clear and reiterated subsequently that he would guarantee the funding of the school when he forced the school to hire the new staff.
5. When the need for donations to cover the deficit rose to $120,000 per month from last year’s $30,000, the community at large could not be mustered to such a new level. It is true that he raised a couple dozen gifts ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 (some in multiple payments), but this too amounted to only a couple hundred thousand dollars total. When he finished his list of easier ‘marks’, his fundraising efforts were diverted or trailed off.
6. When the time came, Abecasses’ promise was called. He then refused to give what was promised and is now negotiating another loan, but for far less than the school needs to survive.
7. The Founders of the school were forced by Aron into an unsustainable situation by no error of theirs.
8. It is important that when credit is given, positive or negative, that it be valid information. Responsible reporting requires that you verify the information that one person gives you before publication. In this instance, it appears that Aron is trying to make the case that he is not at fault that the school is in trouble. You missed this aspect and it was made to appear that the people left carrying the burden are at fault. This is slanderous.
Etz Jacob’s rabbi Rubin Hutler sent Aron Abecassis this letter of gratitude on March 25.
