STUFF

Not to be critical, but...

• In an otherwise excellent article on the new leadership at numerous legacy Jewish organizations, author Shalom Lipner, writing in Tablet, observed:

"JFNA, which represents 147 Jewish Federations and over 300 auxiliary communities across North America, is charged to 'raise and distribute more than $3 billion annually,' and is active in 'the fields of caregiving, aging, philanthropy, disability, foreign policy, homeland security and health care.'"

Well, if only it were so. The quote is merely further JFNA conflation of the epic fund raising done in the communities with the non-existent FRD done at JFNA (although $3 billion in annual distributions is a hyperbolic number itself. Inasmuch as the federations don't provide JFNA with the totality of their annual allocations, where that number even comes from!!) Certainly the federations are all engaged in the "fields" recited -- JFNA not so much.

JFNA has been living off this kind of confusion to elevate itself for at least the last decade. A few successes of its own might justify JFNA's continued existence...might.

• Meanwhile, a photo on Facebook revealed that, on the very cusp of his retirement, Jerry Silverman somehow showed up for the JFNA FRD Mission to Argentina and Uruguay. Eric Fingerhut, JFNA's new CEO was also in that photo. So, was this Mission participation a "going away gift" to Jerry? Wasn't a fully paid year as a lame duck CEO enough?

Rhetorical question.

• Speaking of the FRD Mission...JFNA released excellent fund raising results, sort of. $3,000,000 plus. But, then, $1 million in designated gifts. So was $2 million the amount raised for the annual campaign? And where were the $1 million designated to? We will never know.

• And, finally, my friends, a number of you sent me the video that accompanied Silverman's receipt of the highest honor a community professional might receive:      https://youtu.be/QRmGXzS9BMo

          No shame right up to the end.

Plus c'est la change...

Rwexler