Over at the JTA, every day is a new announcement of a Federation that's cutting spending, programs, staff...but today, there was a glimmer of sunshine: the Jewish Funders Network announced that it will give $750,000 in matching grants to first-time gifts for environmental projects in Israel. Investing in preserving the environment helps to ensure that there is an Israel to live in tomorrow. The grants are "open only to JFN members and will be given to match either first-time gifts or gifts that are at least double a donor’s previous gift to an Israeli environmental nonprofit."
Good news, right? I think most people would celebrate this news. Except for the first commenter on the post at JTA, who offered this commentary:
These Goldmans [Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund Matching Grant Initiative for the Environment in Israel] seem like trouble makers to me. Why worry about water in Israel we have a 50% intermarriage rate in america and on any given friday night some 94% of reform and conservative Jews are not in shul.
Is the commenter serious? If not, she's done a pretty good job of offering up comments with a consistent message. Responding to the proposal that Reform and Conservative movements merge, she had this to say: "If the reform want to continue perhaps they should ask their members to start marrying each other and having children." In response to the news that Hadassah had lost $90 million in the Madoff debacle, she countered with: "hadassa used its money to encourage Jewish women to have abortions and use birth control. Now that hadassa is out of money who will be left to encourage Jews to destroy themselves."
The online Jewish community is sure interesting. Just when you think you've found some good news, someone else will show you how that philanthropic move will destroy the Jewish people. Never a dull moment here, I tell you...
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