Jewish Leaders Pay Official Visit to South Africa

A delegation of leaders from the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the umbrella group for 52 national Jewish organizations, will pay its first official visit to South Africa beginning today. The 50 American participants representing the Conference’s member organizations will be joined by leaders of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC), led by President Alexander Mashkevich and Secretary-General Mikhail Chlenov. The EAJC is the representative body of Jewish countries in the Euro-Asian region and maintains close ties to government leaders and national organizations. The joint delegation will meet with South African government and African National Congress officials, civic and business leaders, in order to advance diplomatic and economic cooperation, as well as deepen... Continue Reading

The Jewish Agency: Bold Gamble or Huge Miscalculation?

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

Coming Of Age: The Citizen Philanthropist

from Mashable: Why We’re In the Age of the Citizen Philanthropist Last week marked the entry of everyone’s favorite geek, Bill Gates, into the social media realm. The Microsoft tycoon launched a website and Twitter stream to discuss his philanthropic efforts. Though pundits feel Gates hasn’t added much to the conversation yet, his entry encapsulates a larger trend – the rise of the citizen philanthropist. Empowered by social media, individuals can now reach out, support and discuss their giving efforts with their immediate networks. Citizen philanthropists don’t want to work with third party organizations, prompting industry leaders like Citizen Effect CEO Dan Morrison to say, “average citizens in wealthy countries no longer want to outsource doing good to large organizations.”... Continue Reading

The Next Limmuds

Limmud continues to expand with another fifteen programs set for between now and May. February 12-15 – Limmud LA 14 – Limmud Chicago 18-19 – Limmud Arava March 6-7 – Limmud Philly 7 – Limmud day Cologne 13-14 – Limmud New Orleans 14 – Limmud Atlanta 15-18 – Limmud FSU Ukraine April 15-18 – Limmud FSU Moscow May 01 – Limmud day Liverpool – UK 13-16 – Limmud.de Germany 23-24 – Limmoed Netherlands 27-31 – Limmud Colorado 31 – Day Limmud London [Translate] Bookmark:  Read More →

Are Zionist Youth Movements in Trouble?

from Haaretz: Is it lack of ideology or funding that’s hurting Zionist youth? The World Zionist youth movements came out this week claiming that a cut in the money they receive from the Jewish Agency is threatening their very existence, and that as a result “hundreds of thousands of Jewish youth will lose their only significant link to the State of Israel and to their Jewish identity.” The recession has hit hard in the movement world, and it has been suggested that this will directly lead to a fall in numbers making aliyah. However, a closer look seems to show that the problem lies deeper. There is no doubt that in order to run a movement you need a good amount of money, and that Diaspora movements in particular rely hugely on the Jewish Agency for funding, but what is really inhibiting... Continue Reading

Are You Ready to Engage Jews in Europe?

Are you ready to join a select group of innovative and inspiring individuals for a sponsored fellowship? If so, the PresenTense Summer Institute is looking to sponsor individuals with ventures that will engage the European Jewish community. Projects may have any focus and target any of the Jewish communities across Europe. Applications are now open for entrepreneurs who are passionate about social change and the Jewish people to apply to the 2010 PresenTense Summer Institute in Jerusalem. Accepted applicants will receive a full scholarship and are welcome to apply for a needs-based stipend to cover additional living expenses. During the six week program at the Summer Institute you will learn the skills necessary to make your idea for social change in the Jewish Community a reality! The program offers... Continue Reading

Haiti: The Jewish World Responds

Here is a list of some of the Jewish organizations raising money for disaster relief, Jewish Charities Aid Haiti Earthquake Victims. from The Fundermentalist: Relief agencies: Early outpouring of dollars for Haiti are critical The earthquake has elicited an incredible response from the Jewish community, as well. The American Jewish World Service has already raised $1.5 million that it will distribute to the grassroots economic development organizations that it already works with in Haiti. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee has brought in nearly $700,000 online through a mailbox it opened for the relief effort and to which dozens of Jewish organizations are directing their constituents. The JUF-Jewish Federation of Chicago alone has raised some $195,995 from 1,482 contributors for the JDC’s... Continue Reading

World Zionist Organization Cancels Elections

from Haaretz: Budget shortfall forces World Zionist Organization officials to cancel elections A crippling financial shortfall prompted World Zionist Organization officials this week to cancel the body’s elections for the first time since 1980, Anglo File has learned. Leading officials of the world’s oldest Zionist body said the move “severely compromises” democratic values, but others disagreed. … But the 2010 vote scheduled for this month was suspended because the WZO – an international entity which promotes Zionism worldwide – doesn’t have the hundreds of thousands of dollars needed for the vote. Instead of elections, the delegations will reach an internal compromise. … U.K.-born Martin Stern, a senior member of the WZO finance committee and a... Continue Reading

Jewish Charities Aid Haiti Earthquake Victims

We understand some donation portals and organizations are currently processing some of their highest levels of donations through their online systems as a result of yesterday’s tragic earthquake in Haiti. Several global Jewish organizations are also taking donations to aid relief efforts. They include: American Jewish Committee in partnership with IsrAID American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) in partnership with The Jewish Federations of North America American Jewish World Service B’nai B’rith International Magen David Adom MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger ORT The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Union for Reform Judaism World Jewish Relief ZAKA Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced a telephone number that Israeli citizens can call if they would like to donate... Continue Reading

Jewish Social Leadership Training in Jerusalem

by Lauren Wilner From New York City to Jerusalem to Budapest, participants in the Jewish Social Leadership Training Program gathered in the office of Jerusalem’s Memizrach Shemesh January 4-10 in the first of a series of meetings designed to engage participants from vastly different Jewish communities in Jewish values and traditional texts as sources for solutions to contemporary social issues. Though the exchange has run for several years now, this is the first time it has included Jewish communities from three different countries. Memizrach Shemesh, funded by the Avi Chai Foundation and Alliance-Kol Yisrael Haverim, is a center for Jewish social activism and leadership in Israel that uses the traditional Beit Midrash model to train, inform and educate its participants, with a special emphasis on... Continue Reading

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