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"We felt it was now time to come out and say what needs to be said," says Benjamin Ben-Baruch, NJA member. , "It's time to say stop giving to UJA." The Ann Arbor NJA is recommending that contribu- tions to Israel be made through alternative organiza- tions like the New Israel Fund or the Giveat Haviva Institute. As far as local giving goes it suggests that people can by- pass the UJA entirely by giv- ing directly to Ann Arbor organizations like the Jewish Community Center, Hillel, and the Hebrew Day School. Earl Jordan, executive director of the Ann Arbor UJA/JCAssociation, doesn't believe that NJA's appeal will have any effect on the Ann Arbor campaign. "I think that most Jewish people have deep enough loyalties to the UJA to realize that it's a very worthwhile undertaking," he explains. "I don't think they're easily pursuasded otherwise." Newell Miller, campaign chair for 1988 and 1989, agrees. "By and large it will have no effect at all." In 1987 the UJA of Washtenaw Coun- ty raised $430,000. This year, according to Miller, $360,000 has been raised with 100 outstanding pledges still to be secured. If contributions from regular donors remain unaf- fected by the NJA's recom- mendation, others might not. It's possible that the so-called silent majority of potential givers — Jews in the com- munity who have yet to give to the UJA and who will be targeted to give in the future — may heed the NJA's message and use it as an ex- cuse not to support the UJA/JCA or other local Jewish organizations. Last year, at the beginning of the annual UJA campaign, the NJA distributed lists of local and national organizations leserving of tzedakah. Many, like the Joint Distribution Committee, are supported by the UJA. But the UJA/JCA itself was noticeably absent from that list. -,.011111111111111111.1 This year's action was con- sidered provocative by some Ann Arbor Jews. "It's counter productive to dissuade fellow Jews from giving to an organization," says Miller. "I would urge them to support the projects they truly believe in but not at the expense of the UJA," says Syma Kroll, a UJA board member. "I think the New Israel Fund is wonderful, but there are things it simply doesn't do, doesn't handle, that the UJA does." Others point out that the NJA's recommendation effec- tively disenfranchises in- dividuals from having a voice within the formal Jewish commmunity. "Hone opts out of the system you opt out of the opportunity to make changes internally," Kroll ex- plains. In order to be a voting member of the local UJA/JCA, an individual must pledge to the campaign. The minimal donation is $1. The NJA gives two major reasons why it believes the UJA shouldn't be supported. "There's good evidence that the (UJA) money indirectly supports the occupation. And there's good evidence that the money is distributed unequal- ly," says Elias Baumgarten, co-chair of the Ann Arbor NJA's Ethical Jewish Giving Project. "Monies contributed to the UJA support the patronage system which has allowed the clericalist parties to gain elec- toral strength and directly support discrimination, es- pecially in the social service sector but also in the agricultural sector," adds Ben-Baruch. In the past, the NJA has argued that the approximate- ly $300 million raised by the UJA earmarked for Israel each year, though nominally under the control of the United Israel Appeal, ends up under the de facto control of the major political parties. And one of the consequences of that, the NJA argues, results in discriminatory and unequal services between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs. "I doubt very seriously that anything that the UJA does through its conduits serves to oppress anybody," counters Jordan. Further, Jordan ex- plains, the NJA's complaints are with political problems that have political solutions. "Denying the truly needy is not one of the ways to find solutions to these problems." If the NJA has problems with how some UJA funds are used, they're not alone. "Fun- ding through the UJA isn't perfect, nothing's perfect," says Miller. "Any bureaucra- tic organization is going to have faults." Some people who work closely with the UJA have, over the years, express- ed concerns, especially regar- ding the distribution of funds in Israel. "Questions about the Jewish Agency have been around for at least a decade," explains Kroll, who last March spent 10 days in Israel with a group of other Amricans looking into, among other things, the weaknesses and problems of the Agency. Kroll responds that the very authority behind the UJA can make a definite dif- ference in effectuating policy decisions in Israel. "There's no question that a great deal of change has occurred as a result of Diasporic pressure:' . New JeWish Agenda and the UJA/JCA may disagree abut overseas support, but they agree on a local issue: "We've maintained for years that the local community must give greater support to local projects and local needs," says Ben-Baruch. The UJA/JCA concurs. In the past year the UJA/JCA has engaged in an ongoing discussion about changing the Ann Arbor allocations process and guidelines. "There's a grow- ing awareness that local needs are increasing' says Jordan, "and that there is a direct correlation of the strength of local institutions and Israel." In the past the JCA/UJA has allocated monies on an 85-15 percent formula, with Israel receiving the 85 per- cent and the rest remaining in Washtenaw County. But this is about to change. "In the 1989 campaign it (the 85-15 formula) will not be operative," says Jordan. According to UJA/JCA by- laws a majority of the monies raised must go to Israel. "The question is how do we change the guidelines in a way to give every donor a way to ex- press his own concerns, his own specific values and at the same time provide for Jews around the world including Israel," says Jordan. The JC.AJUJA is working to for- malize a new allocation formula.