Those looking for signs of change in the Jewish community’s largest charitable network had hailed the hiring of Daniel Sokatch to run the Jewish federation in San Francisco. But after serving a little more than a year, Sokatch is departing to become the CEO of the New Israel Fund (NIF).
Until confirmation finally came that the Chabad emissaries in Mumbai were among the more than 170 victims killed in this week’s terrorist attacks in India, Chabad Chasidim and emissaries the world over prayed for the best while fearing for the worst
\” . . . Women tend to want to spread the wealth a little more, and a lot of that has to do with how men and women are socializedin terms of their upbringing . . . \”
According to a survey taken in late September by the private wealth research firm, Prince & Associates, the cuts have arrived. Fifty-one percent said they planned on giving less next year than they did this past year — and only 16 percent said they planned on giving more.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates will receive the inaugural Einstein Award, the American fund-raising arm of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem announced Monday.
The award, which will be presented to Gates in December at a gala dinner in New York, is named for Albert Einstein, who helped found the university. It will be given only rarely to those who have made a significant impact on humanity, according to the organization\’s executive director, Peter Willner. American Friends officials say this is the first time that Gates is accepting an award from a Jewish or Israeli organization.
The philanthropic world is becoming increasingly fearful about what seems to be a perfect storm brewing against the financial world. While most philanthropy professionals feel some anxiety now, they are bracing for what could be a calamity in the world of charitable giving.
The growing ideological gap between the Orthodox and non-Orthodox threatens the long-term unity of the Jewish people, several communal leaders said at a forum to address the matter.
At issue were the results of a survey conducted in November by the American Jewish Committee (AJCommittee), which found widening differences between the Orthodox and non-Orthodox on a range of issues.
The Jan. 31 forum convened by the AJC and the Orthodox Union (OU) also included leaders of the Reform movement.
The president of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) has roiled the organization\’s branch in Israel by writing to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert with a plea to allow Diaspora Jews a voice in any decisions on Jerusalem\’s future
While the Jews of Kenya seem unscathed by the country\’s political crisis, Jewish nongovernmental agencies that work there and elsewhere in Africa are bracing for the long-term effects of the sudden outbreak of violence.
Interethnic violence erupted Dec. 27 after the incumbent president, Mwai Kibaki, declared himself the winner of the country\’s presidential election amid evidence of widespread fraud. Opposition leader Raila Odinga maintains he won the election.
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