by Susan Weidman Schneider In the touristy areas of the French Quarter, which was relatively unscathed by Katrina, New Orleans streets are full of buskers. By the dozens, these street performers enact all kinds of feats: lumber balancing, group singing, break dancing, rapping; at least this was the assortment I took in when I was there a few months ago. One act was particularly stunning. Two men in eye-catching silver costumes, their bodies sprayed silver to match, stood on a makeshift platform miming to music and moving in perfect synchronicity, human simulacra of robots. Mesmerized and appreciative, I watched them, but realized that in my wallet I had nothing smaller than a $20 bill. I reached into my pocket for a generous handful of coins and approached their silvered bucket. One of the … Continue Reading
Adapting to the Future: The Changing but Critical Role of Federations
by Michael J. Weil Richard Marker’s article in eJewish Philanthropy on funding intermediaries raises interesting questions regarding Federations. If we view Jewish Federations simply as a money making machine based solely on the annual campaign, then he is right that the writing is on the wall. Most Federation annual campaigns are at best flat and at worst slowly declining while the number of donors has continually been falling. Philanthropic trends showing a clear movement away from generic campaigns and towards direct designated hands-on giving. Pro-active Federations are working in these directions by diversifying fund raising and providing donors with an array of choices that include the annual campaign, designated giving, endowments and so on. Federations like our own are in parallel … Continue Reading
The Young Jewish Donor in the Philanthropic Free Market: Lessons from the GA
by Yonatan Ben-Dor The New Orleans GA hosted for the second year an e-philanthropy institute, and I was invited to be part of a panel which also featured the Vice President of Blue State Digital, the company that developed Obama's billion dollar online fundraising campaign. There were 100 seats in the room, and barely half were filled. I found this ironic, as the two panels I attended the day before - next-gen engagement and disruptive philanthropy - were both quite full. It seemed to me as though the Federations were ready to talk about the effects and importance of new forms of philanthropy, but not yet ready to fully engage in them. Back in 2004, Steven Cohen reported that only 2% of Jews aged 18-34 donated $100 or more to Jewish Federations, while over 24% donated to non-Jewish causes. … Continue Reading
Can the Jewish Community Encourage In-Marriage and Welcome Interfaith Families?
From remarks at the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America, Nov. 9 by Edmund C. Case. Intermarriage is a huge reality for the Jewish community. Half of Jews are intermarrying, which means that two-thirds of new Jewish households are intermarried; half of young Jewish adults have intermarried parents. The Jewish community has choices: it can take steps to engage interfaith couples; it can ignore them and let them drift away; or it can push them away. These choices have huge consequences. If more than half of interfaith couples raise their children as Jews, the Jewish community will grow and be enriched; if less than half do, it will wither away. There is a clear and relatively inexpensive road map for efforts to engage interfaith families in Jewish life. Local Jewish … Continue Reading
Students Voice Disappointment at NOLAGA
from New Voices (national Jewish student magazine): “It Wasn’t a Conference For Us, But We Were There.” At the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America in New Orleans, one in four delegates was a student. Over 600 students came in total - a high for the conference - ... Though attendance was clearly high on the student front, students were frustrated that the conference did not speak to their interests or concerns. ... [Mia Jacobs, incoming president of the University of Pittsburgh Student Board at Hillel] attended a panel - along with about 65 other students - called “The Innovation Imperative: New Ways to Build Jewish Community to Engage the ‘Next Generation.’” Although this was a forum where student involvement would have been more than appropriate, … Continue Reading
Remixing Jewish Education for the Future
by Harlene Winnick Appelman From its genesis, the Jewish Futures Conference was designed to jumpstart a conversation and spur people to suspend disbelief and imagine what could be. While we cannot predict the future of Jewish education, all of us must take responsibility for it, along with those we work with and influence every day. In fact, the conference was an incredible illustration of what “remixable” can mean. From music to technology to new thinking about leadership and hierarchy, this “mashup” conference challenged everyone to rethink the boundaries of Jewish education and their own minds. Undoubtedly, the tension between guarding sanctified traditions and innovating along unchartered routes is part of the fabric of contemporary Judaic discourse. Each avenue, tradition … Continue Reading
The Middle of the Accordion
by Maxyne Finkelstein Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the General Assembly and the International Lion of Judah Conference in New Orleans with some 4000 participants. The general mood was characterized of “cautious optimism” with a drum beat of “the need to change” underlying most every discussion. Having attended some 25 GAs I would say it brought a new glimmer of diversity of thought and honest discussion which is one of the elements that is critical to broadening the base of involvement of Jewry in the Federation movement and Jewish life in general. Having had the privilege of working in a local beneficiary agency, a Federation (for 14 years), a national organization serving Federations, an overseas beneficiary and now for the Birthright Israel Foundation which operates … Continue Reading
The Jewish Futures Conference: The Conversation Continues
by Russel M. Neiss “Open Open Open Open Open Open Open” - Lisa Colton, from Darim Online @ 7:29 AM Nov 8th via Twitter for iPhone (http://twitter.com/DarimOnline/statuses/1657546884517888) Last Monday, at the Jewish Futures Conference, Charlie Schwartz and I laid out a vision anchored by four core and overlapping values for the future of Jewish education: Open, Discoverable & Accessible; Remixable; Meaningful and Relevant; and Community Building. While we have had many illuminating conversations since our presentation, the questions and feedback we have received overwhelmingly surrounds the first value of “Open, Discoverable and Accessible.” A number of people of asked us, "How can we incentivize people to create open resources or content that are essentially … Continue Reading
English