Archive for October, 2008
NewsBits: The Jewish Web
The following are items appearing on other Web sites of interest to our world of Jewish philanthropy.
A correction:
Could the economic downturn kill Jewish innovation?
We first brought this link from the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle to you on October 8th. Since then we have been informed of an error in the story. Particularly since it deals with innovation and new funding in our community, we thought it important to update the story.
From the article: “There may even be hope for those looking to start nonprofits, as the Joshua Venture — the incubator that helped launch this movement, but then went on hiatus in 2006 — has announced on its Web site that it is now seeking new applicants.”
We received an email from Yoni Gordis, of the Center for Leadership Initiatives (one of the foundations taking part in the re-launch effort), indicating that the Joshua Venture has not yet started to accept fellowship applications and there is no announcement on the website indicating they are.
eJewish Philanthropy will keep you up-to-date when the search process begins.
both from the Jerusalem Post:
Wall Street: Atonement, A-list-style
REPENTANCE has been a central feature of this crisis, not just for bankers whose bets went sour, but for all those who were suddenly forced to contend with the fact that they had been living on borrowed money, whether in the form of home-equity lines based on inflated property values, or sky-high credit-card limits.
And the crisis has had an inescapably Jewish cast - both because so many of the people involved are Jews, and because the vagaries of the High Holidays calendar put it front and center.
‘Good greed’ exists only in our imagination
For months I have been resisting the urge to write about the financial crisis and subsequently the bailout plan. While I am an economist by profession, this column is not about economics and this is not the place for me to give my opinion on what’s wrong with the US financial system and what fix, if any, is needed. This column is about the ethics of economics, and that angle did not present itself prominently.
the following are from The New York Jewish Week:
UJA-Federation Prepared to Tap Reserves
The World Around Us
Following are items on other Web sites that are of interest to our Jewish philanthropic world.
from The Jerusalem Post:
New humanitarian group aims to train Jewish leaders to ‘fix world’
There’s a lack of young Jewish-Israeli leaders in the Tikkun Olam world, contend Adam LeAdam [Human being to Human being] founders Uri Amit and Yarden Tenenbaum.
Recognizing that lack in the field of humanitarian projects abroad, the two, both former emissaries of the Jewish Agency came together to form Adam LeAdam and develop a program to train and support future leaders, both Israelis and Jews from the Diaspora.
Their philosophy is at once avant garde and traditional. Unlike others of their peers who divide their “Jewish” and “Israeli” identities, they see the two as inseparable parts of a complex whole - which should anchor and guide one’s actions.
from The Forward:
Leaders of Indie Prayer Groups Get Grants, Become Mainstream Darlings
Independent minyans — those scrappy, do-it-yourself Jewish communities that have sprung up from Boston to Seattle and many places in between — largely have been defined by a central characteristic: They exist in the margins of the mainstream Jewish world.
But that may be changing.
If the past year is any indication, independent minyans — part of a growing number of alternative spiritual collectives known as “emergent Jewish communities” — are the new darlings of the Jewish philanthropic establishment. Long-standing foundations, previously worlds apart from the alternative communities that have recently energized young Jews, are for the first time funneling significant dollars to leaders of independent minyans.
also from The Forward:
One has to be in a coal mine in Uzbekistan to be unaware of the Bronfmans, particularly Edgar M. Bronfman and his Jewish communal activities…
As a philanthropist, he has had a critical involvement in the acclaimed Birthright Israel programs — and so has his philanthropist brother Charles, benefactor of one of the more creative foundations in the Jewish world. But the story begins earlier, with the family patriarch, whiskey baron Samuel Bronfman…
Tzum Kal
Wishing all an easy fast
image: David’s Shield by Baruch Nachshon
The Power of Video
By now, you’ve probably all heard of “The Great Schlep” and Sarah Silverman’s video. In it she urges young Jews to encourage any grandparents who live in Florida to vote for Mr. Obama and to withhold visits to their bubbes and zaides if they don’t comply.
For those of you who are still unbelievers, consider this number: more than
seven million views in two weeks.
Do you still think video has no place in your organization???
source: The New York Times, Message to Your Grandma: Vote Obama
Managing Negative PR in the Web 2.0 World
Negative pr has always been a thorn in the side of those of us who work hard building and protecting the reputations of Jewish organizations that do good work and put a high value on maintaining the trust of their constituents.
Yet, from time to time, even the most highly respected organization is faced with a situation that has the potential to seriously damage its reputation. I know because I have had to handle my share of negative pr situations over the course of my career. It’s never fun, difficult to get through and yet, if you follow the time-tested protocols for dealing with a pr “crisis,” you will get beyond the storm. The best “crisis pr” advice I ever heard was from Howard Rubenstein, the venerable crisis pr maven, who always started with “be prepared before a crisis strikes and always tell the truth as quickly as possible.”
So with the blogsphere now a legitimate, mainstream source of information, what must organizations do to be sure those writing about them get it right and how does an organization stay on top of the blog world to know what is being said?
Here are a few thoughts, but please add yours to the conversation.
MediaWatch: Our Jewish World
Following are items on other Web sites that are of interest to our philanthropic world.
from The Australian Jewish News:
Financial instability may hit Yom Kippur fund-raising
WITH a fluctuating stock market and uncertainty about the future of investments and superannuation balances, shulgoers may be tempted to linger an extra minute over their pledge cards this Yom Kippur.
However, the presumption that people tighten their belts and their charity donations as soon as the economy begins to waver may differ from the reality.
Helen Imber, executive director of the Australian Jewish Funders, said the Jewish community would continue to open its wallets for worthy causes.
“My gut feeling is that people will still give, but they will give smaller,” said Imber, whose organisation assists Jewish philanthropists to give effectively.
from Haaretz:
Bronfman: U.S. support for Israel hinges on recognition of mixed marriages
Edgar Bronfman, 79, still best known in the financial world as the owner for many years of Seagram’s Whiskey and until a few years ago as president of the World Jewish Congress, recently published a book, “Hope, Not Fear.” Over its 222 pages, Bronfman preaches for comprehensive reform of the content of Jewish life, and calls for changes in the conduct of its religious streams - particularly in the relationships between them.
In an interview with Haaretz yesterday, Bronfman said: “Judaism must open up and fully accept families where one of the parents is not Jewish. If a revolutionary change is not made in the present rejectionist attitude toward mixed couples, the Jewish community in America will shrink and lose its influence, and American support for Israel will be in danger.”
from The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle:
Could the economic downturn kill Jewish innovation?
The past decade has seen a groundswell of innovative Jewish nonprofits — from the birth of a Jewish pop culture magazine, Heeb, to the creation of a slew of trailblazing Jewish social service organizations, to an array of projects that allow Jews to express their Judaism through ways other than the prayer book.
But as these initiatives reach adolescence and eye expansion, the spiraling economy and financial crisis threatens to stunt their growth and thwart the next generation of startups from even getting off the ground.
update: a correction.
Since we originally published this link, we have been informed of an error in the story. Particularly since it deals with innovation and new funding in our community, we thought it important to update the story.
From the article: “There may even be hope for those looking to start nonprofits, as the Joshua Venture — the incubator that helped launch this movement, but then went on hiatus in 2006 — has announced on its Web site that it is now seeking new applicants.”
We received an email from Yoni Gordis, of the Center for Leadership Initiatives (one of the foundations taking part in the re-launch effort), indicating that the Joshua Venture has not yet started to accept fellowship applications and there is no announcement on the website indicating they are.
eJewish Philanthropy will keep you up-to-date when the search process begins.
Kol Ha-kavod to Jewlicious
Mazal Tov! Today Jewlicious posted #4000 after a little over 4 years. In that time, they’ve inspired 56,666 approved comments, held 4 Jewlicious Festivals, run 10 Jewlicious Taglit-Birthright Israel trips, sponsored and co-sponsored countless events in the US and Israel, been interviewed dozens of times by media outlets large and small and 125,937 Web pages currently link back to them. They’ve served 264 banner ads, 134,821,018 times. These banner ads were paid for by a wide variety of businesses and organizations from the New Israel Fund, to JDub Records; from Aish Hatorah to American Apparel.
Read the complete post, Jewlicious: 4000th Post by founder David Abitbol.
Congrats to the entire crew of Jewlicious contributors. We are all grateful for the significant contribution they have made, collectively and individually, to our Jewish world.
The Power of Giving
With all the ‘down’ news the past few weeks on the economy and how philanthropy might be affected, it’s nice to occasionally read a ‘feel-good’ story on giving.
From today’s USA Today:
The United States long has been a nation of givers, but a new generation is transforming the way we do good. Millennials and Generation Xers, especially those 20- and 30-somethings starting careers, may not have the bucks to be major donors, but they are finding ways to help others and prompting big changes in the way charities raise money.
Young people are “not just making checks and going on with their lives. They want to be part of what happens” to their money, says Claire Gaudiani of the Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising at New York University. She says today’s young people contribute to favorite causes earlier, more consistently and in more imaginative ways than their grandparents did.
Communal Challenges
The High Holiday / Annual Campaign season is in full blast in most American communities. Yet mixed signals appear to be emerging as to how the current Wall Street / banking crisis will effect our Jewish world. In New York City, Federation appears to be off to a promising start with an increase over last year at their weekend kick-off event (though I understand an awful lot of arms were twisted privately).
In Miami, according to Jacob Solomon (Federation’s senior professional) they are not as lucky. They report being 7-8% below last year’s pace. And while definitely not in panic mode, they are watching the situation very closely and working extra hard to achieve a positive outcome.
According to Solomon, they are facing a number of new challenges. “Communal needs have greatly increased this year. There is an uptick of 50% in applications for assistance to attend Jewish summer camps, Jewish day schools and to maintain communal memberships. I hear stories of people really struggling.”
Miami’s kosher food bank, in a move to accommodate increased demand and retain privacy, has resorted to creative time-scheduling.
But what most concerns Solomon is the unanswered question, “how many are walking away from organized Jewish life because they simply can’t afford it.”
Let’s all add a prayer this Chag that the number is really small; and hope Miami, and any other community in a similar situation, can continue to assist all who are in need.
Here’s more on the economy’s effect on the Federation system from The Jerusalem Post:
Jewish groups fear drop in donations as markets tumble
The crisis rocking financial markets in the United States and in more recent days markets around the world, has not yet reached the Jewish federation system, according to senior federation officials.
The 155 American Jewish federations and several hundred smaller Jewish communities together comprise the largest American charity network after the United Way, raising $2.4 billion in 2007 and holding some $13 b. in endowments.
The numbers are large, maintaining one of the most extensive social and welfare service networks in the world. Government funds add some $6 billion annually to the hundreds of soup kitchens, food banks, work programs, community centers, elderly care facilities and other charities operated by the federations.
With the financial tumult following bank closures and stock crashes in recent weeks, the federation system has begun to plan how to deal with the possible effects of the crisis.
Are We Building For The Future?
from the current issue of Lilith Magazine:
An Unquiet Revolution at the Water Cooler
Recently Lilith brought together a small group of young women professionals working for Jewish nonprofit organizations—in education, the arts, community building, global betterment. They wanted to see why this brainy and well-educated bunch choose to work where they do, and to hear their worries about time, money and the prospects for getting to the top.
What’s strikingly new in what they so candidly reveal is that this cadre of women isn’t complaining and getting out. Instead, they want the Jewish workplace to get better. Unlike talented women before them who might simply have voted with their feet—leaving Jewish organizations to enter the business world, or striking out on their own, or backing out of the workforce altogether—the women gathered around the Lilith conference table articulated pretty clearly what they need in order to stay. Working where their values lie is what most of them want—but not at the cost of their home lives, their financial security, or their sense of self-worth.
