A smorgasbord of Jewish ideas ing to the Jewish calendar – actual- ly face a much bigger challenge, I Israelis must be taught about think.” Relaxed in a dark suit without a Jewish culture, says Daniel Posen tie, Posen quietly contemplates his foundation’s work while sipping coffee at a Jerusalem hotel during a • BY STEVE LINDE itself, where, he said, most secular visit in January. Israelis know little or nothing about “The majority of Jews here and aniel Posen genuinely cares Judaism. around the world view themselves about Israel and the Jewish “The majority of Jews here are as secular,” he said. “We believe people. As CEO of the Po- missing part of their identity,” Po- that Judaism is first and foremost a sen Foundation, which he sen told The Jerusalem Post – “the culture. What do we do with the Jew Dfounded three decades ago with his part that comes through their cul- who says, ‘There’s nothing really for father, Felix, the cosmopolitan entre- ture and their own Jewishness. me because Judaism is for religious preneur and philanthropist strongly “I think the government has woe- Jews, or haredi Jews’? I think that’s a advocates spreading the values of Ju- fully failed to serve the majority of needless tragedy and something we daism as a culture, making Jewish her- Jews in this country,” he went on. should try to do something about, itage accessible to all. “Secular Israeli Jews are much more even in a small measure.” To Posen, lack of Jewish knowl- Jewishly impoverished than their Posen’s remedy? edge is a pervasive problem in the Diaspora counterparts,” Posen add- “Educate people, give them a Jewish world. Ironically, the prob- ed. “So Israeli Jews – even though smorgasbord of Jewish ideas. But lem is greatest in the Jewish state they speak Hebrew and live accord- you have to let them pick, not tell

8 POSEN FOUNDATION JUNE 2016 them what they need.” wife, Jane. came across the question of why so The Posen Foundation, which Born in Berlin, Felix Posen fled to many Jews are Jewishly uneducated, operates from its office in Holon, the US with his family in 1938. Both and who eschewed religion. I think supports a variety of projects to father and son became highly suc- that troubled him, coming from a advance Felix and Daniel Posen’s cessful commodity traders, dealing religious home. He was also trying belief that Jewish education is the in oil, metal, and minerals. Daniel to understand the bridge between right of every Jew, and promote a later became a founding member of Judaism as religion and Judaism as culture of Judaism. Trafigura Beheer BV, a Dutch multi- a culture.” Since taking the helm of the Po- national commodity trading com- As for himself, Posen said he too sen Foundation, Daniel has expand- pany founded in 1993. came late to Judaism and Israel. ed its activities in Israel beyond aca- After retiring, Felix Posen estab- “I was very Jewishly uneducat- demic endeavors. lished himself as a leading figure in ed in a way, and still am, to a large The Foundation’s flagship project the world of Jewish culture and edu- degree. Growing up in Japan and in is still its teacher-training program cation. Daniel has devoted his ener- England and other places, the only at Ofakim. But Daniel is pushing gy and talents to supporting Jewish way to learn about Judaism was by things further. Not only are there studies in Israel. taking classes from a religious per- more community-based programs, “My father came from a typical son. I learned to read and write He- including a cadet program in the modern German Jewish home, left brew, but I never learned what it all IDF, but the Foundation is build- before the war with his immediate meant. Today I can read Hebrew, ing ties with municipalities to place family, settled in the United States, but I have no idea what I’m reading, graduates in schools and adding in- in Washington Heights, which they and that’s the coined phrase of ‘pe- formal education programs for par- jokingly called ‘the fourth reich,’” diatric Judaism.’ I think it was very ents and children. he recalled. “Many of the German empty, the famous empty part of Under Posen, the program is shift- Jews ended up there, and quite a few the cart, and it was meaningless.” ing from an academic effort to a led a very cold yekkeshe life, with- What, then, led him to become community initiative. out a lot of passion,” Daniel recalls, involved in this field? “Ofakim is in a way our most am- smiling. “It really started when my father bitious program in Israel,” Posen “His father was the religious one started to take an interest in the said. “It provides high school grad- in the family, although it turned subject matter we’re involved with, uates going into university with a out he didn’t even understand He- and so we started the Posen Foun- Bachelor’s degree and teacher’s cer- brew, even though he knew all the dation together. While I still had tificate in three years. prayers. I think that really freaked my main job, my father – who had “Being a teacher is almost a life my father out, to imagine praying just retired – started to get a sense sentence of economic hardship and not knowing what you’re say- of what was going on in the world to some,” he said, “but you have ing. On the other hand, his mother of Judaism of culture, and the issues many passionate university under- was a pianist and well read – which surrounding it, and that’s how I re- graduates who want to teach, and is probably where my father got his ally got plugged in. in this series of courses, these kids interest and love of culture. So his “I worked one summer – in 1974 or are taught how to teach Judaism as culture really came from his moth- 1975 – on a moshav here, and spent a culture in the mamlachti (secular) er, religion from the father, and I my weekends in Nuweiba, so I start- school system.” think that fused his notion that ed late in life; I would say properly The Posen Foundation follows the something was missing.” not until 2003 or 2004.” Ofakim graduates in the three mu- Daniel credits his father with the What is the philosophy behind nicipal programs – Rishon Lezion, idea of establishing the Posen Foun- the Posen Foundation? Ra’anana and Kfar Saba – where they dation in order to offer secular Jews “The aim of the Foundation also provide informal programs on an entrée into Jewish life and learn- hasn’t changed. We’ve modernized Jewish thought for the teachers, ing. it because obviously I’m another parents and students, together with “My father was yearning to fill generation and I have a different other organizations such Alma, the void, but he never knew how, background than my father. I guess BINA and Herzog. and in the ’60s and ’70s you didn’t the bottom line is that notion of have many opportunities to figure Judaism as a culture should be in DANIEL POSEN was born in New out what Judaism was. He spent everybody’s bookshelf, whether York in 1958, but grew up in Japan his whole life working, and I think you’re religious or not. What you do and England. Today he lives in Lu- he was in a way a closet academic,” with it is another thing. cerne with his Swiss wife, Diana, Posen said. “As a typical yekke, he “We have thousands of years of and his two sons, age 22 and 20. His took time to survey what ails the history that people understand father, 87, lives in London with his world in terms of Jewish topics, and has been co-opted by the religious,

POSEN FOUNDATION • THE JERUSALEM POST 9 and it is the fault of us, the non-re- ligious, who have done nothing about it.” Posen said he and his father were motivated by the Shenhar Report two decades ago. It persuaded them to focus their initial energies on the Israeli educational system. “Professor Aliza Shenhar was hired by the government of Israel at the time to look at what ails education generally,” Posen recalled. “You know, math was No. 1, compared to most countries. What was the last thing on her list? It was Judaism. In a way, that was a terrible embarrass- ment to this country. “How could it be that the Jewish nation didn’t know how to teach Ju- daism in the secular school system? That got us thinking, how is this possible, and what is missing in the antiquated way of teaching? What came as a reaction to the Shenhar Report was how to teach Judaism as a culture, a wondrous thing. And it’s working. “At Ofakim, we graduate 10-15 stu- dents a year. It’s wildly expensive and not supported by many because they think it’s the job of the gov- ernment to worry about things like that, but I don’t think you can wait DANIEL POSEN: We have always said that to be an educated Jew, you have to too long in any country.” know something about your religious brethren. (Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post) While Ofakim is their flagship pro- gram, the Posen foundation funds a wide variety of programs. Asked to share one of the Posen students. I think whatever they be- “I come to Israel probably every Foundation’s success stories, Daniel come, a doctor or a politician, you month and a half,” said Posen. “We immediately begins to tell the story don’t have to become a teacher, it have 30-odd projects going on at of Y., a student who became a top doesn’t matter, but you carry that any one time, and we’re quite in- member of Ofakim’s faculty. essence with you, and for her there’s volved in our projects. We’re more “Y. started off as a student in nothing else in life. It’s completely entrepreneurial philanthropy where Ofakim and is now a pedagogical changed her life. She married and we’re keen to be involved in the cor- instructor in the program,” he said. even ‘polluted’ her husband in that rect sense. We like people to have “She came from a typical Tel Aviv direction. Now this is just one exam- their independence, but we’re very home where Judaism was really not ple, we’re missing thousands more, keen on making sure people are do- important. Y. is an example of a per- but it can only be done with govern- ing what they’re meant to be doing. son who suddenly got it, and real- ment and private support.” “We need to learn too, and learn- ized that she owned her world, she Posen notes that there are Ameri- ing is by making errors and adjust- owned her Judaism, she understood can Jewish schools now interested in ing the ways we make our philan- how to make the building blocks of Ofakim teachers, which “is very in- thropy. I enjoy my visits, usually two her form of Judaism, which was cul- teresting, because clearly the parents or three days at a time, and I always tural and its practices. are fed up in some way with the way visit my customers, if you’d like to “She adds a lot of issues of reli- they are teaching Jewish children in call it that, and we’re always looking gious Judaism into it, and weaves a American schools.” for new opportunities.” most wonderful way of teaching her He relates a story about how he and

10 POSEN FOUNDATION JUNE 2016 he said. “We are a private Swiss foun- cation Ministry website on the topic dation, although we do spend our of Jewish culture. time looking at results, we’re impa- “We’ve had successes, but we are tient not to spend years looking at one foundation, and it’s not a wild- results and we’re always trying new ly attractive topic for some founda- things. I think the answer to what tions because it’s slow going,” Posen is our success is some of the pro- said. “My father, who is 88 this year, grams we fund, and seeing the kids talks about doing things that take get it. I see it in the schools where 15 to 20 years. He understands that our teachers teach when the kids this is a slow creep. If you want your understand the wondrous world of headlights in the press the next day, our culture and they see where they this is not the business for you.” fit into this continuum rather than Posen insists that this has to be a saying, what’s theirs and not mine, joint project between the Israeli gov- they see what is theirs and they can ernment and private foundations understand what they want, pick such as his own. what they want, study what they “We’re only one foundation so we want and behave the way they want, decided that we would spend our remaining years in Israel,” he said. “Where the government money goes is not per capita and not democrat- ‘The bottom line ic, we know that, but Panim and is that the notion other organizations are fighting for the government to be more demo- of Judaism as a cratic in their education budget. We culture should be in believe in an education to be proud of your culture, understand where everybody’s bookshelf, you fit into the system, and also be whether you’re equal to your religious brethren, and I think this is something that religious or not’ is woefully short on funding in this country. I think it has to be through formal and informal forms of educa- his father had visited a very “open tion. I’m convinced of this. religious school run by an articulate as long as it’s tolerant to all. I think “Clearly the government should rabbi in California.” During morn- those are successes. Certainly we are be doing much more, but I don’t ing prayers, “the children who were affecting thousands of kids in their believe you can do that without not interested in saying the Shema classes. To what degree is very hard the assistance from private founda- were given the option of going to the to assess.” tions. Firstly, because foundations gym to work out or practice yoga.” He adds that there is a big request are much nimbler and fast-moving “And my father said, pointing at for Ofakim teachers all across Isra- than governments, by definition. his head: ‘What about something for el—even the Education Ministry Plenty of good ideas will come from their “toches?”’ It wasn’t the fault of has acknowledged that there aren’t the private sector, but we believe in the rabbi, but where is the learning enough. In addition, the number working with the government. We for Jews if this is the way they are of people signing up for courses in work with the Education Ministry brought up? We have always said the Jewish renewal organizations is on many fronts, to the extent that that to be an educated Jew, you have increasing every year, and the IDF is we can, but it’s missing a lot more to know something about your re- keen to work with Posen organiza- government support and hopefully ligious brethren, but you also have tions to facilitate more Jewish con- more private support. to respond to the Jewish way of life, tent that is not religious. “Education is a slow process and a and I think the Americans have yet In addition, Tarbut.IL (tarbutil. lot of foundations are impatient to to embrace that.” cet.ac.il), which the foundation es- see results. This is not results-driven How does Posen assess the impact tablished with the Avi Chai Founda- quickly; you have to believe in it for the Foundation is having? tion, the Shalom Hartman Institute, the long term and there’s no other “It’s a good question and it’s some- and the Center for Educational Tech- way around it. There are no short thing we grapple with all the time,” nology, is becoming the official Edu- cuts.” ❖

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