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1. Howard M. Rieger says

   July 12, 2012 at 9:58 pm

   Jeff Finkelstein’s piece entitled, “Making an Old Tool Shiny and New,” about The Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh’s recent P2G mega-mission visit to their twinned region of Karmiel-Misgav, merits a response on two levels.

   First, 15 years ago I was fortunate to be at the Jewish Agency Assembly as the President of the Pittsburgh Federation at the time that the Partnership process was launched. I was given the opportunity to act on behalf of the first federation to choose a Partnership area, when I stood to indicate our desire to be matched with Karmiel-Misgav, a region with which we had an already strong working relationship that grew out of what was then the most recent period of Soviet Jewish Aliyah. Ultimately Pittsburgh was matched with Baltimore’s Associated Jewish Federation, a mutual engagement that ended when Baltimore decided to switch to another area some years later. Eight years ago this month I retired from my position in Pittsburgh. It is heartening to know that they have been able to grow this endeavor for the benefit of all concerned.

   I also feel compelled to respond from the perspective of the retired President of what is now The Jewish Federations of North America. What I already knew from my community based experience was corroborated during the five years that I worked at the continental level until I retired three years ago, namely, that promotion by some Federations of a need as vital to the Jewish world and thus to fundraising, doesn’t necessarily translate into equally significant allocations by those Federations to meet those needs. Sadly all too many important Jewish Federations allocate embarassingly insignificant funding to overseas needs. Why? Because it is easier to do that than pushing to raise more money. Because local needs stare one in the face every day, while overseas needs are distant.

   If this disconnect were the whole story, it would be bad enough, but while trumpeting overseas needs during annual fundraising campaigns and on overseas missions, the very same Federations that fail to meet even a modest share of their responsibility are more than willing to take credit for being part of this important work in Israel and beyond.

   The lifeblood of voluntary non-profit organizations, especially Jewish Federations, should be credibility. Judged by the bottom line of Federation funding for overseas needs, from this vantage point, too many are found wanting.

   We are in the midst of the Three Weeks, a period leading up to Tisha B’av, a time when we remember and mourn the destruction of The Temples in Jerusalem, and recall other tragedies which the Jewish people have faced. We should never forget that our losses frequently took place during times which were marked by Jewish behavior that was less than exemplary. The fact that after nearly 2,000 years we once again have a soverign Jewish State gives us an opportunity to demonstrate the many ways that we can support the people of Israel. Perhaps by thinking seriously about what we had, then lost and now have a part of again, communities that have failed to live up to that promise might find a reason to reconsider the implications of their actions.

   Mazal tov to the Pittsburgh Federation for taking the two days to be part of the action in their P2G area. Mazal tov to the Pittsburgh Federation for continuing to allocate funds to back up the message that they delivered to the donors who were on that missiion!