2013 / 2014 Performance Report How is a program born? Much like any dream, it starts with the vision of a passionate individual, and comes into being through months and years of hard work. Strategic work to identify unfulfilled needs in relevant markets is followed by gauging feasibility. Next comes building strong programmatic content to answer those needs, as well as to advance the greater organizational mission. At the same time, there are partnerships to forge and resources to obtain. There are pilots to plan down to the last logistic, to evaluate, and to adjust accordingly. There are participants to keep in touch with; there are alliances to maintain. Often times, one or two individuals do several jobs for many years. They do it with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and skill, because they believe in their “Why,” and because they are excellent at fulfilling the “What.” That is the magic of our people at The Jewish Agency for Israel, a microcosm of Jewish and Israeli Initiative and Inspiration. This is the story of our everyday visionaries, our employees, and the more than one million lives they touch through our programming every year. We dedicate this Annual Report to the best and the brightest: the dreamers and doers who sketch in their mind’s eye the many paths to the Jewish future, and ensure through relentless stewardship that these come alive, in living color. Our Vision: To ensure the future of a connected, committed, global Jewish People with a strong Israel at its center Our Mission: Inspire Jews throughout the world to connect with their People, heritage, and homeland, and empower them to build a thriving Jewish future and a strong Israel Opening Thoughts 4 New Initiatives: In Development 6 Inspired to Act: Major Trends 14 Making a World of Difference 18 Experience Israel 22 Israel in Your Community 25 Jewish Social Action 28 Aliyah and Absorption 30 Our Inspiring Friends & Partners 36 2013 Financial Highlights 46 Initiative & Inspiration // 2013 - 2014 Performance Report 3 June 2014 “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” —Computer Scientist Alan Kay It is easy to forget just how long we’ve been around, engaged as we are at all times with vibrant young people and cutting-edge global initiatives; later this year The Jewish Agency will be celebrating its 85th birthday. We came into the world in 1929, rallying the support of world Jewry around a new, ancient dream, while helping pioneers in pre-state Israel build communities and infrastructure. When the State was finally declared by our Chairman, David Ben-Gurion, our central mission changed shape: it was time to bring more Jews home to safety and fulfillment. Whatever the greatest challenge has been facing the Jewish people in any given decade, we have been there to galvanize a nation’s support – in Israel and around the world – to create innovative, brave solutions. We have remained current (and busy!) by staying true to the heart of our vision, while constantly retraining our hands in order to implement it. Today our challenges are different. How do we provide specifically Jewish meaning, and active engagement with a national homeland, to a generation raised on borderless Universalism? How do we ensure that Israelis and Diaspora Jewry feel part of a shared destiny? How can we make it clear that building the future is urgent, in a culture of the here-and-now? Fortunately, we have 85 years of experience in finding inspired, inclusive solutions for our People, by our People. The nascent Government of Israel – World Jewry Joint Initiative is a perfect example. The half-billion NIS initiative, stewarded by The Jewish Agency from its onset, will create joint programs between Israel and Jewish communities around the world that will have a transformative, measurable impact on young Jews in Israel and throughout the Jewish world in such areas as formal and informal education, Jewish and Israel experiences, campus life, tikkun olam (social justice), and opportunities for life in Israel. The Government of Israel – World Jewry Joint Initiative signifies a future in which the entire Jewish people is united in purpose: to ensure a thriving future for the next generation. Our newest programming takes a similar approach. Our focus on vocational programs for young olim, most notably from the medical and hi-tech sectors, provides Israel with doctors and engineers, and young professionals with the option of Israel. Our renewed concentration on recruiting the best and brightest young shlichim aims to provide every campus and every community around the globe with a personal connection with Israel, and more young Israelis with a personal connection with world Jewry. Our commitment to building young leaders in Israel, especially in its social and geographic peripheries, is already creating waves of change in Israeli society, in addition to changing the lives of some special individuals. These are only some of our headlines, and we encourage you to read this report carefully, because we believe it will bring you, our dear friends and supporters, a tremendous amount of pride. Of course, we remain committed to our most basic mission: to ensure the physical safety of Jews everywhere. Our increased security activities these past few months in embattled Ukraine; our continuing support of, and engagement with, French Jewry; as well as our continued assistance in Aliyah operations from Ukraine, Venezuela, and countries where Jews are at risk, point to our enduring role as the outstretched arm of Israel and world Jewry to our embattled brethren. We would like to thank you for your remarkable responsiveness in this regard. We could not do our job without friends like you. Like Ben-Gurion, who was passionate about exercise well into his old age, we remain as flexible and focused at 85 as we were at 20. We are still about Jewish initiative and inspiration. And we are only getting started. Natan Sharansky Rany Trainin Chairman of the Executive Deputy Chairman of the Executive James S. Tisch Charles Ratner Outgoing Chairman, Board of Governors Incoming Chairman, Board of Governors Initiative & Inspiration // 2013 - 2014 Performance Report 5 Building a vibrant Israeli society P2G - Jewish Renewal for Israelies: A new NIS 10 million initiative, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, is set to help Israeli organizations working towards a more inclusive Judaism. Still in its planning stages and being stewarded by our Partnership Unit, the initiative will forge deeper connections between Diaspora and Israeli communities surrounding the Jewish renewal of Israeli society. Tech Ulpan in Haifa: The State of Israel needs more computer engineers to power its legendary hi-tech industry, and that’s a win-win for motivated young potential olim, who seek opportunities to grow professionally. A new residential Ulpan (intensive Hebrew language training program) for young hi-tech students and professionals, dubbed “Tech & The City,” is beginning its 2014 pilot in Haifa, which includes an entrepreneurship course at the Technion, adoptive families and mentoring, and cultural enrichment activities. Food Co-ops: Even in the virtually-advanced Startup Nation, the issue of food security is still very real for families in Israel’s social and geographic peripheries. Our new Food Cooperative Network initiative, being developed in 2014-15, will leverage the power of community to create economical access to basic food items, in addition to centers for social programming. Initiative & Inspiration // 2013 - 2014 Performance Report 7 Sharing the best of Israel with others around the world ShinShinim Expansion: What if 1,000 Israeli 18-year-olds in their pre-army Service Year could be sent to Jewish communities abroad as a global service corps? That’s the idea behind the Global ShinShin Leadership Program, which aims to duplicate the success of sending large cohorts of service year shlichim to communities abroad (notably Toronto, with more than 20, and London, with a hub of 8 this year.) The program’s dual goal is to make sure that every Diaspora community has meaningful, vibrant engagement with Israel, and that more future Israeli leaders have a significant, formative experience with Jews abroad. New Leadership Initiative: Founded in 1946, the Machon Youth Leadership Training Institute is legendary for producing Jewish and Zionist educators around the world, and is now evolving to meet the pressing Jewish leadership needs of our times. Our new leadership activities will build upon several of our current successful leadership projects - such as Machon in South America and MiNYanim in Eastern Europe. In addition, the Institute will continue leadership training for returning Service Year shlichim, in addition to establishing an elite leadership training model to optimize global and local Jewish potential. Israel Engaged Campus: Our renowned Israel Fellows to Hillel have been successfully engaging college students with Israel for many years, and the model is about to significantly expand. In an Israel Engaged Campus (in development 2014-15), Israel and Israelis become an integral part of daily Jewish life through arts and culture, social activism, advocacy, religion, and philanthropy, and through encouraging student innovation. A global network of Israel engaged college campuses will ensure enduring individual relationships with Israel, and hopes to create a “climate change” in the campus environment. Day Camps in the Former Soviet Union: Day camps are the newest addition to our FSU educational continuum, providing Jewish learning during short school breaks in the fall, winter, and spring for children aged 7 to 14, in 5 cities across the FSU. They supplement our flagship sleep-away camps, offer alternatives for parents who prefer their (young) children to sleep at home, and are an exciting entryway to a lifetime of Jewish connections. Pilot programs culminated in a “community day” to encourage families to get involved in local communal life.