NewsBits: Around the Jewish Web
Touching the world of Jewish philanthropy, here are a few items appearing recently on other Web sites you may find of interest.
from the Jerusalem Post:
At the General Assembly held in Jerusalem in November, a recurring theme was the impact Hillel Houses have had on Jewish youth today. A private ceremony was held for Edgar Bronfman, one of the philanthropists who funds the organization. The honoree’s son, Adam, spoke of Hillel’s aim of preserving the Jewish legacy within the “next generation.”
Hillel International is seen as an answer to one of the greatest threats facing Jews today: the threat, as the younger Bronfman put it, of “[Jewish] intolerance and indifference.” Contemporary Judaism needs to focus “[on] gaining equality not only in the secular world but also among ourselves.”
This statement holds true especially in Israel, where Hillel aims to offer an alternative to what it perceives as widespread apathy by many secular Israelis – born of a lack of exposure to the significance that a connection to one’s Jewish heritage can offer.
from The London Jewish Chronicle:
JNF UK has made “a vast improvement” in providing information about its spending, according to Intelligent Giving, an independent organisation which monitors charities.
from The New York Jewish Week:
Online Fundraising And The ‘Obama Effect’
Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu — with his copycat Web site featuring “donate now” buttons, videos and social networking plug-ins — isn’t the only one taking a page out of Barack Obama’s campaign playbook. Jewish nonprofits are beginning to see the Internet for what it is: a potential cash cow, even in these tough economic times.
from Baltimore Jewish Times.com:
We are now in an era in which the primary job of many Jewish professionals seems to be to keep the ship floating on steady waters. As that happens, however, the waters are receding –– i.e., Jews are no longer joining and donating to Jewish organizations as they once did.
So we do not need to steady the ship. We need to re-invent it. In fact, we need to replace it with a solar-cell powered hovercraft with global WiFi and plentiful lattes to wash down the kosher sushi bar’s offerings.