Attention 5th graders & parents:
Come join the
the Jewish Agency's province
merely by default. With the
growth of prosperity in Israel,
moreover, Diaspora contributions
dispersed via the Jewish Agency
(whose 1994 budget of $490 mil-
lion was only 0.65 percent of Is-
rael's Gross Domestic Product)
have become marginal to the lo-
cal economy.
At the same time, spreading
the Jewish Agency budget over a
variety of activities — including
immigration, Jewish education,
Youth Aliyah, rural settlement
and administration — "dilutes
the ability of the Jewish Agency
to leave its imprint on Israeli so-
ciety."
Thus the Jerusalem Plan 1997
proposes that the Jewish Agency
"redefine its mission" to focus on
three key areas: (1) fostering im-
migration, "but only from coun-
tries in distress" (which can be
done on a small budget expand-
ed in time of need); (2) enhancing
activities to ensure physical sur-
vival in the Diaspora (especially
given the increase in anti-Semi-
tism with the rise of the radical
right).
By transferring to the Israeli
government many of its present
projects (such as immigration
from affluent countries, settle-
ment, and welfare and housing
programs) and by scaling down
to a policy-making body of a few
dozen people supervising a va-
riety of implementing agencies,
the Jewish Agency, say the au-
thors, will "acquire greater pow-
er and more flexibility."
Besides curbing the influence
of internal politics on the Israel-
Diaspora relationship, such re-
tooling also would follow the
trend of decentralization and cul-
tural pluralism in contemporary
Diaspora life.
To free up $300 million of its
budget for "identity-building" ac-
tivities, Messrs. Ben-Shahar and
Cannon propose that the Jewish
Agency adopt a six-year plan. In
each of the first three years, by
gradually transferring responsi-
bilities to the Israeli government,
it will be able to allocate an ad-
ditional $100 million for cultural
projects. In the next three years,
the Israeli government will be ex-
pected to match the $300 million
figure by allocating an addition-
al $100 million to the Jewish
Agency each year. Thus by the
end of the year 2000, the Jewish
Agency budget for the Jerusalem
Plan will reach $600 million, half
from traditional Diaspora sources
and half from Israeli taxpayers,
for a program that will benefit
them both.
The Jerusalem Plan 1997 has
not yet been formally submitted
to any official body for approval.
Its authors are still at the stage
of exposing their revolutionary
idea. Yet the timing of its publi-
cation is auspicious, since the
Jewish Agency is definitely ripe
for change. D
8th annual
Tzedakah Experienc0
Sunday, March 5, 1995
Temple Beth El
(Telegraph Road at 14 Mile)
9:30 - 9:45 a.m.: Registration of 5th graders
and parents
Penny Harvest Drop-Off
All participants must be registered by 9:50 a.m.
9:50 am. - Noon: Tzedakah Experience
featuring:
• All new hands-on activities •
• Journey through our community •
Bring your filled canvas sack to the
Penny Harvest Collection
All 5th grade Penny Harvest participants will be listed
in The Jewish News following the Tzedakah Experience
Co-sponsored by:
Temple Beth El
Women's Division, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
Agency for Jewish Education
Jewish Experiences For Families
Jewish Educators Council
The Jewish News
For more information, contact: Women's Division, 642-4260, ext. 124
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