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Follow Us on TwitterPro-Israel efforts on US campuses have failed, Jewish Agency fundraiser says 18Aug13 August 18, 2013
by Philip Weiss - MONDOWEISS - 17 August 2013
This is an important measure of the desperation of Israel supporters in the face of the next generation’s attitudes. Josh Nathan-Kazis has a report in the Forward that with the blessing of Netanyahu the Jewish Agency for Israel plans to spend up to $300 million a year on a new p.r. campaign for Israel, principally in the United States, basically because the current efforts aren’t working. Note that the campuses are the crux of this– “The bottom line is, it’s clear it hasn’t worked,” says the Jewish Agency fundraiser– and that the Hillel director seems to think students will be won over by a program funded in part by the Israeli government. Jeez.
Nathan-Kazis:
A Jewish Agency for Israel plan currently in development would combine donor dollars from the United States with Israeli government funds to create what is likely the most expensive pro-Israel campaign ever….
As described by [Jewish Agency fundraiser in the US] Misha Galperin, the plan would take a portion of the contributions made by American Jews to Jewish federations and send the funds to the Israel-based Jewish Agency, where they would be combined with government funds and sent back to the Diaspora for pro-Israel programming.
The program would dwarf earlier pro-Israel efforts like the Israel Action Network, created by major Jewish institutions based in the United States with a $6 million commitment over three years….
Another pool of funds would be used to bolster immigration to Israel among young Jewish professionals. Other money would be used to support Israel education in Diaspora Jewish communities and to send Israelis to Jewish institutions outside Israel. Finally, some funds would be used for pro-Israel programming on campuses…
Galperin believes that current Jewish organizational activities on U.S. campuses are failing. “The bottom line is, it’s clear it hasn’t worked,” Galperin said. “It hasn’t gotten us over the hump…. The issue is the scope, the scale, and to make sure whatever is being done really has measurable impact.”..
[Hillel's Ellen] Goldstein said that she is not concerned about potential objections to pro-Israel programming on campuses in the United States being funded directly by the Israeli government.
Thank You.
