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Now we turn the focus to Jewish organizations, with these heads of major Jewish organizations responding to sentence prompts:
Alisa R. Doctoroff, president of UJA-Federation of New York.
Allen I. Fagin, executive vice president (chief professional officer) of the Orthodox Union.
Farley Weiss, president of the National Council of Young Israel.
The greatest challenge of a Jewish organization is…
Doctoroff: successfully anticipating and responding to the evolving needs of a diverse community like the one here in New York.
Fagin: defining its mission and strategy.
Weiss: successfully servicing its constituents while trying to impact public opinion for Israel and to improve the situation for Jews in America.
A strong Jewish organization is one that…
Doctoroff: starts from a clear mission and vision and is always guided by it. It goes without saying that it must also have excellent professional leadership that is able to manage and empower the staff to translate goals into action to achieve its mission.
Fagin: constantly replenishes its lay and professional leadership with new and vibrant talent.
Weiss: can be counted on when Israel and U.S. Jewry depend upon it.
A Jewish organization can make a difference in people’s lives by…
Doctoroff: knowing where and how it can have most impact. Ideally, as a system of Jewish organizations we can support the community at every lifecycle point, including teens, young parents and boomers. A Jewish organization is also invaluable during times of hardship and crisis by offering social service support, job training and legal assistance.
Fagin: bringing Torah values and a Torah lifestyle into their lives.
Weiss: caring about each Jew while trying to have policies that overall assist many lives.
A Jewish organization inspires by…
Doctoroff: what it tries to accomplish and how it seeks to do so. We use our Jewish values to set our agenda that impacts lives every day and offers opportunities to support and respond to individuals’ search for meaning, connection and community.
Fagin: being a force for positive change and facing problems that confront the Jewish people.
Weiss: its ability to be truthful and honest and by the fear and love of God to do that which God and the Jewish people expect of it.
The leadership of a Jewish organization…
Doctoroff: should be committed to looking at the world with an open mind and to listening to the variety of perspectives and opinions within the community.
Fagin: should be efficient, and a model of ethical behavior and absolute integrity.
Weiss: must be transparent and show it cares and serves it constituents and the Jewish people as a whole.
In order to meet its goals, a Jewish organization…
Doctoroff: should have an institutionalized method of assessing the performance of programs and services. Through these methods we can best determine what programs to continue, as well as what may need changing.
Fagin: should focus on its core mission.
Weiss: needs to stand up for Israel and American Jewry and help with innovative programs to turn around bad trends.
When it comes to politics, Jewish organizations…
Doctoroff: will make decisions based on the mission of the organization, which dictates whether there should be direct involvement in politics. In the case of UJA-Federation, we are a community organization that represents a diverse base and while we are not directly involved in politics we strive to encourage respectful and open dialogue.
Fagin: should be leaders in the art of civil discourse.
Weiss: need to speak up on issues of concern to American Jewry and Israel.
Compared to Jewish organizations of decades ago, today’s Jewish organizations…
Doctoroff: are more challenged to make the case for their importance and for support. Decades ago the barriers to Jews created community and a necessity for organizations that would meet their needs; today these barriers are largely eradicated, so it is incumbent upon Jewish organizations both to compete with non-Jewish organizations and to demonstrate their relevance in supporting vibrant Jewish life and community.
