by Marisa Ellman 2011-12 Roots & Branches Foundation member What does it mean to a group of 18 young Jewish adults to make grants to nonprofit organizations in a primarily Jewish way as strategic philanthropists? Our Roots & Branches group spent the past nine months answering this question. We wrestled with many possible grantmaking priorities from diverse fields: everything from assisting veterans to refugees to youth-at-risk emerged in the early phases of decision making. Ultimately, we decided to fund programs that will help more Jewish people find meaning and relevance in Jewish life and connect to Jewish communities. The more we learned about the lack of engagement among Jews in our community, the more we realized that providing opportunities to enhance Jewish communal life is of … Continue Reading
Creating Community through Song
by Michele Weingarden 2011-12 Roots & Branches Foundation member Heading out to a site visit with the Colorado Hebrew Chorale, the Holocaust was the furthest thing from my mind. I imagined they’d tell us stories of joyous concerts and festive holiday celebrations. Instead, this local music ensemble stunned me with their story about why they attempt to build community through music. On the day the gates of the concentration camps flew open, they said, the first thing survivors did while walking to freedom was sing the Hatikvah, a Zionist song from the late 19th century that would one day become Israel’s national anthem. Recalling this image sends shivers down my spine now, as it did during our discussion. What a powerful message about the depth and meaning song has to Jewish identity … Continue Reading
It’s Not as Easy as Dropping Coins into the Tzedakah Box
by Avi Loewenstein 2011-12 Roots & Branches Foundation member Tzedakah, charity inspired by the pursuit of justice, is a tradition of Judaism on par with matzo ball soup, movies on Christmas Eve and the struggle of standing through the concluding service on Yom Kippur. In Sunday school, we dutifully dropped our coins into tin tzedakah boxes, and we learned that the giving of tzedakah is a mitzvah, a good deed. Drawing on this tradition, one of the very few rules governing Roots & Branches Foundation is that the grants that we make, our tzedakah, must be "primarily Jewish in nature." We were told that we must decide for ourselves what this means, and that our goal for our first few meetings was to answer this question. However, this is a deceptively difficult question to … Continue Reading
Study Released: American Jewish Giving to Israeli Organizations
The Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies (Brandeis University) has released a new report examining an important facet of the American Jewish community's relationship to Israel, philanthropy. The New Philanthropy: American Jewish Giving to Israeli Organizations was developed by Eric Fleisch and Ted Sasson and analyzes the growth in philanthropic support for Israeli non-profits over the past decade and a half. This is the first research of its kind to provide a comprehensive account (within the limits of the available data) of American Jewish giving in Israel. from the introduction: In recent years, scholars of the American Jewish community have noted declining contributions to the federations and declining transfers by federations to overseas causes including Israel. Some observers have … Continue Reading
Rules of Engagement: Giving to Israel Despite Reservations
[This post was originally published October 20, 2009 in PresenTense Magazines' Philanthropy issue. As a part of our continuing discussion on Jewish philanthropy, we are reprinting.] by Josh Buchin For many young Jews, the subject of philanthropy for the sake of Israel does not occupy much of their time. Whether it's because the issue is too political or too overwhelming, the topic often gets pushed aside in favor of other forms of philanthropy. But for some young Jewish philanthropists, Israel is an area that truly speaks to them. PT sat down with young philanthropists to discuss why giving to Israel can be an important and relevant issue in our day-to-day lives. “Theodor” wishes to remain anonymous. He is an active lay leader in the Jewish community of Luxembourg. Tell us a little … Continue Reading
Time Over Money
[This post was originally published October 18, 2009 in PresenTense Magazines' Philanthropy issue. As a part of our continuing discussion on Jewish philanthropy, we are reprinting.] The Elders of Zion had it right - money and Jews go hand in hand. Philanthropy runs through the Jewish world like veins run though our bodies. You can put your multiples of chai towards Jews in plight, gentiles in plight, volunteering in a third world country, your local Jewish Federation, disadvantaged communities in Israel, or strengthening the Jewish voice on Capitol Hill. Limited time and, even more, limited funds are dwarfed by the seemingly unlimited causes vying for our attention. As the economy shrinks, and with it the cash flow in the Jewish world, this question is more poignant than ever. With this in mind, … Continue Reading
Every Little Bit Counts: Microfinancing in the Jewish Tradition
[This post was originally published October 25, 2009 in PresenTense Magazines' Philanthropy issue. As a part of our continuing discussion on Jewish philanthropy, we are reprinting.] by Talia Cottrell Furleiter Maimonides, writing in 12th-century Egypt, could not have imagined the extension of loans beyond the limits of one’s own community and immediate surroundings. Even 25 years ago, if a Jew living in New York wanted to personally help the people living in the poorest reaches of the globe through loans, partnerships, or helping them find jobs, it would have required intense personal and financial commitment and international travel. One who couldn’t make that type of commitment could give money to a larger charitable organization, but he would lose control and knowledge over how the … Continue Reading
Philanthropy Nation?
by Suzanne Last Stone It seems an opportune time to reflect on the attitudes of the Israeli and American Jewish communities toward philanthropy, given both the recent release of Forbes Magazine’s list of the world’s billionaires, 13 of whom are Israeli, and the appearance [last] week of Dame Stephanie ‘Steve’ Shirley - UK’s former Ambassador of Philanthropy and a Kindertransport refugee - at two [local] conferences, one the Amuta 21C conference on nonprofits in Israel, which face an uncertain future, and, the other, the annual meeting of the United States-based Jewish Funders Network, the largest network of Jewish philanthropists in the world. The Forbes list is merely the latest confirmation of the remarkable economic flourishing of Israel. This development is poised to alter the … Continue Reading
The Case for National Jewish Philanthropy
by Yossi Prager Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill once said, “All politics is local.” Should philanthropy be the same? AVI CHAI’s spend-down goals include building funding partnerships with others whose values and interests align with ours. I have therefore had the privilege of meeting with and learning from impressive and dedicated Jewish philanthropists across the country. Time and again, I have learned that most funders focus their Jewish philanthropy overwhelmingly on local community-based institutions. As this theme repeated itself, I thought of the verse in Deuteronomy 15:7, “If there be among you a needy man, one of your brethren, within any of your gates, in the land which the LORD your God gives you. ...” The Talmud proves from this verse that local needs draw first … Continue Reading
Sunsetting As A Metaphor for the Cycles of Program Support
by Jeffrey Solomon Four foundations actively engaged in supporting activities to improve the quality of life in Israel as a Jewish, democratic state are leaving the scene within several years of one another. Ford Foundation Israel (in cooperation with the New Israel Fund), The Kahanoff Foundation, The Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund and The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies will exit the grantmaking scene between 2012 and 2016. This coincidence of timing led to the development of a session at the recent Jewish Funders Network Conference in Tel Aviv, to explore “What Happens After?” In a discussion led by Yael Shalgi of Yad Hanadiv, and including Susan Beresford, former President of the Ford Foundation; William Forster, formerly of Bridgespan and current CEO of the Jacobson … Continue Reading
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