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Secular concerns, personal
interests force a reassessment
by Jewish federationsf

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Tova Fruchtman

Jewish Renaissance Media

Atlanta

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tudies around the country in 2006 brought to light some harsh
realities for those involved in trying to keep the American
Jewish community strong. While the Jewish populations of
Detroit and Atlanta are on opposite ends of the spectrum — Detroit's
Jewish community is steadily shrinking, while Atlanta's is growing rap-
idly — the problem of engagement is affecting both communities.
A reduced connection with the Jewish community is a concern across
the nation.
At the annual United Jewish Communities General Assembly in
Los Angeles in November, incoming UJC Chairman Joseph Kanfer
addressed the issue of decreasing involvement in federation annual
campaigns, encouraging federations to look at alternative models of
consensus building and to think of themselves as "thought leaders" and
"conveners:'
That's quite a change from the traditional federation role of fundraising.
Still, that doesn't mean bringing in money isn't important to support-
ing the Jewish communal infrastructure.
Tzedakah — the Jewish value of giving to those less fortunate
— comes from a Hebrew root word that means righteousness or justice.
According to Judaism, giving money to charity is not a choice; it's an
obligation for helping to establish a fair and just society.
In a country where "all men are created equal" and are equally free
to pursue the American dream, Jews have had business successes
around every corner. That has increased the stakes for charitable giv-
ing: Tzedakah has grown into philanthropy, and pushke (charity boxes)
have developed into investment portfolios.
In a world where money can equal impact, tzedakah is changing as
Jews look to maximize their effectiveness.
The bottom line is, money makes the world go around. Without fund-
ing, important programs in the Jewish community will not and cannot
be successful.
But to that end, people solicited for donations frequently do not see
the direct results of their action. Party-style federation events often
require a minimum donation to the annual campaign; but while attend-
ees hear a speech from a famous actor or prominent businessman, they
don't see their dollars at work.
Annual reports on allocations — often decided by large committees
of lay leaders (more than 120 people in Atlanta and 25 in Detroit) —

may give prospective donors an idea of who gets the funding but
\\ don't show the good work done by the funded organizations.
Paul Schervish, director of the Boston College Center
on Wealth and Philanthropy, said empowering donors is
A, essential for the future of federations, like other commu-
1 nity foundations.
"The tendency is for the donor to be seen as the tool
,f for the umbrella organization to do good. Increasingly,
/ people want to see themselves doing good," he said. "The
if umbrella organization should be a tool for the donor, rah-
/ er than a donor being a tool for them."
Jews are still going to give tzedakah. The question is whether
they will give it to the Jewish community. And how can the Jewish
community acquire the funds needed to help keep the faith and the
people strong?
This week and next, we will explore how the world of Jewish philan-
thropy is changing and how the Jewish community — represented as a
whole largely by local federations — must adapt to thrive.
Today, we look at how federations have historically played a central
role in Jewish giving, and we'll try to get a grasp on who the new
Jewish donor is. Next week, we'll look at how local federations are fac-
ing the changes.

1

Jewish Givinc! In America

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, 2.5 million Jews left the anti-
Semitism and pogroms of Russia and Eastern Europe with hopes for
a better life in America. Many came with little or no money, spoke no
English and were accustomed to an agricultural lifestyle.
Nearly 2 million fellow Jews, already in America, stepped up to help
the wave of immigrants.
Thousands of Jewish organizations formed to raise money and pro-
vide needed services to integrate the new immigrants into American
society. As the organizations emerged, people realized that many were
duplicating services and competing for funds.
In 1895, the first Jewish federation was founded in Boston with the
hope of increasing the effectiveness of the dollars raised to build the
Jewish community.
Other cities soon followed suit: Cincinnati in 1896; Detroit in 1899;
then Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Buffalo and
Omaha; and Indianapolis and Atlanta in 1905. Canadian Jews did the
same thing in Montreal in 1916 and Toronto in 1917.
The Jewish federations brought Jewish citizens together to strengthen
Jewish communities and to better serve the recent immigrants.
In 1932, the North American federations came together for the
first General Assembly, an annual event still held the second week of
November.
Federations became the central organizations for Jewish donors. Each
year, like clockwork, North American Jews got out their checkbooks and
donated to the local federation's annual campaign.
The federation board was charged with distributing the money to the
local community and working with organizations that help Jews around
the world to hand out money overseas.
In the 1940s and 1950s, federations began to hire professional staffs
to help run their annual campaigns. They now employ about 2,500 pro-
fessionals nationwide.
Besides meeting local community needs, campaign money supported
the work of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee as it
brought oppressed Jews from around the world — Yemen, Iraq, the
Soviet Union, Argentina, Ethiopia — to Israel.
As years passed, the Council of Jewish Federations joined forces with
two other organizations raising money for the needs of Jews around the
world — United Jewish Appeal and United Israel Appeal — to stream-
line fundraising efforts.

Giving in America on page 16

January

2007

15

