Jewish Agency Survey Recommends New Emphasis on Jewish Education

The Jewish Agency needs to spend more money on Jewish education, particularly to bring Diaspora youth to visit Israel.

That is one finding of a survey designed to help the quasi-governmental organization funded by the United Jewish Appeal focus its efforts in the face of decreasing revenues.

The survey, which asked the agency’s leadership how they would rearrange the organization’s existing priorities, found broad support for its two currently central functions: immigration and absorption of new immigrants.

But two areas that had been at the center of the agency’s work prior to the current wave of immigration from the former Soviet Union fared poorly: youth aliyah and regional development in Israel.

At the same time, the respondents indicated that programs should continue to aid all disadvantaged Israelis, not just the newcomers.

The survey was carried out to help the agency deal with declining federation fund-raising campaigns that come at a time of continuing immigration from the former Soviet Union.

The agency has accepted the results of the survey and has resolved to have the new priorities fully reflected in its 1996 budget.

“The question is, do we approach the budget deficit by amputating each department piece by piece, and end up with an army of the disabled, or do we take bold steps to restructure priorities as we see it?” said Shoshana Cardin last year, explaining the questions that led to the survey.

Cardin heads the Jewish Agency’s Goals and Priorities Committee, which sponsored the survey.

The survey was conducted by respected Israeli pollster Hanoch Smith. Almost all of the nearly 300 delegates to the organization’s assembly this past October responded to the poll. The results were discussed at the agency’s Board of Governors meeting in February.

MONEY SHOULD BE SPENT IN ISRAEL

Interestingly, given the tensions on other matters at the board meeting between Americans and Israelis over how to run the agency, the survey showed agreement between the two sides on most issues and priorities.

One issue where there was a difference of nuance was in Jewish education. Representatives of the World Zionist Organization ranked that the clear No. 2 priority, whereas the American representatives from the United Israel Appeal, affiliated with the UJA, favored immigrant absorption as a top priority.

Currently, the agency spends $34 million on Jewish-Zionist education, out of a budget of $500 million. Cardin said the survey implied that the education budget should rise to $50 million or even $75 million, although all changes in priorities would be phased in gradually.

The delegates indicated a strong desire that money for Jewish education be spent in Israel, to give Diaspora youth an “Israel experience.”

This accords with the recent decision by the UJA to participate in a consortium promoting youth trips to Israel, but contrasts with the current budget, which spends more than half its education budget in the Diaspora.

Another area for increased education funding, falling under the rubric of aliyah, would be programs for potential immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

“The questionnaires showed that the emphasis in the former Soviet Union should be on young families and teen-agers. That would be prealiyah programs, visits to Israel, summer camps, youth groups, informal education, not formal education,” said Cardin.