The Combinded Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston is one of the nation's highest funded charitable groups. With assets approaching half a billion dollars and annual revenues approaching two hundred million dollars, they are chartered to dole out lots of money to groups whom they deem worthy causes. In addition to providing valuable social services to local Jewish and non-Jewish communities, one of their central activities, they claim, is support for israel.
Their mission statement declares:
"Our Israel agenda will focus on advocacy, connection and impact."
I find that statement quizzical, to say the least, but designed to accommodate groups like The Workmen's Circle (whose support for Israel has been demonstrated by hosting any and every anti-Israel group they can muster) and the likes of J Street and The New Israel Fund. The NIF received close to $42,000.00 in 2007.
Each year the Boston CJP provides cash grants in compliance with federal regulations governing the operations of a 501(c)(3) non-profit.
We thought you might be interested to see just who receives the CJP's largess, ostensibly in keeping with that organization's strong support for Israel. For the latest reporting period, here are some of those recipients:
- The American Friends Service Committee
- Democracy Now!
- The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
- The Tides Foundation
- Media Matters
- The New Israel Fund
- Brit Tzedek v'Shalom
- Physicians for Social Responsibility
- The Workmen's Circle
- Amnesty International
"Did Congress condemn Israel for its disproportionate use of force (1400 Palestinians killed including 320 children vs. 13 Israelis)?
Nope. On the contrary, the House condemned the distinguished Justice Richard Goldstone, who wrote the United Nation's report on Gaza, for daring to criticize Israel's conduct. It called on the Obama administration to do everything it could to suppress the United Nations report! Only 36 representatives voted "no."
CJP awarded Media Matters $200,000.00 in 2007.
Do contributions (no matter how small an amount) to organizations like the Unitarian Universalist Association or The American Friends Service Committee comport with CJP's stated claim to support Israel? This week the UUA church in Cambridge will host an Israel ApartheidWeek event. The AFSC, long a champion of Palestinian "resistance" while "disagreeing" with Iran's Jew-hating President, put out this statement in reaction to his Holocaust denial and threats to destroy Israel:
"The AFSC will continue to reach out to the Iranian people and their leaders and pursue
dialogue on the basis of what we believe to the shared value that affirms that of God in
each of us."
Democracy Now! is the media vehicle for Amy Goodman, a longtime Israel-hater, who never saw a Palestinian act of "resistance" she couldn't relate to.
The Tides Foundation, another George Soros-affiliated group, has been generous with CAIR (The Council for American Islamic Relations) many of whose officials are serving prison sentences for aiding HAMAS and which was recently named an unindicted co-conspirator in the successful prosecution of The Holy Land Foundation in Texas. Tides also funds the National Lawyers' Guild, whose anti-israel positions are legendary. Read more...
Physicians for Social Responsibility is a global non-profit which has demonstrated a particularly nasty attitude towards the Jewish State. While highlighting Israel's supposed "human rights violations", the group routinely whitewashes Palestinian violations such as the use of ambulances to ferry weapons and combatants.
As we reported earlier, The New Israel Fund was predictably silent on the current offensive of Israel Apartheid Week as was their parent, J Street.
Should the CJP's putative "support" for Israel extend to financing groups that have demonstrated a long-standing animus towards The Jewish State?
Who's minding the store at 126 High Street?
5 comments:
I HAD NO IDEA. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR POSTING THIS.
This ends my contributions to CJP Boston. To make matters worse CJP even closes Jewish agencies that foster pro Israel sentiment and Jewish identity like the 90 year old Bureau of Jewish Education. That agency was closed earlier this year. This action effectively ended support for synagogue and day schools.
MJ Rosenberg didn't work for Media Matters until 2010. You guys need to do better research.
What you leave out is that NIF also accepts donor-advised funds to specific grantees, including gay rights, women's safety, and so on. The DA funds via CJP might be general donations to NIF or might be targeted gifts to any number of specific grantees that do nothing related to Israeli Arabs. The gift to NIF does not de facto mean CJP is supporting the kinds of things you think NIF shouldn't support.
Essentially, do your homework. It makes you look alarmist and unprofessional.
From J Street several days ago:
http://www.jstreet.org/blog/?p=872
As “Israel Apartheid Week” comes to campuses across North America this week to advocate for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against Israel, J Street and J Street U reiterate our strong opposition to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The BDS movement, whose dogmatic, counterproductive approach underlies “Israel Apartheid Week,” aims to delegitimize Israel’s very existence - making no distinction between West Bank settlements and Israel proper, and refusing to support a two-state solution that results in a viable Palestinian state and a secure, democratic Israel that is a homeland for the Jewish people, living side by side in peace and security. The BDS movement’s lack of support for a two-state solution puts it well outside the mainstream of the entire political leadership of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and the United States.
We also reject comparisons of Israel to South African apartheid. The analogy clearly implies that Israel is illegitimate, that it deserves a wholesale boycott, and suggests a single state for Israelis and Palestinians would be some sort of solution to the conflict, when in reality, it is a recipe for further violence, strife, and insecurity.
The BDS movement wrongly places the entirety of blame for the conflict on Israel. Responsibility for the conflict does not rest exclusively with either the Israelis or the Palestinians, and moreover, this conflict will never be truly resolved if one side wins only at the other’s loss.
The approach of the BDS movement only serves to deepen Israel’s sense of isolation and thus harden Israelis against the compromises necessary to achieve peace, undermining the regular and inspiring cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians on the ground. This is singularly unhelpful particularly as the United States works to re-launch negotiations and as the window of opportunity for achieving a viable two-state solution grows ever smaller.
Few events better exemplify the counterproductive polarization on campus than “Israel Apartheid Week.” J Street and J Street U are committed to an open, honest and civilized debate that allows students to work constructively towards adopting positions and actions that can help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Therefore, we strongly oppose Israel Apartheid Week because we believe that it employs inflammatory, inaccurate language, misrepresents the complex truth of the conflict, undercuts debate, alienates significant numbers of students, and advances the agenda of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
We’re proud to continue J Street U’s “Invest, Don’t Divest” campaign, which gives pro-peace students a concrete alternative to the BDS movement and an opportunity to invest in their campus debate, in their communities, and in the Israelis and Palestinians who will bring about the positive change needed to finally achieve two states and real peace and security for all.
You said: "As we reported earlier, The New Israel Fund was predictably silent on the current offensive of Israel Apartheid Week as was their parent, J Street."
This statement is false. The New Israel Fund clearly spoke out in opposition to Israel Apartheid Week. Hear is the link:
http://www.nif.org/media-center/executive-director-message/say-no-to-smears-and-no-to.html
It is also wrong to say that JStreet is New Israel Fund's parent.
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