US Jewish Federations to Drop ‘Zionism’ from their Global Plans
Latest update: July 29th, 2012
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Susan Stern, the 2011-2012 National Campaign Chair Designate of The Jewish Federations of North America, visited the Wailing Wall in 2005 with then U.S Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Now Stern et al may be dropping the term "Zionism" from their organizational vocabulary.
Photo Credit: Flash90
See an update at the end of this report.
In what has been described as “a closeted and cowardly move,” the Jewish Federations of North America last week rejected the inclusion of the term “Zionism” in a major system-wide planning document.
The JFNA’s Global Planning Table is the mechanism by which JFNA and Federation leadership come together to determine the allocation of dollars for new Federation initiatives outside of the United States. The Report issued by this collaborative is considered a building block of the allocations decision making process, and it was the call to include Zionism in the recent report that was rejected. The Global Planning Table page of the JFNA website does not include either the term Zionism or Israel.
Richard Wexler, former chair of the Chicago Federation and national chairman of the United Jewish Appeal in the late ’90′s, revealed yesterday, July 26, that JFNA’s leaders have rejected the inclusion of the term “Zionism” in their Global Planning Table Work Group Report because the term “is too controversial.”
In 2008 Wexler stepped down from his position as chairman of the United Israel Appeal, a subsidiary of what later became the JFNA. He also was one of the architects of the merger of United Jewish Communities, the umbrella group for the local Federations. Even while in a leadership position, however, Wexler was critical of the management culture, writing in his blog “UJ Thee and Me” that “criticism is not merely ignored, it is not tolerated.”
Some fear the JFNA move will be seen as a watered-down acceptance of the notion that Zionism is to blame for the problems in the Middle East, or at the very least an effort to hold at arms length the idea that Jews are entitled to a national homeland.
“I am beyond disappointed and upset,” Wexler told The Jewish Press, about the decision to hide from the idea of Zionism. He said, “that is at the heart of all we do.”
Members of the GPT work group who were present at the meeting and frustrated by the outcome told Wexler about the decision.
One of those most closely involved in this decision making effort was Joanne Moore, senior vice president for JFNA’s Global Planning Department. Moore oversees the Global Planning Table, JFNA’s research department and the General Assembly.
Prior to joining JFNA, Moore, a former U.S. Peace Corps volunteer, spent more than a dozen years working on USAID-funded public health projects in Africa, Haiti and Asia. She also was a consultant to the Institute of Reproductive Health. In addition, Moore had been a lay leader in various capacities for JFNA. Moore did not respond to a request for comment.
The rejection of Zionism by JFNA leaders was described by Wexler in his blogpost and in comments to The Jewish Press, as a continuing trend by Federations to distance themselves from Israel.
Several years ago, Federations changed the name of their non-domestic efforts, which had been called their Israel and Overseas Department, to the Global Operations Department. In response to pushback from local leaders, the name was changed once again to Global Operations: Israel and Overseas.
Further evidence of this trend, according to Wexler, is a drift from the close connections the JFNA had with its actual overseas partners, the Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Acknowledging that there might be better, more efficient ways for the Federations to encourage North American Jewry with Israel than through the Joint or JAFI, he was adamant that this latest decision — the excision of the term Zionism from their planning documents — was morally disastrous.
“What we cannot permit is an implicit denial of the centrality of Israel in our lives and a denial [of] the absolute responsibility we as Diaspora Jewish leaders have to engage more Jews here with Israel.”
Although repeated efforts to reach JFNA leaders were unsuccessful, it is possible that the decision may be reversed before the report is finalized. Richard Wexler, for one, hopes this is what attention to this decision may bring. Otherwise it is simply a “terrible commentary on what Federations are today.”
Update:
After this story was published, JFNA officials issued a statement sent to Federation executives and others, by Kathy Manning, Chair, and Jerry Silverman, President/CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America:
On July 27, 2012, Lori Lowenthal Marcus wrote accusing the Jewish Federations of North America of moving away from its support of Israel and Zionism. Nothing could be further from the truth. The ongoing support of Israel is fundamental to Federations and to JFNA. Our system sends hundreds of millions of dollars each year to Israel to support the vulnerable, to assist in education programs, to help new immigrants, to assist in job and skills development, and to provide concrete expressions of solidarity during Israel’s darkest hours. We connect American Jews to Israel and Israelis by supporting birthright and other youth and young adult programs, community and national missions to Israel, and innovative partnerships between our communities and Israeli communities. We are proud to be holding our 2013 General Assembly in Israel, where we will have an opportunity to highlight the important work we do with our partners in Israel.”
The decision to remove the term “Zionism” in an important global planning document because that term is “too controversial,” which is the point of the article, is not denied in their statement. Repeated efforts were made to contact Federation and JFNA officials before the story ran.
tell a friendAbout the Author: Lori Lowenthal Marcus is the US correspondent for The Jewish Press. She is a recovered lawyer who previously practiced First Amendment law and taught in Philadelphia-area graduate and law schools.
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37 Responses to “US Jewish Federations to Drop ‘Zionism’ from their Global Plans”
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This is most distressing that the Jews in America are hoodwinked by what is or is not “politically correct”. The Dispersed Tribes enjoy their captivity more than going into The Promised Land. It is a time of decision 4 them. God said He would Bless those that blessed Israel n He would curse those who cursed Israel. Who’s on The Lord’s side, Who???
COWARDS!
TYPICAL REFORM ATTITUDE: they are just going back to their origins!
They are cultural Marxists–and Godless wh*res and dogs!
Wow. I am shocked at this cowardly decision. I really hope the Omaha Federation does not share this philosophy.
Sick.
Losers!
Why?
Isa_48:20 “Come out of Baḇel! Flee from the Chaldeans! Declare this with a voice of singing, proclaim it, and send it out to the end of the earth! Say, ‘יהוה has redeemed His servant Ya'aqoḇ!’ ”.
Isa_49:3 And He said to Me, ‘You are My servant, O Yisra’ĕl, in whom I am adorned.’.
Isa_49:5 And now said יהוה– who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Ya'aqoḇ back to Him, though Yisra’ĕl is not gathered to Him, yet I am esteemed in the eyes of יהוה, and My Elohim has been My strength –.
Isa_49:6 and He says, “Shall it be a small matter for You to be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Ya'aqoḇ, and to bring back the preserved ones of Yisra’ĕl? And I shall give You as a light to the gentiles, to be My deliverance to the ends of the earth!”.
liberalism is a dangerous mental disorder.
As a Bible believing follower of Jesus the Messiah I am shocked to read that any jewish group would do this.
Get rid of Joanne Moore! She is a turncoat at best. If the JFNA is not going to reverse its position it will not survive as an organization.
It seems to me that the Arabists in the State Department/USADI are successful in manipulating Joanne. I'll not be surprised if there are skeletons in her closet.
So what is the point of a Jewish Federation? Please tell me. This is along the lines of the Jewish Federation in LA ditzing Pamela Gelller as she was about to speak to Jews about the dangers of the Islamificaton of USA. KAPOS
Once again the Jewish establishment shows the lack of moral courage it is justly famous for. As Rav Kahane forsaw a generation ago, they are the reason for death by a thousand cuts of American Jewry.
Truth in advertising. Since when have the Federations been a fighter for Zionism? In a few years they will drop "Judaism" as well.
This is the ideological equivalent of the withdrawal of Gaza: we're doing something the other side objects to, so if we abandon that, then the other side will stop objecting. What neither the Oslo-advocates, nor these Federation people, understand is that the objection is not to what we're doing: it's to the fact that we exist. When we yield territory, physical or ideological, the other side simply advances onto the ground we abandoned and keep pressing. they'll stop pressing when we stop abandoning – either because we don't exist or because we wake up.
As a federation employee, a rabbi who lived in Israel and whose father was involved in the creation of the global planning table, I can tell you this is grossly inaccurate. Whatever did happen, to claim that we are distancing ourselves from Israel is not only absurd, but deeply untrue and hurts our mission in supporting Israel. The following is the response from CEO Jerry Silverman and Chair of the Board Kathy Manning, and as an 'insider' I can tell you all of this is true.
Fred — We still haven't received confirmation or denial of the wording of the document in question. And we've asked many times. Instead of a yes/no response, we get a lot of copy on how the federations love Israel and spend a lot of money there, which was not contested in the article. In the end, the document is yet to be made public. Let's hope that out of sheer shame they will change the wording and drop in a couple of Zionist references, just to be yotze…
The following statement from Kathy Manning, Chair, and Jerry Silverman, President/CEO, of the Jewish Federations of North America, was provided to the Jewish Press earlier today:
Accusing JFNA and the Federations of moving away from Israel and a lack of commitment to Zionist ideals is absurd. Nothing could be further from the truth. The ongoing support of Israel is fundamental to Federations and to JFNA. Our system sends hundreds of millions of dollars each year to Israel to support the vulnerable, to assist in education programs, to help new immigrants, to assist in job and skills development, and to provide concrete expressions of solidarity during Israel's darkest hours. We connect American Jews to Israel and Israelis by supporting birthright and other youth and young adult programs, community and national missions to Israel, and innovative partnerships between our communities and Israeli communities. We are proud to be holding our 2013 General Assembly in Israel, where we will have an opportunity to highlight the important work we do with our partners in Israel.
Weasel words. You ignore the substance of the article. Why did you drop the word Zionism? What are you ashamed of? Who are you trying to ingratiate yourselves with? How many of your Federations financially support the anti-Semitic Media Matters? How much money to you give to support Jewish day schools? How much money do you get from running advertising for Christian day schools in your local newspapers? How do you permit BDS supporters to march in Israel Day parades? Real Jews know your agenda – same as the Hellenists, same as Korach. Save American Jewry by boycotting the Jewish communal establishment!
They will still hate us no matter how much you kiss their ass.
Not only must we NOT withdraw any support for Israel 's existence as a Jewish nation, we must NOT HAVE THE APPEARANCE of retreating from this position! Whether this move is trually a restreat or just looks like one, it is equally dangerous. Please reconsider!
Before G-d's people O Jerusalem.
right in your midst, within his habitation.
I shall fullfill my vows with jubilation.
shout Hallelujah, Zion praise His name.
And now let's see the contributions to the JFNA fall as a result.
What a telling photo, Susan Stern and Hillary Clinton. We have as much to fear from one as from the other. Common folks, it's time to defeat these left-wingers and Democrats.
The next move should be to take out the term jewish in their publications because it is too controversial