REALLY??

 One of you, clearly an Angeleno, wrote the following endorsement of the selection of Julie Platt as incoming JFNA National Campaign Chair as a Comment to my most recent Post:

"Best possible choice! Already a success leading national livesecure campaign to assist federations with their growing security needs. LA once out of the national picture now leads the way. Maybe a post about why how you think this dramatic change(sic) happened?"

Let's not get carried away. (For example, when the Chicago Jewish community led the way in programming for domestic security, I don't remember the cracking sound of arms breaking from patting ourselves on the back. But...that was then and this is...)

I recall when I was a young lay leader in Chicago, I would commute to work with my dear friend, the late Joel Shinsky, our federation's campaign director. Early on in each Campaign, I would read the federation weekly/monthly data from UJA and harass Joel: "LA data are showing huge annual campaign increases -- 25-30% -- and we're mired at 4%. What's our problem and what's their secret?" Joel,  dragging on his perpetual cigarette, would calmly reply: "Patience. We have no problem and their 'secret" is they are making these numbers up." 

And, yes, year after year, at campaign's-end, Chicago's numbers were up; LA's flat or down. Eventually, as the system did away with the UJA, so too did the weekly/monthly data disappear. Don't confuse us with the facts 

I take pride in the fact that I can claim friendship of a sort, albeit fleeting, with a succession of Los Angeles Federation professionals and professional leaders: Feinstein, Fishel, Sanderson, among them. I grew to understand the challenges they and their leadership faced, daily and annually, and the strengths it took to leading let alone succeeding under these circumstances.

When I served UJA and the  system in the mid-90's as National Campaign Chair, I convened a meeting with the heads of the religious streams to see how we might help them. With the leadership of the great Rabbi Richard Hirsch, who would become my dear friend, weembarked on a quiet, special campaign to raise funds for stream projects in Israel. I called on the best fund raiser I knew or know -- an Angeleno. The evening of the appointment, I received a call from the LA CEO: "Call of your guy, he's destroying our campaign (he wasn't); he's killing my biggest donors." (he wasn't) The Campaign was a success; I attended the groundbreaking ceremonies for mutiple facilities. LA donors made an impact; the community didn't directly participate.

When JFNA kicked off, Los Angeles engaged two of its lay leaders to serve on the Budget Committee. As I sat with them at meetings, these fellows told me that they were appointed to vote down the Budget -- and they dutifully cast no votes time and again. In addition, the community wasn't paying its Dues; further protests? Perhaps. After all, LA leaders pushed hard to reduce the overseas allocations and some of its leaders publicly derided the Jewish Agency.

I'll end this brief history when Richard Sandler became JFNA Chair after LA cut a deal on its JFNA Dues. A charming and very smart lawyer, a serious Jew, Richard was a person who strongly believed in some basic unsupportable and unsupported "truths" -- e.g., total, unquestioning support of the CEO. These beliefs made the job so simple. Richard's beliefs became JFNA Torah. Valid or not. Over the decades the LA Federation has yet to fulfill its promise. It continues, at a time of great and growing needs, to underperform as a fund raising body while...here is how one Commentator put it

"I enjoy reading your blog and seldom comment, but anon 11:15 inspired me to do so. LA leading the way?? Let’s be honest. I live up the road and know the real story. Federations used to, some still can claim, to be central to Jewish life in their respective cities. LA can claim some good work, but they are not central or a critical player. Federation was also a magnet for the leaders in philanthropy. LA can claim some good, caring people but far from the powerhouse influencers who should be around the table in that resource reach city. The components which comprise meaningful, influential Federations are absent in LA. LA leading the way? If that Federation is one to aspire, the JFNA needs to hire more consultants to teach what it means to be a community organization of reach, depth and quality. 

A prior post of yours spoke to lay and professional leaders and qualifications. Federation leaders should possess an eclectic range of skills and experiences. Those skills and experiences are nurtured over time. People gravitate to what they know. Jerry Silverman was a marketing retailer so you got “ish” and Tribefest. Richard Sandler, good guy and fabulous Jew, admitted that he knew very little about Federation when taking on a National role. And, it showed. The national system was rudderless. Jay Sanderson comes from Jewish media and promotions. So, you got what you asked for. And, now this powerhouse Federation will be led by another good individual with zero experience in the real work of Federation. It doesn’t do any good for LA, the JFNA system or the poor guy who is being thrown into the deep end of the pool."

 

Richard, you often speak of the good old days. The good old days were not as good as you claim. However, those days stood for something. Fluff was not a go to."

 Well said.

Rwexler