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Jewish Federations of North America

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Jewish Federations
of North America
AbbreviationJFNA
FormationJanuary 31, 1935; 90 years ago (1935-01-31)[1]
Legal status501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
HeadquartersNew York City
Region
North America
President and CEO
Eric D. Fingerhut[2]
Chair of the board
Julie Platt[3]
Subsidiaries
  • United Israel Appeal Inc.[4]
  • JFBP LLC[4]
RevenueUS$49.0 million[4] (2012)
ExpensesUS$49.2 million[4] (2012)
EndowmentUS$26.1 million[4] (2012)
Employees144[4] (2012)
Volunteers185[4] (2012)
Websitejewishfederations.org
Formerly called
  • United Jewish Appeal[1]
  • United Jewish Communities[1]

The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), formerly the United Jewish Communities (UJC),[5] is an American Jewish umbrella organization for the Jewish Federations system, representing over 350 independent Jewish communities across North America that raise and distribute over $2 billion annually, including through planned giving and endowment programs, to support social welfare, social services and educational needs. Jewish Federations also provides fundraising, organization assistance, training, and overall leadership to the Jewish Federations and communities throughout the United States and Canada. The Federation movement protects and enhances the well-being of Jews worldwide through the values of tikkun olam, tzedakah and Torah.[6]

JFNA was formed from the merger of the United Jewish Appeal (UJA), Council of Jewish Federations, and the United Israel Appeal. The organization hosts an annual General Assembly event for the broad North American Jewish community.[7]

History

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Council of Jewish Federations

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The original umbrella organization for the federations was the National Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds formed in 1932.[8][9] "National" was dropped from the name in 1935 and "Welfare Funds" was removed in 1979.[8] In 1986, CJF established the North American Jewish Data Bank in conjunction with City University of New York's Center for Jewish Studies.[10] Renamed the Berman Jewish DataBank, the purpose of the organization was to conduct sociological studies of North American Jewish communities.[citation needed]

United Jewish Appeal

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United Jewish Appeal
AbbreviationUJA
FormationJanuary 1939 (1939-01)
FounderArthur Loewengart.[11]
TypeNon-Profit organization
HeadquartersNew York City, U.S.
Websitewww.uja.org
Israeli postal stamp, 1962

The United Jewish Appeal (UJA) was a Jewish philanthropic umbrella organization that existed from its creation in 1939 until it was folded into the current organization. In January 1939, the United Jewish Appeal for Refugees and Overseas Needs was established, combining the efforts of American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, led by Rabbi Jonah Wise; the United Israel Appeal, led by Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver; and the National Coordinating Committee Fund led by William Rosenwald. The three founders emphasized that the funds needed to support Jews in Europe and Israel would be triple to quadruple the amount raised in the previous year. While the organizations would raise funds together, the Joint Distribution Committee would assist Jews in Europe, the United Israel Appeal would aid the Jewish community in Israel, including refugees from Europe arriving there and the National Coordinating Committee Fund would assist refugees arriving in the United States.[12]

United Jewish Communities

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In 1999, the UJA merged with the Council of Jewish Federations and United Israel Appeal, Inc. to form a combined entity that would be called the United Jewish Communities. While the organizations had been raising more than $1 billion annually, they had faced concerns that the individual organizations were not as relevant as during the Holocaust and the creation of the State of Israel, with many major donors seeking to direct their philanthropy through their own foundations rather than through the umbrella organizations. The balance of power would shift to the federations, which would select about two-thirds of the 120 members on the board of trustees of the new organization. Businessman and philanthropist Charles Bronfman was chosen as the volunteer chairman of the combined entity, responsible for planning the group's strategic direction.[13]

Jewish Federations of North America

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Delegation of Jewish Federations of North America in Israel

In October 2009, the UJC was renamed the Jewish Federations of North America.[14]

After the 2009 launch of the new logo for The Jewish Federations of North America, increasing numbers of local Federations are switching to some variant of that logo. An example is the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.[15]

After a couple of years of lower staff layoffs in February 2010, new CEO Jerry Silverman laid off three senior vice presidents that made an estimated $750,000 to $1 million combined.[16] JFNA declined to run the decennial National Jewish Population Survey in 2010 due to re-prioritizing.[17]

In 2021, it announced the $54 million LiveSecure campaign, which it described as the largest campaign to secure North America's Jewish communities in history.[18][19]

The aftermath of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in 2018 included arguably the most ambitious and comprehensive effort, led by JFNA, ever taken to protect Jewish life in the United States, according to the New York Times. In addition to bringing in $100 million in federal grants through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NGSP), JFNA raised $62 million to secure every Jewish community in North America, overseen by the JFNA's Secure Community Network. By 2023, 93 Jewish federations had full-time security directors, a more than four-fold increase over the previous 5 years.[20]

In 2022, the JFNA pressured the Jewish Council for Public Affairs to fold their organization into a larger organization and mute its progressive politics or to break away and lose funding from dozens of Jewish federations across the United States. The organization refused to mute or repudiate their progressive politics, choosing independence and losing their ability to speak for 16 Jewish national organizations and 125 Jewish "community relations councils", almost all of which are part of local federations.[21]

In 11 months after the October 7 attacks, local Jewish federations raised more than $850 million for Israel, with JFNA to allocate $235 million of it. The largest share of donations went to the Jewish Agency, the Joint Distribution Committee, and non-profits in the Gaza Envelope.[22]

Positions

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During the Gaza war, JFNA and other major American Jewish groups such as the ADL and AJC announced it opposed the reestablishment of Israeli settlements in Gaza.[23]

Activities

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JFNA administered the National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS), a decennial census of the Jewish community in the United States. The 1990 survey indicated that the intermarriage rate was 52 percent, a claim questioned by demographers. The 2000-2001 edition of the NJPS used a different survey method, cost $6 million, and the data was lost. JFNA did not fund the 2010 survey due to re-prioritizing given decreased revenue given its limited direct benefits to local federations.[17]

Cultural allusions

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In the Woody Allen film Bananas, the dictatorial president of the fictional country of San Marcos accidentally calls upon the UJA, instead of the CIA, to help prevent a coup. The result is that as fighting swirls in the streets around him, at least one rabbi can be seen soliciting donations from combat troops.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "The Jewish Federations of North America, Inc." Division of Corporations, State Records, and UCC. State of New York. Accessed on December 31, 2015.
  2. ^ Carroll, Ed (May 16, 2019). "Eric Fingerhut leaves top post at Hillel to head Jewish Federations of North America". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  3. ^ "Julie Platt Confirmed as Chair of Jewish Federations of North America". Jewish Federations of North America. June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". Jewish Federations of North America Inc. Guidestar. June 30, 2013.
  5. ^ Berkman, Jakob (June 9, 2009). "UJC to Change Name". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
  6. ^ "About JFNA". JFNA. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  7. ^ "JFNA Briefing: Registration Opens for the 2012 General Assembly". 54.164.202.34. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Karesh, Sara E.; Hurvitz, Mitchell M. (2006). "United Jewish Communities". In Melton, J. Gordon (ed.). Encyclopedia of Judaism. Infobase Publishing. pp. 534–535. ISBN 978-0-8160-5457-2. Retrieved June 14, 2011. In 1932 the National Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds (NCJFWF) united the Jewish federations across the country. In 1935 the organization changed its name to the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds (CJFWF), and in 1979 the name became the Council of Jewish Federations (CJF). [...] In 1999, the United Jewish Appeal and the Council of Jewish Federations merged to become the United Jewish Communities.
  9. ^ Elazar, Daniel Judah (1995) [1976]. Community and polity:the organizational dynamics of American Jewry. Jewish Publication Society. p. 413. ISBN 978-0-8276-0565-7. Retrieved June 14, 2011. This new phenomenon was incorporated into campaign strategy, particularly through "Super Sunday," a day-long happening featuring marches on behalf of some special financial need and massive telephoning of potential donors in a more exciting carnival-like atmosphere.
  10. ^ (July 19, 1989) "New Study Finds Strong Connection Between Intermarriage and Divorce", Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  11. ^ "ARTHUR LOEWENGART (Published 1973)". The New York Times. September 7, 1973. Archived from the original on March 28, 2020.
  12. ^ "3 JEWISH GROUPS UNITE FOR REFUGEES; Combined Appeal to Be Offered to Nation for Fund 3 or 4 Times That Given Last Year HEIGHTENED CRISIS CITED Agencies to Retain Separate Duties in Pressing Common Cause for Victims". The New York Times. January 13, 1939. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  13. ^ Abelson, Reed (February 14, 1999). "Merger Near, 2 Jewish Philanthropy Groups Pick a Leader". The New York Times. Accessed December 9, 2008.
  14. ^ Elliott, Stuart (May 17, 2010). "You Don't Have to Be Jewish to Love This Campaign". New York Times. Retrieved June 14, 2011. ...the Jewish Federations, which changed its name in October from the United Jewish Communities.
  15. ^ "Jewish Federation of Greater Washington adaptation of JFNA logo". The Jewish Federations of North America. Archived from the original on January 11, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  16. ^ Berkman, Jacob (February 23, 2010). "Inside the top-level layoffs at Jewish Federations of North America". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  17. ^ a b Heilman, Uriel (July 12, 2011). "Is the era of national surveys of American Jews at an end?". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  18. ^ "Amid antisemitism concerns, 101 local Jewish federations to spend $54M on improving security". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  19. ^ Winer, Stuart (October 4, 2021). "Jewish Federations announces $54m plan to protect US communities". Times of Israel. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  20. ^ Robertson, Campbell (May 29, 2023). "With Watchful Eyes, a Nationwide Network Tracks Antisemitic Threats". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  21. ^ "Pressed over liberal politics, Jewish public affairs group declares independence". The Forward. December 19, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  22. ^ Rosenfeld, Arno (August 29, 2024). "After 10/7, Jewish federations raised $850 million for Israel. 40% is unspent". The Forward. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  23. ^ Lapin, Andrew (December 9, 2024). "Bucking Israel's far right, several large American Jewish groups say they oppose resettling Gaza". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
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Media related to United Jewish Communities at Wikimedia Commons

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