A new Jerusalem and Babylon - Haaretz

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Wed., November 07, 2007 Cheshvan 26, 5768

Israel Time: 18:08 (EST+7)

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Last update - 10:21 02/11/2007

A new Jerusalem and Babylon

By Haaretz Editorial

tags: philanthropy, Diaspora

The relations between Israel and the the world's Jews, especially those in the United States, have always been fraught with hypocrisy. While everyone has been careful to pay lip service to Israeli democracy and its citizens' exclusive right to determine their fate, Jewish tycoons have known how to translate the millions they donate into influence and esteem.

The state, which managed to absorb millions of Jews and build a flourishing economy, continued its small-town mentality of kowtowing to the masters from overseas. The national institutions set up to prepare the future state's infrastructure - the Jewish Agency, Jewish National Fund, United Israel Appeal and World Zionist Organization - continued to be run as a hub of Israeli political interests combined with trips abroad to flatter philanthropists.

All Zionist parties are to blame for the present situation. They ceded control of national institutions to political interests and second or third-rate politicians who couldn't get elected to parliament.

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A serious and open debate on the necessity and role of these bodies is long overdue. Why do we need an inflated, discriminatory organization like the JNF while forestry, environmental development and managing state lands should be the government's responsibility?

The Jewish Agency has succeeded in renovating itself in recent years by streamlining and focusing on domestic social projects, Jewish education in the Diaspora and fostering an affinity to Israel not merely for aliyah. But the JA will not be able to find a new purpose as long as it is dominated by narrow political interests and the whims of Jewish millionaires abroad.

The threat by a group of prominent donors to halt funds unless the Jewish Agency cuts itself off from the WZO - a blatant and patronizing demand as it may be - could accelerate a very necessary debate. The donors reflect the growing tendency among the large contributors to focus on visible results rather than perks.

When donors funnel millions to the United Jewish Communities, and on to the Jewish Agency, it helps them to rub elbows with the state's leaders. However, many are aware that to make any real difference, they must donate to independent groups like Taglit-birthright or Nefesh B'Nefesh. These are the ones who run the focused projects with Zionist goals.

In a way they are resorting to the methods of the great philanthropists Moshe Montefiori and Baron de Rothschild. Instead of sending money that would have barely sufficed for the Jews here to lead a meager existence, they came here and set up factories to enable independent community life. The difference is that while those two came to a wasteland, Israel today is a sovereign state.

The attempt to create an open, creative Jewish world modeled after Jerusalem and Babylon - activity centers that fertilize each other - will not work as long as the ties between Israel and the Diaspora are fixed in redundant obsolete patterns.

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1.	AIPAC + Co. don`t rule the world, they only "rule" Israel.......	11:31	\|	Swiss (Dino)	02/11/07

2.	incoherent	11:59	\|	mark	02/11/07

3.	only scratching the surface	12:05	\|	henry	02/11/07

4.	israel is a trust for all jews so what is your query/	12:34	\|	victor hardman	02/11/07

5.	MOCKING G-D AND HIS WORD ??	12:51	\|	Bill	02/11/07

6.	this article is so wrong	12:53	\|	sweis Melbourne	02/11/07

7.	Israel is a vassal of the UN	12:55	\|	Herbert Kaine	02/11/07

8.	Israel is a vassal of the UN	12:55	\|	Herbert Kaine	02/11/07

9.	If this shitty country is a trust of all Jews...then	12:57	\|	Jew	02/11/07

10.	#9very punny! god is helping judaism !	13:23	\|	victor hardman	02/11/07

11.	Does Israel represent the Jewish religion?	13:53	\|	POP	02/11/07

12.	SERIOUS Factual Errors in this article.	14:27	\|	V.Oterigger	02/11/07

13.	This Article Doesn`t Tell The Whole Story	15:04	\|	Yosemite	02/11/07

14.	Jerusalem and Babylon	15:06	\|	Goldie Klugman	02/11/07

15.	Alright someone fess up	15:14	\|	Jacob Blues	02/11/07

16.	Ah Ha! It`s a conspiracy I tell you!!!	15:16	\|	Jacob Blues	02/11/07

17.	#10 the Nazis also viewed the Third Reich as	15:21	\|	True Jew	02/11/07

18.	11 POP (people of Palestine) - Islam does	15:25	\|	17	02/11/07

19.	#11 POP: Israel represents G-D´s will	15:26	\|	Alicia	02/11/07

20.	It`s totally hypocritical	15:27	\|	Rowan Berkeley	02/11/07

21.	So, just refuse the money	15:32	\|	Mark Lincoln	02/11/07

22.	NEIGHTER ISRAEL IS JEWISH NOR THE MUSLIM COUNTRIES ISLAM !	15:40	\|	Atilla	02/11/07

23.	#21 So refuse the money.. Tell the Jihadists	16:34	\|	Petra	02/11/07

24.	Swiss (Dino) - any proof for your claim?	16:41	\|	CK Tan	02/11/07

25.	American Jews "ruling" over Israels (foreign) policy.....	17:05	\|	Swiss (Dino)	02/11/07

26.	To Jew #9 - Who the hell do you think you are??	17:12	\|	B`Galil	02/11/07

27.	Walt & Mearsheimer right	17:21	\|	W	02/11/07

28.	Swiss and Aipac	17:21	\|	Danite	02/11/07

29.	Israel is a country now get it??	17:28	\|	Danite	02/11/07

30.	POP is dana	17:29	\|	Danite	02/11/07

31.	It gets better, next week, Ha`Aretz editorial will state	17:53	\|	Jacob Blues	02/11/07

32.	#20 berk and the blowing ash tree!	18:08	\|	victor hardman	02/11/07

33.	DINO - I am lost,please help	18:47	\|	17	02/11/07

34.	Bull	18:49	\|	Yechiel Cohen	02/11/07

35.	# 33 17	19:12	\|	Swiss (Dino)	02/11/07

36.	JNF and the Jewish Agency are not needed anymore	19:19	\|	Shoshana Thomasson	02/11/07

37.	Why?	19:58	\|	Colin Wright	02/11/07

38.	Jewish Agency - Political Hacks	20:09	\|	Jay	02/11/07

39.	# 24 CK Tan	20:21	\|	Swiss (Dino)	02/11/07

40.	a "wasteland"? more racist Israeli garbage	20:26	\|	peacelover	02/11/07

41.	To Mark Lincoln from Huston	20:33	\|	Shoshana Thomasson	02/11/07

42.	Mocking God and his word #5Bill	20:48	\|	Sharonelle	02/11/07

43.	Haaretz crosses line from self-hatred to Jew-hatred	21:32	\|	Jake	02/11/07

44.	Danite re: Swiss	21:32	\|	CHGODMK	02/11/07

45.	Sharonelle - you are so right	21:50	\|	17	02/11/07

46.	17True Jew, are you Moslem?	22:07	\|	Rob	02/11/07

47.	So the JNF is DISCRIMINATORY ... that says it all	23:16	\|	sk	02/11/07

48.	# 28 Danite (2nd try)	23:19	\|	Swiss (Dino)	02/11/07

49.	#42 SHARONELLE	23:25	\|	Bill	02/11/07

50.	40"peacelover"s More Antisemitic Garbage flung at Haaretz	23:29	\|	Rob	02/11/07

51.	Shoshanah Thomasson	23:58	\|	Mark Lincoln	02/11/07

52.	Israeli mentality	00:50	\|	Nathaniel	03/11/07

53.	Swiss dino , thats my point	01:20	\|	Danite	03/11/07

54.	Jerusalem - New York	01:31	\|	Jason Alster	03/11/07

55.	Haaret, I believe I agree with you	01:50	\|	Dutch	03/11/07

56.	To Mark Lincoln Houston Texas	01:55	\|	Shoshana Thomasson	03/11/07

57.	My children	03:00	\|	Gordon	03/11/07

58.	excellent editorial	05:13	\|	Smadar	03/11/07

59.	Shoshana - in the real world nothing	05:56	\|	Mark Lincoln	03/11/07

60.	Jewish Donations and American Aid	07:30	\|	Cynic #2	03/11/07

61.	# 10 how would YOU know, victor?	07:42	\|	eric	03/11/07

62.	Almost always "strings attached"	07:54	\|	a wandering Jew	03/11/07

63.	# 23 to petra	08:10	\|	eric	03/11/07

64.	# 5 jeesh bill!	08:34	\|	eric	03/11/07

65.	Haaretz editorials only exist to demonize israel and jews	10:06	\|	Steve Randolph	03/11/07

66.	So the elders in America are to blame?	11:31	\|	Seth J. Frantzman	03/11/07

67.	wandering Jew of Stockholm, Sweden	11:38	\|	Shoshana Thomasson	03/11/07

68.	silly editor	11:46	\|	harzion	03/11/07

69.	Haaretz wiping up the rear	12:26	\|	FOX	03/11/07

70.	internationalism	12:36	\|	chazok	03/11/07

71.	Dutch	12:36	\|	Shoshana Thomasson	03/11/07

72.	Fox, You have it all wrong what Haaretz is saying ....	13:40	\|	Dutch	03/11/07

73.	US Jewish Community is an Abstacle to Peace	13:44	\|	El-Birawi	03/11/07

74.	Israel is a colony because of the Left	14:36	\|	Frank	03/11/07

75.	#72 doris distorts history as usual	15:06	\|	victor hardman	03/11/07

76.	#61eric get out from under your apache blanket and visit	15:20	\|	victor hardman	03/11/07

77.	$jewish=US and European TAXPAYER ROBBERY	15:58	\|	nobodysacred	03/11/07

78.	Strings on every big gift	17:40	\|	Miransky	03/11/07

79.	CHGODMK	17:43	\|	Danite	03/11/07

80.	to Miransky # 78	18:54	\|	Judah N. Wenkel	03/11/07

81.	US/Israeli Relations	20:14	\|	Bob Smith	03/11/07

82.	El-Birawi - the American Jewish community	20:40	\|	Mark Lincoln	03/11/07

83.	A new way to mislead the readers	20:44	\|	Morgan H	03/11/07

84.	#23 Petra	21:32	\|	Chris Linthwaite	03/11/07

85.	Very similar to the anti-Zionist religious Jews` situation	21:49	\|	Yaakov K.	03/11/07

86.	Shoshana Thomasson , Re old enemies	22:49	\|	Dutch	03/11/07

87.	# 84 : Chris Linthwaite- Interesting argument	22:55	\|	17	03/11/07

88.	nobodysacred - DREAM ON....	22:58	\|	17	03/11/07

89.	El-Birawi	01:47	\|	Tess	04/11/07

90.	Dutch 86	01:48	\|	Shoshana Thomasson	04/11/07

91.	cowtowing to foreign jews	03:55	\|	labron k shuman	04/11/07

92.	#62 Eric - How would you know, hidden in NM	04:00	\|	* BEN JABO	04/11/07

93.	#67 Shoshana Thomasson	04:03	\|	* BEN JABO	04/11/07

94.	#63, eric...	05:48	\|	Silvienne	04/11/07

95.	#60, Cynic #2...good post! and the answer is...	05:49	\|	Silvienne	04/11/07

96.	AMEN!!!!!!!!!! ANI MASKEEMA!!!	06:16	\|	HESED	04/11/07

97.	# 92 and you ben jabo? you do not believe in "allah"?	06:31	\|	eric	04/11/07

98.	El Jabo USA	08:36	\|	Shoshana Thomasson	04/11/07

99.	Who wrote this hate based shit?	08:48	\|	the 3rd floor	04/11/07

100.	#97 Eric	16:06	\|	* BEN JABO	04/11/07

101.	#98 Sushi Thomasson	16:10	\|	* BEN JABO	04/11/07

102.	#94 Silvienne - Congratulations	16:18	\|	* BEN JABO	04/11/07

103.	#90, Shoshana Thomasson...	06:31	\|	Silvienne	05/11/07

104.	#103 Silvienne	08:13	\|	* BEN JABO	05/11/07

105.	#103 Silvienne , on the wall	19:33	\|	Dutch	05/11/07

106.	The Wall...	20:30	\|	Silvienne	05/11/07

107.	#103-2 Silvienne - Did you notice today`s story	21:06	\|	* BEN JABO	05/11/07

108.	#103-2 Silvienne - I forgot to tell you	02:34	\|	* BEN JABO	06/11/07

109.	# 100 unlike you ben, i`m still in the field...	23:55	\|	eric	06/11/07

110.	#109, eric...	02:18	\|	Silvienne	07/11/07

111.	#109 Eric	03:18	\|	* BEN JABO	07/11/07

112.	#108, Ben Jabo, what`s this with leaving the door open?	05:07	\|	Silvienne	07/11/07

113.	#112 Silvienne - Open doors	17:34	\|	* BEN JABO	07/11/07

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