I am a dinosaur. I admit it. I consider my status self-evident; I wear that status on my sleeve with pride. I believe in the ideal; I believe that our organizations should have standards and maintain them. And I observe with great disappointment as our Continental organization, the dismal JFNA, has essentially lowered the bar as to all things that are within the definition, or at least what was the definition, of "leadership."
Recent "appointments" to leadership of critical JFNA constituencies have contributed to my strong sense of angst. I won't name names and, certainly, constituencies are entitled to select their own leaders...but, c'mon now. And I am certain that the chosen leaders for the two most critical constituencies are wonderful women and men, truly committed Jews...but, really.
JFNA ought to just state explicitly and on the record that "we just don't care about allocations any more" -- in fact, its leaders have demonstrably not cared for a decade. When your most major constituencies' leaders come from communities whose allocations are an insult to the core concept of collective responsibility, these appointments demean the organization on whose leaderships councils they will now serve.
What these appointments mean is that women and men from communities which represent the lowest common denominators of our system have reached the highest levels of leadership of JFNA -- an organization totally bereft of any evident standards for its highest (or any) positions. One of these newly appointed Chairs comes from a community that by name and philosophy has "defederated" even as it still pays its JFNA dues....its allocations to Israel and overseas needs in any other era would be considered a joke. Another comes from a community which has such an minuscule allocation to those same needs that in any era would be considered to be unworthy of a community whose leaders serve in any leadership capacity in our Continental entity. But today...not only "step right up" but join our most inside leadership group -- the unauthorized by any governance JFNA "Coordinating Council!!"
When your organization has no standards for its own leadership, it is a reflection of the umbrella organization's lack of purpose, of failing to understand what its role was designed to be in Continental Jewish life. And as JFNA is totally lost, why should its constituencies be any different? Why should we expect the federations to reflect our stated purposes when those at JFNA evidence none? Or do I have this "formula" upside down? Why should the parent organization have any purpose beyond self-preservation when the federations themselves have none?
Our organizations wander aimlessly in the wilderness and have no clue just why or where. But we do.
Rwexler
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11 comments:
I'm hearing that the presumptive successor to the eminent Michael Siegal comes from a federation that cut a Dues "deal" under threat of dropping out of JFNA and one that, like the ones you mentioned in your Post, is embarrassingly below its City-size average. If what I'm hearing is true, this would further validate all that you have written about the clown car.
Has Siegal's successor been announced? And if so, who is it....?
Or, can you give us more clues?
Perhaps our Anonymous Commentator has some inside info he/she would like to further share. As for me -- I haven't a clue who it will be.
If names are going to be used Mr. Wexler than the anonymous commentator needs to identify them self as well. It would be the Jewish thing to do.
Further, let's be sure your minion do fact checking before they make wildly incorrect claims.
Gee, is it now slanderous to have your name Mentioned as a future national leader? Unless you are one of those leaders who has a history of isolating an imagined opposition and the "minions" up to no Good? And given the tone of this last commentator, defender of virtue he or she may be, is it no wonder most comments on this blog are anonymous?
I always love those Anonymous Commentators, like my friend above, who write without using his/her name to demand that others disclose theirs. I wish everyone felt comfortable, safe enough to write in his/her own name, but I fully understand in this environment of retribution in which we find ourselves, why most folks writing the Blog are neither comfortable nor safe enough to do so.
Seriously?!
There's a huge difference in writing comments anonymously and making personal assaults where the commentator names names and hides in the shadows Mr. Wexler.
I'm not making personal assaults or slandering people.
You allow that and it's is deeply troubling.
Sorry, friend, you just don't/can't get it. You seem to object (Anonymously of course) to a Comment that speculated as to whom the next Board Chair will be and the character of the community from which he/she comes. Eventually we'll all know the truth and that truth will be published right here over my name.
Richard -- speaking of "HAH" and apparently in response to your Anonymous Commentator's "discovery" of the prospective Board Chair, JFNA resent the letter from the Nominating Committee Chair of last month requesting suggestions for Board Chair, etc., BY APRIL 17!! And, apparently, that Committee hasn't even met, not that that would even make a difference.
So, HAH, HAH!
the anointed candidate for chair is richard sandler of los angeles
Wow, that didn't take long did it? One secret meeting of the "Insiders" and a meeting of the Nominating Committee and...done. What's his community's allocation? Has it paid its past due Dues?
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