This essay is from The Peoplehood Papers, volume 7 – Reinvigorating Jewish Peoplehood: The Philanthropic Perspective; published by the Center for Jewish Peoplehood Education. by Sally Berkovic I like to play the numbers game. ‘How many Jews do you think there are in Germany, Hungary and Poland?’ I asked a group of Israeli colleagues. After a few minutes of guessing, mostly the wrong numbers, one of them observed wryly, ’The last time I did this was 30 years ago in high school when the teacher asked me ‘How many Jews died in Germany, Hungary and Poland?’ There is a smirk of recognition around the room. ‘The Poles love us now,’ chimed in another, ‘all these kids throwing their dollars at the Polish tourist industry so they can visit the concentration camps and go … Continue Reading
The Role of the Mega-Organization in the Era of Micro-Philanthropy
This essay is from The Peoplehood Papers, volume 7 – Reinvigorating Jewish Peoplehood: The Philanthropic Perspective; published by the Center for Jewish Peoplehood Education. by Steve Schwager The term “Jewish Peoplehood” surfaced in recent years as a new way to describe the biblical statement Kol Yisroel Arevim Zeh Lazeh - “All Jews are responsible one for the other.” It signifies the fact that we as a people are united - across the boundaries of language, culture, and residence. I find this latest interpretation of the biblical text an appealing term: it describes anew the maxim that was the foundation of The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) almost 100 years ago. Known then as “mutual Jewish responsibility,” it was the driving force behind the … Continue Reading
After Russian Exodus, Jews Rebuild Communities
by Alina Dain Sharon JointMedia News Service While Saddam Hussein’s forces shelled Israel during the Gulf War, 12-year-old Alex Kalmikov arrived at Ben Gurion Airport from Soviet Georgia. “Three days later we had our first gas mask alarm,” he recalled. In what is considered by many to be the second major Jewish exodus (following the story of Passover), about 2 million Jews left the Soviet Union just before and after its collapse, settling primarily in the United States, Germany and Israel. Moving earlier was Natan Sharansky, a former Soviet prisoner and refusenik who made aliyah in 1986 and is now chairman of the executive at the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI). Sharansky said in an interview with JointMedia News Service that for emigrants, leaving the Soviet Union was about the … Continue Reading
UJAFed-NY Program Assists Haredi Integration in the IDF
from UJA Federation New York: Helping Haredim in Israel Join the Army, Workforce The glue of Israeli society, the experience shared by most men and women over the age of 18, is service in the army. And yet, until recently, a growing slice of Israel’s population hasn’t been part of that experience. It is a tradition rooted early in the state of Israel’s history for Haredi men to continue yeshiva study rather than serve in the army, but in recent years, a program called Shachar has been working with both the army and interested members of the Haredi community to enable these men to serve in a way that is conducive to their religious and familial obligations. The men participating in Shachar acquire relevant job skills they can take with them after they leave the army. Once they … Continue Reading
JDC Global Archives Brings Jewish History to Life
New York, March 3, 2012 - Which U.S. president publicly urged Americans to support the first campaign aiding war-ravaged Jews overseas? Which organization brought the first John Deere tractor to Ukraine? What killer disease was eradicated in Ottoman Palestine by a Jewish doctor? Such historical gems, together with harrowing eye-witness testimonies of war, strife, and Jewish community life in Jerusalem, Warsaw and Morocco comprise the hundreds of thousands of searchable documents and more than 45,000 photos now available at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee's (JDC) Global Archives website. The website, and the JDC Global Archives digitization project were made possible through a lead gift from Dr. Georgette Bennett and Dr. Leonard Polonsky. Drawn from the humanitarian organization's … Continue Reading
El Joint in Cuba
by Raquel Benguiat Participating in Shabbat services at El Patronato, a beautiful synagogue in Havana, Cuba, was the highlight of my last traveling adventure. My experience included chanting Shabbat prayers among dozens of Jewish locals and visitors, weaving in sections in Spanish sparkled with a charming Cuban accent. The services were led by a Cuban young woman and man, and at the end we listened to the array of programs offered to the local Jewish community (from Hebrew classes to Israeli dancing workshops). All these were tangible proof to me that El Joint (as the Cubans warmly refer to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee) has been able to effectively work with the community to revitalize Jewish life in Cuba. Through my work at the Jewish Federation, I have had the opportunity … Continue Reading
Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean
by David Breakstone Not every Jewish community can lay claim to a tombstone etched with a skull and crossbones as part of its cultural heritage. The one in Jamaica does. Among its most infamous early members is one Moses Cohen Henriques, a Dutch pirate of Sephardic origin who played a major role in looting the fleet of Spanish galleons in the 1600s. His descendants and those of his coreligionists, together with several dozen others who have made their way to this island nation in the Caribbean from far-flung reaches of the earth, today constitute Kingston’s 300-strong United Congregation of Israelites. The decrease in numbers from a robust 2,500 a century ago notwithstanding, “the community is experiencing a revival,” says Stephen Henriques, long-time spiritual leader of the congregation … Continue Reading
Defending the Jewish Agency: A Conundrum
In a little over a week, the Jewish Agency (JAFI) Board of Governors is set to meet. And, as has been the norm for the past few years, high on the agenda will be balancing the budget (which the Agency is required to do). These are not fun times for JAFI. They are continually coping with declining donations from the Diaspora; the Hebrew media - mostly at the behest of disgruntled employees (past and present) and the immigrant associations - are daily questioning the Agency's commitment to aliyah; and personal vendettas are, to JAFI's detriment, always playing out. Such is just some of the background for a biting article on compensation that appeared in today's Haaretz. The salaries listed in the article are correct. The assumptions made range from ill-informed to vindictive. Let's look … Continue Reading
Money Makes the World Go Round
The Next Generation: What Jewish Organizations are Doing to Cultivate 20-and-30-Somethings part 2 of 2 (here's part 1) by Abigail Pickus It’s all well and good to hear how the organizational world is working overtime to try to make young Jews feel at home, but beyond “raising leaders” and “empowering the next generation,” are NextGens actually putting anything back in the pot? Because at the end of the day, someone has to write the check to “support” or “make possible,” well, everything. From the Starbucks that keep a disengaged Jew in Denver nice and caffeinated while they share just what they want in a Jewish community to the educational center in Haiti for the children whose lives have been devastated by the 2010 earthquake. And the answer? Young Jews are … Continue Reading
PresenTense and JDC Launch New ‘Kaet’ Fellowship in Moscow
by Abigail Pickus Yohanan Kosensko, a 27-year-old rabbi, is building an iPhone App and website to showcase the history of a Jewish cemetery in Moscow as a way to preserve and transmit Moscow’s Jewish history. Kosensko is one of 13 Russian social innovators who make up the first corps of the Kaet Fellowship launched by PresenTense in partnership with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). By June, the fellows will have created 11 working projects to transform Russian Jewish life that run the gamut from a shomer Shabbat youth hostel to a first-aid training program that taps Israeli medical technology to ensure that Russian Jews can help in emergency situations. “Social entrepreneurship is really hot in Russia right now,” said Michael Podberezin, European program … Continue Reading
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