Despite the corona plague and the crisis in the communities, the Jewish federations raised more than planned in 2020 for the State of Israel and the Jewish communities around the world
Jerusalem
Photography:
Reuters
The year 2020 was dramatic and difficult all over the world, and the expectation was that donations from Jewish organizations in North America would drop significantly, mainly because the communities themselves had to deal with extraordinary difficulties.
But the opposite is true: in 2020, there was an increase in donations to Israel and Jewish communities around the world by Jews in the United States, relative to the goal they set for themselves as every year.
In a letter sent by the chairman of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) Mark Wilf to heads of federations across the United States and Canada, Wilf revealed that the organization's fundraising for Israel and international activity (outside North America) went beyond what was planned.
The target set by the JFNA at the end of 2019 was $ 72 million (for the benefit of the Jewish Agency), but the amount raised is close to $ 73 million, a year of very severe crises, especially in the Jewish community following the Corona crisis.
The same goes for other organizations such as the JDC and Global ORT.
"'All Israel guarantees each other' is perhaps the most common saying in our work in the Jewish federations of North America," Wilf wrote, noting: "At the heart of our Jewish communities is our commitment to support the State of Israel and Jews around the world."
Historically, the three bodies supported by the Jewish federations are the Jewish Agency for Israel, the JDC and the World ORT.
"The funds that the Jewish federations in North America have allocated to these partners year after year have enabled them to do important work in protecting Jews around the world, caring for the needy in Jewish communities and connecting our communities - especially our children and young adults - to each other and of course to Israel."
He further revealed that in the fall of 2019, the Jewish federations set a fundraising target for 2020, of $ 72 million for the core activity of the Jewish Agency and $ 29 million for the core activity of the JDC.
"But it turned out that by 2020 we were facing unprecedented new needs in our local communities in North America following the Corona virus. At the same time, the epidemic significantly disrupted campaign schedules and events. Nevertheless, we realized that our brothers and sisters around the world also suffer from this crisis. We can shirk our responsibility to help them as well. "
"With great pride I say that not only did we meet our goal - we exceeded it! Our federation and network communities raised $ 72.8 million for the Jewish Agency and $ 29.9 million for the JDC in 2020. In addition, ORT Global will receive an allocation of $ 1.9 million, which also exceeded The target set. "
In practice, these funds helped, among other things, the Jewish Agency to establish a security fund for the Jewish communities in Europe and South America that were severely affected by the plague, and faced increasing antisemitic violence.
The JDC offered life-saving humanitarian assistance to the poor and elderly in hundreds of destinations, and in Israel the JDC provided assistance to Israelis from vulnerable sections of the population, the unemployed and more.
For the Israel Today project - "Judaism in the Shadow of the Corona" - Wilf told in real time in August about the philanthropic spirit.
"During the plague, we are once again witnessing the power of the collective that has always promoted us as a people. We are an unstoppable force in the world. Israel is the heart and soul of our community."
The current data are particularly interesting in light of the attempts that are currently being made to change the mechanisms of communication between philanthropists and the government and among themselves, as part of the desire to grow a long-term partnership between Israel and the Jewish world.
Some of the question marks for the future in relation to philanthropy directed at Jewish and Israeli goals relate to assessments, according to which foundations and philanthropists will focus their investments on fewer goals and increase collaborations.
The Organization of Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) represents 146 Jewish federations and over 300 independent Jewish communities and is the largest Jewish organization in the United States and Canada.
The JFNA organization aims to work for the well-being and prosperity of the global Jewish community.
The organization represents all local federations and even provides independent Jewish federations and communities with a wide range of services designed to strengthen them and enable collective activity at the continental (North American) and international levels.
