THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Boris Smolar's

`Between You
. . . and Me'

Editor-in-Chief
Emeritus, JTA
(Copyright 1979, JTA, Inc.)

UJA TRENDS: It is no easy task to raise hundreds of
millions of dollars each year for Jewish philanthropic pur-
poses. The United Jewish Appeal does it. It has been doing
it for 40 years.
To its national conference, held in New York last week,
the UJA leadership came fortified by an enlarged board of
directors which — for the first time in UJA history —
includes direct representation from the Jewish federations
supplying the UJA with about $400 million a year. Also
included for the first time with direct representation on the
board is the UJA Campaign Cabinet.
Hitherto the UJA board was composed only of repre-
sentatives of the Joint Distribution Committee and the
United Israel Appeal — the two agencies which founded the
UJA as their joint fund-raising arm. These two agencies
were the only corporate members of the UJA. They consti-
tuted the UJA supreme body which is the policy-shaping
and decision-making organ. Federation leaders were on the
board, and so were leaders of the UJA Campaign Cabinet,
but not as representatives of their groups. They were there
as representatives of either the JDC or the UIA, depending
on which of these two agencies sent them to the board.
The system was changed quietly this summer follow-
ing the formation of a UJA governance committee to study
how to reflect in the governance of the UJA the increased
leadership role which the federations play now in the
American Jewish community. It was agreed that JDC and
UIA should each have 12 representatives on the UJA
board, with seven representatives from federation leader-
ship and seven representatives elected from the UJA cam-
paign leadership. The president and national chairman of
the UJA would also serve on the board. There would thus be
a total of 40 members. Included in the UTA group of 12 will
be four representatives of the World Zionist Organization.
This is an important change. The JDC and MA still
remain in control of the UJA, by having a majority of 24
votes on the board, but the federations, as well as the
campaign leadership will from now on also have direct
representation on the board. This will strengthen the UJA
in the communities. Community leaders throughout the
country will feel that they are not merely the providers of
funds for UJA but that they also have a say regarding the
use of these funds.
UJA PROBLEMS: In its campaign this year, UJA
faces a number of factors which make it necessary to raise
in 1980 at least 25 percent more than in the previous year.
These factors are:
Double-digit inflation; the high cost of borrowing
money in banks against large pledges which are being paid
in installments; increased aid to Israel which is now under-
going a very severe economic crisis; increased emigration of
Soviet Jews; and the situation of Jews in Iran.
The UJA hopes donors will increase their contribu-
tions for 1980 by at least 25 percent, if not more. They must
also pay their pledges early, so as to spare the UJA the high
cost of interest on loans in the banks.
UJA INNOVATION: Although the function of the
United Jewish Appeal is fundraising, the agency, plays a
very important role in strengthening Jewish consciousness
and Jewish identity through its multi-faceted fund-raising
campaign machinery.
Many of the one million donors to UJA had no Jewish
feelings until these were awakened by UJA appeals for
contributions, and by the purposes for which the contribu-
tions go.
The best example is Max M. Fisher, the well-known
American Jewish leader. He once told me that the modest
contribution he made as a student to UJA fund-raising on
the campus actually started him to become active in Jewish
life. The giving of the gift stimulated him to greater inter-
est in Jewish affairs.
This year, the UJA introduced an innovation by trying
to reach youngsters of 14 to 17 years of age — before or
immediately after their graduation from high school. This
was done through proclaiming a contest of essays among
the youngsters on the subject of the UJA and the causes it
helps to support.
Many solid and penetrating essays came in from all
over the country. The 10 best essays each won a trip to
Israel. What I noticed, however, was the fact that among
the 10 winners there were only two boys, while the rest
were girls. This should give Jewish educators something to
think about.

Israel Economy — Good, Bad News

TEL AVIV (ZINS) — An years.
However, Israel's foreign
Israeli economics professor,
Baruch Mobovitch, says Is- debt has also soared, jump-
rael's standard of living has ing in the last 10 years from
tripled during the past 20 $2.1 billion to $17 billion.

Friday, December 14, 1979 21

Prostate Drug

JERUSALEM (ZINS) —
A new drug that reduces or
entirely relieves the symp-
toms of an enlarged prostate
gland has been developed by
Prof. Marco Caine, head of
the Hadassah Hospital
urology department.
The drug, phenoxben-
zamine, relaxes the muscles
around the prostate but
does not reduce the size of
the gland itself.

We Wish The
Entire Community
A Happy
and Joyous

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