The weekly papers are beginning to hit the Web.

from The Forward:

Staple of Campus Life Now Comes at a Price

What Hillel and Chabad have both figured out is that one of the best ways to build Jewish community on college campuses is to host weekly Shabbat meals — and, crucially, to make sure they’re free. Such dinners have proliferated in recent years, with both Chabad and Hillel houses drawing students to break bread together, recite the Jewish prayers, and — the organizers hope — have a positive Jewish experience.

both from The New York Jewish Week:

Birthright’s 11th Day

Birthright alumni are perhaps the greatest hope for the continuation of a diaspora Jewish life, but following up with them is a work in progress, an exercise in trial-and-error producing various creative, interesting opportunities for long-term engagement that may or may not ultimately work.

eJP note: read what a participant had to say – in a story we posted a year ago – about her experiences after returning home, Birthright Day 11.

I’m Angry, Too, About Madoff. But Now What?

During this recession, and especially post-Madoff, philosophical questions resonate among us professionals as to our modus operandi, and rightfully so. The Jewish philanthropic world is psychologically debilitated, in a near-catatonic state. Many donors are understandably paralyzed, fearful of the future and reluctant to part with funds, causing a deafening holding pattern. Yet who am I, as a Jewish communal servant, to count others’ money? I have no right.

both from The Los Angeles Jewish Journal:

Israeli nonprofits honor Stanley Chais for years of charity

Far from abandoning him, some 50 of the beneficiaries of his charitable endeavors took up the mantra that has guided his giving.

Birthright Launches $50M Campaign, Cuts Trips

Chuck Boxenbaum had never made a donation to Birthright Israel — until he was asked. And then he came through with a six-figure gift, making the program that sends young people on a free trip to Israel one of his top funding priorities.

and this, from The Huffington Post (by Jumpstart’s COO Joshua Avedon):

Public interest organizations don’t need a handout. We just need to join hands.

How about a recovery plan by and for America’s third sector economy?