1. They still call the GA "the most important gathering of American Jewish leaders." It's not any longer...but it could be once again. Has anyone shown the Chairs, Siegal and Feinberg, the Report prepared, delivered and almost implemented until Kanfer, Manning and Rieger shelved it. Maybe CEO Jerry can find it (if he can't, someone tell him to call me [he never reads this]) and, if so, send it to his Chairs.
2. Then, there's stuff like this:
"JFNA Poll: We're seeing some pretty amazing specialty challot around the internet these days. Will you be doing anything unusually sweet for your Rosh Hashanah Challah? Salted caramel apple? Dates or figs? Truffled honey swirl?"
Yes, friends, this is exactly what some professionals (who knows how many) at JFNA are wasting their time and your money, conjuring. Even earlier, after another FOB looked at this latest inanity, he noted that "after 4 plus years they have 6,916 likes. Compare that to JNF 34,000, JAFI 30,000 English only, Project Heart 11,000." I don't know what a "like" is, but JFNA hasn't got almost any -- and, who knows, of a paltry 6,916, how many are directed by JFNA senior professionals to sign on. And, still, there are those at JFNA who believe that this waste has value -- probably written by the same professionals assigned to find and publioize those inane "65 reasons to attend the 2013 GA."
3. "We are independent and unaffiliated, just like you." This may not be a bad come-on if you are not a featured speaker at the JFNA Young Leadership Cabinet Retreat, as the Rabbinic leader, founder and Executive Director of a web-based organization called PunkTorah. Yeah, makes you wonder "what's with these people?" Where is the pride in exactly the opposite of the message of the JFNA-selected speaker to the Cabinet Retreat -- that's right, pride in affiliation? We are so lost in the maze that JFNA has created, finding our way out isn't even on the JFNA agenda.
These are but three of many examples....too many. At JFNA the belief is that if "we cool" then we don't have to "be good." And, they aren't even "cool," are they? Let's face it, over the last few years, to paraphrase a great creative force in our culture, we have seen our system move from the "existential" to the sadly "ironic" -- from the era when we asked "should JFNA exist and how?" to today when the question has become "who cares?"
Rwexler
3. "We are independent and unaffiliated, just like you." This may not be a bad come-on if you are not a featured speaker at the JFNA Young Leadership Cabinet Retreat, as the Rabbinic leader, founder and Executive Director of a web-based organization called PunkTorah. Yeah, makes you wonder "what's with these people?" Where is the pride in exactly the opposite of the message of the JFNA-selected speaker to the Cabinet Retreat -- that's right, pride in affiliation? We are so lost in the maze that JFNA has created, finding our way out isn't even on the JFNA agenda.
These are but three of many examples....too many. At JFNA the belief is that if "we cool" then we don't have to "be good." And, they aren't even "cool," are they? Let's face it, over the last few years, to paraphrase a great creative force in our culture, we have seen our system move from the "existential" to the sadly "ironic" -- from the era when we asked "should JFNA exist and how?" to today when the question has become "who cares?"
Rwexler
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5 comments:
If the Pew study asked who cares the answer would be what's a JFNA?
The ONLY ones who care are the employees, the over-paid consultants and the handful of beneficiaries JFNA still supports. As for the rest of us, the question is not who cares but why care?
Re the GA: The issue, of course, is not whether a 10 year old report is read but the essential message of that report. The GA (and by clear implication it's national organization) must be a reflection of the issues agenda of it's member organizations and it's core market is therefore the senior lay and professional leaders and it's global partners. The conference advances, celebrates and elucidates that which is happening on the local federation scene and collectively on a larger world stage. If Federations, JAFI and JDC are relevant and cutting edge so too would the GA be relevant and cutting edge.
It's time to put Jerry on double, secret probation!
I heard they are changing their name to J Fing A !
These are but a few of the pieces of evidence that JFNA has totally lost its way, if it ever had a way.
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