NAOMI LEVIN

AMID reports that Jewish youth movements worldwide had gone cap in hand to the Israeli government to save them from financial collapse, the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) this week insisted that the future of local organisations was secure.

However, ZFA president Philip Chester cautioned that the groups for children and teenagers were surviving “hand-to-mouth”.

Chester voiced his concerns just days after leaders of world Zionist youth movements met with the Knesset Education Committee to plead their case for increased funding. It followed extensive budget cuts by the Jewish Agency for Israel last year.

Chester — who ultimately oversees Betar, Bnei Akiva, Habonim Dror, Hashomer Hatzair, Hineni and Netzer — told The AJN: “People would be shocked at the small budgets some of the movements are running on.”

The organisations, run by youth leaders, most of who are under 21, are largely responsible for their own funding. Most rely on parents, supporters or movement alumni for week-to-week activity and camp funding. Traditional fundraising methods, such as film and trivia nights, are common.

Increasingly, movements are also having to raise money to support shaliachs (emissaries), who are sent to Australia by the Jewish Agency, but are only partially financially supported.

The movements’ roof body — the Australian Zionist Youth Council — receives some funding from the ZFA, but only for large-scale programs, such as leadership camps. For some movements the model works.

Bnei Akiva, for example, has strong support from the Mizrachi community and is savvy in its fundraising — organising a mishloach manot sale at Purim and a lulav and etrog sale at Succot.

Other movements, particularly the smaller ones, have less success.

The ZFA is working with them to attract support, but according to Chester, it is not easy.

“We haven’t yet worked out the magical formula to do it,” he said.

Community philanthropists have been approached to ascertain whether they would be interested in assisting, and Chester has also been in discussions with the NSW Jewish Communal Appeal (JCA) to garner support for the Sydney movements.

And while JCA support for youth movements was not on the short-term agenda, he said he was more hopeful in the longer term.

Meanwhile, Chester said he was confident of the survival of local chapters.

“The numbers are good and to their undying credit, the kids do it for nothing and run functions on the smell of an oily rag.

“The truth is, no matter how little they have, they will never stop doing it.”