Jewish Agency, Strapped for Cash, Turns To Big Kiruv For Help

That's right.

Strapped for cash (probably because it…

… squandered so much of it over the years on nepotism and general theft), the Jewish Agency is now turning to select big money haredi donors to fund programs primarily meant to target non-haredi youth from abroad.

The Agency will now work with the haredi-controlled Moreshet program, a competitor of Birthright Israel.

In exchange for haredi money, the Agency will promote and aid Moreshet programs – meaning big haredi kiruv now has unqualified entry to every Hillel House and Jewish Community Center:

Haredi philanthropists already fund a program called Moreshet ("heritage"). Over the past several months, Moreshet has facilitated the arrival of some 900 Jewish students from all over the world. Unlike the more secular 10-day Taglit-birthright Israel program - which is partly funded by the Jewish Agency - Moreshet brings its participants for three-week visits that include more religious content, such as visits to yeshivas and Torah studies.

"The Moreshet program is a partnership between various parties seeking to instill young Jews with knowledge about Judaism - and the Agency sees great importance in connecting them to the state of Israel," a spokesman for the Jewish Agency said.

The new Jewish Agency program will be one of a series of programs funded by religious and ultra-Orthodox magnates.

Africa Israel chief Lev Leviev, for example, is funding a program that offers a $150-a-month scholarship for Russian Jews who agree to attend Judaism classes several days a week. Ze'ev and Aaron Wolfson are funding similar programs in the U.S., and Eli Horn is funding one in Brazil.

Ultra-Orthodox donors have in the past sought to get on board the Taglit-birthright program, and some have contributed. However, their involvement remained limited after they realized the plan's architects were reluctant to accept their requests to introduce more Jewish, rather than Zionist, content into the program.

Aish and Chabad have long exploited Birthright Israel, using it to fund trips meant for "at risk" teens on one hand, and other trips aimed at "outreach" on the other.

As long as certain basic criteria were met, Birthright allowed this.

But haredim were still reluctant to push a program that was not primarily directed at yeshiva study or kiruv.

So now haredim get what they want – a Jewish Agency-backed program with little (if any) Zionist content meant to make kids frum.

And if these kids decide to make aliya, many will do so as haredim. Just what Israel needs – more citizens who won't serve in the army or work.

The next time you consider donating to your local Federation, keep in mind a chunk of that donation goes to the Jewish Agency. Consider stipulating that your donation cannot be used to fund the Agency. And make sure to drop the Agency a line telling them of your choice.

Comments

[Ariel Sokolovsky www.BostonChabad.com]

B"H

And if these kids decide to make aliya, many will do so as haredim. Just what Israel needs – more citizens who won't serve in the army or work.

As a very non Chareidi Rosh Yeshivah of YU R. Herschel Schechter explained at this point three is a huge question if it is a mitzvah to even serve in TzaGaL (Tzvai haGerush LeYisrael- Armry That exiles Jews from their homes ) ( see : Brainwashed IDF officers - proud of uprooting Gush Katif
http://youtube.com/watch?v=G4x_kG82pY4
)
Thus any program that increases the number of people in the Land of Yisrael who answer to G-d of Yisrael not whatever government happens to be running the Zionist State at the moment actually enhances the security ofthe Jewish people and everyone else in the land of Israel.
Everyone should increase their donations for such programs and for programs like SOS
Israel http://www.sos-israel.com/

index.asp?siteLang=2 to increase the level of true Jewish pride , Jewish morality based on eternal values of our Holy Torah (not majority votes of the Knesset an entity that includes Communists and the Arabs) and thus
will increase the safety and security of every Jewish family in the land of Yisrael and worldwide.

[shmuel]

Maybe it's the alcohol from Purim, maybe the overeating, but I'm beginning to agree with Ariel. Truly scary...

[Anonymous]

Glad to see everyone's favorite publicity hound Shmuelly Boteach (Michael Jackson's Rabbi) is leading a birthwrong trip to Israel.

Go Smelly go.

[Phil]

Thanks Ariel for linking to those wonderful soldiers prepared to enact the democratic decisions of an elected Israeli government and serving in a citizens army. I feel proud to be an Israeli citizen when I see soldiers who are not a burden on Israeli society and preserve its democracy.

[Lazer]

Hi everyone!
Correct me if I'm wrong....
Isn't Taglit in *conjunction* with Mayanot? And isn't Mayanot a *Chabad* BT Yeshiva? So how exactly is Chabad "exploiting" Taglit?
Just trying to understand here!

[Ariel Sokolovsky http://www.BostonChabad.com]

B"H

Thanks Ariel for linking to those wonderful soldiers prepared to enact the democratic decisions of an elected Israeli government and serving in a citizens army. I feel proud to be an Israeli citizen when I see soldiers who are not a burden on Israeli society and preserve its democracy.

Posted by: Phil | March 24, 2008 at 03:30 PM

Phil I have nothing to discuss with you.
Your very name is Greek.
No wonder you have more love for Hellenist notions such as "democracy"
(which by the way is not even practiced in Israel as it has "Ochlocracy"- a rule by unqualified majority since enemy population is permitted to elect and be elected)
Even your very name Philip suggests you have more love for horses than people.
Go kiss your Zionist idols and demand they order their thugs to beat up more Jewish teenagers and throw more Jews out of their homes to make you feel even more proud:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3076127704169780877

&q=never+again+gush+katif&total=9&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex

=0
to free up more parts of Eretz Yisrael for democratically elected Hamisniks to shoot rockets at Israeli cities.
Hopefully by the time the rocket lands in your city or the one where your friends and relatives live or even before that you'll wake up from this delusion and join the fight to hang the dirty traitors before they make Jewish parts of Yerushlaim targets for kasams the way they did with Sderot and Ashkelon by performing ethnic cleansing of Jews from Gush Katif.

[Ariel Sokolovsky http://www.BostonChabad.com]

B"H
By the way Philip the post Zionist leaders you love so much have just allowed Russia to sell Palestinian terrorists 50 armored personel carriers and more:

50 armored personnel carriers, communication devices and special equipment.
quoting from the Russian foreign ministry web site
http://www.ln.mid.ru/

brp_4.nsf/e78a48070f128a7b43256999005bcbb3/

a67f8b8bfdf21be7c32573b50054d828?OpenDocument
Are you even more proud of Ehud Barack and Olmert and other "democratically" elected "geniuses" now?
They also have given Jenin under full PA control as a "thought out risk" ("sikun ha'machshav")
Ehud Barak is willing to take with the lives of our friends and relatives.
Does it make you proud that as a citizen of this great "Jewish and democratic" state you personaly have a chance to listen to the latest false promises every once in a while and vote to put in the next team of SOBs in power to sell out more of our brothers and sisters and take more "thought out risks" with theier lives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qx3QWI38Pg?

[A reader]

Hey Ariel, take a guess as to who those armoured vehicles will be used against. They are obviously no threat to the IDF, and they certainly won't be used to police Arabs or terrorists (they are also no real threat to Hamas) - afterall, they were given to terrorists of the PLO. Whom exactly does that leave?