Jewish rights and security.
Much of the energy behind the
new wave of organizing comes from
entrepreneurial philanthropists who
are driving the re-creation of Jewish
life, much as did Louis Marshall
and his peers 100 years ago.
Whereas then much effort went
into aid for needy Jews in distant
lands, today leaders are more pre-
occupied with reaching non-affili-
ated Jews at home; then the great
challenge was anti-Semitism, today
it is Jewish indifference.
American Jewish organizations of
the last century invested heavily in
the battle for Jewish integration and
acceptance. Today's institutions, by
contrast, must re-energize Jews liv-
ing in security and bounty to feel a
passion for Jewish engagement.
Many of today's institutions also
are different from their early 20th
century counterparts because they
are more dependent on profes-
sionals, rather than on volunteers.
Oddly enough, whereas democracy
was a fighting cause within Jewish
organizations a century ago, today
there is much less talk about demd-
cratic process, as more power is
concentrated in the hands of big
givers and the professionals.
The reason is not nearly as sinis-
ter: today's organizations often lack
a committed rank-and-file. We have
generals and big donors, but not
enough members who volunteer
their time to sustain the infrastruc-
ture of Jewish life.
The American Jewish community
today, no less than a century ago,
needs to create membership orga-
nizations to rally Jews to work in
concert and create settings for Jews
to associate with one another. The
issues facing the Jewish people at
home and abroad are no less chal-
lenging, and the needs of klal yis-
rael, the Jewish collective, require
an outpouring of Jewish creativity.
Even as the community enlists
Jews to engage with the great uni-
versal causes of our time, it also
must recruit a new generation
of leaders and followers to heed
the call, taken from the Book of
Chronicles, and emblazoned on the
first seal of the American Jewish
Committee: "Let us be strong for
the good of our people."

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June 22 • 2006

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