The Prime Minister's Initiative

Overview

In July 2013 eJewishPhilanthropy.com reported that the Jewish Agency and the Office of the Israeli Prime Minister are working on a program, 'The Prime Minister's Initiative', to develop young Jews' connection to Israel.

Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly tasked Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky to lead the initiative, envisioned as a partnership between the Israeli state and private Jewish philanthropists abroad.^[1]

Objectives

Bringing Israel to Jews:

Increasing 'Israel education' in Jewish institutions, by training 2,000 'local educators' each year and placing 'young Israeli emissaries' in 1,000 Jewish institutions

Forming a 'global network' of 150 'Israel Engaged Campuses' with 'strong Israel related content'. "The bottom line," declared Jewish Agency US-based fundraising chief Misha Galperin, referring to existing Jewish organisational activity on campus, "is that it hasn't worked... It hasn't gotten us over the hump..."^[2] It is unclear how these 'Israel Engaged Campuses' would work with Hillel, though according to Hillel's vice president for marketing and communications Ellen Goldstein, new Hillel president and CEO Eric Fingerhut has been invited to a planning meeting.^[2]

Bringing Jews to Israel:

Educational experiences in Israel: increasing numbers of participants in trips to Israel from 68,000 (the current level) to 100,000 annually, 'with an emphasis on travel before and during college and through return visits'.^[1] This would reportedly include channelling additional funds to Taglit-Birthright.^[2]

Promote aliyah for 'young professionals', doubling the number from 4,500 to 10,000 a year^[1]

Funding

The planning document sees the program developing from $30 million in 2014 to $300 million per year by 2019. The Jewish Agency envisions the Israeli government providing a third, and private Jewish philanthropists making up the rest.^[1]

This would, the Forward reports, amount to

'more than three times the annual budget of Taglit-Birthright Israel, more than three times the annual expenditures of all Hillel chapters put together and more than 150 times the annual budget of the Israel Action Network the much vaunted Jewish communal group founded in 2010 to promote Israel’s image on college campuses.^[2]

It would give the Jewish Agency 'a major role in driving Jewish programming throughout America'.^[2]

Current Status

In June 2013, a 'select group of lead philanthropists from around the world' met with Prime Minister Netanyahu.^[1] This would, the Forward reports, amount to

'more than three times the annual budget of Taglit-Birthright Israel, more than three times the annual expenditures of all Hillel chapters put together and more than 150 times the annual budget of the Israel Action Network the much vaunted Jewish communal group founded in 2010 to promote Israel’s image on college campuses.^[2]

Prime Minister Netanyahu has yet to formally back the plan in public. The Jewish Agency's US-based fundraising chief Misha Galperin expressed confidence that Netanyahu supported the initiative.^[2]

According to the eJewishPhilanthropy report, the Jewish Agency will convene 'senior Government representatives, 'leading Jewish organizations, thinkers, foundations and private funders' on 1-2 October 2013, in Jerusalem.^[1] This However the Forward reports that the meeting was 'postponed' and, as of 15 August, a new date had not been set.^[2]