THE NEW ISRAEL FUND
One of the most visible of the new philan-
thropies is the New Israel Fund, which
was established in 1979.
"We give to the New Israel Fund be-
cause it supports projects such as a bat-
tered women's shelter and civil liberties,"
said Michael Pelavin of Flint. He said he
is impressed by the New Israel Fund's
committment to searching for new ways
to achieve peace.
The Fund raised $131,000 with just a
handful of donors in 1980. This year, the
goal is $6.5 million.
The Fund has supported more than 150
organizations, including civil rights and
Arab-Jewish relations programs in Israel.
It puts a strong emphasis on organiza-
tions that fight for religious pluralism in
a nation increasingly dominated by the
Orthodox authorities.
"With our support, it's become a very
substantial organization," said Mary
Ann Stein, the Fund's president. "It has
represented women, Ethiopians and secu-
lar Jews who think they should have the
right to a secular burial. It has represen-
ted Arab residents of the territories, and
it has stood up for the rights of Jewish
prisoners, of the mentally ill."
The philanthropic giants tend to sup-
port larger, well-established groups. The
new generation of philanthropies tend to
fund small innovative programs.
"We're particularly interested in sup-
porting fledgling organizations at the
grass roots level," Stein said. "Other
people won't take the risk. But we feel
that a strong democracy in Israel
demands a strong network of citizens'
organizations, which help people take re-
sponsibility for the issues they're con-
cerned about."
"We have a narrow focus — strength-
ening democracy and pluralism in Isra-
el," she said.
The New Israel Fund, she said, appeals
to potential donors who care deeply about
Israel, but who reject organizations that
seem to support the status quo.
David Silver, a trade association execu-
tive in Washington, said he was attracted
to giving to the New Israel Fund in addi-
tion to a federation because "I do not
think they [the federations] have been as
responsive to the changing social needs in
Israel."
The New Israel Fund gives contribu-
tors a "hands-on" feeling about their
money and its impact, he said. "You can
see exactly what causes your money is
going to, which is something I have not
found in the more traditional organiza-
tions."
Allied Jewish Campaign Co-chairman
Lawrence Jackier said the perception
that contributors can't tell where their
money to the centralized campaign is go-
ing is incorrect.
"We do the best we can to educate the
community about exactly where the
dollars are going," he said, adding that
numerous materials are available
describing how Campaign dollars are
spent.
An inner-city Youth
Action Program
sponsored by the
Jewish Fund for
Justice.
Andrew Griffel,
AJWS executive
director
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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