Recognizing that rampant Jewish illiteracy and assimilation have taken an enormous toll and threaten to decimate the American Jewish community, representing a peril more insidious than any external enemy; and

Recognizing the historic authority and present duty of Jewish communal and religious leaders to warn all fellow Jews of this impending disaster and to mandate appropriate defensive measures; and

Recognizing that intensive Jewish education rooted in Torah min Hashamayim, particularly primary and secondary day school education, has proven to be the most effective defense against assimilation and the resulting losses to the Jewish people; and

Recognizing that day school start-up, expansion and tuition costs have become prohibitively high, thus discouraging enrollment in and growth of the day school system; and

Recognizing that the imperative of v’shinantam l’vanecha (diligently teaching our children) and la ta’amodal dam re’cha (acting to save the imperiled) require that we secure the survival of the Jewish people by promoting day school enrollment and guarantying affordable day school education to all who seek it, regardless of financial ability; and

Recognizing that the extraordinary danger of our extinction imposes a special duty on every Jew, above and beyond the general obligation of tzedaka (charity), to devote a portion of the bounty with which G-d has blessed him to the enormous capital needs of the day school system;

WE HEREBY DECLARE AS FOLLOWS:

1) It is the sacred obligation of every Jew actively to engage in and support intensive Jewish education, particularly primary and secondary day school education for our young; and

2) It is essential and incumbent for every Jewish individual and institution to participate in the Emergency Campaign for day schools by immediately increasing donations and grants to day schools, yeshivot and related scholarship funds to the maximum extent possible; and

3) It is essential and incumbent for every Jew to participate in the Planned Giving Campaign for day schools by dedicating at least five percent of his or her estate as of death to one or more of the local and regional Jewish Education Trust Funds established to subsidize day schools, or to one or more individual day schools or yeshivot, either by will or equivalent into lifetime gifts.

This Declaration Of Intent is not legally binding until specific institutional beneficiaries are designated.

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Please return this DECLARATION OF LEADERSHIP  to the day school of your choice or NATIONAL JEWISH DAY SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE,

333 West Wacker Drive, Suite 2750, Chicago, IL 60606 - 312-332-4172