Ex-CEO of Birthright picks up red tape he warned of

The success of Birthright Israel - which has sent more than 200,000 Diaspora youths on free Israel trips to strengthen their Jewish identity - is rooted in its creation outside the Jewish organizational and governmental framework, asserts Shimshon Shoshani, the organization's founding CEO. "If you want to start an innovative project, it is better to stay out of the bureaucracies. Be it the government, the UJC [United Jewish Communities of North America] or the Jewish Agency - stay away from bureaucracy because internal politics will kill your project in six minutes."

Shoshani, who has twice served as director-general of the Education Ministry, made these comments shortly before accepting an offer by Gideon Sa'ar - the current education minister - to serve a third term. The government's cabinet is set this Sunday to confirm the 72-year old's return to government after a 13-year hiatus. "There is nothing more important for the nation than education," he told Anglo File upon his latest nomination, "and I was called to use my experience to help improve our education system. Let see if I'll succeed - if not, we're all in trouble."

Education and Israel-Diaspora relations have always been his focus, says Shoshani, who earlier this month received the Chaim Herzog Prize for his contributions to Israeli society. He says the highlights of his career include his innovations he made as a young education professional. Yet he is most proud of Birthright, which brought over 120,000 young Jewish adults to Israel during his ten years tenure.

Shoshani, who stepped down from Birthright in September, believes the program's existence is not threatened by the current economic depression. "All donors who are committed to Birthright will continue their full support, in spite of the crisis," he says. "If a donor believes in a cause and sees it as his priority, he or she will continue to support it. Quite the opposite: I see it growing through the help of new donors, as a younger generation of donors is coming in, a generation that understands the importance of the project."