Posts Tagged Education
A model for emulation
The thousands of new immigrants from the US, Canada and Britain that the Nefesh B’Nefesh is bringing in on 14 flights this year will join the 20,000 who have arrived from these countries since the organization was founded in 2002. Most of these immigrant have been absorbed here with great success, providing us with clear proof of this country’s ability to draw in Jews living in the heart of prosperous Western democracies.
These immigrants come from personal choice, not as persecuted refugees seeking asylum - as has been the case with many who have come here since the early days of Zionism and since the founding of the state. They bring with them an abundance of skills, knowledge and creative resources - three-quarters of them hold academic degrees - which will contribute to the well-being of the collective and soon provide benefits outstripping all the costs involved in their absorption.
They also remind us of a similar reserve that would add vitality and strength to our society and state: the tens of thousands of Jewish academics - many of whom are Israeli-born and outstanding graduates of Israeli universities - scattered throughout the world.
Their immigration or return home depends, in fact, on one question alone: Will employment to match their professional training and intellectual curiosity be found for them here? Such work would serve as an anchor for building their lives within our midst, with assured mutual benefits.
Ostensibly, this question can be disregarded - not solved - by dismissing those pampered young people as “conditional” Israelis. We could say to them something along the lines of: Don’t do us any favors, we’ll manage without you. Yet in reality what’s at stake is not their whims, but a pressing national need. The State of Israel needs a serious reinforcement of academic personnel. Without such reinforcement, we will find it very difficult to maintain our place in the “First World” of developed countries, whether in the basic existential sense, the economic sense and in all aspects related to quality of life.
That reinforcement is need in various financial institutions, including those whose luster has been dimmed temporarily by the global economic crisis. It also is clearly needed by the academic world, by institutions of research and higher education, which are from many standpoints the breeding ground of progress and culture.
IN RECENT YEARS, the higher education system has suffered a long line of cutbacks by the state budget. The economic crisis has lowered the scope of donations which had been just barely keeping the system head above water. The results are clearly noticeable. For example, while the state’s population has doubled since 1973, the number of university positions has dropped by 20 percent. Conversely, by 2019, 2,500 senior lecturers and teachers will retire, and little time remains to absorb their replacements. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that under these conditions, the academic world is unable to serve as the engine that propels Israeli society forward. At times, one fears that it may be derailed altogether.
To handle this predicament we must imitate the heartening aliya campaign of Nefesh B’Nefesh. Our academic world urgently needs the ongoing absorption of new forces on an annual scale of hundreds of people.
Such an effort has a clear price tag. Adding one academic position requires an investment ranging between $500,000-$1 million, mainly to ensure the position recipient’s ability to work. Such an effort requires a long-term plan, at least a five-year plan, as opposed to the usual Israeli tactics of improvisation and cutting corners. Such an effort requires close cooperation and real self-examination by all stakeholders - the government, research universities and all branches of industry.
Such an effort is not simple, but it is possible. Moreover, it is a national exigency.
The writer is president of Bar-Ilan University.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443756948&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
posted here by Moishe Alexander, CFC canadian funding corp CEO
Collective Action Can Make Every Philanthropic Dollar Effective
Let’s embrace the diversity of our interests and find ways to weave these various strands into a strong and rich tapestry.
In their editorial entitled “Charity begins with priorities” (April 14), the editors of The Jerusalem Post suggest that the current economic climate requires the “rich” in our community to set aside their “philanthropic dalliances” in favor of funding communal needs determined by “collective decision-making.” That certainly is one way to address the problem the Post describes as “too many organizations… and too much competition for resources” in American Jewish life.
Of course, what may appear to be a “dalliance” to one philanthropist may be a strategic focus of another. Rather than bemoan the breadth and depth of Jewish interests, Jewish expression and Jewish spirituality, those of us who care deeply about the future of the Jewish community should embrace the diversity of our interests and find ways to weave these various strands into a strong and rich tapestry. What is required to make that happen is collective action, not collective decision-making.
In Israel, as in the US and Canada, the newest organizations appearing on the scene, often with significant funding from previously untapped sources, represent a renewed spirit, energy and interest in Jewish life, all of which deserve to be nurtured rather than abandoned.
The key to success during the current economic climate is neither to spurn new ideas nor to continue to allow everyone to make Shabbat for themselves. Rather, we must allow those new ideas to take root in existing organizations while simultaneously encouraging those organizations to work together to eliminate unnecessary duplication and redundancies in the Jewish communal world. The time has come for us to take collective action to make sure that every philanthropic dollar is spent as efficiently and effectively as possible. Cooperation and collaboration are no longer sufficient by themselves; to borrow from Lee Iacocca, every responsible Jewish organization must lead, follow or get out of the way, either by closing their doors entirely or by finding ways to integrate their programs into stronger, more viable entities.
Pursuing such an approach will require all of us - foundations and service providers alike - to make painful choices and decisions. And while no one likes to admit or accept that a project or program to which they have committed time and/or money is failing to meet the mark, the current situation demands that we think anew about all of our activities and seize this opportunity to restructure our organizations and initiatives so they have the greatest chance to succeed in the future. As the world learned from Jack Welch, the legendary CEO and chairman of General Electric, selling or closing businesses in which you are less than No. 1 or No. 2 in the marketplace is a proven way to move from weakness to strength.
Fortunately, both private and public conversations about consolidation are beginning to take place in boardrooms throughout our community. For instance, Rabbi David Ellenson, president of the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, recently sent an open letter to faculty, students, alumni and friends of the HUC explaining the need to seriously consider consolidating its three stateside campuses (Cincinnati, Los Angeles and New York) into a new, more streamlined configuration, while still supporting its Jerusalem campus. Exploration of integrating the type of teacher training programs pioneered at CAJE (Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education) into JESNA (Jewish Education Service of North America) is ongoing, as are discussions between two of the leading organizations for Jewish teens: BBYO and PANIM.
Other, more private deliberations are also proceeding. But probably not enough.
For our community to realize the full benefit of greater collaboration and consolidation, bold action and visionary leadership will be required. And not only among our service providers; our philanthropists must also take a hard look at themselves. While the decision of Warren Buffet to leave his fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the most extreme example of funder collaboration, many other opportunities and vehicles for philanthropic partnerships exist and are deserving of serious consideration. Not only could the growth of funding collaboratives generate greater leverage and increase efficiencies, it would substantially reduce the reliance many organizations place on a single donor and, in turn, help them avoid the fate of groups adversely impacted by the Madoff-related collapse of high-profile and generous foundations such as Chais and Picower.
A shining example of how collective action can help our community is the impressive work of the Foundation for Jewish Camp. Under the able leadership of Jerry Silverman, the FJC is assisting individual camps while advocating for camping as a whole. Camps are improving and their numbers are growing because of the expertise the FJC is bringing to camping as a field. By establishing itself as a “center of excellence,” the FJC has positioned itself to be a critical resource for individual camps.
In partnership with several other foundations, we recently helped to launch a new American organization, Repair the World, in the hope that it will serve similar functions for program providers in the realm of Jewish service. And, in Israel, we hope the Haruv Institute will play a comparable role for organizations engaged in the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect.
Our community has long talked about greater cooperation and collaboration. Now, the time to act has arrived. Consolidation and collective action represent two approaches with the greatest potential to encourage Jewish life to flourish.
Sandy Cardin is president of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and Schusterman Foundation-Israel.
reviewed by Moishe Alexander, CFC CEO
http://ejewishphilanthropy.com/collective-action-can-make-every-philanthropic-dollar-effective/
Moishe Alexander Donates to Cheder Chabad
In 2008, Moishe Alexander donated $85,000.00 CDN to Cheder Chabad (http://www.chederchabad.com).
About Cheder Chabad:
The Shmuel Zahavy Cheder Chabad of Toronto is a school dedicated to raising Jews that care. Besides a comprehensive secular education, our students receive a thorough grounding in Torah scholarship and classic Jewish values. In the renowned spirit of Chabad - Lubavitch, this is enriched by Chassidic warmth, imbuing them with a deep sense of concern and responsibility for others. Our education equips them to grow up as proud, conscientious Jews, with the broad Torah knowledge and strong commitment necessary to develop into Jewish leaders of the future.