Center head Prof. Hillel Schmid welcomed the agreement. “It will create the infrastructure for joint studies and exchange of knowledge and experience in the area of philanthropy for the benefit of scholars, students, policy makers and practitioners who are interested in learning more about philanthropy and philanthropists from the international perspective,” he said.

The Center for the Study of Philanthropy in Israel was established at the Hebrew University’s Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare in 2006 in cooperation with the Israel-Joint Distribution Committee, in order to develop and promote basic and applied research knowledge on philanthropy in Israel and in Jewish communities around the world. The Center operates in cooperation with the Baerwald School’s Joseph Schwartz Graduate Program in Management of Community and Nonprofit Organizations; it is a member of the European Research Network on Philanthropy.

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Live from the URJ Biennial in Toronto!!!

We write this piece in Toronto while the Biennial of the Reform Movement, the largest Jewish gathering that this year is being hosted by the city’s gracious Jewish community, continues (although you will be reading this as we wing our way home).

With more than 3,700 registered attendees, the URJ Biennial has been a looked-forward-to event that always offers diverse educational and religious experiences. And 2009 is no exception, except . . .

1. as expected, attendance is down by about 25%. However, almost 500 of the affiliated 800 congregations have representatives, making this again an important opportunity to bring passionate Jews together to talk about common agendas;
2. the various sessions, which are somewhat reduced in number to reflect fewer attendees, seem to represent re-hashing of tried-and-true topics although there is a significant emphasis on “green topics” (not money, however);
3. there is little controversy, even though some tough topics are everywhere: inter-religious dialogue, dealing with interfaith issues, and environmental concerns all seem uppermost in some reasonably well-attended meetings.

We have talked informally with hundreds of people from across the globe attending the gathering. Universally, they are disappointed at the lowered attendance but happy they are re-uniting with leaders from other Reform congregations to share snippets about their successes since 2007, when the event was last held in San Diego. No doubt friendships grow and war-stories get shared. . . on podiums and in the hallways.

Perhaps the most important take-away message we have to offer from the convention applies to the work that we all do and it is a lesson that Biennial leaders need to ponder: how can we do the best job possible at engaging (and re-engaging) Jews in the Jewish world for Jewish causes? Too many folks here the past few days are asking if the captain of the Titanic was in charge of Biennial planning. (Hopefully not!) In its current format, is this a gathering that has the same meaning and value today that it is had since its earliest convening or has its raison d’etre changed?

As an example, only two educational sessions were held (reduced from 5 or 6 from previous Biennials) on fundraising; one would think that fundraising and related development issues would have been uppermost on the minds of Biennial planners, given that the worldwide recession impacted almost every congregation in the movement. Instead, two well-attended sessions focused on preparing for capital and endowment campaigns and reviewed important steps critical for dealing with fundraising in difficult economic times. Nothing on planned giving, creative ways to handle fundraising efforts, and other topics that related to how organizations should be talking about charitable support. Fear?

Perhaps the highlight for us relating to successful fundraising was the active canvassing of delegates by teenagers representing the Leo Baeck Day School in Toronto and asking for “toonies for togetherness,” building on the securing of the two-dollar Canadian coin. The teens’ collective passion and zeal clearly captivated many (including us) who reached into their pockets and responded with money. Remember the number fundraising rule: unless you ask you don’t get!

We did feel a tangible and cautious note of optimism . . . that the environment for synagogue life in North America and concomitant philanthropic support are evolving from total despair into a more positive outlook.

One other lesson to carry for others: more than 700 locals served on the host committee and were everywhere in the vast expanses of the Convention Center, guiding, chatting, and representing Toronto’s Jewish community. Similarly, success in campaigns (and volunteer life) today requires drawing on willing volunteers.

Final question: The URJ Biennial concluded on Sunday, on the heels of the General Assembly of the Jewish federations, the second largest Jewish event in North America. How could calendars collide like this and be so blatantly conflicting? If ever we were to heed one of the important messages from the URJ Biennial regarding a new/better spirit of organizational cooperation, communication and mutual support is the value of working together better and in sharing information. Transparency is the critical word today and so is cooperation. Hopefully, we, in the Jewish community, will value these ideas and implement better systems going forward to foster an integrating of ideas and lessons learned for all to benefit.

Robert I. Evans, Managing Director, and Avrum D. Lapin, Director, are principals of The EHL Consulting Group, of suburban Philadelphia, and are frequent contributors to eJewishhilanthropy.com.

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[part 1 of a conversation with Jerry Silverman and Kathy Manning]

This afternoon, in Washington, D.C., The Jewish Federations of North America (formerly UJC) will open their annual General Assembly (GA). The world has seen significant change since the organization adjourned in Jerusalem one year ago: both Israel and the U.S. have elected new leaders; while the financial meltdown was underway we did not yet know of the damage inflicted on the Jewish world by Madoff’s sins; and in Israel, daily barrages from the Gaza Strip had not yet caused the latest war to erupt.

Much has also changed at The Jewish Federations since last November: as a result of further budget cuts, the organization again cut the professional staff and to reduce expenses relocated their offices to lower Manhattan. Partly due to limited resources, the organization initiated “user-generated” program ideas for this GA; a branding initiative led to a name change; and most significantly new leadership – both lay and professional – sits at the top.

On the eve of this event, eJewish Philanthropy sat with both Jerry Silverman, the Federation’s newly appointed CEO, and Kathy Manning, who will be installed as the new board chair during the GA, for an extensive and free-wheeling discussion on their vision for The Jewish Federations.

The conversation was refreshing and enlightening – and for the first time in a long time, we began to hear leadership speaking not only of the future, but how to take The Jewish Federations forward.

In explaining the need to deliver both content and results, Silverman, who spent much of his professional career in the apparel industry, focused on how to “get aisle” – in other words, those prime locations in a retail store with the highest visibility, craved by every vendor. He continued, for both “content and product drive sustainability.” We have a “remarkable content story on how federations have led through these common times” that is not out there. He went on to further discuss the past year, citing examples where the leadership of the various federations was primarily focused on doing – supporting their own communities. Through numerous initiatives, local communities have met many challenges; across the board, volunteers have stepped up in making – and enacting- decisions. But, that JFNA as an organization “can do a much better job sharing the stories taking place on the ground”.

Zeroing in on what is likely to be a core theme as The Jewish Federations look ahead, we discussed the concept of community. Most important, that it is not geographic and how critical it is “to drive the issues of the Jewish future”. As we look to Israel, Silverman spoke of the “strength of an umbilical cord [that] has not diminished – but challenges have come up.” I heard from both leaders on the work of partnership communities and the need for them to continue to grow; on building missions, a prime vehicle for connecting to communities on the ground. And what I am sure is music to the ears of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), a ringing endorsement by Kathy Manning, “an extraordinary organization that has done extraordinary things for the Jewish people and the State of Israel.”

Coming back to the concept of collective, Silverman indicates the question is

“how to enhance… how to drive momentum as a collective… how it gets unpacked is the challenging work we have to do together.”

And with this GA, the work formally begins.

[The discussion continues with part 2, Manning and Silverman on Leadership and the New Generation].

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Change is in the air at 25 Broadway and across the landscape of The Jewish Federations of North America. In every conversation with senior leadership, you can sense an organization in motion. It’s as if someone yelled “fire” in a crowded theater. The recognition that you not only need to move, but time is not on your side.

As this GA opens, many challenges exist. While it appears the U.S. is emerging from the recent recession, the road upwards will have many pitfalls and the journey will not happen overnight. But just like with the economy, JFNA appears to be positioning itself to not only move forward, but to occupy the mantle of the pre-eminent Jewish organization on the North American landscape.

One of those challenges is creating a team of lay leaders that can face the future, threats and all, that can assist JFNA’s professional staff in moving forward. In our conversation, Kathy Manning – current chair of the executive and about to be installed board chair – lays out a three point plan for enhancing lay leadership:

• great people are already involved on the local level – we need to develop ways to involve them nationally in a productive way;
• there are a wealth of seasoned leaders around our communal world waiting to be asked to return and share their knowledge; and
• most important there are younger people waiting to be involved.

Individuals from all of the above are involved in their local federations. They have a unique understanding of their own communities and the different dynamics that exist. They need to have a valued say in agenda.

And, a conversation on the future of The Jewish Federations is not possible without a serious discussion on the needs of young Jews and the relevance of the Jewish federation world to them. This is, perhaps, the biggest single challenge to be faced over the next several years. Not only by the federation system, but by most other organizations on our global communal landscape.

Silverman points out there are “robust and vital programs going on in communities across the country” singling out both Gesher City (Boston) and the Council of Young Jewish Presidents (New York) as examples. He considers these, and others, compelling programs, creating positive movement. But he also believes “there is significantly more opportunity. We need to begin a joint dialogue of learning; we need to invite into the tent and co-learn with each other.”

I’ve heard this before; it was a constant theme at the Nashville GA in 2007 that pretty much has rung hollow the past two years. But today, it sounds different. The words are spoken with a passion that comes only from understanding. Not solely from obligation. Perhaps, in Silverman’s case, it is his recent experience as head of the Foundation for Jewish Camp, where he was continually exposed to our future leaders and has a clear understanding of what The Jewish Federations must accomplish to keep this younger demographic in their tent.

In closing, I asked Silverman to imagine the time is a year later – the eve of the 2010 GA in Orlando. He is preparing his plenary presentation and needs to sum up the past twelve months. This is what he said:

“The Jewish Federations of North America have made significant strides in earning the respect and trust of the various federations and our key partners through our actions and the results we delivered.”

Manning and Silverman have together, as a team, set themselves a pretty high bar for the next twelve months. After my two hours of conversation, I wouldn’t hesitate to place a bet on their success.

[In case you missed part 1, here's a link to A Conversation With Kathy Manning and Jerry Silverman].

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With the opening of the Federations of North America GA 2009 later today in Washington, D.C., and the introduction of the organizations’ new CEO and the organizations’ new incoming Board Chair, this essay is a reminder to all of us of not only what we need, and expect, from our leaders, but of the strength we as a community derive from those who lead us.

What Do We Need from Our Leaders?
Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld

Let me begin by stating the obvious. When we speak of leaders, we are speaking about human beings. This is a self-evident but elusive fact of life; we know it and yet we consistently expect or imagine our leaders to be superhuman, and we are disappointed when they are not.

It is natural, when discussing leadership, to focus on what makes leaders exceptional. I want to begin our discussion of leadership, instead, by focusing on the shared humanity of those who assume leadership in a given situation, and those who are looking to others to provide leadership.

Why is this important as a starting place for our conversation about leadership?

Because it reminds us of what leaders can and cannot offer.

Leaders cannot offer perfect guidance, certainty, or control. As human beings, we must stand humbly before the mystery of life and of death. We cannot anticipate the future, of course; but more than that, we cannot even hope to grasp the full meaning of what has passed, or to understand the infinite complexity of the moment in which we live. These are aspects of the human condition that we all share, though we experience and respond to them in different ways. To make matters worse, we are each uniquely imperfect vessels, limited and flawed in our own particular ways. Our effectiveness as leaders depends, to a great extent, on our capacity to see, understand and respond compassionately to our own limitations and the limitations of others.

What, then, can a good leader offer? Leaders can help awaken, respond to and give direction to the basic human need for meaning and connection. There are questions that beckon to each of us throughout our lives. Who am I? To whom am I responsible (or, who do I love?) What is my purpose? At times, we are prepared to face these questions; at other times, for one reason or another, we may flee from them. But, for those who wish to engage in authentic and effective leadership – particularly religious leadership – the willingness to hear and respond to these questions with an open heart is essential. By asking these questions, not just once but repeatedly, at critical junctures in our lives, we enhance our capacity to act with integrity and to effect positive change in the world and in the lives of those around us. We also invite others – through our example and influence – to engage in their own process of purposeful reflection and action.

This is what I have come to understand as the essence of good leadership. Ultimately, a leader is defined not by the exceptional qualities that she may exhibit, but by the positive qualities and actions that she inspires in others. A brilliant artist may be unappreciated during her lifetime, and only later recognized as a creative genius. But the standard by which a leader’s success must be measured is, by definition, relational. What matters most about a leader is what she brings out in others. The greatest leaders are not those who wield the most power, or even those who demonstrate the most impressive talents, but those who are able to elicit and inspire the very best in others.

Two models of leadership take shape in the early chapters of the biblical Exodus narrative. Pharaoh represents one model: absolute in its assertion of power, breath-taking in its arrogance, life-denying in its rejection of all paradox and ambiguity. Moses represents a radically different model: a model founded on humility, interdependence, ambiguity, and an affirmation of the sanctity of human life.

Moses owed his life to Pharaoh’s daughter, who – with courage and compassion – saw the Hebrew child and “drew him forth” out of the waters of the Nile River. “She [Pharaoh’s daughter] named him Moshe, explaining, ‘I drew him forth’ from the water.” [Exodus 2:10] It is this act that constitutes one of the most important elements of true leadership – the act of seeing another and “drawing him forth” so that he can not only live but give new life. It is this act that gives Moses his name, and it is this act that ultimately defines his life’s work: to bring the people out of slavery not only in order to survive, but to serve and contribute to a greater purpose.

We are living in a historical moment of increasing scarcity and decreasing communal resources, but our human resources are as abundant as they have ever been – that is, endlessly abundant. The Jewish community can no longer afford to squander the enormous talent, creativity, and diversity that exists among us.

When I think about what it means for a leader to have vision, I think about two things: Can you see beyond what is to what might be, and can you see the person standing right in front of you? We need leaders with this kind of double vision. We need leaders who can see what each person has to offer and can help “draw them forth”, inspiring them to become creative contributors to the Jewish people and to the world.

Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld has been Dean of the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College since 2006. Prior to assuming this position, she served as an adjunct faculty member at the Rabbinical School and then as Dean of Students. She graduated from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1990, and subsequently spent 15 years working in pluralistic settings as a Hillel rabbi at Tufts, Yale and Harvard. She has been a summer faculty member for the Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel since 1993. She is the co-editor of two volumes of women’s writings on Passover, The Women’s Seder Sourcebook and The Women’s Passover Companion.

eJewish Philanthropy thanks the Samuel Bronfman Foundation for allowing us to reprint Rabbi Anisfeld’s essay.

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State of the Nation by Natasha Mozgovaya

America’s Jewish community is changing: Rabbi Julie Schonfeld became the first female executive vice president of the Rabbinical Assembly of Conservative Judaism, 23 years after the first woman was ordained in the movement, and LGBT Jewish faith communities have gained legitimacy. Changes will definitely be felt at the GA, too: Kathy Manning, chair of the UJC’s executive committee, is expected to be approved as chair of the UJC Board of Trustees – the first woman to take that role. This year the Israeli-Russian businessman, Leonid Nevzlin, will be co-chair of the GA. The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington organized an event for GA delegates starring Elliott Yamin, an “American Idol” finalist.

This year, the biggest domestic concern for the community remains the economic crisis. UJC raises about $3 billion a year, and this year… “some campaigns are definitely behind pace; the average donation is down about 4.5 percent. But there are still some bright spots: It didn’t affect every federation, and some federations reacted with very creative programs to deal with crises, job training services, counseling, food programs, financial planning – things that are helping people deal with the down economy. And there is some good news: Endowments, or foundations overseen by the federation, are considered to be the fastest-growing sector of the philanthropic economy.”

The new partner by Anshel Pfeffer

Since the establishment of Israel, North American Jewish leadership has taken its position as Israel’s senior partner in the Diaspora for granted. Its community was the largest in the world, it gave the most money, and it enjoyed a unique position of influence in the corridors of Congress and in the White House. There were occasional challenges to its primacy. When Pierre Besnainou was president of the European Jewish Congress, he tried to chart an independent course from the American-dominated World Jewish Congress and even managed to oppose the opening in France of branches of powerful organizations such as AIPAC and ADL, but French Jewry was never going to have the clout to rival that of the Americans.

On paper, the communities of the former Soviet Union also lack either the numbers or the necessary organization to pose a threat to American dominancy of the Diaspora. But they do have singular advantages. While the number of Jews still living in Russia and its former satellite states is estimated at anywhere between one and two million, many of the two and a half million Jews who emigrated over the last two decades still retain close contacts with their homeland and in many cases identify more with other Russian-speakers than with co-religionists in their new countries. With major presences in Israel, the United States, Canada and Germany, they have become a global community. This has enabled them to a great extent to play the Jewish political game at a different level.

The Russians are coming – for real by Raphael Ahren

One panel planned for this year’s UJC General Assembly, in Washington, D.C., is titled “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming … Wait, They’re Here!” That begs the questions: Are they really? Where are they hiding? Russian Jews have changed the face of every society they immigrated to in significant numbers, like Israel and Germany. Yet they seem to be utterly absent from the higher echelons of the Jewish community in America.

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from Haaretz:

A musical tribute to the Australian philanthropist Richard Pratt

It may have been cold and rainy outside, but inside Jaffa’s Nalaga’at Center, a heartwarming ceremony was taking place. Friends, family and donation recipients gathered on Friday to commemorate Australian Jewish philanthropist Richard Pratt.

Through his foundation, Pratt funded 350 projects in Israel ranging from education to integration to culture to health. He died of cancer six months ago.

“Whenever you have the chance to sing a song, stand up and take it,” Pratt used to say. He was a passionate singer himself and even embarked on a stage career before returning to work for his father’s company.

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White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel will address the GA in his place.

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JCC president: Diaspora groups must reform to weather storm

The organized Jewish community in the Diaspora must make critical structural changes in order to make it through the current economic crisis, Allan Finkelstein, president of the Jewish Community Centers Association of North America, told The Jerusalem Post…

Finkelstein presented his blueprint for the organized Jewish world Wednesday at the Global Conference of the World Confederation of Jewish Community Centers taking place in Israel. He warned that 2010 would be a tougher year financially for the organized Jewish world than 2009, but said that the new reality engendered by the economic crisis would hopefully be a better one.

Among the suggestions made by Finkelstein, who will also present his ideas Sunday at the United Jewish Communities’ (UJC) annual General Assembly in Washington, are for Jewish institutions to pool resources and streamline their services, as well as to rethink the current organizational norms that dominate the Jewish world.

“During the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, the Jewish community was focused on building institutions and placed less emphasis on building communities,” stated Finkelstein. “We did nothing to sustain those institutions except to rely on [financial support from] the Federation system. When the economic crisis hit, people suddenly realized they could no longer maintain what they had created.

“We need to change the rules of engagement. I think the Jewish community, particularly in North America, has operated under certain unwritten rules that are no longer relevant or that simply don’t work anymore.”

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The plan projects cumulative structural changes of $7 million by FY 2014 in relation to a budget of $40 million in FY 2008 with no deficit by FY 2012.

Additional plan highlights include:

• Enhanced cooperation with partner academic institutions for opportunities for increased efficiency and economy;
• A synergized relationship between the College-Institute and the Union for Reform Judaism, with the aspiration of joining forces in a shared Center for Reform Judaism in New York; and
• Restructuring of non-core real estate holdings.

Seems to us, there are many more questions than answers from this meeting.

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