Insight

Remember
When • • •

No Longer Funding Kate

Ford Foundation takes steps to reverse grants to anti-Israel groups.

feed LAW of its decision to cease
funding and to demand return of its
unspent grant funds."
LAW officials in Jerusalem con-
firmed that last month they received
notification from Emma Playfair, Ford
Foundation representative in Cairo,
that further expenditures of founda-
tion monies were not authorized and
that the unspent balance was to be
returned.
Wilde stated that the Ford
Foundation also has notified some 30
other LAW donors that it had sus-
pended the organization's funding.
LAW officials said it was "unclear"
whether they would return the Ford

Palestinian NGO (non-governmental
organization) Network, which the
Ford Foundation also funds. LAW is a
Washington
member of PNGO, which also was
he Ford Foundation has
identified as organizing anti-Jewish
taken its first steps to fulfill
and anti-Israel activities at Durban.
a pledge made last month
PNGO itself is still advocating a
to reverse its funding for
global boycott of Jewish academics
organizations engaged in anti-Israel
from Israel, according to a page of the
agitation.
Palestinemonitor.com Web site.
Wilde did not respond to specific
In the pledge to U.S. Rep. Jerrold
questions about the PNGO boycott
Nadler, D-N.Y., and a group of Jewish
campaign.
organizations, Ford Foundation presi-
dent Susan Berresford promised
But he did say that, like all other
immediately to stop funding the
Ford Foundation grantees, future
Palestinian Society for the Protection
funding to PNGO "will be subject to
of Human Rights, also known as
our new and expanded worldwide
LAW
program of grantee audits, our
LAW was widely credited with
continuing investigation into
helping orchestrate the anti-Israel
the events surrounding the
and anti-Jewish debacle at the
Durban conference, and new
September 2000 U.N. World
grantee contract language that
Conference Against Racism in
prohibits any organization
Durban, South Africa.
receiving Foundation funds
The pledge followed revela-
from promoting or engaging in
tions in a JTA investigative
violence, terrorism, bigotry, or
series, "Funding Hate."
the destruction of any state."
The Ford Foundation's move
Meanwhile, governmental aid
against LAW funding comes as
agencies in Norway, Denmark
the former executive director of
and Ireland, as well as the Swiss
LAW, Khader Shkirat, is the sub-
foreign ministry and the
ject of legal action. Four
European Union, filed a crimi-
European countries and the
nal complaint against Shkirat
European Union have filed a
and some 27 other individuals
criminal complaint against him
associated with - the alleged mis-
Demonstrators perpare to march in Durban; South
for allegedly misappropriating
appropriation of funds, accord-
Africa, in 2001.
donor funds.
ing to Mazen Qupti, a
Palestinian attorney represent-
The Ford Foundation was
Foundation money. They said it was
founded by Henry and Edsel Ford,
ing the five European entities in their
LAW'S prior management that was at
complaint.
but no longer has any ties with the
fault and that the group had tried to
auto company.
The complaint was submitted to
delete offensive language from its
prosecutors on Dec. 15, Qupti said.
The Ford Foundation confirmed its
materials.
action against LAW this week.
In a separate action, LAW's current
For example, a LAW executive said,
executive staff, which is trying to dis-
Alex Wilde, the foundation's vice
tance the group from the organiza-
president of communications, said in a "We had on our Web site a report
tion's prior conduct, filed a civil law-
letter, "The Ford Foundation has noti- about Durban; and it was an unfair
report and gets off the topic, which is
suit against Shkirat and two other
human rights. We removed it in
Foundation and various European
Edwin Black is the author of the
),
agencies, according to LAW's attorney,
recently released "War Against the Weak: October.
Mousa Kurdi.
Eugenics and America's Campaign to
Palestinian sources said they were
Create a Master Race." The entire JTA
Pursuing
Hatemongers
unsure
whether Palestinian prosecu-
investigative series on Ford Foundation
Wilde
ruled
out
the
possibility
that
tors
would
pursue the politically well-
funding can be read at
LAW could obtain monies via the
www j ta. o rg/ford. asp
FUNDING HATE on page 32

EDWIN BLACK
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

From the pages of the Jewish News this
week 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 years
ago.

1993 16'1
111111
Rare Hebrew books from the
Schocken Collection fetches . $1.64
million at a London auction house.
The collection includes a copy of
the first Jewish prayer book pub-
lished in America, printed in 1766.

The World Jewish Congress asks
UNESCO to sponsor an interna-
tional commemoration of the 850th
anniversary of the birth of
Maimonides.

1973
Milton M. Maddin is i re-elected
president of Sinai Hospital of
Detroit.
Rabbi Arthur J. Zuckerman,
founder of the B'nai B'rith Hillel
foundation at Michigan State
University, retires after 35 years.

1963
Isidore Sobeloff, executive vice-presi-
dent of the Jewish Welfare
Federation of Detroit accepts the
position of executive director of the
Jewish Federation in Los Angeles.
William Avrunin will replace him.

Speeches by Avraham Harman an
Roy Reuther will highlight the 23rd
annual national convention of
Habonim, Labor Zionist youth
group, at Congregation Bnai Moshe.
Appropriately enough, the first
organization in Detroit to plant a
grove of trees in the Chaim
Weizmann Memorial Forest in Israel
is the Chaim Weizmann Society.

.. ..

,,

194
Henry Meyers is re-elected president
of the USO of Metropolitan
Detroit.
Mizrachi Organization of Detroit
will honor Louis Dann, pioneer
worker in the movement here, on
his 75th birthday at Congregation
Mogen Abraham. ❑

— Compiled by Holly Teasdle,
archivist, the Rabbi Leo M Franklin
Archives of Temple Beth El

wn

12/26
2003

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