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Crisis Fundraising In The Spotlight

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from The Jewish Week:

Bombing Puts Crisis Fundraising In The Spotlight

Within hours of last week’s bus bombing in Jerusalem, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee sent an e-mail blast to its supporters: “Israel is under terrorist attack – please help.”

“Dear Friend of Israel,” the e-mail began, “today terrorists exploded a package at a Jerusalem bus stop killing one person and injuring 30 others, 15 seriously. And in this last week alone, Gaza terrorists have bombarded Israeli towns with more than 50 rockets and mortars.”

The rest of the e-mail concerned AIPAC’s efforts to secure passage of funding for two major programs for Israel and asks for a “special contribution” ranging up to $250 or more.

The reaction was immediate.

About five hours later, AIPAC released another e-mail blast headlined, “Apology.”

… The pro-Israel lobby’s letter, and its quick apology, raised questions about so-called crisis fundraising, a technique practiced with regularity in the Jewish community.

Read more in The Jewish Week.

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  2. My gut agrees with the sentiment. But my head asks ‘why not’? Sincerely. ‘Why not?’ Was it the timing? How is this different than the immediate appeal of the Red Cross for 9/11 victim relief, or the global response to the Japanese or Haitian disasters? Is it because AIPAC is political? How about if Magen David Adom did it? I agree it feels insensitive and ill-timed. But what’s the non-emotional response to not providing an opportunity for immediate action? Just curious…

  3. So they should just ignore these things? Personally, I was grateful to receive notice from OneFamily in the wake of the Itamar atrocity. The murders shocked, sickened and angered me. I felt impotent and desperately wanted to ‘do’ something. When I received the One Family message I saw an opportunity to help. And that helped me, too.