Birthright needs communal funds - Haaretz

Subscribe to Print Edition

Thu., October 18, 2007 ,

Israel Time: 01:41 (EST+7)

web haaretz.com

Back to Homepage

Print Edition

Diplomacy

Defense

Arts & Leisure

Real Estate

Jewish World

National

Advertising

Magazine

Week's End

Business

Opinion

Rosner's Domain

Anglo File

Books

Travel

del.icio.us

Digg It! new

Birthright needs communal funds

By Charles R. Bronfman

The Jewish community - at least those in it who care deeply about its future - could stand to do some especially vigorous soul-searching this year. The results of a study commissioned by our foundation, Taglit-birthright Israel - "Beyond Distancing: Young Adult American Jews and Their Alienation from Israel" - on young American Jews' attitudes toward Israel, are disheartening. According to the study, these Jews, who represent American Judaism's prospects in the next generation, are growing increasingly alienated from Israel. They are less concerned with its welfare than previous generations and, unbelievably, less comfortable with the very idea of a Jewish state.

Fewer than half of American Jews under the age of 35 feel that Israel's destruction would be a "personal tragedy." Fewer than half! The results of the study are shocking, if not entirely surprising.

What's worse, we already know the answer to this quandary, but for some reason the organized Jewish community continues to pay it too little attention.

	Advertisement

The answer I refer to is Taglit-birthright Israel, the most successful identity-building program in the history of the Jewish community.

Since 2000, the program has brought 145,000 18- to 26-year-old Jews to Israel on free, 10-day trips and has demonstrated time and again its profound impact on the lives and identities of participants.

Indeed, the experience is often transformational: Research shows that an overwhelming number of participants return home to take on greater roles in their campus Hillels, enroll in Jewish studies courses and sign up for subsequent Israel trips and semesters abroad.

Others come back and decide to pursue careers in the Jewish community or to engage in Jewish life in traditional and non-traditional ways.

Several thousand have even moved to Israel from countries around the world. At a moment when Jews are intermarrying at an alarming rate and joining synagogues and other Jewish communal organizations at an alarmingly low rate, I don't think I exaggerate when I say that Taglit-birthright Israel could prove to be the best salve with regard to one of the pressing communal issues of our day: Jewish continuity.

We in the Jewish philanthropic community have taken this message to heart. In less than eight short years since launching Taglit-birthright Israel, private philanthropists have willingly funded the program to the tune of nearly $150 million. But because of the ever-growing popularity of the program, we can't go it alone. Many hundreds of parents and other concerned members of the Jewish community have recently followed suit by making contributions.

But the American Jewish community as a whole must be a full partner and reach deep into its pockets and match our financial commitment to stem the stampede of our children away from a Jewish connection.

The past four prime ministers of Israel understood this and provided the unprecedented leadership of full partnership. However, organizations like the Jewish Agency for Israel remain unwilling to lay out sufficient funds to accommodate all of the young Jews who wish to participate.

As our youth disengage from Israel before our eyes, it is shameful that the Jewish Agency would fund a paltry 6 percent of Taglit-birthright Israel's annual budget. And what of the United Jewish Communities? UJC also can only find enough cash in its coffers to fund just over 6 percent of the program's budget.

That figure represents less than 1 percent of UJC's entire budget for a program that has proved a consistent success, potentially altering the course of the American Jewish future. I ask this as a loving believer and supporter of this system, having been the first UJC chair. Recently, our foundation made grants to nine federations in the desire to bring federations and birthright closer. The grant is to hire additional staff to help local federations raise money for birthright. However, as the study demonstrates, time is not on our side.

And not only do these groups, and others like them, fail to give sufficiently to Taglit-birthright Israel, but they fall short when it comes to creating opportunities for program participants when they return.

The Israel trip is an unparalleled catalyst, to be sure. But in order to spark lifetime commitments to Israel and to Jewish peoplehood among young participants, it is equally important that there be ample follow-up options when they return home. The trip is the gateway to Jewish identity, but without reinforcement at home, we cannot ensure that the gate remains open.

With his typical combination of vision and practicality, Michael Steinhardt - my partner in co-founding birthright Israel - recently announced that he would be allocating millions of dollars to boost alumni programs. This is truly wonderful news. Yet I'm left wondering why follow-up should remain strictly in the domain of the philanthropists. Should we be left alone to both follow through and follow up?

Why shouldn't Jewish organizations that are funded and supported by members of the U.S. Jewish community be supporting these post-program efforts? Do these essential ends not justify the allocation of sufficient means? I hope and pray that the leaders of American Jewish organizations, and some of their Israeli counterparts, take a deep look within themselves and, like the philanthropists who fund Taglit-birthright Israel in all of its aspects, put their money where their mouths are.

Israeli military commanders are known for leading their troops into battle with the selfless cry "Acharai!" ("After me!") At this important juncture, I say to the leaders in the American Jewish organizational world, the time has come. "Acharai!"

Charles R. Bronfman is the chairman of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies.

Bookmark to del.icio.us


	Death's donation
	Israelis' willingness to donate their organs and save lives nears the bottom of the list.


	Fallen soldier
	20-year-old Ben Kubany was killed duriong an IDF action in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

Today Online


	Egypt accuses IDF troops of aiding arms smuggling into Gaza
	Responses: 141


	'Army does nothing to stop settler violence against Palestinians'
	Responses: 136


	Zionist rabbis agree to serve on independent conversion courts
	Responses: 57


	On Moscow visit, PM urges Putin to back new sanctions on Iran
	Responses: 150


	Israel Harel: Abbas will play the victim, and Israel will foot the bill
	Responses: 47


	Haaretz.com TV: Two Iraqi children undergo heart surgery in Israel
	Responses: 49

More Headlines
23:45 PM Olmert urges Putin to back new Iran sanctions


01:21 Bomb attack targeting Bhutto's caravan kills 108 in Pakistan


22:15 Winograd Committee to publish final war report by end of year


21:12 Top IDF officer censured over use of 'human shields' in Nablus


23:24 FM Tzipi Livni condemns Belarusian President's anti-Semitic remarks


22:32 Jordan's king voices support for upcoming regional peace meet


20:57 University professors to strike after talks with government fail


21:08 Arson suspected in string of forest fires in western Galilee


19:42 AG to comptroller: Allow cabinet to dismiss accountant general