Jewish Group Sees Shift in Donors’ Attitudes

A change in preferences of American Jewish philanthropists is causing a major Jewish charity that supports Israel to “radically rethink” its operations, reports The Jerusalem Post.

Leaders of the Jewish Agency for Israel — which has worked in conjunction with United Jewish Communities, in New York, to support organizations in Israel — has observed that more and more, donors want to give directly to programs and causes they support, rather than use large organizations as vehicles through which to support issues, the paper reports.

In the meantime, a restructuring effort at United Jewish Communities, an umbrella organization that includes Jewish federations across the country, has raised concerns at the Jewish Agency for Israel, including questions about whether the New York charity intends to work more directly in Israel.