Israel United Appeal - United Communal Fund
Joint communal fundraising body of South African Jewry, raising money for Zionist and communal organisations and acting as Keren Hayesod's South African affiliate
| Israel United Appeal - United Communal Fund
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| Logo | 
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| Type | Communal fundraising body |
| Headquarters | Beyachad, 2 Elray Street, Raedene, Johannesburg |
| Location | Johannesburg; Pretoria |
| Area served | South Africa |
| Services | Fundraising for the South African Zionist Federation, South African Jewish Board of Deputies, Israel Centre, South African Friends of Israel and South African Union of Jewish Students |
| Key people | Avrom Krengel (chairman, 2019) |
| Website | iuaucf.org.za |
The Israel United Appeal - United Communal Fund (IUA-UCF) is a South African Jewish fundraising body. It describes itself as "the fundraising arm for the SAZF, SAJBD, Israel Centre, SAFI and SAUJS" – the South African Zionist Federation, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, the Israel Centre, South African Friends of Israel and the South African Union of Jewish Students – and distributes general donations across these beneficiaries.[1] Keren Hayesod - United Israel Appeal lists "I.U.A.-U.C.F" in Johannesburg and "IUA/UCF" in Pretoria as its South African affiliates, alongside the United Jewish Campaign in Cape Town.[2] The IUA-UCF is itself listed as an affiliate of the SAZF.[3]
History
The University of Cape Town holds the records of the United Communal Fund for South African Jewry, including campaign books for 1949–1987, records of Israel United Appeal campaigns, and a recording listed as "Prof A Dershowitz IUA-UCF 1996. Launch".[4] According to the SA Jewish Report, Gerald Kleinman, who had chaired the UCF "before it merged with the IUA", linked "the separate IUA and UCF campaigns as executive director in 1986", and "Welfare joined it in 1993".[5]
Naomi Hadar, who had chaired the organisation's Partnership2Gether project, later headed the IUA-UCF and stepped down at the end of 2018.[6]
2019 restructuring
In August 2019 the IUA-UCF chairman, Avrom Krengel, replied to statements by one of its beneficiaries, the Community Security Organisation (CSO). He wrote that half of the IUA-UCF's staff and a third of the SAJBD's had been retrenched in the previous six months, and blamed "a poor economic climate", the deaths of major donors and the emigration of others. The UCF received "substantial donations in the form of scheduled debit orders", from which the CSO was expected to receive more than R2 million in 2019. Under the restructured system, the existing UCF debit orders were allocated to the CSO, the SAJBD and SAUJS; the CSO raised its shortfall through its own fundraising, "while the SAJBD, the SAZF and SAUJS are fundraising for their shortfall using the substantially scaled back infrastructure of the IUA-UCF".[7]
Beneficiaries
The IUA-UCF's page on the SAZF describes it as "your connection to Israel", working with the Israeli embassy and Zionist youth movements, running "year-end machanot for Jewish youth", and "reducing anti-Israel sentiment in South Africa through education, advocacy and lobbying".[8]
People
| Name | Position | Dates | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gerald Kleinman | Chairman of the UCF; executive director linking the IUA and UCF campaigns | Before 1986; from 1986 | [5] |
| Naomi Hadar | Head of the organisation | Until 2018 | [6] |
| Avrom Krengel | Chairman | 2019 | [7] |
Offices
- Johannesburg: Beyachad, 2 Elray Street, Raedene, Johannesburg; telephone +27 11 645-2500; email iuaucf@beyachad.co.za. It asks visitors to make contact before visiting "so as to ensure that our security personnel allow you access".[9]
- Pretoria: 246 Schroder Street, Groenkloof, Pretoria.[2]
See also
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to South Africa
- Keren Hayesod - United Israel Appeal
- United Jewish Campaign
- South African Zionist Federation
External links
Notes
- ↑ Israel United Appeal United Communal Fund, Home IUA-UCF, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Keren Hayesod - United Israel Appeal, South Africa Keren Hayesod, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ South African Zionist Federation, About us SAZF, accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ University of Cape Town Libraries, Manuscripts and Archives, BC 1158 United Communal Fund for South African Jewry UCT Libraries, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Suzanne Belling, Community stalwart Gerald Kleinman passes on SA Jewish Report, 16 November 2016.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jordan Moshe, IUA-UCF's Naomi Hadar moves onto new challenges SA Jewish Report, 6 December 2018.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Avrom Krengel, Message From Avrom Krengel IUA-UCF, 15 August 2019.
- ↑ Israel United Appeal United Communal Fund, SAZF IUA-UCF, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ Israel United Appeal United Communal Fund, Contact IUA-UCF, accessed 25 October 2026.