Peoplehood and Jewish Culture

After establishing a Jewish Peoplehood Hub last November , the Jewish Agency now has explicitly embraced the concept of Jewish Peoplehood as its top priority. The question is, just what does peoplehood mean? One answer comes from researcher Steven Cohen, who proposes that “you should be involved in your community, either religiously or socially. You should be engaged with other Jews doing things that are Jewish.” That definition will not be meaningful to the many American Jews who see Jewishness as a personal decision, not a communal imperative. It’s becoming commonplace to say that ‘every Jew today is a Jew by choice,’ and in America it may largely be true. Identifying as Jewish in America often has little to do involvement or engagement. It’s a matter of personal identity, which can... Continue Reading

Public Judaism

Non-Zero Sum: Helping Others And Ourselves by Rabbi Jill Jacobs Should Jews first take care of our own, or first serve the needs of society as a whole? In the course of a meandering and much-discussed article in the latest issue of Commentary magazine, historian Jack Wertheimer of the Jewish Theological Seminary castigates the Jewish social justice world for prioritizing support for non-Jews over the internal concerns of the Jewish community. Into this latter category, he collapses social services for low-income Jews, day school scholarships and the affordability of institutions ranging from synagogues to Jewish community centers. With Jewish groups slashing their budgets, day school students transferring to public schools and Holocaust survivors struggling to make ends meet, he complains, how can... Continue Reading

‘Drifting’ is Not an Option for Jews

by Stephen H. Hoffman I can’t remember any time in reading about Jewish history that we weren’t worried about our future and our survival – our physical survival in Israel and our spiritual survival outside of Israel. Worry seems to be in the Jewish genome. Now the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute (JPPPI) has written a report titled “2030: Alternative Futures for the Jewish People.” Whether you are an optimist or a pessimist, there’s plenty to worry about. The study provides an overview of factors that have affected the rise, thriving and decline of civilizations over the millennia. Among them are religion and identity; education, science and technology; language; creative leadership and political elites; war; internal dissent and national and health disasters. There are many... Continue Reading

Wake-Up Call: Your Supporters Expect More

by Katya Andresen Dear Nonprofit Marketing Friends, The biggest thing that needs to change this year is how we think about our donors. We are in the midst of an enormous generational shift that has major implications for our work. The Greatest Generation of older, civic-minded Americans who wrote checks out of a sense of duty and expected little more than a tax receipt in return is passing the torch to a far more demanding series of predecessors. Boomers expect a sense of impact, and younger donors expect engagement and involvement. They are anything but passive. Think of it this way. Just as in marketing we have left the broadcast era where consumers passively take in promotional messages, we have left the low-expectation donor era. That means it’s not enough to declare a need and send a thank-you.... Continue Reading

Will We Let This School Fail?

Rarely a day passes without hearing from one of my friends in the Jewish world about a new project in which they have become engaged or an organization for which they are fundraising. The conversation that ensues is often one about shared interests and common concerns. Sometimes the conversations result in my renewed optimism and other times they cause me to have sobering realizations; but never have they made me sick to my stomach. Until last week. An unexpected call from a former colleague who left Atlanta to move to Asheville, North Carolina started out with the usual pleasantries – work, family, memories of old times. But quickly the conversation turned to the matter that was obviously on my friend’s mind – the state of affairs of the nascent community Jewish Day School in Asheville... Continue Reading

A 21st Century Pushke

Tamar Snyder writing in The Jewish Week: The pushke, or charity box, may well be a relic of the past to many members of the younger generation of Jews. In fact, promotional materials for eCharityBox paint the small tin can as a PC in a world of Macs – not only old school, but also a barrier to giving for those who want to give on the go, with just a click of their BlackBerry or iPhone. Launched in November, eCharityBox “adds an interactive experience to the act of giving,” says Getzy Fellig, the company’s CEO. Modeled on an actual charity box, eCharityBox is an application that can be downloaded onto an iPhone, BlackBerry or computer desktop. Users can then drop virtual coins – be it a penny, a dollar or $100 – into the eCharityBox whenever they’re in a particularly generous... Continue Reading

Gaining a Positive Marketing Perspective

I guess it is human nature to constantly look for and examine our flaws and shortcomings. What is unfortunate is how much energy we put into analyzing our weaknesses and so little taking note of the things we do that are good and effective. As nonprofit marketers, we spend a good deal of time searching for the right way to communicate information that will positively move people and strengthen their support of our organizations. We all know that uplifting messages and statements of positive results are more effective than messages of despair. Yet paradoxically, we spend very little time looking at and examining the things we do that are good and effective. With so much emphasis on what is wrong, what needs improving, what missed the mark, we are failing to see and fully utilize those things we routinely... Continue Reading

eJP Now Formatted for Touch-Mobile

Do you have a touch-mobile device – iPhone, iPod touch, Android or Black Berry Storm? You can now read eJewish Philanthropy specially formatted for these devices. You’ll find it quick loading and easy reading. Complete with the ability to bookmark, tweet, email and more! No external App needed; just open your browser to our site. Check it out (and let us know what you think). eJewish Philanthropy – one step ahead in embracing technology for an improved visitor experience [Translate] Bookmark:  Read More →

Silent Role Models No More

They Too are Recognized During Women’s History Month by H. Glenn Rosenkrantz Atlanta: Over at the Marcus Jewish Community Center here, visitors might be forgiven for thinking they’ve walked into some sort of fashion show. There are, after all, dresses hanging on the walls. But upon closer look – and these dresses are getting plenty – it’s more apparent what’s going on. They are one-of-a-kind originals for sure, not in a fashionable way, but in a decidedly personal and historical sense. This is Women’s History Month and in honor of that, the JCC has seen fit to display the latest creations of students of the nearby Weber Jewish Community High School, who have designed dresses reflecting the long and splendid lives of Jewish senior women they’ve come to know, admire, and even... Continue Reading

Supply-Side Judaism

by Elie Kaunfer The Jewish community is expert at anticipating failure, even disaster. Declining affiliation rates, rampant intermarriage, collapsing schools and synagogues – these are the problems that top the communal agenda. Judaism, it is said, is a product that no one wants to buy anymore. The question is then posed: How can we convince people that Judaism is still relevant? But amid all the hand-wringing about failure, we forgot to plan for success. For in truth, our problem now is not one of a shortage of demand, but of supply. Desire to engage with Jewish life is at an all-time high. But we have not begun to produce the leaders, programs or institutions that can satisfy this demand. Taking a look at two hallmark achievements of the last decade – Birthright Israel and the independent... Continue Reading

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