Jerusalem Foundation

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The Jerusalem Foundation was founded in 1966 by the former Israeli mayor of the city Teddy Kollek. It claims to work toward 'creating an open, equitable and modern society by responding to the needs of residents and improving their quality of life' and has carried out thousands of projects - such as building community centers, sports complexes, parks, children’s playgrounds, libraries, theaters and museums - across the city including in East Jerusalem.

It works closely with the Jerusalem Municipality and regards the city as having been 'unified', stressing that Arab citizens of Jerusalem can also benefit from its projects but ignores the fact that under international law East Jerusalem is considered illegally occupied territory. The JF refers to Jerusalem as 'Israel's capital city'[1] - a status not recognized by the international community which regards East Jerusalem as the future capital of a Palestinian state.

History

Above: screenshot of some of the Jerusalem Foundation's projects in and around the Old City from the interactive map on its website. Below: Map showing the Green Line indicating that all JF's projects to the east of this line are on illegally occupied territory

In 1965 Teddy Kollek was appointed Mayor of West Jerusalem and he established the Jerusalem Foundation the following year with the aim of 'raising funds in Israel and around the world to promote the social and physical development'[2] of Jerusalem. In 1967 Israel captured and occupied East Jerusalem and extended the city's municipal boundaries so that Kollek became de facto mayor of all Jerusalem.

Ruth Cheshin, co-founder and current President Emeritus of the JF, served as President for 45 years from its inception. The JF claims that over $1.5 billion was raised during this time. In October 2011 Mark Sofer was appointed as the new president. He was formerly Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel's Ambassador to Ireland and then to India.[3]

Since being founded in Jerusalem, the foundation established international boards in the USA, UK, Austria, Canada, France (and French speaking countries), Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain and Brazil.

Mitt Romney speech 2012

On July 29 2012 the Republican American Presidential candidate Mitt Romney addressed the Jerusalem Foundation during his visit to Israel. His speech praised Israel's achievements as a 'wonder of the modern world' and pointedly called Jerusalem 'the capital of Israel', in defiance of international law and numerous UN resolutions. He did not mention Palestinians or the occupation once.[4]

Activities

The Jerusalem Foundation claims it has worked on over 4000 projects and states that its work 'touches every population – Jewish, Muslim and Christian – of every social group of every age, in every neighborhood of the city'. It boasts that the 'landscape of Jerusalem has been immeasurably enriched' by its work and declares that it 'has an unmatched track record in creating and nurturing philanthropy projects in Israel'.[5]

In 1978, JF founder Teddy Kollek initiated the establishment of the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies (JIIS) which conducts research on three core topics: Jerusalem, conflict resolution and environmental policy.[6][7]

Public Relations

According to the client list of Finn Partners Israel, formerly called Ruder Finn Israel, the company has worked for Jerusalem Foundation as well as a series of government agencies and Israeli lobby groups and NGOs.[8]

Culture as propaganda

In its 2010 annual report, the JF that one of the aims of its cultural projects is 'impacting the city's image as a dynamic, relevant cultural center' and that its 'intensive efforts, accompanied by those of the Jerusalem Municipality and other strategic partners, are bearing noticeable and measurable results.' It describes how 'Israeli and international press covering many of the city's cultural events highlighted the richness and quality of Jerusalem's unique and varied cultural landscape' and claims that the 'significant increase in cultural activity and the positive change in the public perception were a direct result of our continued, strategic support'.[9] In 2011, the section on cultural projects in the JF's annual report stated that one of its three overarching goals was to 'Impact the Image of the City'.[10]

UK boycott of Jerusalem Quartet

The Jerusalem Quartet, described by the JF as 'prestigious cultural ambassador for Jerusalem and Israel'[11] who requested donors provide $140,000 to sponsors their classical music tours, have been boycotted in Edinburgh[12], London[13] and Brighton.[14]

Palestinian call for boycott of writers festival

In February 2012 PACBI, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, issued a statement calling on writers not to take part in the International Writers' Festival, held in Mishkenot Sha'ananim, Jerusalem, May 13-18 2012. Sponsored by the Jerusalem Foundation, along with the Israeli Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Jerusalem Municipality, the Israeli President was also due to preside over the festival's opening. PACBI noted the public relations intent of the festival to 'improve the image of Jerusalem'. In their view, participation in the festival constituted a 'celebration of Apartheid' since 'Israel subjects Palestinians to a cruel system of dispossession and racial discrimination' in Jerusalem and elsewhere. They called on writers to boycott the festival and cited John Berger, Arundhati Roy, Alice Walker, Judith Butler, Iain Banks, Naomi Klein, Ahdaf Soueif and Eduardo Galeano as notable pro-boycott literary figures.[15]

Boycott From Within call for boycott of Israel Festival

In 2012 Israeli citizens who support the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, called on artists due to participate in the Israeli Festival, held in Jerusalem in May, not to participate. They wrote: 'Please do not whitewash segregation, racism and occupation' and stated that the call to boycott was 'all the more relevant' because the festival was sponsored by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, the Municipality of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem Foundation. The British COUncil and the US Embassy in Tel Aviv also sponsored the festival.[16] They warned potential performers that 'the Israeli government will endeavor to use your name to legitimize and promote the current oppressive and racist order'.[17]

Projects in Occupied East Jerusalem

Under international law Israeli construction beyond the Green Line and continued settlement of Israeli citizens is illegal. The Jerusalem Foundation has been deeply complicit in Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem from the start since it has carried out numerous projects in this part of the city including in settlements such as Gilo, Neve Ya'akov, Pisgat Ze'ev, East Talpiot and French Hill.

It has also built in Palestinian neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem including Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan, which have both been targeted by settlers and are seen by some as areas that the Israeli authorities are assisting settlers to slowly ethnically cleanse of Palestinians[18] . The JF built a medical centre and sports field in the former and a school and kindergarten in the latter, projects it presumably would defend as being philanthropic and for the benefit of 'Israeli Aarbs'. In Silwan, the JF has also 'pioneered much of the archaeological discovery and preservation projects including the City of David excavations'[19], a notorious dig interpreted by many commentators as a means to strengthen Israel's control of East Jerusalem.[20]

Stemming Negative Migration

In the foundation's 2010 annual report, President Ruth Cheshin wrote: 'Our work over the last few years has largely focused on stemming negative migration from the city'.[21] When Mark Sofer succeeded her as President in 2011, he reiterated this concern in the 2011 annual report, describing the fact that '[m]ore and more young families are moving out of Jerusalem' as a 'challenge' and writing of an increase in residents in one neighbourhood, Kiryat HaYovel, 'defying the citywide trend and a statistic we would like to see take hold citywide'.[22] This focus may indicate a concern with demographics and the balance of Jewish and non-Jewish residents - although the JF does not mention any ethnicity or religion explicitly.

Affiliations

People

Israel

Jerusalem Foundation
Leadership
Teddy Kollek- founder (deceased) Mark Sofer - President Mayor Nir Barkat - Honorary Chairman
Ruth Cheshin - Co-founder and President Emeritus Sallai Meridor - International Chairman
Board of Directors
David Brodet - Chairman Ronit Abramson Zvi Agmon
Yoram Belizovsky Tamar Ben-David Ruth Cheshin
Ruth Diskin Alan Hassenfeld Stuart Hershkowitz
Prof. Meir Heth Gary Leibler Sallai Meridor
Harry Sapir Dr. Yoni Shimshoni Dan Suesskind
Yossi Vardi Moshe Vidman
General Assembly
Yaron Angel Avraham Asheri Tamara Barnea
Shlomo Belkind George Birenbaum Amnon Eisenberg
Dr. Moshe Eliash Michael Federmann Prof. Ruth Gavison
Ralph Goldman Ruth Gorenstein David Hacohen
Nechama Hillman Richard Hirsch Ya'acov Hirsch
Julia Koschitzky Amos Mar-Haim Lewis G. Mitz
Raphael Molcho Shlomit Molho Jacob Ner-David
Doron Rechlevsky Yaron Sadan George Saman
Micha Shagrir Imad Telhami Ran Tuttnauer
Prof. Menachem Ya'ari
Staff
Daniel Mimran - General Director Alan Freeman - Vice President, Major Gifts & U.S. Desk Head Hedva Foguel - Legal Advisor
David Kindler - Chief Financial Officer Ariella Bernstein - Chief of Staff Nadim Shiban - Projects
Eyal Sher - Arts and Culture Sagit Avitan - Personnel Daniel Feuchtwanger - Asset Management and Maintenance
Haim Barimboim - Project Construction Roi Singer - Architect Liat Rosner - Marketing Communications
Nomi Yeshua - Director of Overseas Development and Coordination Steve Solomon - Canada Desk Neil Greenbaum - U.K. Desk
Irene Pollak-Rein - German Speaking Desk Gabriele Appel - National Director in Germany Arie Zahavi - Spanish Speaking Desk
Tamar Millo - Italian Desk Nurit Braun - French Speaking Desk Ariella Bernstein - Communications and Publications

[23][24]

International

USA

The Jerusalem Foundation, Inc., 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 1645, New York, NY 10170. In 2010 the organisation reported a revenue of $11,445,904.[25]

Leadership

Moshe Fogel - Executive Director | Alan G. Hassenfeld - Chairman | Kenneth J. Bialkin - Vice Chairman | Mark Sofer - International President | Stephen R. Reiner - Secretary/Treasurer | Nahum Bernstein (deceased) - Founding Chairman | Alvin Einbender - Honorary Chairman | Ambassador Max M. Kampelman - Honorary Chairman | Sallai Meridor - International Chairman | Harvey Rothenberg - Founding Secretary/Treasurer | Steven Scheinfeld - General Counsel |

Directors

Isaac Appelbaum | David N. Bottoms, Jr. | Daniel Crown | Lester Crown | Neal Goldman | Linda Jesselson | Jordan Kassalow | Robert Kraft | Nathan Leight | Isidore Mayrock | Theodore Mirvis | Allen Model | Ambassador Lyndon Olson, Jr. | Bernard M. Plum | Bernard Rapoport | David Recanati | Craig Reicher | John Shapiro | Herbert Wander | Leonard A. Wilf | Honorable John C. Whitehead - Director Emeritus |[26]

UK

The Jerusalem Foundation in the UK (registered charity number: 258306) is administered by Prism the Gift Fund ((Number: 1099682), registered to 20 Gloucester Place,London, W1U 8HA. In 2010 the JF's UK arm reported an income of £1,196,030.[27][28].

Leadership

Peter Halban, CBE - Chairman of Board of Directors | Leslie Paisner- Founder (deceased) | Lois Sieff, OBE - Chairman Emeritus | Peter Sheldon OBE - Treasurer | Howard Leigh - Executive | Guy Naggar Executive |

Trustees

Janet Wolfson de Botton | Dame Vivien Clore Duffield, CBE | Jack Livingstone,OBE | Lord Moser | Martin Paisner CBE | Ninette Perahia | Lady Jane Rayne | The Hon. Robert Rayne | Anthony Rosenfelder | Mak Sofer | Lord Weidenfeld | Lord Woolf | Michael Ziff

Former

Lord Bernstein - former President of the UK Board | Nurit Gordon - former UK Desk Head in Jerusalem | Michael Phillips - former Excutive | Fred Worms, OBE - former Executive | Anthony Bloom - former Executive | Jane Biran- former trustee | Ruth Cheshin - former trustee | Sir Harry Djanogly, CBE- former trustee | David Pannick, QC - former trustee | Lord Stone of Blackheath - former trustee | Sheila Ford - former Administrator| [29]

Other overseas branches

The Jerusalem Foundation also has boards internationally in the following countries:

Funding

Since 2003, the JF has had a regular annual income averaging more than $25 million. Its 2011 annual report puts its income that year at $26.8 million. Of this, 39.8% was raised in the United States, 9.9% in Israel itself, 9.4% in the UK and the rest from other international sources. Private donors contributed 75% of this income, foundations provided 18% and 'Governments and Public Support' 6.6%.[31]

Declining American contributions

Donations from North America seem to have decreased in recent years. In its earliest available annual report from 2005, the JF reports that its USA arm contributed 53%[32] of its overall income and in 2006 this rose to 57%.[33] However in 2007, the proportion dropped to under half of the total, with 49.8%[34], and the following year the figure was 44.4%.[35] By 2009 contributions from the USA had shrunk to 28.7%[36] though this ratio has risen again in recent years - but remained under 40%. In 2010 the USA contributed 37.8%[37] and then 39.8% in 2011.[38]

The trend of declining income for American 'Friends of' Israeli organisation is reportedly widespread. Some view the impact of recession as the main factors but Steven Cohen of the Hebrew Union College has claimed that the acquisition of younger supporters is becoming difficult for such groups and that 'the increase in intermarriage is correlated with a decrease in attachment to Israel'. A growing population of Orthodox Jews could offset that reluctance, he claims.[39]

JF America's national director in 2011, James Gurland, has said that new, younger supporters are being sought because the average age of the group's top 20 donors is 65 - and they account for '60 to 70 percent of the organization’s gifts'. Efforts to woo new supporters have included hosting its first gala in 10 years in December 2011 'in the hope that the event will lure new donors'. The foundation also reportedly sponsored a group of fellows on behalf of a social entrepreneurship ideas incubator called PresenTense 'to strengthen its connections to emerging philanthropists and leaders'.[40]

Contact

Address: 11 Rivka Street, P.O.B. 10185 Jerusalem, 91101 Israel
Tel: 972 - 2 - 675 1711
Fax: 972 -2 - 673 4462
Email: info@jfjlm.org
Website: www.jerusalemfoundation.org

Notes

  1. ↑ JERUSALEM FOUNDATION APPOINTS NEW PRESIDENT, MARK SOFER, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 10 Sept 2012
  2. ↑ JERUSALEM FOUNDATION APPOINTS NEW PRESIDENT, MARK SOFER, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 10 Sept 2012
  3. ↑ JERUSALEM FOUNDATION APPOINTS NEW PRESIDENT, MARK SOFER, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 10 Sept 2012
  4. ↑ Mitt Romney's Remarks to the Jerusalem Foundation, Council on Foreign Relations, accessed 10 Sept 2012
  5. ↑ About the Jerusalem Foundation, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 10 Sept 2012
  6. ↑ Our History, Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, 10 Sept 2012
  7. ↑ Our Mission, Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, 10 Sept 2012
  8. ↑ Past Clients - NGO/NPO, Finn Partners Israel, accessed 10 Sept 2012
  9. ↑ Annual Report 2010, p.12, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  10. ↑ Annual Report 2011, p.10, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  11. ↑ Culture > Performing Arts > Jerusalem Quartet, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  12. ↑ 2010 April 8th: “RACISM” CHARGE DROPPED AGAINST ISRAEL PROTESTORS, Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  13. ↑ erusalem Quartet Concert at London's Wigmore Hall is Disrupted & Radio 3's Live Broadcast is Terminated, Tony Greenstein's Blog, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  14. ↑ Protesters disrupt performance by the Jerusalem Quartet in support of a boycott of Israel, Indymedia UK, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  15. ↑ Public appeal to international writers: do not partake in celebrating apartheid Jerusalem!, PACBI, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  16. ↑ Sponsors and Collaborations, Israel Festival, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  17. ↑ FROM ISRAELI CITIZENS TO PARTICIPANTS OF THE ISRAEL FESTIVAL - PLEASE DO NOT WHITEWASH SEGREGATION, RACISM AND OCCUPATION, Boycott From Within, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  18. ↑ The front line of ethnic cleansing, Al Jazeera English, 10 Sept 2012
  19. ↑ Annual Report 2009, p.7 Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 10 Sept 2012
  20. ↑ Scott Wilson, A Dig Into Jerusalem's Past Fuels Present-Day Debates, Washington Post, accessed June 6
  21. ↑ Annual Report 2010, p.5, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  22. ↑ Annual Report 2011, p.2, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  23. ↑ Israel Board of Directors, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 10 Sept 2012
  24. ↑ Staff, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 10 Sept 2012
  25. ↑ The Jerusalem Foundation, Charity Navigator, accessed 10 Sept 2012
  26. ↑ The Jerusalem Foundation, Inc. (USA), Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 10 Sept 2012
  27. ↑ The Jerusalem Foundation, Charity Commission, accessed 10 Sept 2012
  28. ↑ Prism the Gift Fund,Charity Commission, accessed 10 Sept 2012
  29. ↑ UK Board of Directors, accessed 10 Sept 2012
  30. ↑ Israel and International Boards, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 10 Sept 2012
  31. ↑ Annual Report 2011, p.26, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 10 Sept 2012
  32. ↑ Annual Report 2005, p.48, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  33. ↑ Annual Report 2006, p.48, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  34. ↑ Annual Report 2007, p.46, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  35. ↑ Annual Report 2008, p.36, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  36. ↑ Annual Report 2009, p.38, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  37. ↑ Annual Report 2010, p.50, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  38. ↑ Annual Report 2011, p.26, Jerusalem Foundation, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  39. ↑ For ‘Friends’ Groups, A New Normal, The Jewish Week, accessed 11 Sept 2012
  40. ↑ For ‘Friends’ Groups, A New Normal, The Jewish Week, accessed 11 Sept 2012
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