One of our prime goals at eJewish Philanthropy is to advance the conversation. We do this by publishing a range of pieces on topics of interest to our professional readership, by making social sharing (through facebook and Twitter) easy to use and by providing a discussion forum following following every post. And yet, as Eitan Gutin recently pointed out, many readers ignore the comments section. This is easy to understand as we are all pressed for time. After reading a post, and perhaps even adding our own comment, we generally do not return to follow the discussion. And this, unfortunately, tends to limit the conversation. As an example, let's take a look at last week's post by Mark S. Young, The $54,000 Strategy: A Bold Solution to Undervaluing our Jewish Professionals - a post that struck … [Read more...]
Breaking: The Jewish Agency to Supervise Proposed Egalitarian Kotel Section
eJP has learned that the proposal for an egalitarian/pluralistic area of the Kotel will include supervision by The Jewish Agency, a quasi-government organization headquartered in Jerusalem. This previously unreported news was apparently discussed at a meeting earlier this week in New York where Natan Sharansky briefed members of the various North American streams. If correct it represents a significant addition to the mission of the organization. … [Read more...]
Utilizing ‘Smoke and Mirrors’, Sharansky Relegates Women to Back of the Bus
Natan Sharansky, chair of the Executive of The Jewish Agency, and representative of the Prime Minister who is seeking a compromise for the current challenges of prayer at the Kotel has spoken. Maybe. Perhaps. On the record, apparently not. … [Read more...]
On the Eve of Yom HaShoah, Young Poles with Jewish Roots Gathered in Auschwitz
Jewish life has returned to a place infamous for its decimation - Oswiecim, Poland, also commonly known as Auschwitz - when dozens of young people from across Poland who recently discovered their Jewish roots came together on April 5-7, 2013 for a special weekend educational seminar. The gathering, which symbolically took place just ahead of Yom HaShoah, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, which began on the evening of April 7th, was organized by the Jerusalem-based Shavei Israel in commemoration of the revival of Jewish life in Poland. “Our aim is to underline the indestructibility of the Jewish spirit,” said Michael Freund, Founder and Chairman of Shavei Israel. “In recent years, a growing number of young Poles have begun to discover their Jewish roots, which Hitler and his henchmen so … [Read more...]
The Jewish Agency Plays Local Politics in Kiev
The Jewish Agency for Israel (The Agency) is a storied organization with a long history of assisting building the Jewish State. Today, with aliyah mostly an aliyah by choice, The Agency is trying to reinvent itself by focusing significant resources around Jewish Identity. While the "jury is still out" on the success of the latest strategic plan, the organization gets credit for moving forward, sharpening its focus and trimming [a meaningful amount of] excess fat. Governance of The Agency is complicated. The Board consists of a mix of organizational CEO's, wealthy donors, committed lay professionals and political hacks. In practice, despite denials, the Chair of the Executive serves at the pleasure of the Prime Minister. Every faction has their own agenda and only a small minority are truly … [Read more...]
Jewish Agency Holds ‘Town Hall’ Conversation on Women’s Kotel Prayer Services
A town hall style conversation was held yesterday at The Jewish Agency's Board of Governor’s Committee of the Unity of the Jewish People. The open session was called for the express purpose of gathering information to assist Natan Sharansky in his task of formulating new recommendations concerning prayer at the Kotel that will be presented to the Prime Minister. All present expressed a desire to resolve the current tensions and simultaneously provide respect for all who choose to worship at the Kotel. The approximately two dozen speakers hailed from across the religious streams and the world (including several Israelis). They mostly echoed similar themes, first and foremost that the Kotel belongs to all Jews. Several speakers tied the Kotel monopoly by the ultra-Orthodox to the broader issue … [Read more...]
