In October, they began. This time next year, they will have finished. In between, it?s a big commitment to become a docent. It takes a lot of knowledge and plenty of spare time. The first class of docents for the greatly expanded National Museum of American Jewish History, which will open in Philadelphia next year,…
It?s hard to remember a ?good year? in Jewish philanthropy, because needs always seem to outstrip even the most abundant resources. But this past year surely has been one of the most trying in recent memory. The global recession and the collapse of Bernard Madoff?s financial investments delivered a one-two punch with enough strength and…
I don?t have a crystal ball, but when I am asked what I think about the future of Jewish philanthropy, I am in the unique position of not having to guess. Working at the Slingshot Fund affords me the opportunity to spend every day with next-generation funders, who are working together to explore their Jewish…
With Bernard Madoff safely in jail, and the economy technically in recovery, Jewish not-for-profits should now be optimistic about the future. The losses created by the collapse of Madoff?s pyramid scheme, though brutal to a handful of major donors and foundations that had invested heavily in his funds, were one-time losses. A year later, one…
At the end of last year, as the Madoff scandal and the economic crisis rocked the Jewish philanthropic world, a sense of near panic erupted within the Jewish community. It turns out that the big revelation was not that we were suddenly faced with a drastic reduction of communal resources; it was that there was…
It?s a popular blessing, or curse, depending on your viewpoint, often attributed to Confucius: ?May you live in interesting times.? Well, we in the world of Jewish philanthropy are certainly living in interesting times. That?s because for years, North American Jewry has faced nearly existential questions. We are older than the general population, and also…
As anyone who follows the news can tell you, America?s economy is on a roller coaster ride of purported recovery from the past year, which saw the deepest recession in decades. And as the economy goes, so goes American ? and American Jewish ?philanthropy. Giving to not-for-profit organizations has suffered, and is being made worse…
I first encountered Hosts for Hospitals last year when a volunteer for the group promoted the program at my synagogue, the Germantown Jewish Centre, in Philadelphia. Hosts for Hospitals provides host homes to families with sick relatives so that they can avoid expensive and impersonal hotel stays while they travel to be near their loved…
The Forward recently surveyed the 75 most prominent national American Jewish organizations and found that fewer than one in six is run by women, and those women are paid 61 cents for every dollar earned by men. How did the Forward arrive at this information? And how can you do your own due diligence to…
Leah Berkenwald at Jewesses with Attitude has a great rundown of how devastating this weekend was for pro-choice Americans who watched the anti-abortion Stupak amendment pass and get tacked onto the House’s healthcare reform bill. On Saturday, one of two men who stood up along with a group of Democratic female lawmakers to argue against…
After canceling his scheduled speech at the Jewish federations’ General Assembly in light of the massacre at Fort Hood, President Barack Obama hosted a group of 50 federation leaders for a Monday evening reception at the White House. The first-of-its-kind was mostly informal. President Obama, according to one participant, walked into the room and engaged…
