Comments on UJ Thee and Me: UJC-ISRAEL -- THE MOUSE THAT ROARED

I have to tell you the Israel (NGOs) side of the U...

2009-11-10T10:19:41.265-06:00

I have to tell you the Israel (NGOs) side of the UJC-Israel office.
We considered it extra bureaucracy, more red tape, and less efficiency.
They offered no professional support beyond that which was already given by other bodies (Shatil/NIF, JDC, JAFI, etc.).
There was no true concentration of efforts (getting NGOs to work together, maybe create fewer NGOs where there were too many, for instance).
The Nachman Shai figurehead may have been a good idea for speeches, but not for actions. NONE of the projects run by UJC-Israel managed to have an impact on the government, aside from its brushing off responsibility, such as with the ENP. In that case, Nachman Shai got everyone to one table but then made no follow up on the round table decisions for three years.

While I have friends in the UJC-Israel office, I hope that a reorganization knows how to either utilize their true talents, make a real change here in Israel, or allocate the monies to a body that does.

Sorry I am so harsh, I hope no one is directly offended.
Joe

having listened to Jerry Silverman at the GA it so...

2009-11-10T08:46:32.063-06:00

having listened to Jerry Silverman at the GA it sounds like we are in for yet another "reinvention". His touting of Les Wexner, "what got us here won't get us there" could either be a critique of the last 5 years or a disdain for the past 60... this jury of one is still out.

There never was a Global Operations. The name its...

2009-11-09T21:26:18.720-06:00

There never was a Global Operations. The name itself is a pretentious pig in lipstick. There is no Center for Jewish Philanthropy. Just ask Morris Offit - he had no desire to lend his name to a fraud.