Buddy Macy Takes on the UJC (formerly UJA)

The e-mails just as I received them:-

Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 4:45 PM
Subject: The most important email I have ever sent -- Buddy Macy
To: Mr. Howard Rieger (President of United Jewish Communities [UJC], the Jewish Federation network in North America),


As you know, several months ago I resigned from the Board of Trustees, and from the position of recording secretary, of the Jewish Federation of Greater Clifton-Passaic, to protest UJC’s refusal to initiate a campaign fund dedicated exclusively to helping the expelled Jews of Gaza and northern Samaria, and, to express my outrage at the silence of the leaders of the Jewish Federation system in the aftermath of the sickening police brutality by the Israeli military and police against the innocent, defenseless protestors at Amona.

This letter will be seen by thousands of people, including hundreds of representatives of Jewish and non-Jewish organizations and media in the U.S. and Israel. Later this week, it will be published in Bernice Lipkin’s e-publication, a magazine/blog that focuses on analytic commentary and opinion pieces concerning the Jewish State.

Below, I am including portions of the email you had sent me more than three months ago.

-----Original Message-----
From: Rieger, Howard
To: vegibud@aol.com
Cc: malcolm@conferenceofpresidents.org
Sent: Tue, 7 Feb 2006 22:14:15 -0500

“buddy, i have responded to you on many occasions regarding your concerns. i am not heartless. read many of the comments which i have made publically [sic] on this subject. on the impact that dislocation has on individuals. and i have visited many of those who are now living in the sinai and feel genuine concern for their plight.

i do believe that in the end, that the priority must be the rule of law. that many of those who found themselves without assistance after having to be uprooted, also refused to engage with the system which was offering compensation. similarly, when one confronts authorities...even in america...there are consequences to such actions.

i feel for anyone who has to be put in such positions. but in free societies, there are still hard choices to make. apparently, israel's government came to the conclusion that while they believed that jews had the right to live anywhere within greater israel, that the sacrafice [sic] that had to be made to sustain such populations was in the end not sustainable. not an easy decision on either side.”
…
“buddy, the issues you are focused on are emotional. they are sad. but there is a jewish state called israel. imperfect as it is, it is ours. and while you are feeling diminished by the decisions that they have made in re what is sustainable and what is not, i feel the need to understand the anguish on both sides. and provocations from either direction must be understood.

let calmer views prevail. israel has enough enemies throughout the world. we have to close the circle and support each other. the decision to provoke, from either side, will only drag us down.

finally, i hope that your decision in respect to your communal involvment [sic] will not be judged in the heat of the moment. if we can't count on each other, on whom can we count?”

After all that has transpired during the past nine months, I must sadly answer you: "Mr. Rieger, yes, you are heartless with regard to the Jews who live and lived in Judea, Samaria and Gaza." It is wonderful that you feel a level of concern for the expelled Jews. Unfortunately, your concern has not been translated into action.

When you speak of Amona: How dare you, Mr. Rieger, speak ill against the victims of the police and military brutality at Amona! Their basic rights of living in a civil society were abrogated – taken from them. Their lives were turned upside-down. Haven't you seen any of the videos?

I am extremely sorry to have to write this, but the UJC (the Jewish Federation network) is not really a friend of Israel’s Jews – quite the contrary, the UJC has all too often used Israel as a tool to extract money from well-meaning American and Canadian Jews, whose only connection to Israel is through their pledges.

During the past four months, since my resignation from my local Federation (on principle), I have learned of some of the ugly reality with regard to the control imposed upon the Jewish State – about her users, abusers, deniers and corrupters – about a tiny portion of our fellow Jews, who are among the most influential and/or wealthy of our People, who are encouraging, with fervor, the destruction of our Jewish Homeland. Included among the influential members of this group of Jews are: M. J. Rosenberg, Seymour Reich, Rabbi Eric Yoffe, Rabbi David Saperstein, James Wolfensohn, Abe Foxman, Thomas Friedman and Malcolm Hoenlein. Included among the wealthiest/most influential of this group of American and Canadian Jews who have close ties to Israel’s economy, and, who allegedly have massive amounts of personal funds invested in Israel and in its leadership, and, who allegedly stand to gain from the events in the Middle East; especially, the further expulsion of Jews to the Negev, are: Ron Lauder, S. Daniel Abraham, Mort Zuckerman, Bruce Rappaport (Swiss-Israeli), Sam Halpern, Joseph Wilf, Edgar Bronfman, Charles Bronfman, Matthew Bronfman, James Tisch and Haim Saban.

Mr. Rieger, Israel finds herself in the most perilous situation in her 58-year existence. And, the government’s ethnic cleansing plan ("convergence") may bring about the annihilation of the Jewish State! The extremely optimistic figure of $11 billion is projected by the Israeli Government to pay for the upheaval of a minimum of 60,000 Jews from their homes and the lives they have been leading in Judea and Samaria. In an April 2006 interview with Sever Plotzker of Yediot Aharonot, Israel’s top central banker and former senior official at the International Monetary Fund, Stanley Fischer, said he thought it was possible that a “disengagement” from Judea & Samaria envisaged by Olmert could cost $25 billion (U.S.). Where will Israel get that kind of money? Where will she get the other billions of $$ required to effectively fight her Arab enemies and operate her country. In addition, if Israel gives up Judea and Samaria, the Arabs will control Israel's water supply.


Ehud Olmert is about to commit national suicide. The North American Jewish community must not, and will not, stand idly by while Olmert, Peres & Co. destroy our beloved Israel. I encourage you, M. J. Rosenberg, Seymour Reich, Rabbi Eric Yoffe, Rabbi David Saperstein, James Wolfensohn, Abe Foxman, Thomas Friedman, Malcolm Hoenlein, Ron Lauder, S. Daniel Abraham, Mort Zuckerman, Bruce Rappaport, Sam Halpern, Joseph Wilf, Edgar Bronfman, Charles Bronfman, Matthew Bronfman, James Tisch and Haim Saban - with all of my might - to urge Olmert to abandon his "Convergence" Plan. Otherwise, you and they will go down in history as the Jewish traitors who destroyed the Jewish Homeland and the Jewish People.

Most sincerely,

Buddy Macy
vegibud@aol.com

I hope Buddy succeeds in moving the 'forces-that-be'.


Over 20 years ago, together with Dassie Marcus and Michael Teplow and a few others, I tried moving local federations to give charity to educational, welfare and medical needs of Jews beyond the 'Green Line', something they hadn't done previously and basically refused to do.

They would send money to Jews anywhere in the world except in the region we all know is the Jewish national homeland.

As my grandmother would say, "A shanda".