Welcome to Symposia and Much More, the newest addition to eJewish Philanthropy’s Resource section.

Miriam-Webster defines Symposia as a collection of opinions on a subject and this is certainly one way we plan to use this area. We also hope it will serve as a special stand-alone, easy to locate, resource for a limited number of topics we will delve into with greater depth than on a blog post. We’re still adding some tech-finishing touches, but our first entries are up:

Jewish Philanthropy in Israel

a series of blog posts by Gidi Grinstein of the Reut Institute focusing on non-Israeli Jewish philanthropy in Israel.

Tomorrow’s Spaces

an introduction to the featured entrepreneurial social projects from the Facing Tomorrow Presidential Conference.

Also in the works and coming this summer,

Jewish Peoplehood: a continuing selection of essays complete with pragmatic suggestions for creating understanding and discussion.

And our most ambitious, and so far no-name project: a look from three continents at the new and innovative entrepreneurs, the endeavors they are creating and a reference library of the various organizations and foundations involved in Social Entrepreneurship Programs and New Leadership Development.

As always, we welcome your suggestions and hope you find this section interesting and useful.

The Peoplehood Papers: a selection of essays on Jewish Peoplehood including pragmatic suggestions on how organizations can create new understandings and action plans around the issue.

Created as a platform for enriching the Jewish Peoplehood conversation, The Peoplehood Papers is a collaboration of United Jewish Communities, The International School for Jewish Peoplehood Studies at Beth Hatefutsoth and KolDor.

eJewish Philanthropy graciously thanks Kol Dor for providing this series to us and allowing us to share The Peoplehood Papers with our readers.

In response to great interest in the pilot issue of The Peoplehood Papers (published for the 2007 General Assembly), this resource has now become a regular publication aimed at providing a space for sharing ideas about Jewish Peoplehood, the Jewish future and related matters.

This edition features articles from a diverse group of Jewish leaders and thinkers and covers philosophical aspects of Jewish Peoplehood as well as practical implications for Jewish organizations, schools and communities.

Table of Contents

Ready, Steady, Go: Midrashic Applications of Jewish Peoplehood Education
Shelly Kedar

A Framework for Strategic Thinking about Jewish Peoplehood
Dr. Ezra Kopelowitz and Ari Engelberg

Spreading the Word on Jewish Peoplehood
Dr. Michael C. Kotzin

Breaking the Glass: Jewish Peoplehood and Beyond
Dr. Alisa Rubin Kurshan

Towards Jewish Peoplehood
Dr. David Mittelberg

Making Jewish Peoplehood Work: The Institutional Challenge
Dr. Shlomi Ravid

Israeli-Jewish Diaspora Relations
Prof. Gabriel Sheffer

Building Community and Peoplehood in a Time of Personalism
Dr. Jonathan Woocher

image source: The Jewish Agency

this section is under construction and will be available soon

Also related to the discussion on Jewish Peoplehood, the Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life devoted the most recent issue of Contact to the subject.

In the introduction to Jewish Peoplehood: What Does It Mean, editor Eli Valley writes:

“but what exactly is “Peoplehood”? Is it just another phrase carted out by Jewish communal professionals determined to keep Jews procreating with other Jews? Or does it have intrinsic meaning beyond catch-phrase pabulum? Where does Peoplehood end and tribalism begin? Is it possible to articulate Peoplehood in a manner that is inspiring yet not exclusionary?”

The complete issue of Contact is available here.

Facing Tomorrow, President Shimon Peres’ first annual conference took place in Jerusalem, May 13-15, 2008.

This international convocation examined the trends and developments that are mapping the future with the hope of serving as an incubator for proactive responses. The conference consisted of three interweaving dimensions: the global tomorrow, the Jewish tomorrow and the Israeli tomorrow.

Facing Tomorrow was envisioned as a laboratory for practical initiatives intended to nurture the practical initiatives of Israel, of the Jewish people and of humanity. “…and will afford it the intellectual fertility, curiosity, and enthusiasm any meaningful consideration of tomorrow requires” (Israeli President Shimon Peres).

One component was a featured exhibit, “Tomorrow’s Spaces”, an original exhibition of entrepreneurial projects, designed to provide a stage for leading scientific innovations strategically valuable to our future as a State, a people and member of a community of nations.

eJewish Philanthropy brings you an introduction to the exhibition along with a brief look at the eleven featured projects from the social sector of Israeli society.

The Exhibition Synopsis: Since the beginning of time, the world’s history has been intertwined with the achievements of Jewish philosophers, visionaries, scientists and inventors who transformed the lives of nations and people through their ingenuity.

These men and women have influenced every aspect of life: social thinking, culture, philosophy, religion, science, medicine, industry, technology. And yet, despite these varied realms of achievement, all these people shared a common link: they all sought a better, more just and more advanced future for all mankind.

This proud list of Jewish accomplishment has been reinforced with the establishment of the State of Israel.

Since that day, hundreds of internationally acclaimed inventions and innovations were made here and went on to make a decisive contribution in the fields of science, agriculture, medicine and technology. From the cherry tomato to ICQ’s instant messaging, from Netafim’s drip irrigation to Teva’s groundbreaking medication.

In its sixty years of existence, a small country, deprived of any substantial natural resources and under permanent existential threat has turned into a giant in innovation and research that contribute to a better future worldwide. There is no equivalent to this ratio between population size and the impact of ideas here conceived. There is no other nation of comparative size that has been such a font of creative contribution to the world.

This heritage has motivated the conference steering committee to seek out the new ideas, products and technologies that will help shape the face of tomorrow.

Those who wish to shape tomorrow face myriad challenges: developing alternative energy sources, conserving Nature’s resources, prolonging and improving human life and much more. One can find Israeli initiatives aiming to address nearly every one of these challenges.

A large team of experts came together to help us locate and carefully select the most mature ideas, those already in various stages of implementation and with proven concepts. Ideas that purport to provide a unique, pioneering solution to the problems and challenges they seek to address.

Of the hundreds of applications the panel of judges reviewed, sixty projects have been selected. It wasn’t an easy choice. The panel looked at many brilliant and novel ideas developed by tireless entrepreneurs seeking to resolve the world’s problems with that rare combination of effective and practical solutions.

The sixty projects on display are a representative group of these initiatives. They provide a glimpse of contemporary “Jewish genius” and Israeli resourcefulness in a wide variety of interests.

We believe that among these projects lie the potential seeds of the next breakthrough, the next revolution in Israel and the world. The desire for a better future and solutions for the problems of tomorrow in the Israeli-Jewish and global spheres is one all conference participants must share. This desire also permeates the tens of thousands of Israeli entrepreneurs, inventors, researchers, scientists and industrialists who stand at the forefront of Israeli innovation. They are the secret of Israel’s success and endurance and the reason it is so important to the entire world, as the cradle of a better future.

The Social Projects: (all information on the projects was provided by the project)

• Access Israel Association
• Circles of Justice
• Maala
• Massa, Israel Journey
• Quranet
• Taglit-Birthright Israel
• The Center for Educational Technology
• The Interfaith Encounter Association
• The International Institute for Jewish and Israeli Culture
• The Rashi Foundation
• Unistream

Access Israel Association: founded in 1999 in order to serve the large disabled population in Israel. Their aim is to assist with the promotion and integration of people with disabilities into Israeli society and enable them to achieve a life of dignity, respect and maximum independence.

The fulfillment of this vision through its unique projects enables people with disabilities to live in honor and equality allowing them to fulfill their personal potential.

In the 21st century, the State of Israel is still not accessible. Unlike in other Western Countries, in the State of Israel most public buildings, municipal offices, courts, clinics, museums, theaters, hotels, playgrounds, parks, commercial areas etc. are not accessible to people with disabilities. Therefore, they are closed to this public, their families and friends, preventing people with disabilities from enjoying and using such facilities and living an equal and normal life.

The goals of Access Israel include:

• Making as many public locations as possible accessible.
• Promoting equality between people with disabilities and society on the whole.
• Increasing awareness among the general public, planners and decision makers regarding accessibility.
• Promoting assistive technology and accessibility of information (via the Internet, cellular, television, software and appliances).
• Promoting employment of people with disabilities in the open market.
• Improving professional knowledge regarding accessibility among planners, architects and engineers.
• Improving service to people with disabilities in the government and business sectors.

Circles of Justice: Imagine for a moment a State of Israel in which parents can make enough money to support their families with dignity, rather than being denied their legally mandated wages; where public spaces are easily accessible to individuals with disabilities, rather than offering them a dead end.

Imagine a Jewish State worthy of its name.

Bema’aglei Tzedek (Circles of Justice) does more than just imagine a brighter future for Israeli society. It takes concrete action to achieve its’ vision of a just Israeli society in accordance with the value of Tzedek (social justice), as informed and inspired by Jewish tradition over the ages.

Bema’aglei Tzedek was established in 2004 by a group of young and dynamic social activists who strongly believed that Jewish tradition had much to contribute to the socioeconomic discourse in Israeli society.

Bema’aglei Tzedek operates various practical and educational projects nationwide, which enable the public to change harmful and illegitimate social norms through their everyday actions.

Our main project is the “social seal” - this certificate is awarded, free of charge, to businesses which commit to basic social criteria: their conditions of employment and the accessibility of their business to people with disabilities. Correspondingly, Bema’aglei Tzedek appeals to the public to patronize places that have this social seal.

For it’s continued efforts, Bema’aglei Tzedek won Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year award for 2007-8.

Maala: The Maala Ranking & Index: In its efforts to enhance corporate social responsibility in Israel, Maala, Business for Social Responsibility, has developed the Maala Ranking and the Maala Index.

The ranking was launched in 2003 and is based on criteria in five main areas of corporate social responsibility: Business Ethics, Workplace and Human Rights, Community Investment, Environment and Corporate Governance.

A committee of experts and public figures, together with McKinsey & Co, prepares and updates the Ranking’s criteria. The ranking process itself is conducted by Maalot Standard and Poor’s and audited by Ernst & Young. Data for the Index is collected through corporate questionnaires, financial statements and information reviewed by an environmental analyst.

The Maala Index, Corporate Social Responsibility in Israel, was launched on the TASE in 2005. The Index is comprised of the 20 leading companies found in the Maala Ranking of corporate social responsibility, which comply with the requirements of the TA 100 Index. Companies in the Index represent a wide range of sectors, including services and trade, industry, construction and infrastructure.

Since its inception, the Maala Index has traded in a close correlation to the TA 100 Index, making it an attractive tool for investors. The Index presents a unique opportunity for investors, philanthropists and philanthropic fund managers to make a real difference and influence Israel while providing a responsible return on investment.

Massa, Israel Journey: MASA Israel Journey is a flagship initiative of the Government of Israel, the Jewish Agency for Israel and its partners worldwide.

Serving as an umbrella for over 150 different Israel experience programs, MASA brings to Israel thousands of young Jewish adults, ages 18 to 30, from communities around the world for a semester to a year in order to study, volunteer, and gain critical professional and life skills.

MASA calls upon us to envision a radically different Jewish future for the next generation: a future in which ever-increasing numbers of young Jews will experience a transformative, long-term, Israel program. Research demonstrates that a long-term Israel experience is a proven gateway into Jewish life for many of today’s unaffiliated Jews and, for others, a vehicle for deepening their Jewish connection.

By bringing thousands of young Jews to Israel, MASA will reach a tipping point with the potential of transforming the attitude of a generation of Jews toward Israel and their Judaism.

MASA aims to deepen engagement with Israel by bringing young Jews to Israel to build enduring, life-long friendships, memories, and connections; and then to send them home as more active and committed Jews.

MASA includes a wide variety of programs suited for different stages in a young person’s life, including: post-high school (GAP year) programs, study abroad academic programs, community service and volunteer programs, and post-university professional internship and career development programs.

Since its inception four years ago, over 25,000 young Jews have attended MASA-affiliated programs in Israel.

Quranet: Quranet transforms the Quran into a unique and useful educational tool for parents and teachers, and thereby renders the beneficial power of the Quran widely accessible. Quranet interweaves the Quran, in unprecedented fashion, with modern educational approaches, thereby helping the Islamic world and the West to better understand each other.

Quranet reveals the beauty of the Quran and its respect for human dignity, thereby providing a resounding response to warped exploitation of the Quran for the justification of terror. Since many issues are common to Islamic and Western culture, we aspire to develop Quranet into a social network in various languages,
and create communities with shared interests, thus establishing a bidirectional bridge between the two cultures.

How Does Quranet Operate?

The user selects a particular issue from the table of contents, and receives the relevant Quran verse. He or she can then study a brief description of an everyday event, illustrating how the verse can be utilized to convey a message to the child. The session concludes with a brief educational-psychological explanation of the process.

The material has been developed in Hebrew by a group of Bedouin students of education and their lecturer, Dr. Ofer Grosbard. With an introduction by three distinguished sheikhs, it was recently published in book form by Ben-Gurion University Publishing House.

The conflict is in the mind; Quranet is the solution!

Taglit-Birthright Israel: Widely known as the most successful educational program in the Jewish world, Taglit-Birthright Israel was launched in winter 2000 to ensure Jewish continuity by strengthening Jewish identity among unaffiliated young Jewish adults.

Taglit-Birthright Israel provides young Jews (ages 18-26) with a first time, 10-day educational trip to Israel which strengthens their Jewish identity and their attachment to the Jewish community and to the State of Israel.

Taglit-Birthright Israel has become a flagship of innovation, while bringing unprecedented numbers of Jewish young adults to Israel - 40,000 a year and growing in contrast with 1,500 on all programs prior to the project’s inception.

This dramatic increase has created a critical mass of enthusiastic returnees who are reshaping Jewish life on campus and in their communities.

In Israel, the project has contributed more than a billion shekels to the economy. More importantly, tens of thousands of young Israeli adults, mainly from the IDF, who have participated in structured encounters (‘Mifgashim’ in Hebrew) with their peers from abroad, feel greater pride in being Jewish and Israeli.

Initiated by philanthropists Charles Bronfman and Michael Steinhardt, Taglit-Birthright Israel is a partnership between a select group of international Jewish philanthropists, the Government of Israel and local Jewish communities (through UJC/Federations, KH and JAFI).

An unprecedented generous contribution made by Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson has made the educational trip available to tens of thousands of wait-listed participants.

The Center for Educational Technology: The Center for Educational Technology (CET) has developed “Nahshon”, a virtual mentoring initiative, aimed at opening the gates of higher education for students from Israel’s social and geographic periphery.

For the past four decades CET, an NGO dedicated to the promotion of education in Israel, has established its expertise and reputation by developing state-of-the-art digital content and websites, using top-of the-line technologies.

Nahshon, the virtual mentoring initiative, employs students from top universities and soldiers from elite units to tutor students from the periphery, using innovative long-distance learning technologies. The tutors guide the students to attain the highest possible scores in the national matriculation exams (in math, physics and English). CET’s cutting-edge initiative advances these young students on a personal level and helps strengthen Israeli society by:

• Creating equal opportunities for all Israeli children while bridging social gaps.
• Motivating and inspiring students to enter distinguished academic institutions.
• Equiping students from the periphery with skills that will enable them to play an essential role in Israel’s social and economic life in the global age.

Nahshon is an Israeli initiative developed by CET, the developer of teaching and learning materials, and in cooperation with Sulam - Shared Learning Management System, which was developed at “Har ve-Guy” school, using Microsoft software as the technological foundation; and key people from Microsoft Corporation, who support the initiative professionally, as well as assist in its development and promotion.

The Interfaith Encounter Association: The Interfaith Encounter Association (IEA) aims to develop the human infrastructure for peace by building inter-communal relations characterized by sustainable coexistence. A registered NGO, IEA is recognized by UNESCO as “an organization that contributes to the culture of peace”, and has received awards from the Immortal Chaplains Foundation, the Tanenbaum Center, the Institute for Interreligious Studies and the World Movement for Global Democracy.

IEA’s main tool is apolitical, open and personal dialogue through the study of religious texts, for religious and secular people alike. This ensures meaningful encounters, accentuating shared values while accepting differences, and successfully reaches out to all parts of society, including groups such as Islamists and right-wing Jews who are not commonly accessible. Significant change is effected through the initiatives of ordinary citizens, as participants themselves are empowered to create encounter groups that involve neighboring communities.

Each group develops into a model of friendly and respectful relations, which proves that “what exists is possible” and which transforms inter-communal relations in its immediate surroundings. Hundreds more such groups would be a powerful force for building a future of peaceful coexistence in the Holy Land.

IEA is well on its way to becoming a broad-based popular movement, having sponsored 550 programs with 5,000 participants (most of whom met ‘the other’ for the first time), 27 encounter groups from the Galilee to Eilat (including 2 Israeli-Palestinian, one with settlers and Palestinians), 21 Israeli-Palestinian retreats with five Palestinian partners and 5 Middle-East conferences with additional partners from Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon and more.

The International Institute for Jewish and Israeli Culture: Jewish people worldwide constantly explore the concept of their identity by observing Jewish tradition, studying Jewish history and generating new Jewish culture.

The Virtual Museum of Jewish Theatre and Performing Arts will provide the largest online database of theatre works, representing major trends in Jewish performing arts over the past 600 years. Working in collaboration with leading artists, researchers and academic institutions, it will:

• Establish a common multimedia platform for intercultural dialogue and artistic collaboration.
• Bring the rich heritage of Jewish theatre to a wider Jewish and non-Jewish audience.
• Promote education about cultural preservation and artistic creation.

Using the most advanced tools of information technology to develop a user-friendly online platform, the Virtual Museum will be the foremost research site for Jewish performing arts, containing plays, musical scores, photographs, recordings, academic studies, articles and reviews. Accompanied by a timeline showing the development of Jewish theatre alongside world theatre and history, visitors will surf across geography and time.

As the second phase of All About Jewish Theatre, the only network dedicated to Jewish theatre and performing arts, the Virtual Museum will put all the information on Jewish theatre at your fingertips on one
single website.

The Rashi Foundation: Each September, thousands of promising 1st-graders start school in Israel. Fast-forward 12 years. One-in-five kids drops out of school. Another fifth barely attends class. Only half of all 17 year olds
graduate school with a matriculation certificate. Moreover, there is tight correlation between origin, place of residence and socio-economic background and scholastic success.

This waste of potential of our younger generation has alarming implications: a fractured society, acute disparity between periphery and center, deterioration of young adults into illegitimate activities and the loss of human capital.

The Tafnit Program was launched in 2001 by the Rashi Foundation and the Education Ministry to turn this situation around. Tafnit has developed a revolutionary method of reducing learning gaps and leading failing students to matriculation success. Believing that “every child is able”, the school must be committed to students’ success and teachers are the agents of change. Tafnit introduces unconventional accelerated-learning techniques including: breaking the learning routine, ambitious objectives, measurable benchmarks, a motivational process and external monitoring of results. Students experience a chain of success along the path to full matriculation, while a newly motivated cadre of teachers is created.

Since Tafnit’s inception, 5,000 failing students have completed matriculation and 60,000 elementary students attained the national standard in core subjects. Tafnit has recently won a prestigious U.S. State Department award for educational initiatives. Our vision is to implement Tafnit in schools in the periphery in order to ensure equal opportunity, reduce socio-economic gaps and thereby maximize Israel’s
human capital.

Unistream: As Israel celebrates sixty years of independence, many in its peripheral communities still struggle to escape the cycle of hardship and despair. Until this reality is reversed, Israel will continue to be afflicted by severe income inequality.

Empowering youth in disadvantaged regions as future business leaders committed to their community can transform Israel’s future. That’s what Unistream is all about.

Educating Tomorrow’s Leaders Today, Unistream’s flagship program, is a three-year educational endeavor that utilizes the venue of business development to empower heterogeneous groups of outstanding Israeli youth, countrywide.

The program’s three pillars are: leadership development, acquiring business skills and community involvement. The essence of this process is put into practice as participants develop and operate their own business and social ventures.

Rony Zarom grew up in a financially challenged community; today he’s a leading hi-tech entrepreneur. In 2001, Mr. Zarom translated his vision to impact Israeli society into action he established Unistream. Funded by Mr. Zarom, municipalities, foundations, federations, businesses and friends, Unistream programs are run by professional staff and volunteer Unistream Friends Forum members.

Partnership is the magic word at Unistream. Partners include: 350 businesses whose founders, CEOs and VPs are members of the Unistream Friends Forum, 80 donors, 450 Unistream participants, alumni, staff and board members. Unistream’s excellence has won international acknowledgement by Schwab Foundation, Globes newspaper and the British Embassy in Israel. Unistream (NGO) has tax-exempt status in the U.S.A. and Israel.

Together we can make dreams of success come true in Israel’s periphery.

eJewish Philanthropy is pleased to welcome Gidi Grinstein, the Founder and President, of the Reut Institute, who has graciously provided us with the English translation of his series of blog posts on philanthropy in Israel.

Gidi is considered one of the leading policy analysts in Israel and commands a variety of expertise on national security, negotiations, governance and socioeconomics. He has an extensive background in policy-planning and is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government (2002) and Tel-Aviv University Schools of Law (1999) and Economics (1991).

Jewish philanthropy in Israel is at a crossroads. Powerful trends are marginalizing its impact on Israeli society. More than a billion dollars of philanthropic giving from Jews worldwide, spurred by endless goodwill, passion and care, are not impacting Israel or contributing to global Jewish peoplehood to the extent they should. The current system is in dire need of an overhaul.

Please join Gidi for the discussion.

Diaspora and Jewish Philanthropy in Israel: Overhaul or Be Marginalized

www.blogidi.com

March, 2008

Synopsis:

Jewish Philanthropy in Israel: Overhaul or be Marginalized

An introductory piece originally published in the JTA that summarizes the key points of the series.

Introduction:

• Post 1: An Introduction by a Grantee – This is the short version of what has brought me to write this series and an introduction to the logic of its structure.
• Post 2: Why Should we Care? – This post answers the question: why is this issue important to Israelis and to Jews.

The Challenges:

• Post 3: Decline of Jerusalem and the Rise of Others – This post explains the fundamental transformations of Israeli society that impact Jewish philanthropy in Israel.
• Post 4: Diminishing Marginal Impact – This post describes the growth of the Israeli economy and the marginalizing impact that it has on Jewish philanthropy.
• Post 5: Where is the Israeli Center? – This post focuses on the growing disconnect between the Israeli socioeconomic center and Jewish philanthropy.
• Post 6: The Rise of Israeli philanthropy – This post discusses the impact of the growth of Israeli philanthropy in Israel and its impact on Jewish philanthropy here.

The Response:

• Post 7: It has to be Qualitative – This post makes a simple point that the response to the challenge of marginalization has to be qualitative i.e. aiming to leverage greater impact with the same dollars.
• Post 8: On Vision: The TOP 15 Agenda as a Possible Framework – This post offers the TOP 15 Vision as an example of a possible overarching framework for philanthropic activity in Israel.
• Post 9: On Organization: Heavy Hitters Come Together – This post discusses the need for the heavy hitters of Jewish philanthropy to unite in the name of their mutual interests.
• Post 10: On Organization: Standardize your Expectations – This post calls upon the heavy hitters to standardize grant requests and reporting to make them more accessible to Israeli talent and innovation as well as to save resources.
• Post 11: On Organization: The Challenge of Small Nonprofits – This post describes the inefficiencies generated by small nonprofits and calls to create the incentives for them to grow, merge, synergize or shut down.
• Post 12: On Focus: Institution Building and Better Management – This post calls for a shift from focusing on performance and results to capacity and institution building.
• Post 13: On Focus: Develop a Philanthropic Ethos – This post challenges philanthropists to develop guidelines for their activity that would help them focus.
• Post 14: On Priorities: Government and Market Failures – This post challenges philanthropists to focus their resources on the conditions where they can make the biggest impact i.e. where neither the government nor the market can address the crisis.

Philanthropic Leadership:

• Post 15: On Philanthropic Leadership – Not every act of philanthropy amounts to leadership. Sometimes, it is the opposite. This post discusses the concept of philanthropic leadership.

The Synopsis

Jewish philanthropy in Israel is at a crossroads. Powerful trends are marginalizing its impact on Israeli society. More than a billion dollars of philanthropic giving from Jews worldwide, spurred by endless goodwill, passion and care, are not impacting Israel or contributing to global Jewish peoplehood to the extent they should. The current system is in dire need of an overhaul.

I write this piece as an Israeli whose national identity is founded upon and deeply informed by his Jewishness. I am also a person who has realized a dream and established the Reut Institute, a policy group that provides strategic decision-support to the government of Israel because of the generosity of time, spirit and money by rabbis, lay leaders and philanthropists from the United States, France and England.

Why do I care? As an Israeli and for a variety of obvious reasons, I wish to ensure that these dollars are put to the best possible use. As a Jew, I view philanthropy as a critical tool for connecting the Jewish Diaspora with Israel and a key ingredient in the blood that flows through the veins of global Jewish peoplehood. As a grantee, I feel a debt of gratitude and a sense of responsibility to share my ideas openly with my partners.

Four major trends are marginalizing Jewish philanthropy in Israel.

• Chronic inefficiencies, budget cuts and privatization have led to a decline in the Israeli government’s will and ability to address the needs of Israel’s population. Therefore, the menu of options for philanthropic giving has expanded while its resources have been stretched beyond capacity.
• The rapid growth of the Israeli economy - by an estimated $7 billion in 2007 alone - is diminishing the overall impact of Jewish philanthropy.
• The socioeconomic center of Israeli society is increasingly disconnected from Jewish philanthropy in Israel. Philanthropists are engaged with the poor and the needy or with a very small, intensely intellectual and political English-speaking elite.
• Finally, there is the belated and much-awaited rise of Israeli philanthropists, who are stepping in to address societal challenges and local needs.

As much as they are challenges, these trends also present opportunities. The menu of options for philanthropic interventions has expanded. Furthermore, Jewish philanthropy is in an excellent position to impact and lead the four rising sectors of Israeli society: the business class, philanthropists, local government and nonprofits.

The approach has to be qualitative. Raising enough money to keep up with the growing needs is not feasible. Being more efficient is very important but only amounts to an insufficient “technical fix.” The real challenge is to leverage much greater impact on Israeli society with the same dollars.

There are three parts to the needed qualitative approach: vision, organization, and focus and priorities. Each element requires a fundamental change of deeply embedded values and patterns of conduct.

First, on vision: Jewish philanthropists need to embrace a positive vision that can provide an overarching framework for their actions. The TOP 15 Vision, which aims to place Israel among the 15 most developed nations in terms of quality of life within 15 years, is one example of such a context. This is the vision that guides the work of the Reut Institute. It requires catapulting the quality of life in Israel toward the kind of sustained, out-of-the-ordinary growth seen in Ireland, Finland or China.

The link between philanthropy and the TOP 15 Vision is relatively straightforward. Leapfrogging Israel’s quality of life requires excellence in the private and public spheres, and massive investment in infrastructure, education and human capital, as well as the ability to thrive in a globalized world.

Crucial in this context is raising productivity and income in the low-tech sector, which employs 85 percent of the labor force and is significantly less efficient compared to developed countries. Much of this sector consists of governmental and non-governmental nonprofits that are often grantees of Jewish philanthropy.

Hence, Jewish philanthropy can play a central role in promoting the TOP 15 Vision through its material resources, as well as the vast experience and knowledge of its members.

Calling upon philanthropists to adapt the TOP 15 Vision as an overarching context does not necessarily mean that all philanthropic projects should focus exclusively on promoting socioeconomic growth. However, it does mean that every dollar spent can and should be leveraged toward greater excellence and productivity.

Second, on organization: The “heavy hitters” of Jewish philanthropy in Israel — the organized Jewish community, foundations, individuals and their professional staffs — should come together. Their agenda may include, for example, lobbying the Israeli government for tax reforms, policy, partnerships or recognition of their joint efforts; engaging the Israeli middle class that is not a recipient of their generosity; standardizing expectations from grantees to make philanthropy more efficient and accessible; or sharing information and discussing priorities, activities and specific organizations.

Third, on focus and priorities: The next wave of Jewish philanthropy in Israel must develop a new ethos and focus on institution and capacity building, as well as on government and market failures.

Institution and capacity building will ensure lasting impact on Israeli society. Philanthropists need to insist that their grantees uphold the requirements for good business: clear vision, mission, strategy, core values and unique value proposition; solid and quantifiable performance goals; strong boards; accountability and stable and transparent financial oversight.

In addition, they need to create incentives for small nonprofits to grow, merge, synergize or shut down and help them transition from their founders to solid professional management.

This relatively simple idea actually requires a deep transformation. The current focus on quick, measurable results often creates incentives to sacrifice long-term sustainability and organizational development for short-term performance, programs and projects.

Israeli grantees are rarely expected to rise to the standards of their grantors. This is no longer acceptable and change should be demanded. Improving management in the nonprofit sector will not only enhance the effectiveness of every dollar but is also essential for fulfilling the TOP 15 Vision.

Furthermore, excellence in Israel historically has been primarily driven by academia, the high-tech sector and by elite parts of the defense establishment. Jewish philanthropists can transform the nonprofit sector into an additional engine of growth.

The need to focus on government and market failures is even more challenging. It requires identifying and focusing on the conditions where neither the Israeli economy nor the government of Israel can offer a resolution to a crisis. The logic is simple: This is where Jewish philanthropy can thrive and have the most powerful impact.

What falls within this category? Examples include addressing unacceptable realities such as individual cases of hunger or lack of medical treatment; supporting societal, organizational or academic experimentation and innovation; encouraging a deeper sense of global Jewish peoplehood among Israelis; or providing safety nets during difficult transitions.

While these are examples of needs that can only be addressed by philanthropy, at present we may not be able to say the same of replacing government in areas where it has a specific civic responsibility, such as building classrooms or immigration absorption.

Finally, Jewish philanthropists who work in Israel need to establish ethical, political and personal priorities based on the premise: “Give a person a fish and he’ll eat for a day; teach him how to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.”

For example, will you fill a government void or bring about change in government conduct? Will you deal with today’s problems or generate tomorrow’s solutions? Will you focus on a specific region such as the Negev or the Galilee, or on topics such as education or health? Will you address the needs of the general population or invest in agents of change?

Too often we automatically equate philanthropy with leadership. The connection is not self-evident.

According to Ron Heifetz of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, only activities that challenge values, priorities and habits to adapt to changing realities amount to leadership. This distinction is important because if Jewish philanthropy is to continue to play a central role in Israel, it will have to lead.

Philanthropic activity that catalyzes such change amounts to leadership. At the same time, a donation that serves to preserve an already existing yet irrelevant structure, organization or pattern may be the opposite of leadership. Therefore, sometimes declining a request — even if by the Israeli government or by other major Jewish institutions — constitutes a greater act of leadership than writing a check.

My conclusion is that the marginalization of Jewish philanthropy in Israel is not inevitable. If transformed, it can continue to play a central role in Israeli society and become an engine of Israeli prosperity and excellence. The overhaul is important for the grantees and grantors, for Israel and for world Jewry.

Post 1: Flight on the Wings of Jewish Philanthropy

This series of blog posts deals with non-Israeli Jewish philanthropy in Israel with the objective of making a contribution to its effectiveness and relevance.

When I started working on this project, my wife, friends and colleagues asked me why I care enough to spend so many hours on a topic that is out of the focus of my professional work. My answer was that I feel a debt to the community that has made my dream possible and that, en route, this may turn out to be a contribution, however small, to Israel’s prosperity, to Israel-Diaspora relations and to world Jewry.

This series too, like other parts of my blog, is written from the perspective of a Jew, a Zionist and an Israeli, in that order (for elaboration, see the first post, A Link in the Chain). My national identity as an Israeli is founded upon and deeply informed and influenced by my Jewishness. In the context of Israel-Diaspora relations, it means that I would like to see the Jewish community in Israel making a more significant contribution to Jewish life in the Diaspora and Diaspora Jews playing a greater role in shaping Israel’s future and identity. Philanthropy is a very important platform for both. I will write more about that in the second post of this series titled “Why Should We Care?”

But there is a personal angle too. I am a person who has been able to realize a vision and a dream – the Reut Institute – because Jews from around the world that I had never previously met believed in me and supported the cause that drove me. My journey has brought me countless encounters with exceptional generosity of spirit, trust, time and money by lay leaders, rabbis, communities and organizations, as well as by individuals who simply care about the Jewish world and Israel.

My journey of Reut has been a formative one. When I conceived of the idea in late 2002 I had no financial resources. So, in early 2003, I flew to New York and started meeting the few people that I knew at the time asking for their support. Almost five years later, by the end of 2007, and after an estimated 2,000 meetings and pitches, Reut will have raised a total of almost four million dollars. We are supported by nearly 150 individual donors and family foundations primarily from Los Angeles, New York, the Bay Area and Orange County. We have had other donors and supporters from places like Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Miami and Washington DC, as well as from France and London. I don’t know if this qualifies me as a good fundraiser, but it has certainly been an experience that deeply enriched my life.

I have known from history that philanthropy has been essential for the success of Zionism. In fact, the Zionist project, sort-to-speak, has been financed by families, individuals and foundations from outside of Eretz Yisrael and the State of Israel. There is no other historical equivalent that I am aware of. This should be of no surprise. Philanthropy has been an essential part of Jewish life and giving to the Jewish community in Eretz Yisrael seems to have always been central in the life of Diaspora communities.

However, as my acquaintance with this special world of generosity grew, so did my awareness of the gaps between perception and reality. For example, while on the Diaspora side there is endless care, passion and commitment compounded by often bewildering philanthropic generosity, on the Israeli side there is often ignorance and lack of appreciation and respect. While a billion dollars is a very significant sum, its overall impact on Israeli economy and society is not recognized. While Diaspora Jewry is investing heavily in extending a welcoming hand, many Israelis will not join your synagogues or community centers even when we live overseas.

But things can be different. I believe that there is large untapped potential for leveraging your generosity towards strengthening Israel-Diaspora relations, towards greater prosperity and strength of Israel and towards enriching Jewish life around the world. But this would require fundamental change and adaptation.

This series comprises of the following:

First, the challenges: Post numbers 3-6 will deal with four consistent and powerful trends that are marginalizing the role of Jewish Philanthropy in Israel. They are: the ‘decline of Jerusalem’, the disconnect between Jewish philanthropists and the Israeli center, the rise of Israeli philanthropy and the diminishing marginal impact due to the growth of the Israeli economy.

Second, the response: The following eight posts (posts 7-14) discuss the outline of the overhaul that may be in dire need. It begins by calling for a qualitative response that would focus on leveraging greater impact of existing dollars. I then offer the TOP 15 Vision as an example for an overarching context to inform philanthropic giving in Israel.

Posts 9, 10 and 11 discuss the need for the heavy hitters to come together to promote the agenda of Jewish philanthropy in Israel, to standardize expectations and to address the inefficiencies of small nonprofits.

Finally, in post number 12, I call for a greater focus on institution building and management, for developing a philanthropic ethos and for focusing on government and market failures where philanthropy can make it biggest impact.

Third, philanthropic leadership: This final post (number 15) deals with the concept of philanthropic leadership. The immediate association of ‘philanthropy’ with ‘leadership’ is often taken for granted but should be checked. Not every philanthropic act amounts to leadership and not every leadership act of a philanthropist involves giving money.

Before I conclude I would like to make a few caveats: First, I am not an expert on philanthropy, yet I have my own experience to draw from, as well as many encounters with Israeli benefactors, benefactor-wannabes, donors or would-be donors. Second, I will try to avoid sharing broader historical, political or cultural thoughts that are inescapable when one asks: What in our culture makes it possible for someone like me to arrive from a distant Eretz Yisrael and to be received with such open arms? Common answers such as ‘a compelling vision’, ‘people give to people’ or ‘a good pitch’ are hardly adequate. Third, in spite of these posts addressing the largest institutional and individual givers, they are relevant to many smaller philanthropists. Finally, although these posts are based on my experience with philanthropy in Israel primarily by American Jews, I believe that some of its parts may be relevant to any philanthropic operation anywhere by anyone, to Jewish philanthropic giving not only in Israel or to any giving in Israel not only by American Jews.

The overall picture and the bottom line of this series it that Jewish philanthropy in Israel is facing new challenges and opportunities. Avoiding the former and seizing the latter requires a shift of values, perceptions, priorities, patterns and habits. This series is designed to modestly contribute to this process. I look forward to the feedback.

Post 2: Why Should we Care?

As I mentioned in the first post of this series, my perspective in writing this series is that of a Jew and an Israeli, in that order (for a more elaborate discussion, please see the first post of my blog A Link in the Chain). I am also a grantee that has realized a dream and a vision due to the generosity of time, spirit, trust and money by lay leaders, Jewish professional, rabbis, communities and organizations from across the Jewish world.

Why should we - Israelis - care? My answer is that we should care as both as Israelis and as Jews for a number of reasons (with no particular order of importance).

First, as Israelis we should have the most practical urge to see a billion dollars per annum of philanthropic giving being put to the best possible use in the service of prosperity and security of our country. A billion dollars of do-good money is a lot even in our present economic state.

Second, there is a lot that we can learn from world Jewry in the areas of management both in the nonprofit and business worlds. In many of these areas, Jews have risen to global leadership while their Israeli siblings still struggle with mediocrity. I believe that many businesses, nonprofits and individuals have much to learn from this relationship.

Third, such relations are important in the context of Israel’s ’soft power’ and international standing. The existence of Israel as a state where Jews exercise their right of self-determination is increasingly questioned and challenged. Closer ties between Israel and Diaspora Jewry will prove critical to sustaining an effective response to this trend.

Fourth, as Israeli Jews, the interaction with world Jewry is very important for the evolution of our own Jewish identity in the State of Israel.

Finally, closer ties between Israel and world Jewry are important to counter the trend of a widening gulf between Israel and Diaspora Jewry. Philanthropy is one of the most powerful vehicles of Jewish peoplehood. If overhauled, it can offer a powerful platform for a wealth of connections that would strengthen Israel-Diaspora relations and enrich both world and Israel Jewry.

To conclude: I believe that any Israeli that sees him or herself as a part of global Jewish peoplehood has a direct interest in a robust answer to the question why should we care. As Jewish-Israelis, our national identity can only be explained by our Jewish heritage and belonging. We have a direct collective interest that our relationship with our Diaspora is mutually enriching and that the platforms for this relationship are well established. Philanthropic giving is one of these platforms. Its robustness is our collective interest.

Post 3: The Decline of Jerusalem and the Rise of Others

A powerful and consistent trend that is affecting the role of Jewish philanthropy in Israel is the decline in the will and ability of the Government of Israel to address the needs of its constituency. I call this trend: the decline of Jerusalem. For world Jewry and philanthropy in Israel, this trend represents both a threat and an opportunity: while it expands the menu of options for philanthropic interventions it is also overstretching its resources.

In every country people are frustrated with the way their government spends their tax dollars. I am yet to meet the person that does not criticize his or her government for inefficient spending or ineffective execution.

Yet, the right of Israelis to be upset with their government can be established based on international benchmarks. The public sector in Israel puts the brakes on our growth and prosperity more than any other government in any developed nation.

According to the 2006 Global Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum Israel is ranked 15th in the world in its overall level of competitiveness. However, in-depth analysis will show that our business sector is ranked 8th in the world in terms of its sophistication, availability of human capital or technology. Furthermore, in key areas such as research and development Israel is a world leader. At the same time, the performance of our public sector and government is ranked 29th. No other developed country suffers from a similar gap between the high performance of its business sector and the underperformance of its governance. (For a detailed analysis by the Reut Institute please see “Public Sector Puts Brakes on Top 15 Agenda;” for a post on this gap please see “Israel’s Primary Economic Problem is its Governance”).

Hence, the argument that Israel needs to make its government more efficient and effective or shrink it is well founded. The former is very difficult to achieve due to structural constraints and the power of labor unions. Hence, the shrinking of government has become inevitable through cuts in social budgets and privatization. In spite of the fact that it may be tragic for the weaker parts of society, it will probably continue (unless a fundamental change in the relationship between the government, the employers and the labor unions occurs. For a post on the example of Denmark, please see “Israel 15 Vision: Flexicurity – The Example of Denmark”).

The structure of our political system and our electoral laws are the underlying reason for this grave weakness of the government. Short and unstable tenures and fragmented legislature and executive generate powerful incentives for short term, sectarian and populist conduct. Israel needs the exact opposite: long-term and substantive political leadership that focuses on broad and collective interests. (For a detailed discussion on the crisis of Israeli government see my post: “It’s the Structure; Not the Content”).

This is the backdrop for the decline of Jerusalem.

However, as Jerusalem declines other sectors of Israeli society fill the gap. They are the business sector, mayors, professional civil servants, philanthropists and non-profit organizations. With stable tenures and a much higher capacity to take decisions and implement them, these sectors increasingly assume positions of leadership and authority in areas that used to be dominated by political elite from the seat of government in Jerusalem.

The 2006 Second Lebanon War offered a dramatic, even scary manifestation of this trend. ‘Jerusalem’ has proven utterly ineffective in dealing with the magnitude of the crisis. It was other sectors that responded much more effectively.

Other symptoms for the decline of Jerusalem are scattered across the entire society and are covered by the press on a daily basis. In fact, Israel is muddling through in almost any area that is dependent on efficient and effective decision-making and execution by ‘Jerusalem’. Education, law enforcement, environment and labor force participation are just a few examples.

By the way, recently, even the Bureau of the Prime Minister has acknowledged this powerful trend and has been leading a reform that will consolidate and regulate the growing role of these sectors.

I argue that this trend represents a great opportunity for world Jewry to recapture a central role in Israeli society through its philanthropic activity. The opportunity here is two-fold:

First, Jewish philanthropy has a much wider menu of options for its intervention where it can make important contributions to Israeli society.

Second, world Jewry is in a position to impact three of the emerging sectors: it can influence Israeli philanthropists and the business sector through leadership by example; and it can leverage its present and future giving to nonprofits and municipal institutions towards better and more effective and efficient performance.

I believe that rising to this challenge embodies one of the biggest opportunities of Jewish philanthropy in Israel and is a key to restoring its central role in Israeli society.

Post 4: The Challenge of Diminishing Marginal Impact

The diminishing marginal impact of Jewish philanthropy in Israel stems from the constant growth of the Israeli economy compared with the stagnation of Jewish philanthropic giving in Israel.

The Zionist movement survived and thrived on the philanthropic generosity of world Jewry. However, as Israel grows in economic and political power, the relative importance of philanthropic giving by Diaspora Jewry is diminishing. In depth comprehension of these trends is critical to create the sense of urgency that is essential of the necessary overhaul.

Initially, Zionism was fully dependent on Diaspora philanthropy. Adding cents to a dime, millions of Jews contributed to the Jewish National Fund (Keren Kayemet Le’Yisrael), to the United Jewish Appeal, to Keren Ha’Yesod and to other charitable organizations. The list of Jewish philanthropists - individuals and families - that have made a significant, sometimes even transformative, contribution to Zionism is also remarkable. Rothschild, Wolfson or Montefiore are some of the most prominent examples.

Over the time leading up to 1948, Jewish philanthropy has evolved, with the Zionist movement continuously playing a central role. It met needs of the nascent national movement and matured with it. Without its financial, political and diplomatic support Zionism would have not progressed to the extent and in the speed that it did. I doubt that there is any other parallel story of mass financial mobilization by any nation anywhere.

Upon the establishment of the State of Israel, world Jewry played an important role in absorbing millions of immigrants, redeeming the land, making the desert bloom, recreating the world of Torah or building our security and economic power. Many also bought State of Israel bonds.

However, the balance of power has shifted demographically, economically and now also in terms of quality of life.

First, on demography: When the State of Israel was established, only five percent of world Jews lived in it (600,000 in total). According to some estimates, in 1995 the Jewish community in Israel became the largest in the world and more than fifty percent of Jewish babies were born in the State of Israel. This trend is strong and persistent.

Second, on economics: Obviously, in the early fifties Israel was in dire need of assistance. Its economy was small and Jewish philanthropy played a central role in covering the budget needs of the nascent state including in critical areas such as weapon acquisition.

Nowadays, the numbers leave no doubt. The marginal role of Jewish philanthropic giving relative to the overall size of the Israeli economy is diminishing rapidly. In 2007 alone, the Israeli economy grew by more than 7 billions dollars. If the Jewish philanthropic giving in Israel is estimated between 600 million to 1.2 billion USD, than Israeli economic growth this year is between 6-12 times the annual Jewish philanthropic giving in Israel. Within a few years the total of Jewish philanthropic giving in Israel would only amount to a half of a percent (0.5%) of Israel’s economy.

Finally, on quality of life: No doubt that initially Israelis were relatively poor and the undertaking of absorption of millions of immigrants was huge. Diaspora communities mobilized to respond with financial and material support which often included clothing and food. However, during the fifties and sixties, Israel rapidly caught up to the quality of life of developed nations. By the early seventies, our standard of living was roughly 60% of the USA. Today, Israel enjoys a quality of life of a developed nation, albeit at the bottom of this family of nations.

All of these numbers point in one direction: the relative importance of world Jewish philanthropy in Israel is diminishing. Furthermore, if attempts to promote philanthropic giving by Israelis will succeed, the marginal role of Jewish philanthropy in Israel will diminish even further. (More on that in post no.6 of this series).

These consistent and powerful trends are a challenge Jewish philanthropy. Their major advantage is one: understanding them may generate a sense of urgency that is essential for the overhaul.

Post 5: Where is the Israeli Center?

The gist of this series is that Jewish philanthropy in Israel requires an overhaul in order to recapture a central role in Israeli society. One of the powerful and persistent trends that are driving this sidelining is the growing disconnect from the Israeli socioeconomic center. It is a challenge of priorities, as well as communications.

In the past, Diaspora Jewish philanthropy was perceived and framed in the context of economic and social assistance and as a supplement to Israel’s national budget. Hence, understandably, it has been focused primarily on immigration absorption and on alleviating poverty and hardship.

At the same time, Diaspora Jewish philanthropists have always engaged a very small economic, business and political elite, as well as leaders of nonprofits and charitable organizations such as hospitals, universities or museums.

But where are the masses of Israelis, Israel’s socioeconomic center? How are they exposed to the generosity, passion and care of the Diaspora communities? It would be fair to say that Jewish philanthropy in Israel has lost touch with and is in a state of disconnect from this very large constituency of Israelis.

This represents a loss of opportunity. In the context of the past framework for Diaspora philanthropic giving in Israel, which was economic assistance and development, resources and attention should have been focused on the areas of need and hardship. But according to a new framework, which focuses on reinforcing global Jewish peoplehood, focus should shift to capturing the hearts and minds of many Israelis and connecting them to fellow Jews and Jewish communities worldwide.

This is a challenge of shifting values, priorities and patterns of conduct. First, it is about a vision: Diaspora Jewish philanthropists need to embrace a vision that is relevant to the lives of the vast majority of Israelis. Such a vision may focus on education, heath care, excellence or economic growth (see blog post: “Launch of the Top15 Vision: A Milestone and the Coming of a Full Circle” and teleconference on Israel 15 as an example for such a context), but has to impact most Israeli households. Second, it is about priorities: obviously, resources – many millions of dollars – should follow the vision in order to implement it. Hence, as new projects move to the front seat, others will have to be handed over to other organizations or terminated. Third, it is about communications and claiming collective credit through mass media. Israelis must know of the amazing dedication and generosity of our Diaspora communities.

Addressing this challenge is essential for narrowing the gulf between the Jewish communities in Israel and in the Diaspora. Bringing Diaspora Jews closer to Israel is a massive challenge. Bringing Israelis closer to Diaspora Jews is no small task either.

Post 6: The Rise of Israeli Philanthropy

In recent years Israel has seen the rise of a new class of newly wealthy and homemade philanthropists. This trend is both a threat and an opportunity for world Jewish philanthropy here and amplifies the need for the overhaul.

There is wide agreement that Israel’s wealthy have not given enough to their own society. Why? The reasons have been exhaustingly discussed and I have little to add to that discussion beyond naming them as a backdrop for this post. They are: First, a legacy of Socialism where citizens are cared for by the government ‘from the cradle to the grave’ has left many insensitive to needs of a growing number of individuals and constituencies. Second, unlike among the leading Jewish elite in the Diaspora, in Israel there has been little social cost, if any, for not giving generously or small benefit for doing so. Third, Israel’s tax deductions are not generous compared to the USA. Relatively high individual and corporate taxes add another disincentive. Fourth, many Israelis don’t know how to give. Philanthropy in American is a serious business founded upon tradition and professionalism. These knowledge and expertise are lacking in Israel.

Finally, there is much less wealth in Israel than in the Diaspora. There are only ten to fifteen Israeli billionaires some of whom actually live overseas. In Los Angeles alone it is estimated that there are between thirty to forty Jewish billionaires. Who knows how many there are in the other major cities of North America, Australia, Russia, or Europe?

In the past few years Diaspora philanthropists have been challenging Israelis to give more and Israeli nonprofits to raise more money in Israel and from Israelis. I believe that this challenge has been effective. Israeli’s are giving more with greater sophistication, awareness and generosity. It may still fall short of expectations but there seems to be constant progress.

However, the rise in Israeli giving has been driven not only by outside pressure but also by other powerful trends:

First, the growing wealth of Israel’s economic elite has created the resources that can turn into philanthropy.

Second, in parallel, inequality in Israeli society has reached a historic high. In thirty years Israel has moved from being the most equal society among developed nations to being the third most unequal society after the USA and the UK. The result is growing criticism, cynicism and even an air of hostility toward affluence. Philanthropy has become the vehicle of people with means to counter these sentiments.

Third, Israel’s business community has been affected by the global trend of corporate and individual responsibility. Many leaders of corporate Israel now have a strategy which is backed by significant resources.

Fourth, the decline of Jerusalem (see post no 3 of this series) has created a vacuum and widespread public distress that offered a new societal role to the ultra-rich.

Finally, a few agents of change are catalyzing this process. Individuals such as Ms. Raya Strauss Ben-Dror, Avi Naor or the 2007 Israel Prize winner, Mr. Dov Lautman, nonprofits like MAALA or companies like Good Vision are raising awareness, bringing advanced approaches and calling Israelis of fortune to the task.

These trends create a challenge of relevance for world Jewish philanthropy in Israel. Israeli philanthropists may be crowding their Diaspora counterparts out of their leadership role in Israel. Their quick catch-up in terms of sizeable giving, sophistication and commitment is compounded by an indisputable advantage in language, cultural awareness, mentality, social networks and acquaintances, which generate a much better prospect of effective philanthropy.

Hence, while encouraging and embracing the rise of Israeli philanthropists, Diaspora philanthropists need to find new ways to preserve their role in Israeli society. I will write extensively about this challenge in posts no. 7-14 of this series. In the context of this post I would like to focus on a few guidelines for a relationship between Diaspora and Israeli philanthropists. They are:

Partnering: Diaspora philanthropists should offer to take part in projects of Israeli donors and challenge Israelis to become partners in theirs. Diaspora philanthropists should invite Israelis and their professional staff to participate in events and go to theirs. In this context, the upcoming annual conference of the Jewish Funders Network in Israel in late March 2008, chaired by Israeli philanthropist Mr. Avi Naor may turn out to be a milestone in this process.
Knowing where to lead or to be led: For example, Diaspora philanthropists will have a harder time leading in projects that deal with Israel’s social problems such as education or welfare. However, in areas such as Israel-Diaspora relations, religious pluralism or nonprofit management Jewish philanthropists will have a unique value to offer.
Claiming credit: A well-known Israeli business person recently donated a hundred million shekels. This gift was proactively made public and extensively and repeatedly covered by all media outlets. There is a powerful logic for doing so. At the same time, how many Diaspora Jewish philanthropists have given much more than the equivalent of twenty five million dollars, yet remain practically unknown? Claiming credit is not for the sake of bolstering egos. Its logic is to communicate to the Israeli public the care, generosity, passion and thoughtfulness of Diaspora Jewish philanthropy in Israel.

Post 7: The Response has to be Qualitative

The theme of this blog series is that Jewish philanthropy in Israel is being marginalized and needs an overhaul in order to preserve a central role in Israeli society. In this post I suggest that the response has to be qualitative and focus on leveraging greater impact from the existing dollars.

In previous posts of this series (posts 3-6) I have discussed the most powerful trends that are sidelining world Jewry in Israel. They are: the decline in the will and ability of the Government of Israel to provide services to the Israeli public (post 3); the diminishing size of total philanthropic relative to the Israeli economy (post 4); the disconnect between world Jewry and its philanthropic activities, on the one hand, and the Israeli middle class, on the other hand (post 5); and the rise of a new class of Israeli philanthropists (post 6).

Together, these trends represent a challenge of relevance to world Jewry. Their persistence will sideline its role in Israeli society from an existential role in the early days of the state to marginality.

A quantitative response - raising more dollars - would be insufficient. Diaspora Jewry does not seem to have the capacity to preserve its place in Israeli society by raising more dollars to offset these trends. Furthermore, if Israel will continue to grow and perhaps even realize the ISRAEL 15 Vision that calls for a massive socioeconomic growth (see Herzlyia Speech: How To Leapfrog Into the 15 Leading Countries), any such effort will prove to be frustrating at best.

Hence, the answer would have to be qualitative. In other words, it is not about doing more-of-the-same with more dollars. It is about doing more with each dollar.

This begs the question: more of what? How can one do more with the same dollars? One answer is to focus on being more efficient by doing more activities with each dollar; a ‘bigger bang for the buck’, sort to speak. This answer is a technical fix of sort and would not be sufficient because of the magnitude of the above mentioned trends.

A second answer is to seek to have more impact with the same dollars. This answer focuses philanthropic dollars on the activities that can have a greater distinct impact on Israeli society. Hence, the question facing the leaders of Diaspora Jewish philanthropic activity in Israel should be roughly as follows: How can we leverage our giving to impact Israeli society in the service of the values that we believe in? How can we preserve our place and voice in the Zionist project in spite of the diminishing marginal impact of our dollars? In my view, this is where energy should be focused.

Post 8: On Vision: ISRAEL 15 Vision as a Possible Framework for Philanthropy

The ISRAEL 15 Vision aims to place Israel among the fifteen most developed nations in terms of quality of life within fifteen years. This vision is an example of a possible useful framework and context for refocusing Diaspora Jewish philanthropy in Israel as it strives to increase its impact in Israel.

The ISRAEL 15 Vision requires leapfrogging Israel’s socioeconomic performance. Such a leap happens when a nation sustains out-of-the-ordinary growth for a prolonged period (See my post “Leapfrogging or Growth? The Differences”.) This is what China has experienced in recent years and other countries such as Ireland, Finland, Singapore and even Israel went through in the course of the past few decades.

The traditional approach to development views the process of economic growth as largely top-down. Hence, it is driven by a small group of high-level academics, politicians and bureaucrats, mostly from or in the field of economics.

The new approach understands rapid growth to be a process driven as much by bottom-up mobilization of key sectors of society. In other words, for a nation to leap it needs the right kind of macroeconomic policies, as well as for growth and development to become ‘national obsessions’ that drive the actions and ‘win the hearts and minds’ of the government, business and nonprofit sectors, as well as of individual households. For Israelis and world Jewry the references are powerful. In the past we have come together for immigration absorption, redemption of the land or making the desert bloom.

Who are the key sectors of Israeli society in this context? The list would include mayors and municipal governments, nonprofits, businesses and business people, philanthropists and career civil servants.

My argument is that world Jewry can also become a key player in Israeli society if it focuses its resources on catalyzing rapid growth and development. What could its role be? Following are a few examples.

First, history teaches us that all nations that leapt were very creative in exhausting their unique potential. Singapore thrived on its location as a gateway between east and west while Ireland leveraged its association with the European Union. I believe that Israel’s vastly untapped economic potential is its being part of the Jewish world wide web. I also believe that a challenge of the coming decades will be to build a global network of economic and business relationships that are mutually beneficial yet critically important for Israel’s economic growth and development.

Second, philanthropists can play a critical role in promoting better management and higher productivity in the nonprofit sector (click here for post no. 12 on institution building and management). The significance of this point extends beyond ‘bigger bang for the philanthropic buck’. About 85% of Israel’s labor force is in the low-tech sector, which suffers from low productivity compared to developed countries (USA’s low-tech productivity is 50% higher!). As productivity is highly correlated with income, its rise is critical for Israel’s wellbeing. The governmental and nonprofit sectors represent an estimated two thirds of the Israeli economy! They are almost entirely low-tech. Hence, improving their productivity is essential for the ISRAEL 15 Vision and Diaspora Jewish philanthropy is in an excellent position to influence some of the key sectors here, primarily municipalities and nonprofits.

Finally, philanthropists may choose to funnel more funds to nonprofits and social entrepreneurs that are dedicated to promoting growth and development and to improving the quality of life of all Israelis. Examples of such organizations include those that provide micro loans for businesses such as the Koret Israel Economic Development Funds or nonprofits that are dedicated to expanding labor force participation in the Haredi or Arab sectors.

As mentioned, the ISRAEL 15 Vision is one example of a framework that may be useful for driving priorities and actions of Diaspora Jewish philanthropy as it strives to increase its impact in Israel. Other useful frameworks may include a world class education system or resilient and thriving communities.

Adopting the ISRAEL 15 Vision as a framework does not mean that philanthropic projects should focus exclusively on productivity or economic growth. However, it does means that every dollar spent on any project – food security, better health services, education, academic research or reforming government – has to be leveraged towards greater productivity in Israel and by Israelis.

I believe that mobilizing towards a vision such as ISRAEL 15 is not only important for Israel but also for strengthening Israel-Diaspora relations and for Diaspora Jewish communities themselves. It will provide them with a new platform for strengthening their own communities.

Post 9: On Organization: Heavy Hitters Come Together

Can Jewish philanthropy be transformed? Among other things, the answer depends on the ability of the ‘heavy hitters’ of Diaspora Jewish philanthropy in Israel to join together in order to improve their standing in Israeli society and agree on a number of guiding principles for their operation. Success in doing so will be important for them, as well as for Israel and the Jewish world.

A large portion of Diaspora Jewish philanthropic giving in Israel is from a small group of large givers. They are institutions, most prominently the large Federations who give directly or through the Jewish Agency, other organizations such as Keren HaYesod, a few foundations and individual donors predominantly from the USA but also from Russia, the UK, France, Australia, Canada, or Germany. They are the ‘heavy hitters’ of Diaspora philanthropic giving in Israel.

In addition, the people that advise and inspire the heavy hitters can fit into one large hall as well. This group includes a small number of prominent organizations such as the Jewish Funders Network, leading professionals of large family foundations or the prominent philanthropic advisors in Israel or the USA.

My argument is that this community should come together. This will not only increase their impact on Israel and strengthen their position here but will also be good for Israel.

This post is not a call to compromise philanthropic diversity. Such diversity is essential for the kind of elaborate societal experimentation that can only take place in the non-governmental not-for-profit sector. Obviously, philanthropists can not agree on an exhaustive list of specific projects or grantees, nor should they.

However, there are other areas where agreement, cooperation or coordination among heavy hitters may be of great value. In my opinion, their agenda should comprise of three major issues:

First, they need to identify a number of core issues that require them to operate as a group vis-à-vis the Government of Israel, the Knesset and Israeli society. For example, they need to lobby Knesset to amend tax laws in order to encourage more philanthropic activities by Israelis and in Israel. Also, they may want to discuss with the Prime Minister and the Government of Israel their strategic focus (see post no. 8 of this series on the ISRAEL 15 Vision as such possible focus). Or, they may want to consider collectively taking public credit for their work so that ordinary Israelis appreciate their commitment, dedication and generosity (see post no.5 on the disconnect from the Israeli middle class).

Second, they should discuss and evaluate their philanthropic ethos, core activities and unique value proposition in Israel, as well as exchange views on strategy. I believe that in order to provide unique societal value and to remain a key player in Israel, Diaspora Jewish philanthropy should focus on addressing areas that are subject to government or market failures (see post no. 14 of this series). Identifying these areas is a challenge in and of itself. Dealing with them is even more complicated since they often require fundame