12 | NOVEMBER 14 • 2019 

Views

With its decision to create 
an alternative, it’
s clear that 
its goal is far more ambitious 
than it has been in the past. 
The Progressive Jewish Fund 
could be the domino that 
sets off a chain reaction that 
will do even more damage 
to the Jewish world than 
IfNotNow’
s antics.
The worst thing federa-
tions could do in response to 
the NIF’
s efforts would be to 
seek to compete with them 
by opening themselves up to 
donors who want to direct 
money to anti-Israel groups.
The notion of a big Jewish 
tent is a noble one. Inclusion 
of as many sectors of Jewish 
life, such as all the religious 
denominations and political 
groups from left to right, is 
certainly desirable. However, 
it has also led federations to 
adopt a consensus model of 
decision-making that can 
often make it hard to make 
difficult choices about pri-
orities. 
 For all its myriad faults, 
that model is an effort to 
create a broad platform on 
which most Jews can stand. 
But it fails when it is asked 
to accommodate those who 
are seeking to attack the 
foundation of Jewish life 
itself.
That’
s what groups like 
IfNotNow do. Its anti-Zion-
ist campaigns are framed in 
the high-sounding rhetoric 
of human rights, though 
it seeks to undermine and 
disarm Israel while strength-
ening those who are not 
shy about proclaiming their 
goal of destroying the one 
Jewish state on the planet. 
They are also supporters of 
the BDS movement and its 
anti-Semitic allies and goals. 
Its efforts to intimidate 

and shame Jewish kids on 
Birthright trips remove any 
doubt as to the despicable 
nature of its activities.
And so, inclusion cannot 
be the primary goal of any 
Jewish community. A com-
munity that funds Jewish 
and Zionist philanthropies 
while also giving donors an 
option to back anti-Zionist 
and pro-BDS efforts that 
seek to hurt Israel is one that 
isn’
t so much inclusive as 
one that stands for nothing. 
And communities that stand 
for nothing have no purpose 
or chance of survival.
The best response to this 
challenge is for federations 
to stand firm against this 
disreputable effort not only 
to damage Israel, but to 
impact the ability of these 
philanthropies to fund the 
infrastructure of Jewish life 
— namely, schools, camps, 
adult-education and voca-
tional assistants, services to 
the elderly and poor, as well 
as aid to overseas Jewish 
causes.
Rather than helping the 
NIF, this ought to convince 
well-meaning liberal donors 
to think twice about giving 
to it. Its campaigns aimed 
at making Israeli society 
fairer for all people are one 
thing; its backing for the 
likes of IfNotNow is quite 
another. This is a moment 
when those who care about 
Israel — no matter where 
you stand on the ideological 
spectrum — must draw a 
line and demand that Jewish 
philanthropies continue 
to say “no” to anti-Zionist 
groups. 

Jonathan S. Tobin is editor in chief of 
J 
NS—Jewish News Syndicate. 

NEW ISRAEL continued from page 8

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