`Give Israel Priority'
Israel's prime minister weighs in as federations decide on funding.
RACHEL POMERANCE
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Some Offended
One member of ONAD, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, said Sharon's remarks were not helpful. It
was almost like blackmail," she said. "I was truly
offended by his remarks."
Sharon was "talking to a group of very dedicated
leaders in the Jewish community who have never aban-
doned Israel," she said. "To say that 'you owe us' is not
the way to win friends and influence people, as far as
I'm concerned."
But Sharon isn't the only one using the gathering of
North Americans to lobby for the Jewish Agency,
which ostensibly has more to lose than the JDC in the
upcoming ONAD decision. In his remarks at the
Jewish Agency's opening plenary Nov. 14, Meridor
spoke of the "serious challenge" of obtaining enough
Jerusalem
111,1 hile most participants at the North
American Jewish federation system's
annual conference were happy just to be
in Israel this week, the decision-makers
were grappling with another matter — funding for
overseas partners. The issue has become so contentious,
in fact, that Israel's prime minister decided to step in.
In a Nov. 16 meeting with representatives of the
United Jewish Communities committee that decides
overseas funding priorities, participants quoted Ariel
Sharon as saying, "You are my guests, so I am asking
you to make Israel your No. 1 priority for funding. If
you weren't my guests, I would demand it."
The message comes as the UJC, the federation
umbrella group, prepares to determine allocations
to two main overseas beneficiaries: the American
Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which aids
distressed Jews overseas, and the Jewish Agency for
Israel, which runs immigration and absorption in
Israel and Zionist education worldwide.
It also comes amid increasing concern that
North American federations, focused more on
local needs, are allocating fewer dollars to overseas
needs in general — below the recommendations
that the UJC's Overseas Needs Assessment and
Distribution Committee (ONAD) has been sub-
mitting to UJC's member federations.
For decades, the federation system has given
the Jewish Agency 75 percent of its overseas fund-'
ing and the JDC 25 percent. With aliyah down,
however, ONAD recently recommended allocat-
ing an additional $13 million to the JDC, possi-
bly altering the customary division.
Last year, according to the JDC, the UJC pro-
vided it with roughly $45 million, a few million
short of the amount promised. The Jewish
gency said the UJC provided it with $ 143 mil-
Ariel. Sharon, lower left, is projected onto the big screen at the
lion, $20 million short of what was promised.
General Assembly
The General Assembly, which drew 4,000
North American lay and professional leaders to
funds from American Jewry for immigration and
Israel, falls between two important developments on
absorption in Israel's current economic climate.
the matter. Earlier this month, ONAD issued new
He called it "close to a miracle" that the Jewish
overseas recommendations, and a vote on the issue is
aency was bringing some 20,000 immigrants to Israel
scheduled for Dec. 8. Some say Sharon's appeal —
this year, and claimed that many more are awaiting the
essentially for Jewish Agency funding — came at the
chance to make aliyah.
behest of the agency's
b , chairman, Sallai Meridor.
For its part, the JDC says it is not campaigning for
Asked how Sharon's pitch might influence ONAD's
funds at the conference. "I'm not lobbying people.
decision, the committee chairman, Steven Klinghoffer,
Absolutely not," said Steven Schwager, JIk's executive
said, "It will be interesting to watch how they
vice president. "The JDC has put its faith in zhc
respond."
ONAD process."
He also said ONAD's recommendations are "not
•
He said the 18 communities involved in the ONAD
determinative of any kind of outcome," and that more
process
"will review all the information that has been
funds for the JDC wouldn't necessarily mean less for
presented
and all of the facts and will consider all of
the Jewish Agency. "There's a lot of different ways to
the
site
visits
that they made and will come to a fair
skin the cat," Klinghoffer said.
I 1/21
2003
29,
and appropriate conclusion."
Still, talk about overseas funding was a steady under-
current at the General Assembly, figuring prominently
in meetings and in corridor conversation among deci-
sion makers.
In addition, delegates spent Nov. 18 visiting a variety
of programs throughout Israel, from social-service pro-
grams for new immigrants to educational programs,
many of which get at least part of their funding from
the North American federation system via the Jewish
Agency or the JDC.
At a meeting of the UJC's board of goyernors and
delegate assembly on Nov. 17, the group pledged to
continue funding its overseas beneficiaries and to
"increase its efforts in the advocacy for allocations in
support of overseas needs." This appeared to be a nod
to the common gripe that the system doesn't
push hard enough for funds for its overseas
partners.
Some fault the federation system for allegedly
establishing a competition between the JDC
and the Jewish Agency and failing to create an
overseas advocacy committee to secure enough
funds for both groups. Klinghoffer admits that
the process is fraught with "friction and difficul-
ty" and "political land mines," but says it is
"designed to meet the needs of the Jewish peo-
ple throughout the world."
ONAD Review
Indeed, at the last meeting of the UJC's execu-
tive committee, in Chicago in September, board
chairman Robert Goldberg called ONAD a
"failure." ONAD was created when the Council
of Jewish Federations, the United Jewish Appeal
and the United Israel Appeal merged to form
the UJC four years ago.
The establishment of ONAD was an attempt
to reverse a trend of decreased giving to overseas
needs. That hasn't happened, however.
The system has delayed establishing an advo-
cacy committee to 'encourage federations to give
to the UJC's overseas partners. And because sev-
eral federations did not comply with ONAD
recommendations, the UJC has fallen short on the
amount it planned to provide the groups.
That has caused the JDC to do its own advocacy
work: Schwager has visited individual federations
around North America, encouraging them to allocate
more for overseas needs.
Some observers say the ONAD process has cost the
UJC dearly in terms of the time and energy of its pro-
fessionals and the financial strain on its overseas agen-
cies. ON.ND was scheduled for an initial review after
five years, a juncture that is quickly approaching.
Some say it's simply a matter of making overseas
. needs a priority. Others anticipate reform, if not a com-
plete overhaul, at that time. ❑