Cross-posted at eJewish Philanthropy

The biggest fear of an Israeli is not a nuclear Iran; neither is a rain of missiles from Hamas or Hezbollah. It’s definitely not the global economic downturn or global warming. The only thing that Israelis are terrified of is of being a “frayer.”

Now that I’ve had a little time for reflection, I wanted to share a few observations about the JFN conference, which was, once again, a great event.

We had a great workshop at the JFN conference last week addressing issues related to activism and philanthropy, with an emphasis on the evolving practices of today's younger philanthropists.

A conversation I had with an American colleague, a board member and donor for one of Israel's leading cultural institutions, made me realize the dialogue between the Israeli- and non-Israeli philanthropists and activists was at a critical crossroad: She told me she wants to discontinue her involvement in Israel because, once again, she found herself on a board that included no Israeli donors. "Where are the affluent Israelis, and why don't they match our contributions,” she asked me indignantly.

NEW YORK, March 17, 2014—Jewish Funders Network has released the latest edition of its Greenbooks, a series of guides written for funders to maximize the impact of their giving. The second volume is devoted to Hitchadshut Yehudit, (Jewish Renewal) in Israel.

MIAMI BEACH, March 10, 2014—The Jewish Funders Network today named Josh Miller, a senior program officer at the Jim Joseph Foundation, as the latest recipient of the JJ Greenberg Memorial Award, which is given to an outstanding young Jewish foundation professional.

Hitchadshut Yehudit (Jewish Renewal) refers to programs that offer Jewish Israelis opportunities for learning, cultural expression, identity exploration, spirituality and prayer, and social action. All are explicitly based on Jewish values, texts and traditions, and infused with pluralism and autonomy.  

MIAMI BEACH, March 9, 2014—The Jewish Funders Network has named the Foundation for Jewish Camp as the inaugural recipient of the Shapiro Prize for Excellence in Philanthropic Collaboration, for being the first funder collaboration to advocate for, promote, and strengthen Jewish camps on a wide scale.

Racism and anti-Semitism remain a stubborn problem in Germany, despite extensive efforts to confront its shameful past. The far right is responsible for the racially motivated murder of 184 people since 1990, with nearly 750 more that can’t be conclusively proven; their political parties serve in two state and 350 municipal legislatures; a campaign of fear and intolerance succeeds in keeping Germany’s eastern states virtually immigrant- and minority-free; and they exploit populism and nostalgia to garner support among young and old alike.