The Case for Change: A Challenge to the Jewish Agency

by Gil Troy Change is easy to endorse and hard to implement – if it’s easy, it means it’s not being done right. If it’s not systematic, it’s sloppy; if it’s cosmetic, it’s fleeting. Today, new directions must be forged, tough choices must be made, and new ways of doing business must be developed. Let’s be frank, most North American Jews that I know do not know what the Jewish Agency is or does. And a surprising number of Israelis I know say – with anger in their voices – that the Jewish Agency should become extinct like the dinosaur it is. Moreover, while most Jewish Agency employees I meet are extraordinary – idealistic, passionate – they work for a bureaucracy with a terrible reputation, with what seems to be a toxic corporate culture. When many people pass... Continue Reading

Hadassah or Esther? Hospital Governance Needs Transparency

by Mayer Brezis and Sara Singer Hadassah’s Board of Directors will not renew the contract of hospital CEO, professor Mor-Yosef. No one knows why. As owner, Hadassah Women’s Zionist Organization of America (HWZOA) can do what it sees as right, and confidentiality in sensitive discussions can be necessary. Meanwhile, however, a sense of unfairness and bewilderment raise mistrust among hospital staff. Hadassah is not a private company with trade secrets like Coca Cola: as a public hospital serving over a half-million patients every year, largely through taxpayer funds, it bears greater accountability for transparency. Transparent governance is especially important in healthcare organizations from which the public demands accountability for quality and safety. People expect openness from nurses... Continue Reading

Rothschild Foundation Funds Beit Ha’Nassi Repairs

Israel’s Cabinet is expected to approve today acceptance of a $500,000 grant from the Rothschild Foundation to carry our emergency repairs at Beit Ha’Nassi, the official residence of Israel’s President. This will cover approximately half the cost of needed structural repairs caused by years of neglect at the complex. The Ministry of Finance has issued the necessary sign-offs. Completed in 1971, with no infrastructure updates since, the complex suffers from – among other things – faulty wiring, serious mold issues, and a lack of adequate facilities for official receptions and press coverage. Last year, Peres was able to secure government approval for a $3 million grounds overhaul paid for by the Jewish National Fund prior to the visit of Pope Benedict XVI. Assuming approval,... 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

The New Jewish Agency Approach: Peoplehood for Survival

A new emphasis on ‘Peoplehood’ reflects both the economic reality and Russian roots of The Jewish Agency. by Gal Beckerman Natan Sharansky knows he’s disturbing the status quo. Days before the most recent meeting of the Board of Governors, the body that oversees the Jewish Agency for Israel, Sharansky, its relatively new chairman, declared that the agency’s traditional mission had outlived its usefulness. “It’s not enough to speak about aliyah,” Sharansky said, talking in front of a delegation of American Jewish leaders. “It’s almost prohibited for the head of the Jewish Agency to say so, but it can’t be our goal [just] to bring more Jewish people [to Israel].” With these words – and the recent appointment to key positions of people who share his views – Sharansky has... Continue Reading

Jerusalem and IFCJ Join Together to Fight Poverty

The City of Jerusalem and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews have renewed cooperation with a large scale project to fight poverty in the city. The IFCJ has announced they will donate 13.5 million NIS to the initiative. The projects include: “From Dependence to Independence”- A 6 million NIS grant teaching hundreds of needy families in Jerusalem how to gain economic independence. Families that will participate in the project will receive a wide range support which includes: professional training for the unemployed, tutorial aid for children in school, information on how to exercise their rights, workshops on strengthening the family unit, and workshops on participating and contributing to society. 2 million NIS of this donation will be dedicated specifically for the Ethiopian... Continue Reading

Pinat Shorashim Charts New Direction

Pinat Shorashim has ceased all activities at Kibbutz Gezer and is moving on – embracing new opportunities thousands of miles away. Here’s their farewell letter: “It was eighteen years ago that we began to collect the first stones and build the bridge later to be called the The Bridge of Peace in a place to be called Pinat Shorashim. Our purpose was to find creative ways to teach Jews from around the world the importance of Judaism and Israel in their lives regardless of where they legitimately chose to live. We are informal Jewish educators, yet have been dedicated to what we have always called “painless education”. Almost everything in this beautifully landscaped park and gardens has been built by the many participants in our programs. To them we are extremely grateful! Well... Continue Reading

Bema’aglei Tzedek Moves Forward With New Partnerships

Bema’aglei Tzedek is now training young women who have recently graduated from high school and are doing a year of national service (sherut leumi) to play essential roles in the organization, allowing them to branch out in exciting new directions. For four hours a week, 15-20 sherut leumi women lead Bema’aglei Tzedek’s wheelchair accessibility tours, distribute Braille menus to Tav Chevrati restaurants, and train employees of those restaurants to be more sensitive to the needs of customers with disabilities. This is possible thanks to a partnership with Bat-Ami, a major service provider in the national service world. They have also initiated a similarly exciting partnership with the photography department of Beit Minshar, an art school in Tel Aviv. This semester, the photography department... Continue Reading

The Famous Birthright Fingerprint

This morning, Taglit-Birthright Israel celebrated 10 years – and its fingerprint on Jewish history. Following the landing of a special plane at Ben Gurion airport, 400 Taglit-Birthright participants joined Diaspora Minister Yuli Edelstein, major donors Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, founding philanthropist Charles Bronfman and others. A Birthright Israel ‘Star of David’ fingerprint flag was inaugurated at the ceremony, entering the Guinness Book of Records for the world’s largest collective work of art. This special flag was designed with 28,267 fingerprints from Taglit participants. Taglit-Birthright Israel alumni from a host of countries joined the Program’s alumni who live in Israel for a tour in the “Decade Bus” – to reconstruct for them the special experiences... Continue Reading

No More Relying on ‘The Rich Uncle From America’

by Stacey Shaham and Itzik Platek Over the last several months, three new schools in Israel have sprouted that are of particular interest. All were established by businessmen and wealthy individuals. They are The Hamama, a school for children at risk in Or Yehuda; A School in Nature, for children with learning difficulties in Rehovot; and Hevruta, a private school for leadership development and excellence, located on the Ruppin Campus, in the Sharon region. In recent years. 140 foundations and nonprofit organizations have been established by affluent persons who wish to give back to society. “If there is something close to my heart I don’t say, ‘Here is a check with five figures.’ That’s not me. If there is something close to my heart I want it to happen and I want to be... Continue Reading

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