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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/41463/full/41463/federations-new-funding-guidelines-should-please-everyone/ <br /><br /> <b>Federation’s new funding guidelines should please everyone</b> <br /> Thursday, February 25, 2010 | by <br /><br /><p>With a tough new policy in place, the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation hopefully has put the “Rachel” controversy behind it.</p> <p>After seven months, it’s about time. We applaud the effort to draft this impressive document.</p> <p>Approved last week by the JCF board, the new policy lays down certain conditions for its grantees. As our story on page 3 explains, while still encouraging freedom of expression, the federation will not fund agencies or organizations that “through their mission, activities or partnerships” advocate undermining the legitimacy of Israel.</p> <p>The policy particularly fingers those that endorse the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement (BDS), one of the more insidious weapons that Israeli government opponents wielded in recent years. Grantees co-sponsoring or co-presenting Middle East-related programs with BDS supporters would violate the policy.</p> <p>Had the policy been in effect last year, the “Rachel” situation — in which the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival screened the film twice in partnership with BDS supporters (Jewish Voice for Peace and the American Friends Service Committee) and had BDS supporter Cindy Corrie speak at one screening — would have gone down differently.</p> <p>As it happened, the event sparked a conflagration that still burns across the Bay Area Jewish community.</p> <p>While few questioned the right of the festival to book any film or guest, many in the Jewish community questioned whether JCF dollars should fund an event they viewed as unacceptably unbalanced and hostile to Israel — even though the federation gives the festival only around $35,000 a year.</p> <p>It was a fair complaint. The JCF, while naturally inclined to support prominent Jewish institutions like the film festival, had a responsibility to draw a line when it came to Israel.</p> <p>Criticism of Israeli government actions is well within bounds. Calls for efforts — such as BDS — that would systematically dismantle Israeli society are out of bounds. Not a single community penny should support any speaker or event with a pro-BDS perspective.</p> <p>Thus, we fully endorse the new federation policy. We believe it addresses concerns raised by local pro-Israel activists who chided the federation for its initially cautious response to the incident.</p> <p>In fact, this policy may become a national model for other Jewish federations that may face similar dilemmas in the future.</p> <p>Congratulations to the JCF team that worked so hard to craft the new policy. These are rules our community can, and should, live by.</p>

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