Lynn Schusterman: Unintimidated Philanthropist

by Eetta Prince-Gibson The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation (CLSFF), chaired by Lynn Schusterman from Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a primary supporter of Bat Kol, the Israeli organization for religious lesbians. CLSFF is one of the largest Jewish-centric philanthropic foundations and donates, according to most estimates, some $70 million annually to a wide range of primarily, but not solely, Jewish projects. Bat Kol is part of ROI, one of CLSFF’s flagship projects, which, according to its publications, “aims to support young leaders worldwide who are making Jewish life more exciting and accessible.” In and extensive and telephone interview with The Jerusalem Report, Schusterman, 70, discusses her support for ROI, her engagement with the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender)... Continue Reading

Developing the Israeli Third Sector: NP Tech Launches GuideStar Israel

In early August, NP Tech launched Guidestar Israel. It took almost five years to make GuideStar Israel a reality, and it is an incredible resource for Israeli nonprofit organization. The GuideStar project was established as an unique cooperative venture by the Ministry of Justice, JDC-Israel, and Yad Hanadiv with the objective of developing civil society in Israel. NP Tech (established by JDC-Israel and Yad Hanadiv) is the operating organization behind GuideStar Israel. It provides services and activities designed to help social organizations make information and communications technology (ICT) more accessible to social organizations to reach their goals. NP Tech wants to create a “socio-technological market” in which different providers offer their products for social activity advancement, internet... Continue Reading

NIF Considering New Funding Guidelines

New Israel Fund Considering Red Lines by Nathan Guttman The New Israel Fund, the target of attacks by right-wing organizations accusing it of supporting anti-Zionist groups, is discussing the possibility of specifying in its guidelines that grants will be given only to groups that accept the idea of Israel as a Jewish homeland. The discussions have been taking place in recent months in Israel and in the United States, where NIF’s headquarters are located and most of the group’s donors reside. Initially, the discussions were set as a regular review of funding practices as part of structural changes the fund has experienced this year, with the appointment of new executive directors in the United States and in Israel. But according to three sources who have either seen the new proposed guidelines or... Continue Reading

Rotem Strikes Again; NGO Funding Bill Advances

from The Jerusalem Post: Knesset Law Committee okays controversial NGO funding bill After an emotional two-hour debate, the Knesset Law Committee on Monday approved a bill for first reading in the plenum calling for greater transparency on donations by foreign states and foreign state-funded institutions to Israeli NGOs. The bill, which was initiated by a group of right-wing MKs headed by Ze’ev Elkin (Likud), was primarily aimed at human rights and political organizations such as Peace Now, which critics accuse of supporting the Palestinian cause and being anti-Israel. Committee members including Elkin, Uri Orbach (Habayit Hayehudi) and Avraham Michaeli (Shas) said the bill would increase transparency by compelling NGOs to report all funding received from foreign state entities once every three months.... Continue Reading

GuideStar Israel is Live!

Israel’s Ministry of Justice was host today to a press conference celebrating the launch of GuideStar Israel. This tri-lingual web portal contains profiles of each of the 30,000 registered non-profit organizations in Israel. GuideStar Israel features official information regarding all NPOs in Israel sourced from the Registrar of NPOs databases, coupled with additional information provided by the individual NPOs. This combination will create the most comprehensive and qualitative database of civil social organizations in Israel and provides Internet presence to all non-profit organizations operating in Israel – from the largest, most established ones to thousands of smaller organizations. The goal in building the database is to create public transparency regarding the conduct of local non-profit... Continue Reading

A University’s Vision Becoming Reality

by Glenn Rosenkrantz President Aaron Ben-Ze’ev Drives University to Even Greater Heights of Prominence and Achievement University of Haifa President Aaron Ben-Ze’ev walks through campus and sees Israel’s present and future. Religious Jews, secular Jews, new immigrants, soldiers, minorities, those from the center of the country, and those from the periphery all pursuing and creating knowledge in a pluralistic and tolerant environment. And all committed to the value of research, dialogue and higher education to their own futures and that of society. “We are a young, dynamic and diverse university, reflecting and expressing the structure of Israel,” he said this month in New York, one stop on an American tour to meet with supporters. As a major research university populated by a wide cross... Continue Reading

Israel Museum’s Renewed Campus Opens Today

Last night, at a ceremony attended by local and foreign dignitaries, donors and various cultural figures, the renewed campus of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem was dedicated. Reopening to the public this morning, the $100 million project features new galleries, orientation facilities and public spaces. The three-year expansion and renewal project was designed to enhance visitor experience of the Museum’s art, architecture, and surrounding landscape, in complement to the original architecture and design of the campus. Also included in the renewal was the renovation and reconfiguration of the Museum’s three collection wings – archaeology, the fine arts, and Jewish art and life – and the reinstallation of its encyclopedic collections. The Museum’s opening schedule will include a series... Continue Reading

The Establishment of a New Old Profession in Israel

by David Maeir-Epstein “You are doing something historic and very ambitious, no less than the establishment of the Profession of Resource Development in Israel,” so opined Prof. Eliezer Jaffe in his moving summary of the day long discussions on the creation of the Israel Association of Professional Fundraisers. Jaffe should know for he is one of those whose efforts beginning in the 1960′s led to the establishment of the Social Work profession in Israel as we know it today. Over the past 30 years there have been sporadic efforts to convene those involved in resource development for nonprofits in Israel, but now, for the first time, a formal organization has been registered, nearly 400 people have completed the initial survey and indicated willingness to join, and 55 traveled from all... Continue Reading

A Jewish Agency for Today’s Jewish People

On Tuesday afternoon, eJewish Philanthropy‘s Dan Brown sat with Alan Hoffmann, Director-General and Dr. Misha Galperin, head of External Affairs, Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), to discuss the updated direction the organization is moving towards. Here’s our conversation: A Jewish Agency for Today’s Jewish People from eJewish Philanthropy on Vimeo. [Translate] Bookmark:  Read More →

U.S. Tax Breaks Aid West Bank Settlements

According to a The New York Times examination of public records in both Israel and the U.S., American nonprofit organizations have collected more than $200 million in tax-exempt donations in the past decade to help Israeli settlers sustain neighborhoods in the West Bank. Money raised by more than 40 U.S. charities that support settlements has mostly paid for projects such as recreation centers, schools, synagogues and similar facilities, but some tax-deductible gifts have gone toward housing, security equipment and vehicles for outposts deep in the occupied territories. image: Ofra, a settlement in the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council [Translate] Bookmark:  Read More →

Next Page »