Turning crisis into opportunity

It's undoubtedly true that the current financial crisis is hitting the Jewish world hard, but it just might offer a great opportunity for reshaping the relationship between donors and recipients.Let me offer three personal experiences that I see as emblematic of what Jewish organizations are going through.

Next week, the European Jewish Congress will hold a presidential election. Roger Cukierman, the former president of CRIF, French Jewry's representative body, has challenged the current president, Russian-born Moshe Kantor. Cukierman might not be the revolutionary leader that world Jewry seeks in these murky times, but he is a decent man by all standards, entirely devoted to his fellow Jews. But one of Cukierman's people told me last week that when they called on European community leaders to ask for their support, the general response they received has been in the following vein: "We feel closer to Cukierman, but at the end of the day, the question is who has deeper pockets. Kantor proved that he has got very deep pockets. You know, we are in dire financial straits ..."

A few weeks earlier, I attended the 4th Limmud Conference in Istanbul, where 1,200 people gathered to learn and share their ideas about the future of their community. One evening, at a meeting with some of them, I listened to a discussion about the financial hardship facing the local Jewish day school, renowned for its quality and vitality. A generous American supporter of the school had recently reported that he was not renewing his multi-million dollar pledge, asserting his belief that long-term support for the school should come from local Jews. The announcement could not have come at a worse time, with donations within the community shrinking, as donors are caught in the claws of the financial monster.

A week later, on my way to a conference in England, I read the London Jewish Chronicle of November 14, whose front page boasted a headline reading, "Cash Crisis Rocks Chabad." Chabad, as we all were subsequently reminded, in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, is an empire, with 4,000 emissaries worldwide, 3,300 community centers spread throughout 70 countries, and 129 schools in benefactor Lev Leviev's Or Avner network. According to the report, Leviev is the problem: "The world's biggest Jewish outreach group faces a cash crisis fueled by fears that its biggest donor, billionaire diamond mogul Lev Leviev, may slash funding due to his own financial difficulties."

These are but three examples among thousands of how the crisis is striking at Jewish organized life. None of this is exactly surprising. A group of humans linked globally is fated to be affected by a global financial crisis. I would propose, however, that we ask ourselves how we managed to respond so well to the challenges of the past.

One of the strengths of the post-war Jewish world has been its ability to harness critical philanthropic resources to respond to crises and to recognize that sometimes a crisis can be an opportunity. Our proudest moments were when we rallied to rescue Ethiopian Jews, or reached out to Jews left impoverished by the collapse of the USSR, let alone the most dramatic case, when Jews worldwide channeled critical donations to the new State of Israel in its early decades. All of these efforts were funded by precious Jewish philanthropy.

Today's challenges may be different, but they are no less critical to our prospects of surviving and thriving. There are Jews in poverty and distress in scores of communities around the world. Israel's many vulnerable citizens continue to strive to be integrated in a growing and prospering society. And Jews globally still need transformative community experiences - educational, cultural and spiritual - to ensure the next generation's connection to Jewish life.

The financial crisis should be a time for Jewish communal institutions to be increasing their activities, not cutting back. Let's not forget that after the tragedy of the Holocaust, when so much had to be reconstructed on the ruins of European Jewry, when so many members of world Jewry were but refugees on the march, there was little money, but plenty of commitment and a lot of vision.

Here are three principles that served us well in the past, and that could help the Jewish world get over this crisis: For one, collective Jewish responsibility is global, not local. We should remember that each of us is committed to helping those who are far away as well as nearby. Second, we must coordinate so that resources go to where they are most critically needed. Today's Jewish philanthropy is more complex than ever. However, resource decisions must not be made arbitrarily but by shared wisdom and shared action. Ultimately, coordination can reduce dependence on individual donors. Finally, even in a time of crisis we should not only act in the interest of those who are needy - the hungry, the vulnerable - but also continue to invest in our community's future, for example in schools and Jewish community centers.

Major donors are not going to stop giving, but they will give less. And as the basket shrinks, organizations will be left fighting for a diminished pool. This challenge should be seen as an opportunity for Jewish institutions to reform their programs and renew their vision, as they focus on what is the most important and relevant. The three principles can help us all achieve this.

A century ago, during the heroic days of the Galilee colony of Sejera, a group of workers came to David Ben-Gurion to demand bread. "Bread, I have not," was reportedly Ben-Gurion's answer, "but I have a dream." Ben-Gurion was a practical man and a dreamer. We are tested more than ever in times of crises. Let us rise to the test with Ben-Gurion's leadership in our mind.

Claude Kandiyoti is a Brussels-based entrepreneur and the publisher of Contact J, a monthly of the Belgian Jewish community.