Agency seeks to double funding

The Jewish Agency for Israel is seeking to double the $140 million it
is receiving annually from North American Jewry. The agency’s
newly reconstituted North America Council met in New York on Monday to
figure out ways to raise funds for and advocate on behalf of the Jewish
Agency’s work in Israel and abroad.The agency is receiving $140
million from the North American federation system, but the group’s
leaders said the council, made up of nearly 60 communal leaders, was
needed to promote key programs and encourage additional financial
support from individual donors. Zeev Bielski, chairman of the executive
of the agency, said that with billions of dollars in Jewish wealth,
there is no need to fight over funds.”The pie is so big, the potential
is here, so let’s work together to bring more money,” Bielski said.