Hebrew U. reverses plans to shut branch office here

The national board of American Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem will not be closing its San Francisco branch office as planned, said Stanley Bresh, incoming regional director.

The agency, which serves as the American fund-raising arm for the Jerusalem-based university, had announced earlier that it would be closing up shop as of April 30.

"But I'm here to tell you I am sitting in that office," said Bresh, the former regional director of the Jewish National Fund. "We are not closing. All the secretarial support comes out of L.A., but with today's technology, it doesn't make much difference."

The national board of AFHU had mapped a strategic plan that included closing several branch offices nationally, according to Adam Kahan, its executive vice president. To cut administrative costs while furthering the agency's national goal of raising $350 million over the next five years, responsibility for the Northern California area was slated to be transferred to Los Angeles.

But a backlash followed, and with it, speculation that without a visible presence in the Bay Area, support could erode dramatically. Roy Calder, AFHU's former regional director, denounced the move as "an insult to Bay Area donors."

Local donations have flowed steadily over the last 22 years, peaking at nearly $3 million last year. But the proposed closing echoed a national trend toward downsizing and centralizing.

Like the JNF, also planning to close offices here in recent weeks, AFHU reversed course. It has opted instead to maintain a bare-bones operation but a solid presence.

"As far as I know, everybody's scaling back," said John Rothmann, three-term regional president of the Jewish National Fund. "But L.A. and San Francisco are very different communities."

However, if the agency must cut back to one staffer, it couldn't land a more able solo flier than Bresh, Rothmann said.

"If I say we raised $10 million, I mean Stanley Bresh raised over $10 million," Rothmann said. "He is brilliant. He was a very fine director."

Wearing a silver bracelet, collarless shirt and glittering rings, the silver-haired, English-born Bresh cuts a flamboyant figure.

As regional development director, Bresh will focus solely on the Bay Area and the Northwest coast. The Los Angeles office will oversee university-sponsored community programs.

Bresh said he is prepared for challenges -- including changes in the demographics of donations.

"We're into the third and fourth generation in some of our [philanthropic] families," said Bresh, who lived in Israel before immigrating to the United States. "They missed the real euphoric days, as has everyone born after 1967. And Israel is growing so fast. If you don't visit for five years, you don't recognize the place."

Younger donors also carry with them a broader view of the world, and a different sense of Israel's place in it.

"Their grandparents were unlikely to be as concerned about Nicaragua as they are, for instance," he said.

In addition, a widening political and ideological chasm has separated American Jews from Israelis in recent years, making support of Israel's institutions a tougher sell.

"Many are at odds with Israel's politics and culture," he said. "But Israel gives back a hundredfold what we give it. The success of our Jewish homeland helps us to guarantee our freedom in the diaspora. And it is the repository of Jewish life and culture, which are endangered by assimilation."

Moreover, research and development in science, technology, agriculture, industry, and medicine benefit all of humanity, he said.

"Hebrew University is so vital in Jerusalem," he said. "As a secular institution, it provides a critical balance."