The United Jewish Appeal’s Passage to Freedom campaign has raised $38.4 million, or a little over half of what UJA hopes to raise by Dec. 31 to help resettle Soviet Jews in the United State and Israel.
UJA officials say they are pleased with the total and are confident the year-end goal will be reached.
Nevertheless, fund-raising officials around the country say the special Soviet Jewry campaign has not ignited grassroots enthusiasm among small and medium-sized donors, those who contribute $5,000 or less to the regular UJA campaign.
Most of the money collected so far has come from “big givers,” those willing to contribute $100,000 or more to the regular UJA campaign.
To reach a broader base of contributors, UJA and Jewish community federations around the country have undertaken large-scale educational efforts to counter what they describe as the Jewish public’s “misconceptions” about the size of the Soviet influx and the needs of the individual refugees.
Passage to Freedom was launched in March, with the intention of raising money for federations overwhelmed by record numbers of Jews being allowed out of the Soviet Union.
Federation-funded agencies provide job training and other services to Jewish immigrants, at an average cost of $2,250 per immigrant.
‘CALL FOR FREEDOM WEEK’ SET
Proceeds from the special campaign are to be divided equally for the resettlement of Soviet Jews in the United States and Israel, and will be used to supplement cost-saving measures being implemented by the federations.
These include offering Soviet Jews aid in the form of loans, rather than grants, and encouraging Soviet Jews already settled in the United States to house and aid the new arrivals.
According to Marvin Lender, the Connecticut businessman who chairs the campaign, 12 of the largest 42 cities participating in the campaign have already reached or exceeded their fundraising goals.
“There is not only enthusiasm for this historic challenge, but there is additional momentum as we provide more and more education as to what the issues are,” Lender said.
The need for increased public awareness led UJA to plan “Call for Freedom Week,” which begins on Oct. 29 with a nationwide telethon.
“Our feeling is that the bulk of the money has come from large givers and from leadership,” said Lender. “That’s where the lion’s share is coming from. But we are certainly going to the grass roots — the so-called lower giving levels — to help them understand what the issues are.”
A UJA official explained that fund-raising campaigns usually follow the same pattern and that large givers “set the pace” for the lower giving levels.
Fund-raising officials also say the special campaign has not cut into the regular annual campaign, which they say is running ahead of last year’s $730 million pace.
“We have enough experience to indicate that any special campaign enhances the regular campaign,” Carmi Schwartz, executive vice president of the Council of Jewish Federations, said in a recent address to members of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry.
Still, many potential donors have expressed ambivalence about helping Soviet Jews settle in the United States rather than in Israel.
Others feel less compassion for the sometimes highly skilled Russian emigres than they did for the often destitute Ethiopian Jews who arrived in Israel in large numbers in 1984 and 1985.
‘NOT ONE OF THE EASIER CAMPAIGNS’
“It’s not one of the easier campaigns,” acknowledged Robert Forman, executive vice president of the Federation of Jewish Agencies of Greater Philadelphia.
Forman called the debate over the destination of the emigres “divisive and attention-getting,” but said that givers are beginning to understand that the community has a responsibility to its new arrivals.
Philadelphia expects 1,500 emigres to arrive this year, at a cost of $2,100 per arrival for three months of Federation-provided services.
Like many other federations, Philadelphia’s waited until the fall began to launch a full-scale fund-raising effort on behalf of the emigres.
In New York, where 12,000 Soviet Jews have settled this year, the UJA-Federation of Jewish Philanthropies has pledges of $7.4 million for the campaign and has collected $5.6 million toward a goal of $10 million to $12 million.
Stephen Solender, executive vice president of the federation, called it “a very encouraging response, given the fact that we started after the regular 1989 campaign was well along.”
In Chicago, $1.8 million has been raised toward a goal of $2 million, according to a spokesman for the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.
“The response has been good,” the spokesman said. “Obviously, it is different than if there were a war in Israel. But on the whole, there is a good, positive response and a recognition that the challenge is going to be for a number of years.”
CONCERN ABOUT ASSIMILATION
The Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston has raised $1.2 million toward a goal of $2.5 million in its New Freedom Trail campaign.
Federation officials there have also tried to counter another community concern that arriving Soviets are going to “disappear from the community or become totally assimilated,” said Barry Shrage, the federation’s executive vice president.
“From all the studies, there is no indication” that Soviet Jews drop out of the Jewish community, said Shrage.
The debate over whether Soviet emigres should be settled in the United States or Israel may soon be settled by the federal government.
The United States is expected to allow fewer Soviet Jews to enter the country next year than have already applied to immigrate. This may force many to choose Israel over the United States.
But even so, federation executives expect the U.S. Jewish community will continue for some time to bear the financial burden of resettling Soviet Jews, be it in Israel or the United States.
Settling Jews in Israel is more expensive, said Shrage of the Boston federation.
Still, federation leaders acknowledge that a fund-raising campaign to resettle Soviets in Israel would be an easier “sell” to potential givers.
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