When Victims Rule (pdf)

JEWISH INFLUENCE IN POPULAR CULTURE (PT. 1)
the present century,” notes David Dalin, “a handful of Jews, mostly of German
origin, came to exercise a profound influence on American philanthropy, creating
a multiplicity of charitable institutions that continue to shape our world.
It was an impressive group, including in its ranks the banker Jacob Schiff, the
financier Felix Warburg, the industrialists Daniel and Simon Guggenheim, the
merchant Nathan Straus, and the jurists Julian Mack and Mayer Sulzberger. But
its foremost member was surely [Sears-Roebuck magnate] Julius Rosenwald.”
[DALIN, D., 1998]
Generalized philanthropy is of course also valuable for tax write-offs. Take the
case of the Jewish chief of the Walt Disney corporation, Michael Eisner. He “put
Disney [stock] shares into his personal foundation. For Mr. Eisner, as for any
donor in his situation, the donation had two tax advantages: it reduced his taxable
income, perhaps by the full $116 million, and he did not have to pay capital gains
taxes on the donated shares.” [NY TIMES, 12-20-98, p. 10] Forbes magazine notes
the case of wealthy elderly Jewish real estate developer Robert R. Riser, who was
angered that, at his (and his wife’s) death, some $40 million of his fortune would
probably go to inheritance taxes. By creating a private foundation, notes Forbes,
“if all goes according to plan … the family’s medical and Jewish charities will get
tens of millions; the IRS, nothing.” [NOVACK, J., 11-10-99]
“Jews are twenty-three times as likely to establish foundations for Jewish
causes than Catholic are for Catholic causes, or Protestant for Protestant
causes.” [HALBERSTAM, p. 41] In the 1987 edition of the Foundation Directory,
country-based grant programs included 75 for Israel, 13 for the entirety of
all the countries of Africa, 4 for Italy, 3 for Poland, 6 for France, and 2 for Scotland.
[KOSMIN, p. 24] In one 1978-80 survey of American Jews in a leadership
development programs, notes Kevin MacDonald, “51% agreed that providing
social and legal services for Jews was a high priority, and only 2% viewed it as a
low priority. However, only 4% agreed that providing social and welfare services
for anyone in need was a high priority, compared to 7% who viewed it as
a low priority.” [MACDONALD, p. 102] By 1993, a variety of Jewish private
money sources, like the Charles H. Revson and Wexner foundations (distinct
from the UJA and other Jewish “club” organizations), were estimated to have a
total “financial giving capacity of $350-500 million, “oriented toward the collective
well-being of the Jewish people.” [ISRAEL, R. p. 1]
The largest Jewish philanthropy organization in America – with assets of $1.8
billion – is the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. It is estimated that
about two-thirds of its funding goes to Jewish causes. [MOMENT, 12-31-98, p.
57] From Italy, the $50 million heading to Israel at the death of Aladar Fleischman
was “one of the largest bequests by an individual to Israeli organizations.”
[PERRY, V., 6-10-99] From Canada, the ultra-Orthodox Reichmann family
“ranked among the most munificent philanthropists of this century, giving away
hundreds of millions of dollars, almost all of it to narrowly benefit their coreligionists.
At the peak of [the Reichmann’s] Olympia and York’s prosperity, the
family supported a thousand schools and other religious institutions scattered
around the world but concentrated in Israel.” [BIANCO, p. xvi] Jewish organiza-
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