SOONER OR LATER

OK, friends, if I haven't been clear to date, after 9+ years of this Blog, let's talk some tachlis. History asks: "Which side were you on?" Were you a silent bystander to the debacle that JFNA is now and has been for years and years? Were you an active participant in support of the debacle? Or, were you for lack of a better term, part of the "resistance?" At one and the same time, we can see change in Jerry's retirement letter and understand that the same leadership who tolerated the lack of purpose or achievement finally screamed "ENOUGH" and it is they, whomever they are who joined the Board Chair in this change proces, whom I congratulate today.

This same JFNA leadership -- and you know exactly whom you are -- this leadership once sensed itself  so entrenched as to be immobile; unable and (NB, not "or," "and") unwilling not just to change themselves but to inspire positive change in others. They appeared to be frozen in amber. They were the masters of lese-majeste. And, yet, they, in the past weeks, months, they changed all of these descriptive phrases to past tensemonths, have seen a light...and have acted in a manner that can transformationally change JFNA and the system..

So, who will perform effect change going forward for JFNA? For a decade at least, I was certain that it wouldn't be the folks in power, for they appeared by inaction to have washed their hands of their responsibilities to the organization even while they were charged to lead it. These are the men and women who I thought vewed JFNA through a Panglossian prism that so distorted daily failures as to make them appear successes. And, yet, now, they have taken the reins and they have done something I thought would never happen.

Friends, all of you who read these things know that I have been unable to discern a guiding sense of purpose at 25 Broadway for almost a decade. Any sense of purpose? Anything at all? Now, though I don't know all who were responsible for change but change is happening...and, given my age and infirmities, I just wanted and want it to happen more quickly.

Richard Sandler...oh me, Richard Sandler...wrongly assumed from the jump that the strengths as he saw them that delivered his successful Federation Chairmanship in Los Angeles (where he had worked in partnership with a CEO dedicated to change with the strength to deliver it), would surely transfer 3,000 miles away to 25 Broadway where he assumed that Jerry Silverman was or would be a strong CEO and, it appeared from my distance from the decision-makers that Richard refused to believe that he was wrong. Both before and after a personal visit with Richard at his LA offices before he began his terms I felt, as I was told by those who knew him well, that Richard "did not and would not suffer fools," in fact, he did...and, now, he no longer does. Inasmuch as I know that the change that is occurring at 25 Broadway wouldn't have happened with the Board Chair, my normal question would be: "what took you so long?" is now "Thank you." 

 I sense that as it's Richard's name that has appeared on the transmittal of the so-called JFNA Mid-Year and Year-End Progress Reports (more new oxymoronic titles), he grew to realize, he grew to understand that they reported failure after failure. And, he decided to act.

From your Comments it is evident that amcha caught on and amcha was fed up. The realist in me senses that the action taken to date is not revolution. Whether it will be enough is on you, it is on us to assure.

It's time for those who could influence change at JFNA to answer the question with which I began this Post: "Which side were you on?" The forces for change are aligning. We can all be on the side of real change.

We are at the very beginning of something that could be/must be transformational; the end is not yet in sight. That light I see at the end of the tunnel may be the sun...or it may be a train coming at us. Let us hope for real change...and all of us need work to assure it happens.

Rwexler