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February 22, 2002/Adar 10, 5762, Vol. 54, No. 23
Local YLD members visit D.C.
SHARON SAMBER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - As young Jewish leaders waved Israeli flags and speakers exhorted them to go to Israel, it might have seemed strange that federations are concerned about the next generation of leadership and its relationship to Israel.
But anxiety is growing in the Jewish community as the numbers of American Jews visiting Israel - especially young ones - continue to drop.
With 2,000 leaders from around the country gathered in Washington, D.C., Feb. 12-14 for the biennial United Jewish Communities' Young Leadership Conference, there was a chance to assess where the American Jewish community stands vis-a-vis Israel.
According to Julie Frazin, the Phoenix Young Leadership Division director, 25 people from the Valley attended the event.
Among them was Annie Gelb, a YLD member of two years. Gelb said this was the first national conference she attended. "I thought it would be interesting to be with a strong contingency of young Jewish people and to talk about the issues that matter the most to us."
Gelb said she was most interested in issues that related to Israel, American Judaism, and the perception of Jews and religious life.
She said she gained "a greater understanding of the current situation in Israel, of policies in the U.S. and how they affect our lives as Jews."
Financial support from communities to Israel remains strong, but emotional attachment seems to be at a crossroads. Fewer people visiting Israel makes it difficult to articulate the necessity of helping Israel, and distances the United States from its ally and friend in the Middle East, the 30- and 40-something-year-old participants in the conference said.
It also makes for uncertainty about future leaders of the American Jewish community.
When teens and college-age young adults go on Israel trips, many forge a lifelong connection to the Jewish state, that later translates into leading positions in the federation system. If fewer youths get that "Israel experience," however, the result could have unwelcome consequences.
"There could be a long-term drag on leadership development if it goes on too long," UJC's president and CEO, Stephen Hoffman, told JTA.
Hoffman believes Birthright Israel - the free trip for young people who have never visited Israel before - could alleviate the damage from the decrease in youth trips.
On the local level, federations could face a long-term ripple effect on their future leadership. Short-term, however, the effects of Israel's crisis situation are confusing.
Financial support for Israel seems firm, despite the absence of specific initiatives and the fact that no end appears to be in sight to the intifada, participants said.
Money is being diverted from social services to defense in both countries, said Cara Levinson of Philadelphia, and just as American Jewish communal needs are high, Israelis are hurting and need help.
The U.S.-Israel relationship is still strong, participants agreed - it just needs some adjustment.
Special Sections Editor Alisa Sloan contributed to this story.
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