by Jan Jaben-Eilon Weeks after the disclosure of controversial contributions by Hungarian-American mega-billionaire George Soros to the pro-Israel, pro-peace lobby J Street, the Jewish non-profit world is still mulling over the ramifications of the issue. Jeremy Ben-Ami, J Street’s executive director, acknowledged on the J Street blog that he had been “less than clear” about the $750,000 the Soros family has contributed over the last three years, starting about six months after the advocacy group was launched. At the same time, however, Ben- Ami emphasizes, he was fully honest in his statements that Soros had not provided the initial funding for the establishment of the organization, early in 2008. Ben-Ami obviously had been more than “less than clear” about Soros’s … Continue Reading
CLI Announces Certified Facilitators
The Center for Leadership Initiatives is proud to present the first cohort of CLI certified facilitators. Graduates of Facilitation Intensive, these individuals participated in a six month training program in design and facilitation of conferences, retreats and other crafted gatherings: Joshua Avedon / Jumpstart Joelle Asaro Berman / Foundation for Jewish Camp David Cygielman / Moishe House Rebecca Guber / Six Points Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Artists Netaly Ophir-Flint / Reut Institute Amanda Pogany Eyal Rabinovitch Ruthie Rotenberg Amy Schiffman / Giving Tree Associates Jamie Schiffman / Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life Stefanie Zelkind / Jewish Funders Network … Continue Reading
Jewish Funding Community to Address Special Needs
On October 20, the global Jewish funding community will gather in New York City to tackle the issue of special needs at ADVANCE: The Ruderman Jewish Special Needs Funding Conference. Hosted by the Ruderman Family Foundation, in partnership with the Jewish Funders Network (JFN), Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), and Boston’s Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), the one-day conference will explore funding strategies in North America and abroad to build a more inclusive support system for Jews who are disabled or have special needs. ADVANCE is the first-ever funders conference focused entirely around this issue. “Hundreds of thousands of Jews in the U.S. with physical and/or mental disabilities must forfeit their Jewish experience because too many of our institutions – day schools, … Continue Reading
Philanthropic Horizons and the Future of the Jewish Funders Network
If you spend enough time around philanthropists you quickly realize that their diversity of passion is equaled by their diversity in motivation. That is, they each have a different catalyst for their philanthropic activity - for some it is the result of family, for others is it is the result of personal experience. For many philanthropists it is the friend they found that activated their philanthropic impulse and for an equal number it is their internal value system that finally found an avenue of expression. Whatever the case, each philanthropist is the lead character in their own charitable narrative - a story for which they are often the author and the editor. In the context of the broader philanthropic narrative, the Jewish Funders Network (JFN) is an interesting story. An organization … Continue Reading
Mark Charendoff Resigns as Head of JFunders
The Jewish Funders Network has announced that after nine years as President and CEO of the organization, Mark Charendoff will be leaving as of December 31, 2010. As of now, Mark has no plans post-JFN. The search process to select a successor has already begun. Here's the official announcement; and for insight into Mark's thinking that led to this announcement, see his recent opinion piece. … Continue Reading
How Long is Too Long at the Top?
Mark Charendoff, president of the Jewish Funders Network, writing in The Jewish Week: The Case For Term Limits In Jewish Life Perhaps its time to have a conversation about term limits in Jewish organizations. ... Term limits for heads of Jewish communal agencies (public charities) would offer several benefits. First, it would breathe new creativity and vibrancy into our agencies. It’s far too easy to fall into a rut, into a certain way of doing things, of thinking, of acting, after being in any job for too long. Where is the passion and where is the motivation for risk- taking if CEOs knows that they are retiring in the job that they are holding, even though that retirement may be 20 years away? Where is the fear, the tension, the lack of comfort that breeds edginess? ... Ultimately, … Continue Reading
The PresenTense Summer Fellowship, Take 4
For seventeen aspiring entrepreneurs, a new journey is about to begin. In just four short weeks, the 4th cohort of fellows in PresenTense's flagship fellowship program will gather in Jerusalem to begin an intensive six-week boot-camp. Through hands-on sessions the participants will learn the practical skills of social start-up development - so necessary to launch their ventures into the world. The selection process for this summer's cohort was rigorous and the competition fierce; a testament to all PresenTense has accomplished in only a few short years. Beginning with a magazine, and expanding to the Summer Fellowship program in 2007, PresenTense has just successfully completed their first Jerusalem Winter Fellowship. In Boston, the participants in that city's Social Entrepreneur Fellowship - … Continue Reading
Jewish Giving: Is the Glass Half-Full?
Gary Rosenblatt writing in The Jewish Week: Younger Leaders Seen Less Bound By Traditional Ties Study presented at Jewish Funders Network finds little consensus on establishment values. ... The lively plenary was part of a three-day conference sponsored by the Jewish Funders Network, viewed as a yearly “summit” on Jewish philanthropy. About 250 people, representing more than 150 different philanthropists and foundations, from the well-known to the little-known, came together to meet, network, discuss possible collaboration and reflect on trends in giving. Gone was the deep sense of gloom that hung like a pall over last year’s conference. Indeed, there was relatively little mention of the economic crisis or Madoff scandal of a year ago, and the consensus seemed to be that the … Continue Reading
Criticism of Israel by Young American Jews is a Good Sign
Speaking at the Jewish Funders Network Conference today in Phoenix, Arizona, Irina Nevzlin, president of the Nadav Foundation said, "The new generation of Jewish leaders is very creative and trying to incorporate their philosophy and ideology while looking for their own meaning of Jewishness and Jewish Peoplehood. The fact that young American Jews display 'a whole range of liberal feelings’ means that Israel is very close and personal to them, and for me it's a positive sign". Her remarks were conveyed during a panel discussion entitled ‘Continuity and Discontinuity’. The plenary session was based on the results of an extensive survey of 6,773 young Jewish leaders in their 20s and 30s conducted by JTS professor Dr. Jack Wertheimer. The survey researched the respondents’ attitudes towards … Continue Reading
Raising The Bar
an editorial from The Jewish Week ‘Transparency” and “good governance” are two popular phrases these days in regards to policies of nonprofit organizations, particularly in the aftermath of the Madoff scandal. It is worth noting a recommendation high on the list of the Jewish Funders Network’s recently issued guidelines for nonprofit and religious organizations seeking support from members of the JFN. It says that even religious organizations, which are not required by law to file 990 tax information reports, should perform an independent audit or financial review by a certified public accountant “regularly in a timely manner appropriate to the organization’s size and operations.” The guidelines add that “current financial statements should be made available to the donor upon … Continue Reading
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