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

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

The Challenge for The Jewish Agency

The Agency’s New Agenda an editorial from The Forward The Jewish Agency for Israel is embarking on a bold and necessary attempt to create a new mission for itself, downplaying its historic role in promoting immigration to Israel and emphasizing instead an intriguing but still amorphous notion of Jewish “peoplehood.” Applause is warranted anytime a sprawling, calcified bureaucracy seeks new direction and energy, and never more so than in this case. The agency that once effectively acted as a governing body in pre-state Israel, and since 1948 promoted aliyah worldwide, has lost its way. Immigration is no longer as much of a pressing task, and other groups handle it far more efficiently. The pipeline of funding from the American Jewish community has shrunk, both in real dollars and in the percentage... Continue Reading

JTS’s Provost Disses Older Workers

According to a story in yesterday’s New York Post, Alan Cooper – JTS’s provost – “sent a mass e-mail last May to the school’s full-time staff advocating that older workers put themselves out to pasture. Baby boomers, he wrote “have created a kind of bottleneck in the work world. The frustration this poses for the young and talented should be obvious.” … The seminary did not return calls for comment.” [eJP note: We hope there is an innocent explanation for this story; or that the New York Post 'just got it wrong'. Either way, we look for JTS to set the record straight. If the story is accurate, perhaps Cooper needs to lead by example. And also apologize to his fellow boomers.] [Translate] Bookmark:  Read More →

Raising The Bar

an editorial from The Jewish Week ‘Transparency” and “good governance” are two popular phrases these days in regards to policies of nonprofit organizations, particularly in the aftermath of the Madoff scandal. It is worth noting a recommendation high on the list of the Jewish Funders Network’s recently issued guidelines for nonprofit and religious organizations seeking support from members of the JFN. It says that even religious organizations, which are not required by law to file 990 tax information reports, should perform an independent audit or financial review by a certified public accountant “regularly in a timely manner appropriate to the organization’s size and operations.” The guidelines add that “current financial statements should be made available to the donor upon request.” Such... Continue Reading

The Jewish Agency: Bold Gamble or Huge Miscalculation?

Israel’s politics are not for the amateur. Nor, in many cases, those of the organized Jewish world. But neither prepares you for the contemporary global stage – even if your name is Natan Sharansky. Sharansky thought he could play with the big boys. He even thought the Jewish Agency could operate freely in the former Soviet Union. He rolled the dice and lost. Badly. The cancellation of the Jewish Agency’s upcoming Board meeting in St. Petersburg is actually a big deal. It is a loss of prestige both for the organization and for Sharansky personally. It calls into question the support of the various Russian billionaires he has been wooing and were expected to attend. This is mostly political – the global kind. It’s about philanthropist and Jewish Agency Board member Leonid... Continue Reading

Jerusalem Post Calls for NGO Transparency

from an editorial in today’s The Jerusalem Post: PR101 for Charities A few days ago, for the first time ever, the Ministry of Welfare and Social Services made public the amount of shekels it contributes to Israel’s third sector. While the announcement of the NIS 1.5 billion its spends on outsourcing projects to local non-profits was not newsworthy enough to make big headlines, the willingness of a government office to share information on the charity industry was a welcome change for a sector that is growing increasingly secretive about its inner workings. In an attempt to encourage local media to publish this data, ministry officials pointed out that non-profits are very quick to cry poverty and bemoan a drop in their fund-raising but often very slow to acknowledge those who do support... Continue Reading

The Need to Work Together

After the Earth Moved an editorial from The Forward For American Jews who give generously to charity, there is often an inner struggle: How much should they support other Jews, and how much should they give to causes in the wider world? The response to the tragedy befalling Haiti demonstrates the wisdom of turning that binary dilemma from an “either/or” question to a “both/and” affirmation. The two main Jewish organizations already in Haiti before it was devastated by the January 12 earthquake – and which no doubt will be there after the cameras and celebrities have left – illustrate both approaches. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee has for nearly a century responded to crises within the Jewish world. With few Jews, Haiti was not on its map; the JDC had trained its... Continue Reading

Is There a Downside to Giving On Impulse?

According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, “Contributions continue to pour in for relief efforts in Haiti. Eight days after the massive earthquake struck, donors have contributed more than $305-million to 32 U.S. nonprofit groups. The pace of giving for Haiti is running ahead of the amount donated in the same period after the Asian tsunamis in 2004, but slower than the outpouring of gifts after the flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.” The corporate world has also stepped up to the plate, donating cash as well as medicines and other basic products. Clearly their is much need in Haiti: for food, water, medicine and yes, even mattresses. But are we giving effectively and efficiently, or only on impulse? The New York Times is asking this morning if we are really thinking through our... Continue Reading

Next Page »