Jewish organizations who had been stalwarts of service to the Jewish community have now tilted markedly to the left and have taken up the mantle of spearheading intersectional political causes and have joined a broad coalition with far-left radical Jewish groups and media. Even our Federations which once were the bedrock of Jewish communal service, also seem to have succumbed to the lure of the left.

Locally, the Central Jersey Jewish community had been embroiled in a fight with Rutgers University where openly anti-Semitic, anti-Israel faculty were still teaching classes to our students. Our Federation took no openly active role, no calls for mass demonstrations, no rallies, no supporting our activists in the fight. The faculty are still there.

Then our Highland Park Jewish community was in a bitter fight with our library to try to cancel a program “P is For Palestine” by anti-Israel, pro-BDS groups. The Federation gave no open support, called for no rallies and demonstrations. Our mostly local activists were left on our own and we lost that fight.

Recently we were embroiled in a bitter fight with our borough council to try to pass an anti-BDS resolution. The Federation gave no open support, did not call for rallies or demonstrations.

These events were all covered to various degrees in the Jewish Link.

Now, anti-Semitism has been exploding around the world and Jews in Jersey City, New York, Pittsburgh, Poway, Europe and Israel have been massacred on a frighteningly regular basis, yet our Federation issued no calls for rallies and demonstrations. But the George Floyd killing, as tragic as it is, got immediate open and public response, and it called for its members to express their sorrow, anger and frustration at an open meeting.

I feel that our Jewish Federations should be out in the forefront of Jewish causes first and foremost. Nobody else will do it. High sounding slogans and advocacy programs will not stop the slaughter. I would like to see them stand up and be counted among the supporters of Jewish causes, not political agendas.