It was reported this week that after a handful of philanthropists who wanted to donate to organizations deemed anti-Israeli through local Jewish Federations found that the federations refuse to accept or transfer their donations, the New Israel Fund (NIF) decided to create a new pipeline for philanthropists to support these extremist organizations.

The new pipeline is an American non-profit, called “Progressive Jewish Fund” which will funnel money to organizations which Jewish Federations won’t give to because they are deemed anti-Israel.

For example, the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles thwarted an attempted donation to IfNotNow in 2016, as did the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle earlier this year. And three years ago, the Philadelphia Federation denied an IfNotNow donation, also blocking a contribution to Jewish Voice for Peace, which supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS) against Israel.

The New Israel Fund hopes philanthropists will move donor-advised funds from the federation to them.

Who are IfNotNow, why are they so bad that the NIF thinks it is important to donate to them?

IfNotNow is a movement that seeks “to end the American Jewish community's support for the occupation,” viewing it as “a system of violence and separation by which Israel denies Palestinians freedom and dignity by depriving them of civil, political and economic rights.”

In 2018, IfNotNow created a “Liberation Syllabus” to aid students to “engage with the reality of the Occupation.” The syllabus features books by Ghassan Kanafani, who was a spokesperson for the Popular Front of the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a murderous terrorist organization designated as such by the US, EU, Canada, and Israel.

Moreover, in April 2018, IfNotNow launched a petition to Senator Dianne Feinstein to “Condemn Israeli violence against Palestinian protestors,” as to “condemn the shooting of unarmed protesters is neither bold nor brave: it is the bare minimum we should expect from any moral leader.” IfNotNow ignored the violent nature of the protests, which included Molotov cocktails, arson, and attempts to breach the border fence with Israel.

The organization supported the release of Ahed Tamimi, while she was in military detention for slapping an Israeli soldier several times.

The Jewish Federation shuns these organizations, Birthright Israel cut all ties with The New Israel Fund in 2014, across the political spectrum in Israel the NIF is shunned – shame on these American Jews who stand against Israel. The New Israel Fund continues to support a boycott of Israel – and continues its work as an extremist radical organization well outside the consensus of Jewish life.

Ronn Torossian is a Public Relations executive.