"Federations are much more comfortable, and unifying, when they stick to what they do best: Richard Sandler, chair of the JFNA board of trustees, described that threefold mission as relief for the needy, support for Jewish education and identity, and inspiring a connection to Israel."We might debate whether these are JFNA's or Federations' most pressing purposes, but, inasmuch as JFNA has for 9 years now, has not articulated (and stayed focus on) any mission, these three would be a magnificent mission for the organization.
https://www.jta.org/2017/11/14/news-opinion/opinion/federations-rally-around-pluralism-but-wish-they-didnt-have-to?utm_source=JTA Maropost&utm_campaign=JTA&utm_medium=email&mpweb=1161-1688-27384
Let's dig down and see where we are on this "threefold mission:"
- Relief for the needy: Federation agencies have been and are engaged on this Mission as they have been for decades; in some instances, for over a century. I recall our communities, including my own, confronting the "new Jewish poor" in the early 1980's, as the Council of Jewish Federations exposed the issues, the best practices, and highlighted the emerging challenges at at least two GA's. That was then; today? JFNA, the successor to CJF, is doing nothing.
- Support for Jewish education. Federations have dramatically increased allocations to Jewish education and, yet, Jewish education remains underfunded generally, teachers are severely underpaid, and, as a general rule, Jewish education does not, although it should, inspire our fund-raising. Meanwhile, what has JFNA done under this leadership to lead "support for Jewish education?" Well, while JESNA died away from underfunding, JFNA's leaders, lay and professional, did nothing, said nothing. Then, a few years later, Silverman led the theft of over $1 million from the National Agencies Funding Pool to fund a "Jewish Education Unit" that his budget couldn't support. JFNA is doing nothing.
- Inspiring a connection to Israel. Laughable...that's L.A.U.G.H.A.B.L.E. With no advocacy (and, no, the JFNA-Israel "Envoys" thing, isn't) for our institutional "connection(s) to Israel," at this date, year-end 2017, allocations to JAF/JDC/WorldORT are at the lowest levels ever, just as the year before these allocations reached the lowest levels ever, and the year before that...Worse, national Missions have reached such a nadir that in 2017 the Prime Minister's Mission, once the crown jewel of national Missions was canceled, another national Mission traveled to Argentina, etc., etc. JFNA-Israel is an unmanaged black hole of no accomplishments deveouring millions year-in and year-out. JFNA is doing worse than nothing.
Sandler's mission trifecta for JFNA was nothing more than words. The dots don't connect; does Sandler realize that reality?
No, the dots don't connect. Under Sandler/Silverman they never do.
Have a wonderful 2018.
Rwexler
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8 comments:
Sandler would serve JFNA and the federations in a much better way if he understood federations' needs and focused how JFNA should be addressing those needs. But, of course, he is far more interested in just spewing cliches and soundbites, federations' needs be damned.
If Sandler cared about the system he was elected to serve and lead, if he even cared about his own leadership reputation, after two years as Board Chair he would have acted to terminate Jerry Silverman's contract and begin an effort to fill the CEO position withsomeone capable and responsible. That he has not done so tells us all we need to know. Richard Sandler would rather do nothing than have to actually lead.
Help us understand what purposes JFNA serves under this leadership. Sandler's interview confirms that the organization is totally lost with Sandler pointing in multiple directions, Silverman pointing in others and JFNA headed nowhere at all. It's as if the JFNA "silos" have been allowed to operate unmanaged, never accountable and the federations paying the tab without demanding any accountability. At the least, over Silverman's tenure, JFNA has literally burned $270 million. #soproud
No leadership!
No management!
No direction!
No supervision!
No accountability!
No trust!
No results!
Happy New Year?????
So, for 2018, let's look beyond Sandler.
Who is scheduled to be his successor? Has that person been named yet, and if not, who are the contenders?
Perhaps we would better serve the system by lobbying those individuals.
The prospects for regime change coming from the crop of potential successors to Sandler aren't good -- t seems clear that Cindy Shapira really covets the Chairship -- she has paid her Dues with dollars and effort and has remained silent even as the most passive among JFNA leaders has to be able to see how bad things are; you have the two Davids -- Butler and Brown -- both said to be great lawyers, both clearly ambitious, and both willing to say nothing, to avoid any criticism in their JFNA roles. But, as with Sandler, the ultimate successor may just be someone who has sat back, smiled and nodded their head in assent the last three years. This isn't UJA after all, hell it's not even CJF where the weakest of Board Chairs was surrounded by men and women of strength, and a strong CEO. This is, after all, JFNA.
When does Sandler's term end?
One thing seems certain unfortunately - that Silverman and Caspi will be continuing to drain our resources and wreck what is left of our system for too many years to come.
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