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For the past 100 years, Young Judaea has been one of the most successful Jewish youth organizations in North America. Yet, over the past year, Young Judaea and its sponsor organization, Hadassah, have faced significant financial troubles, leading some to question the future vibrancy of the century-old youth group.

On Jan. 6, Keith Berman, the director of Young Judaea's flagship year course in Israel program, announced his resignation. His announcement came shortly after Young Judaea's director, Rabbi Ramie Arian, said that he would step down.

Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, has suffered lately due to the global recession as well as the millions the organization lost in Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme. This, in turn, has led to decreased funding for Young Judaea.

Steve Rabinowitz, a spokesman for Hadassah, said that despite these staff shakeups, Young Judaea "should see no reduction in programming."

"It is sad to see such a dynamic leader like Rabbi Ramie Arian go, but the average Young Judaea member will see no difference," he said. "I don't blame people associated with Young Judaea for their concern, but it's no different than what is happening at any other non-profit in the world."

Young Judaea's Year Course program, which Rabinowitz noted is the largest program affiliated with MASA, an organization that provides grants to young Diaspora Jews to come to Israel on an organized program, "shouldn't be any less rich than it's been in the last 100 years."

These full-time positions will be replaced with volunteers.

"Hadassah and Young Judaea have a rich tradition of lay leadership," Rabinowitz said.

Steven M. Cohen, a prominent sociologist of American Jewry at Hebrew Union College who authored a 1999 study on Young Judaea's impact on its members' Jewish identity, expressed skepticism that lay leaders would be able to fill the leadership vacuum.

"It's hard to believe that volunteers can develop as effective as leaders as the skilled, veteran, highly respected professionals who have been delivering these services for decades," Cohen said. "Hadassah is abdicating their responsibility as the custodian of one of the most effective Jewish youth experiences in North America."

For Cohen, the strength of the Young Judaea program has been its "multi-experience system," where camps, youth groups, and Israel programs are integrated.

"The Young Judaea system has been remarkably effective in producing engaged Jewish youngsters," he said.

In his 1999 study, "Building Jewish Identity: A Study of Young Judaea Alumni," Cohen writes that, "the Young Judaea experience lowers intermarriage, elevates ritual observance, raises community activity, promotes involvement with Israel and increases all other types of Jewish involvement."

According to the study, for example, alumni of Young Judaea programs marry other Jews at a rate of 91 percent, a significantly higher percentage than the national rate.

The study also found that 65 percent of Young Judaea female alumni are now Hadassah members.

Liz Salston, the chair of the New Jersey Young Judaea Youth Commission, praised the organization for generating a new generation of Jewish leaders.

The youth who participate in Young Judaea, Salston said, "are the future leadership of the Jewish community and hopefully Hadassah." One of those people is Amanda Cove, a junior at Rutgers University from Somerset, who has been involved with Young Judaea programs since she was 12 years old, an experience that she described as formative.

"It definitely strengthened my Jewish identity and introduced me to Jews of all different backgrounds," Cove said, who in addition to attending the Young Judaea camps also participated in its Israel summer program and later in its Year Course program in Israel.

Cove, who is now active in Jewish and Israel advocacy at Rutgers including as a coordinator of the recently established Hadassah Leadership Academy, said that her experience in Young Judaea "made me want to be active in different social action projects in Israel."

"They were always teaching us about Israel, how to love Israel," Cove said of the Young Judaea programs in which she participated.

The year program, she said, "allowed me to live within Israeli society, to have the ultimate Israel experience." One experience in Israel that Cove said was especially meaningful for her was her work at a school where Jewish and Arab students learned side by side.

Cohen said that although Hadassah is facing financial difficulties, making sure that Young Judaea remains strong should be the organization's top priority, taking precedence over its other interests like the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem.

"If I were on the leadership of Hadassah I would protect Young Judaea at all costs," he said.

Such an effective youth organization, Cohen said, "is very hard to build, though easy to tear down."