The Milwaukee Jewish Federation will kick off Community Campaign 2003 on Thursday, Oct 17, at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, 509 W. Wisconsin Ave., at 7:30 p.m. Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the New York Times William Safire will speak on “What’s Going to Happen in Washington.”
“We are thrilled that William Safire will help us launch Community Campaign 2003,” said Jody Kaufman Loewenstein, general campaign chair. “We understand he is an engaging speaker and look forward to this opportunity to bring the community together to hear his views and analysis.”
Loewenstein added, “In the past 12 months, we raised more than $7.9 million for Community Campaign 2002, with an additional $2 million through our Israel NOW and the Israel Emergency Campaign efforts.
“These are extraordinary times and we are faced with needs that match the times. We are asking all our donors to increase their gifts to the annual campaign this year.”
Half of each increase, she explained, will go to meet the ongoing emergency needs in Israel, specifically: aid for victims of terror and their families; strengthening security in heavily populated places where terrorists are known to strike; keeping children safe with additional security; and improving medical and emergency response systems. The other half of each increase will add to the dollars available for allocation.
“Each gift to the Community Campaign delivers hope, dignity and comfort to millions of people, young and old, in Milwaukee, in Israel and wherever there are Jewish communities that need our help. Particularly in times of crisis, these needs continue to grow. Strengthening our local agencies so that they can deliver all the programs and services that are so vital to our community is one of our major priorities,” Loewenstein said.
“Our community has responded generously to the crisis in Israel through Israel NOW and the Israel Emergency Campaign (IEC),” said Robert L. Habush, who chaired the community’s IEC efforts.
“Unfortunately, the crisis in Israel is ongoing,” he added. “We believe that the best way to provide continued financial support for Israel is through our annual Community Campaign. Approximately 40 percent of annual campaign funds traditionally are earmarked for Israel and overseas needs on an ongoing basis. This year, however, because the situation in Israel has not improved, we believe we must raise the additional emergency money necessary to support the people of Israel at this terrible time in the history of the state. We will do that by giving half of each campaign gift increase to Israel emergency needs.”
Cost to attend the kickoff is $15, which includes a dessert reception. A commitment to the Community Campaign 2003 is also required.
Safire is a man of many careers: journalist, speechwriter, historian, novelist, lexicographer and columnist. He worked on the first Eisenhower presidential campaign and later became a senior speechwriter in the Nixon White House. He left there in time to write “Before The Fall,” a history of the pre-Watergate White House.
As a historical novelist, he wrote “Freedom” about the Civil War. His latest novel is “Scandalmonger,” about the origins of America’s press freedom. His anthology of the world’s greatest speeches, “Lend Me Your Ears,” has become a classic. As a lexicographer, he is author of “Safire’s New Political Dictionary,” a half-million word study of the words that have inspired and inflamed the electorate, and “You Could Look It Up,” a book drawn from his Sunday language columns in the New York Times.
As a political columnist, he began his twice-weekly column three decades ago in the New York Times, writing from the point of view of a libertarian conservative. His series exposing the Bert Lance affair earned him the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary. He is now a member of the Pulitzer Board. His political columns have been collected in book form as “Safire’s Washington.” Additionally, he and his brother Leonard Safire compiled “Good Advice,” a collection of more than 2,000 quotations about living life.
For more information or reservations, which are required and due by Oct. 7, call the federation, 414-390-5700 or visit www.milwaukee jewish.org. Tickets will be mailed before the event. Brenda and Jeff Bleustein are event chairs.
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