U.S. Jews Contribute $625,000,000 a Year to Charity, ‘fortune’ Estimates

Jews in the United States contribute more than $625,000,000 a year to various philanthropic causes while the total of private philanthropy reaches eight billion dollars a year, an article in the January issue of Fortune, the monthly magazine of American big business, estimates. It calls Jewish giving a “miracle.”

“The miracle of Jewish giving can be traced to ancient Biblical and rabbinical teachings that make philanthropy the very core of Jewish values,” the article, written by Robert Sheehan, states. It also attributes the vast and successful results of Jewish giving to “the circumstances of early Jewish life in America which made it imperative to develop forceful fund-raising techniques.”

Noting that the Jewish population in the United States had grown rapidly through large waves of immigration in the last century, forcing American Jews to raise money to aid their poor, the article recalls that the American Jews started improving their fundraising techniques about 1895, with the formation of “the federated charitable fund drive.”

Now, the writer states, with 5,585,000 Jews in the United States, about 80 percent of them native-born, “the Jewish federated fund drives raise $130,000,000 a year, and this is exclusive of endowment income and a variety of large capital campaigns.” The Jewish “gross national product” for philanthropic purposes,” it was stated, “runs to something over $625,000,000 a year.”

NON-JEWS ‘MARVEL’ AT THE TECHNIQUE OF THE UNITED JEWISH APPEAL

“An outstanding charity,” the article continued, “is the United Jewish Appeal, which is concerned with the resettlement in Israel of Jewish refugees from Europe and Africa. In its 27 years of existence, UJA has raised over $1,500,000,000. In 1966 its goal is $73,000,000. The campaign is being led by Max M. Fisher, the Detroit industrialist, who is also president of the nonsectarian United Foundation of Detroit. Jewish businessmen, of course, do not confine their fund-raising skills to Jewish charities.

“The campaigns of the UJA and other leading Jewish charities are marvels of organization, but beyond that there does indeed seem to be a strong historic and religious thread that motivates the leaders. In ancient times the highest prestige was accorded the trustees of the ‘Kuppah.’ If a Jewish businessman today prizes the esteem of his peers, then the way to earn it, whether he be an active religious worshiper or not, is to do his full share in behalf of Jewish philanthropy. It is the practice of some Jewish golf clubs and luncheon clubs to check first of all on the adequacy of the applicant’s Jewish and United Fund gifts.

“Non-Jewish fund raisers marvel at the technique of the famous ‘calling dinners’ that kick off major Jewish philanthropic campaigns. After the formal speeches by visiting dignitaries, the chairman starts calling the roll. Each guest rises as his name is called, and the chairman coolly asks, ‘All right, Jack, what will you give?’ Or perhaps, ‘Well now, Morris, you gave $25,000 five years ago, what will you give this time?’ A noted Jewish businessman smilingly comments, “It sounds kind of brutal, doesn’t it? But actually, it’s a lot of fun, and what’s more–it works.”