News

JFNA urges PM Netanyahu and others to halt conversion bill

 

July 16, 2010

The Jewish Federations of North America, with the Jewish Agency and other partners, are leading a concerted and high-profile advocacy campaign to stop a bill in the Knesset that could prevent some Diaspora Jews from gaining automatic Israeli citizenship as immigrants.

These efforts are the latest phase of an initiative that began this winter, when a Knesset member proposed revising the Law of Return. Though the change was initially aimed at giving local Israeli rabbis greater authority, it carried the potential effect of threatening to delegitimize those who converted to Judaism through the Conservative and Reform movements and preclude conferring citizenship under the Law of Return to those who did not qualify for such status on prior visits.

This Sunday, the Knesset member, David Rotem of the Yisrael Beitenu Party, advanced a newer version with stronger language giving the Orthodox-run Chief Rabbinate full control over conversions in Israel and urging that any convert “accepts the yoke of mitzvot according to halacha.”

The Knesset Law Committee on Sunday approved the bill on first reading, sending it to the full Knesset plenum, where it would require three readings and approval before becoming law.

On Sunday, The Jewish Federations of North America’s President and CEO Jerry Silverman, Senior Vice President Rebecca Caspi, and JAFI Chair Natan Sharansky, along with representatives of the liberal religious streams, began a major advocacy campaign to prevent the measure from advancing. JFNA is also urging Federations to appeal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the issue (see below).

This advocacy involves daily strategy meetings, attending the Knesset committee session, meeting with Knesset members including Rotem and speaking out publicly through Israeli and international media.

In addition, Silverman and JFNA Chair Kathy Manning, along with the JFNA Coordinating Council of professional and lay leaders, have sent Prime Minister Netanyahu two strongly worded letters urging him and members of his Likud Party to speak out publicly against the proposal.

Until now the prime minister has not done so, though he did reportedly tell The Jerusalem Post he thought the bill would not pass.

On Tuesday, Silverman, Caspi and the 125 members of the JFNA Campaign Chairs & Directors Mission now visiting Israel also met with Israel’s President, Shimon Peres, about this important issue. Peres called for greater dialogue on the proposed bill so that discussions embrace both Diaspora and Israeli Jews (click here for JFNA’s briefing with his remarks).

JFNA is also leading an e-mail effort among Federations and their partners urging Prime Minister Netanyahu to oppose the bill. To read more background on the conversion bill and to send Netanyahu a prepared letter (or edit the letter before sending), click here.

JFNA will continue to keep Federations informed about the conversion proposal as developments occur.

FEDERATION PARTNERS CARE FOR KYRGYZSTAN JEWS AS CRISIS ESCALATES

 

June 18, 2010

As ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan intensifies, Jewish Federation overseas partners are providing life-saving services to the local Jewish community.

 

The former Soviet republic is suffering its worst violence since 1990. The violence is largely focused in southern Kyrgyzstan, home to fewer than 70 Jews. Most of an estimated 1,300-1,500 Jews reside far away in the capital city of Bishkek. To date, no Jews have been harmed.

 

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee has expanded their vital services to local Jews throughout the conflict, including providing food and medicine for the elderly. When public transportation stalled, JDC homecare workers stayed alongside bedridden clients to ensure their survival.

 

JDC's long-term support for Jews in Kyrgyzstan includes the Hesed welfare center in Bishkek, which provides food, medicine and home care to the community. JDC also supports a Jewish library, a program for family education and Jewish renewal programs.

 

The Jewish Agency for Israel, with local coordination, has focused on Jewish education and aliyah. Next week, JAFI will welcome 13 Jewish immigrants from Bishkek to Israel. These olim will attend a welcoming ceremony at the JAFI Board of Governors Assembly on Monday. About 5,526 olim arrived in Israel from Kyrgyzstan since the beginning of the mass wave of Soviet aliyah.

 

The JAFI aliyah coordinator in Kyrgyzstan provides the Jewish community with information about Israel and JAFI absorption programs. Since the unrest erupted, several JAFI representatives have traveled to Kyrgyzstan to help. A JAFI Hebrew ulpan and Sunday school continue to operate in Bishkek and a summer camp will be opened in the Jewish school soon.

 

Pri Etz Chaim school in Bishkek is part of the ORT school network in the CIS and Baltic States, where students study Jewish and Israeli history, Hebrew and general studies.

 

The ORT school, which includes many children from mixed Muslim-Jewish homes, closed when anti-government protestors descended on the Kyrgyz capital in April. The school's 74 full-time students left minutes before shooting broke out nearby. The school has since reopened, with heavier security.

 

NCSJ: Advocates on behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States & Eurasia, a member of the National Federation/Agency Alliance, also continues to monitor and advocate on behalf of Jews in the region.

 

"We are so proud that our Federation partners help maintain a worldwide Jewish infrastructure, which not only meets pressing needs, but springs into action in these critical moments," said Jerry Silverman, President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America.

 

THE JEWISH FEDERATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA TO SPONSOR PBS MASTERPIECE CLASSIC'S DIARY OF ANNE FRANK

 

The Jewish Federations of North America is proud to announce our exclusive sponsorship of a new PBS Masterpiece Classic production of The Diary of Anne Frank.

 

The two-hour PBS show will be broadcast on April 11, 2010 (Holocaust Memorial Day). This production represents the most accurate adaptation ever made of one of the world's most widely read memoirs, drawing on Anne Frank's own words to a greater extent than any previous dramatization. The young actress Ellie Kendrick, who appeared in the recent Oscar-nominated film An Education, stars as Anne Frank.

 

We are honored to have the Federation movement participate in this opportunity to bring the compelling - and important- story of Anne Frank to young people across the country. Data suggests that many young people are unaware of even basic details about the Holocaust. A 2008 survey found that a quarter of American teenagers were unable to correctly identify Hitler.

 

"It is critical that we help educate a new generation about the horrors of the Holocaust - so that we never forget what happened," said Kathy Manning, Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Jewish Federations of North America. "This sponsorship also provides an excellent opportunity to promote the important work of our Federation movement to a significant audience."

 

A 15-second on-air spot for The Jewish Federations will appear at the beginning and end of the broadcast. The Jewish Federations will also receive an online credit on the Masterpiece homepage and on all pages of The Diary of Anne Frank Web site, which will house extensive information about the film and the diary, along with many related activities designed to engage diverse audiences in this material, while also introducing them to the Federation movement.

 

The film will be streamed online for 30 days following the broadcast, with our sponsorship credit accompanying the online version. We will also be credited as a sponsor in other promotional materials, including PBS e-alerts encouraging audiences to tune in, and a PBS Webinar, downloadable teaching guide and related materials for teachers.

 

Masterpiece Theater is broadcast across the United States on Sunday evenings at 9 p.m.

 

 

Jewish Federation of Palm Springs and Desert Area - Jan. 26, 2010

Celebration 2010 Major Gifts Dinner

 

Click here to see Palm Springs LIfe article and additional photos.

 

On January 26, the major donors of the Jewish Federation of Palm Springs and Desert Area came together for a fabulous evening of "Celebration 2010" at the Miramonte Resort in Indian Wells. Chaired by Nancy Ditlove and Sondi Green, attendees were applauded and celebrated for their ongoing generous support of the programs and projects of the Jewish Federation.

 

The Jewish Federation's new CEO, Bruce Landgarten, and his wife Carol Moses, were introduced. He assumed his position six days after the dinner, having come to the desert from the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation, where he was Director of the South Peninsula operation. Three musical acts entertained "Celebration 2010 "attendees, all of whom were prior participants in the "Open Call" at the McCallum Theater. Singers Sarah Green and Julie Rosser were accompanied by Linny Kammer Smith. The Yaghoubian Trio performed music on piano, violin and cello. Pianist Noah Yaghoubian is a past grand prize winner of "Open Call."

 

The Jewish Federation of Palm Springs and Desert Area, as the central communal organization for the Jewish population of the Coachella Valley, is dedicated to promoting the values and quality of Jewish life. It is committed to fostering the continuity of Jewish life and the unity of the Jewish people worldwide, the strengthening of the State of Israel, and helping of Jews in need wherever they reside.

 

Photography by Kiki Haynes

 

 

JDC Aids Victims of Earthquake in Haiti

The enormous humanitarian crisis brought on by the recent earthquake in Haiti has prompted a swift, multi-leveled response from JDC. As the official humanitarian assistance organization of the Jewish community and the Jewish Federations of North America, JDC and its partners are on the ground providing critical medical aid, equipment, and services to victims. In the long-term, JDC will work with the people of Haiti to restore infrastructure and rebuild their community life.

 

JDC's current efforts continue its long-standing commitment to being a source of non-secular, humanitarian assistance for victims of natural and man-made disasters, in the spirit of the Jewish principle of tikkun olam (repair the world).

 

Another Jewish value-that all Jews are responsible for one another-guides JDC's work on behalf of Jews at risk around the world. The start of 2010 brings with it a great urgency to this mission as the global economic downturn threatens vulnerable Jewish people everywhere. In the former Soviet Union, 168,000 elderly Jews depend on JDC for basic nutrition and medicine, but tens of thousands more need our assistance; and beyond the 25,000 impoverished Jewish children and their families we are reaching, an estimated 20,000 more are struggling in these trying times to make ends meet. In the Baltic states, thousands of Latvian, Estonian, and Lithuanian Jews who had strived successfully to achieve a middle-class lifestyle have been thrust back into poverty by lost jobs, homes, and savings. In Israel, the gap separating poor from wealthy is the largest of any country on Earth.

 

http://jdc.org/

 

 

 

UJC BECOMING "THE JEWISH FEDERATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA"

 

New Name and Logo for Stronger Alignment with Jewish Federations

 

Oct. 8, 2009

The United Jewish Communities (UJC) Board of Trustees on Tuesday unanimously approved a new name "The Jewish Federations of North America" and a new logo for the organization that represents 157 Jewish Federations and 400 independent Network Communities across the continent.

As part of an ongoing effort to create a stronger continental brand and market positioning for the Federation system, and based on market research, UJC is changing its name to align with and reflect the Jewish Federations’ naming.

 

The new name builds on strength of familiarity of local Jewish Federations, aligns with 90 percent of local Federations’ names, and reflects the best practices of other large federated non-profits.

 

The new logo was developed based on criteria presented at the June board meeting. Federations first endorsed the branding recommendation at the Federation Leadership Institute last January, when the market research results and branding strategy were unveiled to wide acclaim.

"Our new name makes a clear and bold statement that we embody the Jewish Federation system," said Jerry Silverman, President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America. “Further, this change enables us to work with our partners to create stronger positioning of the Jewish Federations for the future.”

 

The new logo of The Jewish Federations of North America "with a circular design and menorah" is a strong, innovative mark, rooted in Jewish tradition, signaling our centrality and stature, while being inviting and optimistic. Local Jewish Federations have embraced the need for greater consistency and many have volunteered to adopt the visual identity (e.g., logo) locally.  The logo will also be customized for use by our 400 Network Communities.

 

Nearly 20 Federations have already expressed their interest, and are looking to adopt the new logo in the coming months.

 

"Both our executive committee and our board responded very enthusiastically to both the logo and name change to give the Federation system a unified look,” said Susie Gelman, President of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.

Meanwhile, some Federations with strong local brand equity and recognition will have the option to consider an endorser application of the logo, which signals that a Federation is a member of The Jewish Federations of North America, communicating the importance of being part of the continental system and creating a common branding touch-point.  While several Large Federations are considering the endorser logo, The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore has volunteered to pilot the endorser logo.

"The Associated is proud to pilot the endorser logo and make a strong statement that we are part of a united Federated system, while protecting the equity of our name in our community," said Marc Terrill, President of The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore.

 

The new name and logo will begin to be rolled out publicly at the 2009 General Assembly (GA) Nov 8-10 in Washington, D.C.

For more information on branding, please contact Adam Smolyar, Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing & Communications.

 

 

Federation makes special allocation to FIND (Food in need of Distribution)

This past summer FIND (Food In Need of Distribution) suffered a terrible fire at their main headquarters in Cathedral City. The fire ripped through their administrative office and an area where dry foods are kept. FIND has been the recipient of an annual allocation in past years, but proving we help those in need a special allocation was offered to help FIND recover from this fire. Roberta Nyman, Federation President, announced at the September 2009 board meeting that they had given a special allocation of $1,000 to find to buy new computer server for their offices.

 

 

Please contact us with any news story’s you would like to share: jewishfederationps@jfedps.org