[eJP note: This post, by Gidi Grinstein, was originally published on May 14, 2008, as part of a series on Philanthropy in Israel. With this year's Jewish Funders Network conference taking place in Israel, we thought it would be timely to rerun the series.] Jewish philanthropy in Israel is at a crossroads. Powerful trends are marginalizing its impact on Israeli society. More than a billion dollars of philanthropic giving from Jews worldwide, spurred by endless goodwill, passion and care, are not impacting Israel or contributing to global Jewish peoplehood to the extent they should. The current system is in dire need of an overhaul. I write this piece as an Israeli whose national identity is founded upon and deeply informed by his Jewishness. I am also a person who has realized a dream and … Continue Reading

[eJP note: This post, by Gidi Grinstein, was originally published on May 13, 2008, as part of a series on Philanthropy in Israel. With this year's Jewish Funders Network conference taking place in Israel, we thought it would be timely to rerun the series.] This series of blog posts deals with non-Israeli Jewish philanthropy in Israel with the objective of making a contribution to its effectiveness and relevance. When I started working on this project, my wife, friends and colleagues asked me why I care enough to spend so many hours on a topic that is out of the focus of my professional work. My answer was that I feel a debt to the community that has made my dream possible and that, en route, this may turn out to be a contribution, however small, to Israel’s prosperity, to Israel-Diaspora … Continue Reading

[eJP note: This post, by Gidi Grinstein, was originally published on May 13, 2008, as part of a series on Philanthropy in Israel. With this year's Jewish Funders Network conference taking place in Israel, we thought it would be timely to rerun the series.] As I mentioned in the first post of this series, my perspective in writing this series is that of a Jew and an Israeli, in that order (for a more elaborate discussion, please see the first post of my blog A Link in the Chain). I am also a grantee that has realized a dream and a vision due to the generosity of time, spirit, trust and money by lay leaders, Jewish professional, rabbis, communities and organizations from across the Jewish world. Why should we - Israelis - care? My answer is that we should care as both as Israelis and as Jews … Continue Reading

[eJP note: This post, by Gidi Grinstein, was originally published on May 13, 2008, as part of a series on Philanthropy in Israel. With this year's Jewish Funders Network conference taking place in Israel, we thought it would be timely to rerun the series.] A powerful and consistent trend that is affecting the role of Jewish philanthropy in Israel is the decline in the will and ability of the Government of Israel to address the needs of its constituency. I call this trend: the decline of Jerusalem. For world Jewry and philanthropy in Israel, this trend represents both a threat and an opportunity: while it expands the menu of options for philanthropic interventions it is also overstretching its resources. In every country people are frustrated with the way their government spends their tax … Continue Reading

[eJP note: This post, by Gidi Grinstein, was originally published on May 13, 2008, as part of a series on Philanthropy in Israel. With this year's Jewish Funders Network conference taking place in Israel, we thought it would be timely to rerun the series.] The diminishing marginal impact of Jewish philanthropy in Israel stems from the constant growth of the Israeli economy compared with the stagnation of Jewish philanthropic giving in Israel. The Zionist movement survived and thrived on the philanthropic generosity of world Jewry. However, as Israel grows in economic and political power, the relative importance of philanthropic giving by Diaspora Jewry is diminishing. In depth comprehension of these trends is critical to create the sense of urgency that is essential of the necessary … Continue Reading

[eJP note: This post, by Gidi Grinstein, was originally published on May 13, 2008, as part of a series on Philanthropy in Israel. With this year's Jewish Funders Network conference taking place in Israel, we thought it would be timely to rerun the series.] The gist of this series is that Jewish philanthropy in Israel requires an overhaul in order to recapture a central role in Israeli society. One of the powerful and persistent trends that are driving this sidelining is the growing disconnect from the Israeli socioeconomic center. It is a challenge of priorities, as well as communications. In the past, Diaspora Jewish philanthropy was perceived and framed in the context of economic and social assistance and as a supplement to Israel’s national budget. Hence, understandably, it has been … Continue Reading

[eJP note: This post, by Gidi Grinstein, was originally published on May 13, 2008, as part of a series on Philanthropy in Israel. With this year's Jewish Funders Network conference taking place in Israel, we thought it would be timely to rerun the series.] In recent years Israel has seen the rise of a new class of newly wealthy and homemade philanthropists. This trend is both a threat and an opportunity for world Jewish philanthropy here and amplifies the need for the overhaul. There is wide agreement that Israel’s wealthy have not given enough to their own society. Why? The reasons have been exhaustingly discussed and I have little to add to that discussion beyond naming them as a backdrop for this post. They are: First, a legacy of Socialism where citizens are cared for by the government … Continue Reading

[eJP note: This post, by Gidi Grinstein, was originally published on May 13, 2008, as part of a series on Philanthropy in Israel. With this year's Jewish Funders Network conference taking place in Israel, we thought it would be timely to rerun the series.] The theme of this blog series is that Jewish philanthropy in Israel is being marginalized and needs an overhaul in order to preserve a central role in Israeli society. In this post I suggest that the response has to be qualitative and focus on leveraging greater impact from the existing dollars. In previous posts of this series (posts 3-6) I have discussed the most powerful trends that are sidelining world Jewry in Israel. They are: the decline in the will and ability of the Government of Israel to provide services to the Israeli public … Continue Reading

[eJP note: This post, by Gidi Grinstein, was originally published on May 13, 2008, as part of a series on Philanthropy in Israel. With this year's Jewish Funders Network conference taking place in Israel, we thought it would be timely to rerun the series.] The ISRAEL 15 Vision aims to place Israel among the fifteen most developed nations in terms of quality of life within fifteen years. This vision is an example of a possible useful framework and context for refocusing Diaspora Jewish philanthropy in Israel as it strives to increase its impact in Israel. The ISRAEL 15 Vision requires leapfrogging Israel’s socioeconomic performance. Such a leap happens when a nation sustains out-of-the-ordinary growth for a prolonged period (See my post “Leapfrogging or Growth? The Differences”.) This is … Continue Reading