I
World
Boycott In Question
EU heartened by changes to Durban II document.
Toby Axelrod
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Berlin
E
uropean foreign ministers are
putting off the decision on
whether or not to boycott the so-
called Durban II anti-racism conference
after anti-Israel content in a draft resolu-
tion was toned down.
Convening as their heads of state
attended a European Council meeting
in Brussels last week, the EU foreign
ministers applauded the removal of refer-
ences to the Arab-Israeli conflict. But they
stopped short of fully endorsing the revi-
sion, indicating to the drafting committee
that further changes must be made if EU
countries are to attend the conference in
Geneva next month.
The parley is a follow-up to the U.N.
anti-racism conference in Durban, South
Africa, in 2001, which turned into an
Israel-bashing festival.
This time, many countries have been
warier of the proceedings, with a few
announcing they planned to boycott the
conference for its anti-Israel and anti-
Semitic tilt. They include Israel, the United
States, Canada and Italy — Israel and the
United States walked out of the `01 event.
Following the changes to the draft
resolution, EU ministers said they still
had a problem with the document's tacit
endorsement of the 2001 resolution and
its calls for restrictions on the defamation
of religion, among other problems.
Jewish leaders and other activists have
had mixed reaction to the revisions, say-
ing the document had been improved but
not enough. Israel announced it would still
boycott the conference.
Stephan Kramer, secretary general of
the Central Council of Jews in Germany,
told the Tagesspiegel newspaper, "The all-
clear has not been given:'
"I am not happy at all:' said Klaus Faber,
a member of the board of the Berlin-
based Coordinating Council of German
NGOs against Anti-Semitism. The docu-
ment is "better than the older draft, but
not good enough to say yes:'
In response, Andreas Peschke, a spokes-
man for German Foreign Minister Frank-
Walter Steinmeier, said, "We have to pass
along a strong message that we need to see
further improvements in the right direc-
The World
Foundations form new nonprofit to build
Jewish social service movement.
Jacob Berkman
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
New York
S
everal of the country's largest
Jewish foundations and organi-
zations have banded together to
form a new nonprofit aimed at creating a
Jewish social service movement.
The Charles and Lynn Schusterman
Family Foundation, Einhorn Family
Charitable Trust, Jim Joseph Foundation
and Nathan Cummings Foundation have
taken the lead in forming the new non-
profit, Repair the World.
The foundations would like to see the
new organization expand the Jewish social
service sector by providing more funding
to existing Jewish organizations, includ-
ing the American Jewish World Service,
Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps, Hillel:
The Foundation for Jewish Campus
Life and the American Jewish Joint
Distribution Committee.
Repair the World also will help develop
materials for Jewish participants in non-
sectarian programs, such as Teach for
America, and initiate an intensive market-
ing campaign to encourage young Jews to
take part in voluntarism.
Some 3,000 Jews between the ages of
18 and 24 are taking part in Jewish-run
social service projects this year from a
cohort of about 400,000, according to
Lisa Eisen, the national director of the
Schusterman Foundation and the interim
director of the new organization. Founders
of Repair the World, which takes its name
from the Hebrew tikkun olam, would like
to see that number grow to 45,000 in the
next five years.
"I really believe the time is ripe for the
Jewish community to step up as a voice
tion or else we cannot attend:"
Peschke said the next formal assess-
ment would come late this week during an
informal meeting of EU foreign ministers
in the Czech Republic. He added that the
foreign ministers planned to confer almost
daily until they meet again.
According to the European Jewish
Press, Czech Foreign Minister Karel
Schwartzenberg said March 13 that com-
promise proposals for the resolution also
had been presented by Egypt and Holland,
including wording that would address anti-
Semitism and anti-Israel discrimination.
Francois Zimeray, France's ambassador
for human rights, told the Jerusalem Post
it was important to stay involved in the
process. Calling the original draft resolu-
tion for Durban II "full of provocations,"
he said France would have boycotted the
Geneva conference if the draft had not
been changed. While the new version is an
improvement, Zimeray said, he remains
unsure whether France will recommend
attending the parley.
Sergey Lagodinsky, a founding member
of the Caucus of Jewish Social Democrats
in Germany, said the document's revision
is a positive sign: The document no longer
for service and to provide opportunities
for Jews, as Jews, to meet the profound
and growing needs in our communities
and our world," Eisen said. "Young Jews
care deeply about making a difference
and having an impact in the world. Jewish
service has the potential to engage them
in addressing real needs with a Jewish lens
and imbued with Jewish values."
The Jewish organizational world has
seen an upsurge recently in new service
opportunities, and thousands of young
Jews have spent time through Hillel and
the Jewish federation system volunteering
in the rebuilding effort in New Orleans
after Hurricane Katrina. That trend, paired
with President Obama's call for more
social service, has Eisen and others seeing
this as the right time to help the Jewish
social service movement coalesce.
They view service as another oppor-
tunity — like Jewish camp, day schools
and Birthright Israel — for a life-altering
Jewish immersion program for young
Jews. The trick, they say, is teaching them
that helping others is a Jewish value.
"If you look at this act of Jewish service,
which is so core and fundamental to what
it means to be a Jew, it's not seen as core to
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter
Steinmeier
singles out Israel explicitly, he said, and
other issues "can be negotiated."
"This is a working process," he said.
"Europe should stay in the process, try-
ing to get a better document while being
careful that other countries do not add
anything to this that could be a problem,
especially during the conference itself"
Some Jewish activists called
on Germany to set an example by
withdrawing. "Germany should take an
exemplary step," said Sacha Stawski, editor
of the Frankfurt-based pro-Israel watch-
dog group Honestly Concerned. "Germany
should be a forerunner when it comes to
defending the State of Israel." —
__.
what it means to be a Jew," said Jonathan
Rosenberg, the CEO of Repair the World.
"I'm excited to be moving service to the
forefront of the Jewish agenda.
"When needs are higher than they have
been in decades, there has to be a Jewish
response. We want to advance the field of
Jewish service," he said. "That means to
talk about service in a Jewish way, make
sure Jews are serving and have a seat at
the national service table. This should be
the public face of the Jewish people."
Foundation officials did not yet want to
disclose how much they will contribute
in total to the program, but the new orga-
nization's partners sent out a request for
proposals for grants last week and were set
to give away up to $2 million to existing
programs over the next several months.
Rosenberg is executive director of
Roads to Success, which helps prepare
young people from low-income homes for
college and professional careers. He will
start at Repair the World on July 1.
The new organization is taking over the
501c3 status of the Jewish Coalition for
Service, which in effect folded last sum-
mer when all but two of its board mem-
bers resigned. 7_
March 26 • 2009
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