This is probably the most politically incorrect and controversial post that has yet to feature on this blog, and from a committed Zionist it will be read as heretical by some. However in an environment of limited resources the topic must be raised.
One of Australian Jewry’s most professional and high achieving organisation is the United Israel Appeal. In 2006 this organisation raised and $
Another one of Australian Jewry’s most successful organisations is the Jewish National Fund. They too collect and remit millions of dollars each year to
I am not sure how much it costs to raise this money. I am even less sure how it gets put to work in
That is a crisis of Jewish education.Â
Australian Jewry has approximately 20 day schools, and each day approximately 10,000 Jewish Australian children attend these schools. The mainstay of success of Australian Jewry over the past decades has been through this system. However the pressure of school fees has plunged the future of the day school movement into crisis. We don’t see it on collective terms, but there are literally thousands more Jewish children in this country who do not attend a Jewish school because of cost. Furthermore, the number of families on subsidised fees makes the financial sustainability of some of our schools untenable into the years ahead. The continual reliance on major benefactors, particularly in
Dare I suggest that if $50 million dollars a year were collected and retained, and used as a launchpad to educate Jewish children, that the impact for
There are those who are adamant that their philanthropy is directed to
Here in
What the Australian Jewish Day School movement needs is a large scale future fund, with hundreds of millions at its base, and an annual capital injection. It needs this fund to subsidise the cost of school fees in an accountable and dignified manner for Jewish familes that wish to accord their children a Jewish education.Â
No doubt $50 million dollars worth of Australian Jewish money contributes a lot to various
The suggestion stands on record. By all means collect $50 million per annum, but lets rethink the way in which this money is put to work. A local spend on behalf of Israel could be worth far more than a remittance of the funds to Israel – to the benefit of both Australian Jewry and ultimately the Israeli economy.