G-d, I love the leaders of JFNA. They can't even get their story straight on something as simple as voting aye or nay on the admission of J-Street to membership in the Council of Presidents. While other "organizations" have registered their votes and now are demanding "reforms" in the Conference "processes," our dear friends at JFNA can't even decide (a) how they voted and (b) whether to tell their own constituency.
Follow the latest travesty: the vote took place, J-Street couldn't even muster a simple majority for admission let alone the extraordinary majority required; though JFNA went through no governance process in determining how it would or would not vote, it refused to disclose how it voted; The Forward's J.J. Goldberg arrived at the conclusion that JFNA abstained through a mathematical process of elimination (he knew the pro-admission votes and from there...JFNA abstained); a few days later a source advised and The Forward published, in its May 9 print edition, that JFNA had, in fact, voted "aye;" and thereafter The Forward redacted Nathan Guttman's story on-line and deleted all references to JFNA's vote.
And, here we are: JFNA, with no governance process, determined to vote on J-Street's admission*, but is so ashamed of its vote won't reveal it. Reminds me of the Gore-Bush election where 2500 Floridians in Dade County voted for Pat Buchanan because they were confused. Hanging chads, anyone??
Makes one proud, doesn't it?
Rwexler
* I am still wagering that JFNA abstained
You have written about the need at JFNA for "adult supervision" -- instead maybe they should just allow the TribeFest crowd to vote on matters such as these. Come to think of it, maybe they did.
ReplyDeleteRichie, You probably will disagree but this episode is just further proof of the disregard by federations, including my own, of actions (or non-actions) of JFNA that don't appear to directly affect us. Why should we care about JFNA's disregard of its own governance, we're not affected is the attitude. JFNA is so irrelevant to the federations it's so easy to ignore what it does or doesn't do. As long as our Lions have their conferences, our Young Leaders are off doing nothing and the people at 25 Broadway stay out of our way we'll swallow hard and pay our Dues and ignore the total circus, as you describe, that the national organization has become.
ReplyDeleteWe pay our Dues like we pay the gas bill and until someone really important from a really important community complains about the cost, the millions wasted on this non-entity, we'll just close our eyes to the catastrophe, keep paying and hope it all just goes away soon.
The intersting question is what is the one obvious benefit of membership that compelled JFNA to join the Conference after 40 years of staying away?
ReplyDeleteThe intersting question is what is the one obvious benefit of membership that compelled JFNA to join the Conference after 40 years of staying away?
ReplyDeleteIf you are correct and JFNA has not been a Conference member until most recently (my recollection is different, then the only "benefit" would have been to the person who ran for Chair of the Conference, lost and is no doubt running again -- Ms. Manning. And the Dues JFNA pays would no doubt exceed $100,000.
ReplyDeleteMalcolm wanted Jimmy and Kathy wants Malcolm.
ReplyDeleteCan't you people just leave bad enough alone. JFNA wants this to just go away and you are blowing their cover-up.
ReplyDeleteI have learned, as I recalled, JFNA has been a member of the Conference of Presidents for a long time.
ReplyDelete