Wednesday, August 26, 2015

THE GA PRONOUNCED DEAD; AWAITING BURIAL

Like so many of you I enjoyed the General Assemblies -- I attended every one of them over 35 consecutive years. I received my community's Young Leadership Award at one; and I accepted the Sapir Award on behalf of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago at another. I even Chaired one (not a particularly inspiring one BTW). They used to be exciting events -- many of us remember the "Young Turks" uprising at one, where a new generation of leaders demanded and received their place at the decision-making table and all of us who were there will always remember the GA where the plans for the incredible Rally for Soviet Jewry was framed just weeks before it took place. These were just two of the seminal moments for our system, our federations, that took place right there, at a GA. We were energized by them; challenged by them; angered by them -- they were events both exciting and sometimes thrilling. They were never boring.

Now, during our time, we have watched as the GA has, like JFNA itself, withered and died. The GAs have become the Potemkin Villages of Jewish organizational life, full of surface, cliche and "Jerry-speak," signifying nothing of substance behind them. Why else would the most recent GAs attract more flies than lay registrants. Do we really continue to need an annual conclave merely to bring Federation CEOs and staff together with fewer and fewer lay leaders each and every year? This year, in addition to the Prime Minister's commitment to speak at the GA, the GA "headliners" appear to be fundraising "guru" Dan Pallotta, Hollywood/Broadway B-teamer Debra Messing (whom I and too few others enjoyed in the failed TV show "Smash." But, come on -- this is a "draw?"), former NBC newsman David Gregory and Dennis Ross, now out of the Administration, once again a "friend" of the federations, as he becomes every few years. And, assorted others. 

Has it really been a great "new" idea to make Washington the apparent "permanent home" for this desultory meeting? (Other than JFNA staffer with GA responsibility Renee Rothstein's familiarity with D.C. "events" from her days with AIPAC?) (I seem to recall that over a decade and one-half ago JFNA abandoned the incredibly successful and exciting bi-annual Young Leadership Cabinet Washington Conferences because "Washington is so played out;" yet, here we are.) In this iteration of JFNA, a "big idea" is just to throw money (ours) at failure -- so, another $500,000 is included in this year's annual budget to be thrown at the GA for no known purposes and no questions asked. Maybe JFNA will just use the money to pay people to attend.

Now we have been told that the 2015 GA has been "redesigned" to "focus on fund raising." Nice. No FRD staff but a "refocus" of the GA. WTF?? If one looks at the GA Program on-line, it's truly hard to determine exactly what the "focus" of this GA is. Most recently, JFNA seems to be suggesting that "focus" will be the shake-out from the Iran Deal controversy -- I'm guessing...not. The tagline for this GA is "Think Forward" perhaps that should be followed with the real theme: "Act Backward."

Aren't we all sick of watching JFNA use the GAs merely to create new cliches as a substitute for substance? Last year and this, the GA was and is to be a place for Fedovation. As it turned out, Fedovation was nothing more than the explication of federation "best practices" -- a good idea but nothing more than evidence that JFNA leaders seemed not to comprehend that they should have been distributing "best practices" throughout the system every day from braishit. And, they still don't get it, do they? They think that creating a fenced-in area is a "backyard" for the discussion of...what, exactly?...is an appropriate substitute for thought, for exciting programming. 

The GA has died, with JFNA's so-called "leaders," lay and professional alike performing the last rites. The sad fact: the GA is dead and no one even notices.

Rwexler








20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let's face facts. JFNA should immediately substitute a new Co_Chair for Alan Solow who disgraced himself with his inflammatory and shameful rhetoric about Jewish communal leaders in an Op-Ed in JTA on the Iran Deal. The GA is in enough trouble without adding this guy as a Co-Chair.

Anonymous said...

JFed......8/27/15.......News Flash
in a bold and dramatic move, JFNA leadership has announced a major initiative to drive participation to DC in November. The General Assembly has now achieved that fresh face which all have been craving. JFood.....food trucks representing cuisine from around the world will be positioned around and throughout the GA venue...foodies will come in droves to explore the beauty of Jewishly prepared delights...perhaps you can visit the VIVaMiami truck featuring cuban sandwiches topped with hummus or the CincyYiddishaSkyline truck with its Chili dogs garnished with fresh cannabis grown in the Galilee or ZaftigKCbbq truck offering lean kosher meats piled high between two crisp pieces of matzvah......"what fun!" reports JFNA's VP of Fun Renee Rothstein. At this same press conference, Gerrald Silverman, JFNA Top Chef, announced the inaugural Essengodol Award for the top prize. Gerrald exclaiming "we're back in business"!!

Anonymous said...

How about Boston Barry's ice cream truck - any flavor you want as long as it's BS approved. Or the LA burger, voted best in the west 11-7. Lastly, the SF eatery, where the chef changes every half hour.

Anonymous said...

fabulous idea!! I think we're onto something. The kishka burger sponsored by the Heart of New Jersey Federation with their slogan "If it doesn't kill you, are meetings will".

Anonymous said...

Wow. A lot of mean-spirited comments today. Way to go.

Anonymous said...

I think mean-spirited comments is the point here everyday, frankly.

Anonymous said...

better we laugh at the circus rather than cry!

Anonymous said...

Richard, Don't let Anonymous "mean-spirited" (and diid that person just Comment on his own Comment) deter you from informing us, as you do in every Post, of that which we should know but otherwise don't. Many of those who Comment offer, as you do, constructive criticism and positive programs that leaders of JFNA might consider if they weren't distracted by their own agendas or if they weren't aspiring to climb up the ladder often over the bodies of others. We need someone like you who sees the JFNA of today for what it is...without purpose.

Anonymous said...

So URJ and AIPAC run incredibly successful annual/biennial confabs, yet JFNA has dribble. It seems that the GA needs a major reset.

Anonymous said...

With all the problems facing a shrinking Reform movement, and a national organization with its own significant fundraising challenges, the URJ has one thing JFNA hasn't seen in over a decade: a committed national lay community! As for AIPAC, that's their bread and butter.

As long as JFNA continues to do NOTHING and stand for NOTHING, even Super Renee will never create a meaningful, successful GA.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "THE GA PRONOUNCED DEAD; AWAITING BURIAL":

AIPAC's "incredibly successful" confab is just numbers. Let's be honest here. Are we looking at quality or quantity?

Anonymous said...

This last Anonymous should have come with a #inane. JFNA's version of the GA is about "quality?" Really. Is that why, as you reported Richard, last year's produced 713 full paid, non-pro registrants. JFNA should only have 1/3 the numbers of AIPAC's -- JFNA's quest for "numbers" has led them to lie about theirs -- 3,000 each and every year. Right!!

Anonymous said...

Other than pushing talented professionals out, destroying JFNA as a functioning leader in FRD and "convening" conference calls, delegating activities like professional education and making GAs meaningless, just what has this Silverman accomplished beyond getting a contract extension? P.S. That's rhetoriclal.

Anonymous said...

Silverman's other accomplishments include:

#ish
Jewish Community Heroes Award
TribeFest


Anonymous said...

And a sustained GPT that lasted over 5 years.

Duddy Trump said...

Jerry is YUUUGE! He knows how to negotiate a great deal for himself. And dance, have you seen him dance? The silent majority of Jews love him, he never asks them for money, and he loves the Jews. AIPAC is my second favorite conference. You know what's my favorite conference - THE GA - nothing beats the GA! But Wexler and his crew, bunch of losers - we should send them back where they came from, Poland, Russia, Chicago wherever, though I'm sure some of them are good people.

Anonymous said...

The truth is that Richard speaks the truth. We are indeed losers - we are losing the battle!
We need to listen carefully to Richard and start doing something about it before we lose the war.
Since when is speaking the truth mean-spirited?
It has become a desperate attempt to create an uprising - a call to arms to save ourselves from the awful results of our own miguided and mismanaged merger. We simply cannot go on this way!

Anonymous said...

I agree with there last Anon about Richard -- he's irreplaceable. We miss him as a leader and need him as an inspiration to be the best we can be. I also agree that the GA is dead. My only disagreement is that it died about the time that JFNA began wholly inflating the attendance numbers if not before.

paul jeser said...

One of the most memorable and influential GA presentations, given by Rabbi Irving 'Yitz' Greenberg at the 1977 GA, was titled THE NEED TO REMEMBER - page 10 - http://rabbiirvinggreenberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Perspectives-on-the-Holocaust.pdf

Presentations by Yitz, David Hartman z'l, Leibel Fein z'l, and others of their caliber inspired and brought the Federation system together.

Nothing like that today.

RWEX said...

To the last Anonymous who wished to pick a fight with Paul Jeser -- I have rejected your Comment. Sorry.