"ILL-INFORMED AND MALICIOUS"

Today, after ejewishphilanthropy and Arutz Sheva  published op eds challenging the JFNA leaders' constantly evolving positions on "zionism," Ms. Manning and CEO Silverman published another of their own self-characterized "clear and consistent statements" on the subject in a nasty letter to "Dear Colleagues." In it, aside from the "usual," these leaders assert that "[T]he allegation that JFNA AND FEDERATIONS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM ZIONISM AND ISRAEL COULDN'T BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH." And, finally, after constant urging on these pages and from Federation leaders around the country, they stated: "ZIONISM IS A CORE VALUE OF JFNA AND FEDERATIONS." Kal ha'kavod.

So, how did this come about?  Thanks to the miracle of eavesdropping, I'm told the phone conversation went something like this:

"Jerry, this is Kathy. Now that reporter got space in Arutz Sheva and told the whole story; and then Dan Brown went after us in ejp on this Zionism thing. We have to end this now!!"

"Calm down, Kathy. We're on top of this -- this is no worse than when we were accused of using defective khaki at Dockers. First, we'll characterize Brown and that Reporter as 'bloggers' -- we won't even acknowledge 'em as responsible journalists -- that should help." "But, Jerry, they keep suggesting that I said what I said. We have to stop that."

A moment of silence. Then Manning: "I've got it. Why don't I say that the damn 'leakers' didn't hear me correctly. What I said was: 'I love Zionism. So let's move on to talk about something controversial!!' Yeah, that's it. No, too many people heard me."

"Wait a minute, I've got it, Kathy. We'll just say that there never was a meeting at all. It's all a figment of the imagination of those who are feeding this stuff to the evil Bloggers. No meeting -- no 'controversy,' no 'Zionism.' After all this was just a 'subcommittee about language for a subcommittee vision statement;' in reality it has no meaning so it didn't exist."

Manning: "...but what about the people who were there?" "Ahhh, that could be a problem."

"OK, let's put out another Briefing, we'll call everybody...everybody...ill-informed and malicious, and then we'll say we're Zionists and be done with it." "Do we have to?" "Yes."

Or, something like that.

Shabbat shalom.

Rwexler