Should Jewish philanthropy focus more on helping needy Jewish people?
Jack Wertheimer, a history professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary, raises this question in an opinion article in Commentary magazine.
“At a time when Jewish communal institutions are failing to attend to the needs of Jews at home and abroad, the hot trend in Jewish philanthropic and organizational circles, incredibly, is to channel ever more of their resources to nonsectarian causes,” he writes.
In particular, he criticizes Repair the World, an organization started last year to encourage young Jews to help others, though not specifically other Jews.
“No one in a position of responsibility in Jewish organizational life has suggested that Jews should be indifferent to the plight of their fellow human beings, and all the evidence suggests that American Jews engage actively in civic and philanthropic activities,” he says. “Why, then, the incessant barrage of exhortations to do more for the world, even as Jewish needs go unmet?”
Jon Rosenberg, chief executive of Repair the World, defends the work on his organization’s blog.
He says the professor “fundamentally misunderstands and mischaracterizes our mission,” saying that the group works closely with Jewish charities and does promote service opportunities to help disadvantaged Jews.
“His broader theme—that service outside the Jewish community is in some way illegitimate, and that we should instead be focusing all of our service inward—sells short a substantial part of Jewish tradition,” Mr. Rosenberg writes.
What do you think of the debate? Should Jewish philanthropic efforts be more focused on helping Jewish communities?
0 Responses to Debate Over the Purpose of Jewish Philanthropy
tncgiftplan - March 5, 2010 at 6:20 pm
I would encourage Mr. Wertheimer to help Jewish institutions find more compelling ways to communicate about the needs that go unmet in the Jewish community. Jewish non-profits must compete, like their non-Jewish counterparts, for the hearts, minds and dollars of potential members. If you think Jews should care less about whales than they do about their fellow Jews, then make the case. One of the Jewish community’s strongest and most enduring contributions to civil society is our engagement in Tikkun Olam –in all of its aspects, and to the benefit of all living beings. That’s something we should be proud of.wmills/arlington, VA
jblair - March 8, 2010 at 6:25 pm
Full disclosure – I was one of the architects of Repair the World. My heart and soul belong to the Jewish community. I am forever proud of the traditions and debates that encourage our sense of purpose and our obligation to give of ourselves. I believe deeply that our obligation transcends the bounds of our own community – that its value is found in that transcendence – to show ourselves for who we are in our own community and well beyond. Repair the World aims to cultivate and continue this sensibility in the lives of young Jews by giving them purpose with pride. We ask our youth to truly serve – to give of themselves for purposes greater than themselves and to comfortably claim that some of the inspiration to give has everything to do with their religious and cultural Jewish identities. Jill Blair, Seattle