Clieckboo

Voting

As religious conflict
grows in Israel, some local Jews
reconsider giving to the UJA.

11/28
1997

16

JULIE WIENER

Staff Writer

atya Berlin has traveled to
Israel more than 15 times.
She has been contributing
to the United Jewish Appeal
for 42 years.
But on Super Sunday, when an
Allied Jewish Campaign volunteer
called her, she said no. Instead, she'll
be writing a series of checks to the
Israel campuses of the Reform move-
ment's Hebrew Union College, the
Conservative movement's Jewish
Theological Seminary, and a long list
of local Jewish organizations.
Berlin is redirecting her UJA con-
tribution to protest the religious poli-
cies of Israel's Likud government.
"I'm a Reform Jew and consider
myself an observant Jew," said the
member of Temple Israel and associate
member of B'nai Moshe. "But I can-
not bear the idea that there
are people judging my
Jewishness, and I don't
wish to support yeshivot
that hate me and throw
stones [at Reform and
Conservative Jews hold-
ing egalitarian service!
near Jerusalem's
Western Wall.]"
Rather than give
through the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit, which sends almost half
the money it raises to the UJA,
Berlin prefers to hand-pick the Israeli
organizations she supports.
"I don't want my money to go
where they decide in Israel. I want
control," added Berlin. An umbrella
organization, the Federation — like
most Jewish federations — does not
permit donors to earmark regular con-
tributions.
Berlin is not acting alone.
Currently, legislation is pending in
Israel that would bar non-Orthodox ,4
Jews from the country's 150 religious
councils which distribute some $70
million a year in government funds,
and would allow only Orthodox rab-
bis to convert people to Judaism in
Israel.
In response, a number of American
Jews are eliminating or decreasing
contributions to the UJA, which
works closely with the Israeli govern-
ment, and donating instead to alterna-
tive philanthropies that focus on pro-
moting tolerance, democracy and plu-
ralism in Israel.
One such philanthropy, the New