:14
Friday, June 6, 1986
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
nce upon a time, there was
a fairly neat division of
labor on the American
Jewish scene regarding
who does what for Israel.
The "non-Zionists"
(Diaspora Jews) collected
money so that the "Zionists" (Israelis)
could pay the costs of bringing Jewish
"refugees" to Israel. Furthermore, the
"non-Zionists" were basically "Jewish
WASPs," sensitive about their status as
"real Americans," and were more than will-
ing to let the "Zionists" and other "ethnic
types" handle the lowly tasks of teaching
Hebrew and "Yiddishkeit"; and they cer-
tainly wanted no part in the dubious work
of encouraging other American Jews to
"desert" their country by moving to Israel.
A brief look at who is doing what for
Israel on the American Jewish scene today
will suffice to show that the above labels
and tendencies — even if they are a bit
overdrawn — are hopelessly out of date.
Federation leaders, who are no longer
"non-Zionists," are helping members of
their communities, who are certainly not
"refugees," make aliya to Israel. In addi-
tion, there are Diaspora leaders and edu-
cators who are so concerned about educat-
ing Jewish youth in Israel that they are
sure that they can do the job better than
the "Zionists" — and they may be right.
And very few leaders today would feel it
necessary to suppresS their Jewish eth-
nicity in order to properly "represent" the
community.
Thus today there are an increasing num-
ber of options open to concerned American
Jews who feel that the educational and
cultural resources of Israel now largely con-
trolled by the World Zionist Organization
are too valuable to be left in the hands of
the "Zionists," or Israeli professionals. This
is especially true considering the limited
ability shown in recent years by the WZO
to adapt itself to the changing needs of the
Jewish world. This applies mainly to Israel-
based and other programs for Diaspora
Jewish education, and to the shlichim
(emissaries) sent to Jewish communities
around the world.
Joining the WZO would not necessarily
help in changing it. For one, American
Zionist organizations occupy an increas-
ingly marginal position within the Ameri-
can Jewish community; more important,
they have been consigned to a peripheral
role within the WZO itself.
The American Zionist organizations and
their other Diaspora counterparts are in a
difficult position: they raise some money
for the Jewish Agency, but not enough to
give them a major voice in its governanCe;
and they have some influence with Israeli
parties, but not enough to give them real
clout over how the WZO does its job. The
0
Charles Hoffman is a veteran reporter for
the Jerusalem Post who has written
frequently on the Jewish Agency and Israel-
Diaspora relations.
Where Do All Our Dollars Go?
Israeli parties that control the WZO clear-
ly see their Diaspora affiliates as subor-
dinate to their own interests.
A recent example of the minimal ac-
countability of the leaders of the WZO to
their own Diaspora constituents was pro-
vided earlier this year during a meeting of
the Zionist General Council, the supreme
governing body of the WZO between
Zionist Congresses. The Landau Commis-
sion report on the shlichut system had just
been released, and some of the Diaspora
Zionist leaders demanded that the Coun-
cil delegates receive copies of the report
and discuss its conclusions. Due to the
political sensitivity of the issue, however,
the WZO leadership refused to provide
copies of the report or to have it discussed
at the Council session. Instead, a short ver-
bal report was given on the commission's
major recommendations.
By default, then, the major protagonists
in the emerging struggle to make the WZO
more responsive to Diaspora needs are the
"non-Zionist" Diaspora philanthropists
and the Israeli leaders of the WZO — the
same groups whose "partnership" forms
the basis of the governance of the Jewish
Agency.
But what right do the so-called non-
Zionists have to meddle in the affairs of the
citadel of the world Zionist movement?
This question, though still asked in some
quarters, is as obsolete as the non-Zionist
label that used to be applied to the leaders
of the Diaspora fund-raising bodies and
their constituents in the community
federations.
Since the Six Day War of 1967, an in-
creasing number of American Jewish
leaders have insisted on calling themselves
"New Zionists," meaning that they are fer-
vent supporters of Israel and accept the
principles of the WZO's 1968 platform, but
do not feel it necessary to belong to a
Zionist organization. Among the principles
of the 1968 Jerusalem Platform are the af-
firmation of the centrality of Israel for the
Jewish people; the importance of Jewish
education for Jewish survival; and the in-
When
'Non-Zionists'
Meddle In
Israeli Affairs
Once the exclusive domain of Israelis,
key WZO responsibilities such as
Jewish education and -aliya are
increasingly being embraced
by American Jewish leaders.
BY CHARLES HOFFMAN
Special to The Jewish News