world
Birthright Calls from page 25
Reform Zionists of America, believes
Jewish communal funds should be
"devoted primarily to strengthening
Jewish identity ... and identity with
Israel is in direct proportion to identity
with Judaism!"
He called it the "key challenge for
21st-century American Jews.
"If in fact Birthright has been suc-
cessful in instilling something per-
manent, then we should be able to
see significant [gifts] from well-to-do
Birthright alumni who become philan-
thropists," Rabbi Hirsch said.
But, he cautioned, that there needs to
be a "formalized partnership between
Birthright and the central Jewish insti-
tutions that sustain Jewish identity"
in order to maintain the excitement of
Birthright through long-term affiliation.
When Birthright Israel began, it
relied on Hillel and other organizations
to recruit participants and conduct the
trips. But the number of young people
clamoring to go has reached such levels
— 41,000 in North America applied in
February but there are funds for only
25,000 — that the foundation began
organizing community-sponsored
buses. That allows local donors — indi-
viduals and federations — to commit
to support a given number of spots to
cut the waiting list in their community;
the cost of the trips is shared with
Birthright Israel.
"About 20 percent of our cam-
paign total last year came from donor
response to this initiative Finkelstein
said.
The foundation has just created 10
regional councils of lay leaders across
the country, along with alumni councils
and a growing number of local groups.
And it will be holding a VIP mission
this summer for adults who have donat-
ed at least $10,000 so they can experi-
ence a little of the trip for themselves.
Gideon Mark, CEO of Taglit-
Birthright Israel, said there has been a
"huge increase in demand in the U.S.
and in other countries" and that his
worldwide budget this year of $88 mil-
lion must jump to $131 million in two
years to handle the goal of 51,000 par-
ticipants.
Asked about the fundraising to date
of Birthright Israel, he noted that Taglit-
Birthright Israel operates in 54 coun-
tries and offers tours in 30 languages.
Therefore, Mark said, other fundraising
efforts are under way in South America
— especially Brazil and Argentina —
and are just starting in Western Europe.
All of these campaigns are critical
because $100 million pledged by Israel
over the next three years is a challenge
grant that requires the organization to
raise more than two dollars for every
dollar Israel contributes, a total of near-
ly $240 million, Mark said.
26 May 26 2011
Republican Jews Blast
Ron Paul's Presidential Bid
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Republican
Jewish Coalition blasted U.S. Rep. Ron
Paul before he announced his third bid
for the presidency.
"As Americans who
are committed to a
strong and vigorous
foreign policy, we are
deeply concerned about
the prospective presi-
dential campaign of
Congressman Ron Pair
the RJC's executive
director, Matt Brooks,
said in a May 12 state-
ment about the Texas lawmaker. "While
Rep. Paul plans to run as a Republican,
his views and past record place him far
outside of the Republican mainstream!'
Paul launched his campaign for the
Republican nomination last week. Like
his son, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Paul
has advocated cutting $3 billion in annu-
al defense assistance to Israel, as well as
to deny funding to its Arab neighbors.
In 2008, Paul mounted an insurgent
campaign for the Republican presidential
nomination and built a passionate base
of support with his libertarian views
and denunciations of American foreign
policy. He was not a serious contender,
however, in the primaries.
Paul had run as the Libertarian Party's
presidential candidate in 1988.
"His candidacy, as we've seen in his
past presidential campaigns, will appeal
to a very narrow constituency in the U.S.
electorate Brooks said. "Throughout
his public service, Paul has espoused a
dangerous isolationist vision for the U.S.
and our role in the world. He has been a
virulent and harsh critic of Israel during
his tenure in Congress!'
Reform Zionist Group Barred
From Modern Orthodox School
SYDNEY, Australia (JTA) — A Zionist
youth movement accused Australia's
largest Jewish school of "discriminating"
against its leaders by banning them from
canvassing students on its campus.
Netzer, the youth wing of the
Progressive/Reform movement, launched
a petition May 13 against Moriah College
saying that it is the only Zionist youth
movement "prohibited from acting with-
in the school grounds" and that it has
been "consistently barred from partici-
pating in all Moriah College events."
The petition had more than 400 signa-
tories within 24 hours of launching.
Brett Kaye, Moriah's head of Jewish
life and learning, told JTA that "Moriah
College has always operated within its
modern Orthodox Zionist ethos. It is the
longstanding policy of Moriah not to
allow Netzer, the Reform Zionist youth
movement, to promote its activities on
our campus because their religious plat-
form is in conflict with Moriah's religious
ethos."
Moriah is a coeducational Modern
Orthodox Jewish school with 1,600 stu-
dents from preschool to high school.
Netzer accepts that Moriah "may
believe that many students may not con-
nect with Netzer's ideology," but called on
the college to "allow their students to use
the critical thought that the college aims
to foster" to make up their own minds
about whether to join the Zionist youth
movement.
The Union for Progressive Judaism has
backed its youth wing, saying that earlier
this year its Netzer Sydney group wrote
to the school to request entry but never
received a response.
Wisconsin's Sen. Kohl
Won't Seek Re-election
WASHINGTON (JTA) — U.S. Sen. Herb
Kohl (D-Wis.) said he will not seek to
retain his seat.
Kohl (D-Wis.), who
was re-elected to the
Senate for a fourth term
in 2006 with an over-
whelming majority of
the vote, suggested in a
news conference May 13
that his age, 76, was a
factor in his decision.
Sen. Kohl
"I've always believed
it is better to leave a
job a little too early than a little too late
Kohl said. "The interest and energy I had
for this job will find a new home."
Wisconsin, with a Jewish population of
fewer than 30,000 in a state of 5.6 mil-
lion, for years had boasted two Jewish
senators until Russ Feingold, who had
served with Kohl since 1993, was ousted
in the Republicans' 2010 election surge.
Kohl's retirement further endangers
the Democrats' precarious Senate major-
ity.
Speculation last week was that
Feingold or U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin
would run to replace him as the
Democratic candidate.
ADL, Reform Oppose USAID
Plan On Church-State Issue
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Anti-
Defamation League and the Reform
movement have raised objections to
plans by the U.S Agency for International
Development to directly fund the build-
ing of houses of worship.
Commenting on the overseas aid
agency's proposal, the groups said that
such assistance would violate the U.S.
Constitution's Establishment Clause and
the agency's own rules.
"The new, untried, expansive standard
is subject to abuse and raises real con-
cerns about the potential for discrimina-
tion and preferential treatment among
religions:' the ADL said.
Rabbi David Saperstein, the director
of the Religious Action Center of Reform
Judaism, joined other supporters of
church-state separation in signing a let-
ter prepared by Melissa Rogers, the direc-
tor of the Center for Religion and Public
Affairs at Wake Forest University, a divin-
ity school. The letter said the new policy
would violate the Establishment Clause.
The new policy would allow "acquisi-
tion, construction, or rehabilitation of
structures that are used, in whole or in
part, for inherently religious activities:'
although it qualifies that the aid must
have "a secular purpose, is made gener-
ally available to a wide range of organiza-
tions and beneficiaries which are defined
without reference to religion, has the
effect of furthering a development objec-
tive, the criteria upon which structures
are selected for acquisition, construction,
or rehabilitation are religiously neutral,
and the selection criteria are amenable to
neutral application."
Drew Bailey, the USAID press officer,
rejected the critics' arguments, saying
the agency's rule banning funding as it
stands "unduly restricts and interferes
with our ability to effectively implement
U.S. foreign assistance programs over-
seas.
The letter prepared by Rogers offered a
different take.
"The proposed rule reflects the belief
that government policies only need to
have a secular purpose and neutral cri-
teria to pass constitutional muster. That
is wrong," it said. "A program may be a
model of neutrality yet still invite con-
stitutional violations if it permits direct
government aid to be used for religious
activities."
ZOA Seeks U.S. Embassy
Move To Jerusalem
WASHINGTON (JTA) — A Zionist
Organization of America mission to
Congress lobbied for bills that would
move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem
and cut off assistance to the Palestinian
Authority if it declares statehood.
Some 400 delegates met with an
array of lawmakers in the U.S. House of
Representatives and Senate on May 12.
They lobbied for bills that would
remove the presidential waiver from
existing legislation mandating the
embassy's move from Tel Aviv and that
would cut off funding to the Palestinian
Authority if it declares statehood unilat-
erally.
The P.A. has denied such plans, but it is
lobbying for international recognition of
such a state.
The ZOA delegates also urged lawmak-
ers to examine existing law to seek ways
to cut off the P.A. as long as it is allied
with Hamas, the Gaza Strip-based terror-
ist group.