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As part of sweeping restructuring efforts that the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism hopes will transform the way it serves congregations, the organization has decided to merge its New Jersey and Mid-Atlantic regional offices.

Responding to its budget crisis and ongoing losses of member synagogues, the USCJ approved the consolidation of 15 regions into six districts Sept. 13, in addition to the elimination of at least five jobs in its New York City headquarters.

The New Jersey Region includes all of New Jersey except Atlantic, Cape May, Camden, and parts of Mercer counties, while the Mid-Atlantic Region includes parts of New Jersey north of the Delaware River until and including Trenton, Princeton, and Lawrenceville (as well as parts of Pennsylvania and all of Delaware).

Lisa Harris Glass, director of the New Jersey Region, explained that differences between the sizes of the USCJ's 15 regions led to a disparity in the services each region could offer, as each office is dependent on the dues that come in from member synagogues. While the New Jersey Region contains 58 synagogues and the Mid-Atlantic Region 50, the Metropolitan New York Region includes well over 100, she noted.

By comparison, the six districts will be roughly equal in size. The changes indicate that under Rabbi Steven Wernick, the USCJ's CEO since July 1, "the focus of what we deliver and how we deliver it is going to change," Harris Glass said.

During a recession, "it's no secret that the entire Jewish world is confronting less resources, and synagogues are under pressure for their funds," said Harvey Rosen, president of the New Jersey Region. To that end, Rosen said Conservative congregations routinely question why they should remain part of the USCJ, given the membership dues.

"It's a natural question that we always get, and I think every synagogue leader has a right to know what to get for the dues that they pay," Rosen said.

Rosen said the changes allow the USCJ to reallocate overhead funds for running offices to synagogues. While some previous office workers will be able to work at home and stay closer to individual congregations, the USCJ is also looking to hire outside consultants and specialists to help synagogues with fundraising, membership, and information technology, he said.

"The underlying purpose is to be able to get more of our services to our synagogues," Rosen said.

Depending on the new leadership funneling in and out of individual synagogues, the USCJ helps some congregations regularly, helps some of them specifically when they ask for assistance, and doesn't hear at all from some others, Rosen said.

"We want to be able to get to them all in, one way or another," Rosen said.

Rabbi Michael Goldstein, of Temple Beth Torah in Wanamassa, said that he supports whatever can make the USCJ more responsive to its synagogues.

"If this move will allow the national United Synagogue to support the individual congregations in a more systemic and effective way, then it will be a good thing," Goldstein said.

Still, Goldstein noted that the New Jersey and Mid-Atlantic regions were two of the USCJ's larger offices in terms of member synagogues, and said he would have understood if the organization chose to let those regions remain autonomous.

"I think the argument could have been made in either direction," regarding whether to separate the regions or keep them together, Goldstein said.

Rabbi Aaron Benson of the East Brunswick Jewish Center, who served on the regional branch of the Conservative movement's Rabbinical Assembly when he led a congregation in Los Angeles, said the USCJ can be most helpful when synagogues themselves are proactive about finding the umbrella organization's resources for programming, administration, and governance.

Actively seeking the USCJ's support has meant that the organization has always been a valuable partner for Benson's synagogues, he said, adding that he hopes the restructuring will make the USCJ itself more proactive in delivering services to congregations.

"They can be a rich source of advice and support," Benson said of the USCJ.

With the regional mergers, the USCJ is on the right track in terms of thinking creatively, Benson said.

"I think that in general, the United Synagogue needs to respond to the changes in the movement and certainly the current economic situation," he said.

Though the New Jersey and Mid-Atlantic regions are large in terms of how many synagogues they contain, they are relatively small regions when it comes to geographic size, Rabbi Avi Friedman of the Summit Jewish Community Center said. If merging saves overhead expenses and the district office isn't too far away from member synagogues, then it will turn out to be a good decision, he said.

"If [the USCJ] can still be responsive and give us what we need as congregations, it doesn't really matter where the office is," Friedman said.

Harris Glass said the changes were in line with Wernick's desire for the USCJ to deliver its services more efficiently to synagogues and adapt to their needs. Since taking over as CEO, Wernick has been touring various Conservative communities throughout North America and will make a stop in New Jersey Oct. 1.

"You have to ask people what they need, not tell them what they need," Harris Glass said.

"I believe transformation [in the USCJ] is about service delivery," she added.

Reflecting on trips to Colorado, the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and Houston from July 31 to Aug. 20, Wernick wrote on the USCJ Web site that during the ongoing recession, "congregations are asking what they receive for their investment in us. Our congregations, which are our primary stakeholders, are clamoring for a meaningful reorganization that will address these issues. When that is accomplished, United Synagogue can provide the kind of strong support Conservative Jewish communities both deserve and need."