The benefit, which as the photos tr.im/qWDX show was a huge success, was organized by a group of women who met on Ynet’s parenting forum.

Guess what?
They didn’t need to spend 5 days in a fancy hotel to do it and no one funded their air-fare or the babysitters they got to look after their kids while they put this together…

My point – activism is about ACTION – not talk (no matter how sweet the vacation deal included).

PS
Yo The Middle:

Goyim get to spend money on whatever they like.
They ain’t my problem.
My parasitic brethren are.

Needless to say no help, assistance or donations were forthcoming from ROIcomers for Vered’s benefit.
I guess talking about להציל נפש אחת בישראל is easier than actually doing something about it…

I was thinking of making this an ongoing project.

My own branch of activism so to speak.

I figure shedding light on the hypocrisies, bloated mechanisms and corruptions that seem to plague so many Jewish NPOs these days is a worthy cause.

I thinking of taking on “The Claims Conference” next.
They’re a real “gem” already under heavy criticism from Holocaust survivor organizations, governments and the press.

BUT…
I’d be happy to consider other candidates you have to offer.

More on the shenanigans of “The Claims Conference” here:
haaretz.com/ha...
jpost.com/serv...
spiegel.de/int...

Mike
PS
Just a side note – not one ROIcomer has deigned to respond in any fashion to my plea for help for vered.org.il – sad…

Mike, I’m sorry but this made me laugh out loud. Of all the things to protest, you’ve decided that ROI is what you want to rail against?

It’s your right, of course, but it reflects poorly.

Help out vered.org.il celebrate her son’s 4th birthday by donating towards her cancer treatments.

I’m donating 3 prints for the auction – care to match me?

“…Not so sure why you’re spending so much energy complaining about something that probably has little impact on your immediate life…”

um…

I kinda believe that’s what TRUE activism is all about,
so did a bunch of other people I’ve read about…

BTW during the night us activists were very busy and came up with a new rallying song for #feedmike and the
FEM & CHAY initiative:

“♫ Oh #roicom won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz, Feed poor skinny Mikey & all of his friends…♫”

Mike
tr.im/feedme – no seriously dudes, FEED ME!
DigitalArtPrin...

…Also
FEM & CHAY is seeking RICH WIDOWS (preferably Jewish but if you’re filthy rich we can do evangelical Christian too) to purchase sundry URLs, businesses & real estate (preferably in Rechavia, but Talbiyeh is also cool).

All this is for our non profit activity (although we might just turn into a business one day… Heck doing so much good for the community we deserve some ‘nachas’ for ourselves… Shit, who are you to meddle in our business anyway!?!)

We promise that some of the funds (the extra funds) will go towards doing nice shindig-convention-seminar-networking-thingy in a nice sprakly hotel.
You’ll be given opportunities to speak and, if you shell out enough money to fly in a bunch of bums, there’ll also be an audience to listen to what you have to say (mind you bums don’t come cheap these days and neitther does the staff required to lead them).

We plan for the event: networking, social media, gala events, networking, schmoozing, carousing, social media, networking, community, leadership, schmoozing, tuches lekking, leadership, seminars, track facilitation bridge building, social media, executive directors, brown nosing and yet more gala events.

In the timeless words of Josh Martin (Track Facilitator, Bridge Building):

“Get Ready! We’re gonna have a good time!”

Applications may be submitted at the Feed Mike initiative at this URL: renderedred.ne...

For more details contact our social media experts @caput58 & @pop_art on Twitter or attempt bridge building to the nearest Track Facilitator.

Join Now, Make the Difference!
A Starving Jewish Artist needs YOU!
renderedred.ne...

* FEM & CHAY – FEED MIKE & CHIP in to HELP buy him A YACHT

You are tempting faith my friend. I was thinking of building a “Feed Mike Darnell” website / tribute today, I just might do it.

I have your image “shopped” into a skinny guy already, it’s just a few lines of code away

Only problem is you’d have to do “Yerida” (abandoning Israel as a your home – the opposite of Aliyah) if we’re to model your leadership on the career of the good Rabbi Yoni Gordis, head honcho at CLI (the organizers of ROI – is it just me or are all these acronyms damn annoying).

Yes you see it seems the good rabbi no longer resides in Israel. At great personal cost this paragon of community service has chosen to make his residence in Vancouver Canada, because, as any professional Jew well knows, it’s much easier talking about Zionism than practicing it. After all Israel is a pretty tough place to live…

I submit for review the Team page of the CLI web page. A fascinating read… leadingup.org/...

I’d like to suggest an organization we could start –

TCFEPJFWTA-NGSTMGWSTBWNSFBDL

The center for exposing professional Jews for what they are – no good sponges that my grandma would send to bed with no supper for being damn lazy.

Doubt we’d get much funding but it’s worth a try.
Only problem is I’m not sure what kind of business this can evolve into. That’s why I’m nominating you executive director…

Beyond everything said, still a question lingers. What is ROI (a non-profit organization) doing supporting Jerusalem.com (a legitimate business)? Why? How? At which point in time, before or after Jerusalem.com “flipped” from non-profit to business?

As I said before, I’d be more than happy to advance my ideas and efforts using non-profit support or making them “non-profit” initially so I can receive donations and all the help I can get from good-hearted and slightly senile American Jews that do think they are helping Israel, and they ARE by helping me… The truth actually being that all they want is a tax break, nothing more than that, so no harm there. We all win. And then when the time is right, in one swift move become a business, with a clean slate, no strings attached or obligations to anybody.

I mean, this is pure genius if not more than that.

I am open to suggestions and certainly willing to pursue such a relationship

You were on better footing when you said the organization spent too much for the website, although that was before we knew the price included the domain name.

But why use Jerusalem artists and web designers when you can use Tiberias web designers? Where’s the respect? I mean, if you’re going to spend a small fortune in Jerusalem housing 120 participants and their hosts, not to mention feeding them, teaching them, transporting them, etc., then why be stupid and spend any money outside of Jerusalem. Why support other parts of Israel?

Both GoJerusalem.com (the previous “non-affiliated” version although gojerusalem.com still does redirect to jerusalem.com) and Jerusalem.com were both built in Tel Aviv.

First by Websense (websense.co.il...) and second by InManage (inmanage.com).

I am sure both companies are great, their bid was fair and all that.

—

Honorary Chairman of the StartUp Jerusalem Prof. Porter (A Harvard Business School Professor) is the inventor of “Cluster Methodology” and I quote from the website:

“StartUp Jerusalem employs the proven “cluster methodology,” developed by Professor Michael Porter to encourage cooperation among all members of a particular industry cluster – from private sector firms in the industry, to suppliers, supporting and related industries, government, and specialist service providers such as educational and research institutions. This cooperation stimulates innovation, facilitates the creation of joint ventures, increases efficiency and improves access to specialized inputs. Typical cluster activities might include joint marketing or research & development activities, cooperation to provide training schemes for new employees or working together with academia to provide internship opportunities for students in local businesses.”

startupjerusal...

In conclusion:
1. Can any Jerusalem based (local) business or educational facility step up and confirm they were invited to bid on this project or cooperate?
2. Are there any businesses in Jerusalem that could compete with the above companies? If not, why not?
3. How were these companies chosen to do the job? Was there a public tender for this project? What was the criteria at the time?
4. Am I completely missing the point of “Cluster Methodology” so prominently advertised as the basis of StartUp Jerusalem?

1. Ms. Lynn Schusterman is a good little old lady who is trying to make the world a better place. She rocks to the max. I love her.

2. I’m sure that some of the ROI people are great too.

3. It’s the terrible ease with which these things become bloated and fat and corrupt that drives me nuts.

Need an example?

Why are ROI participants staying in a fancy-shmancy hotel and not housed somewhere cheap and modest, or even better, housed with families that would benefit from the experience?

You said I miss the point.
That may be true and it’s probably why i AM a STARVING artist.

BUT…

STARVING teaches you a thing or two.
It teaches you about struggling, and fighting, and it helps you develop the skills required for truly affecting change.

Good activists, like good artists, are lean-mean fighting machines. THEY ARE HUNGRY…

… and the best way to ruin them is with the type of pampering that ROI seems to foster.

Do you think the activists of the first Aliyah would have ever gotten round to doing anything important if they’d been pampered in a hotel for five days?

I don’t.

—

BTW whatever happened to discussing the facts behind Gojerusalem (…to Tel-Aviv, for $750,000)

I have no connection to Lynn Schusterman. I have no connection to ROI. I have no connection to any Jewish non-profit. I don’t work in the non-profit world and do not benefit from the non-profit world. I give money to some non-profits, but my contribution is so minor that it is only useful for them when they sell a mailing list or tout the numbers of donors they have.

In other words, I have no dog in this fight. I certainly don’t need to brown-nose to gain favor with anybody.

I don’t even subscribe to many of the ideas ROI alumni conceive or pursue and can think of more efficient uses of the money.

However, I see the real value of ROI and other projects run by the Schusterman Foundation as being a source of strengthening Jewish communal life in Israel, North America and other parts of the world. There may be hits and misses, but overall, these are worthwhile activities that have and continue to create a useful and important network of active, young Jews of all political and religious stripes. Considering the difficulties the Jewish communities outside of Israel are having in maintaining a connection among younger Jews to Jewish life and to Israel, Schusterman’s projects are a huge mitzvah.

That doesn’t mean you can’t be critical and call her senile. But when you do, I can call your comments the height of foolishness. You are missing the point entirely.

“Take care of your own shit” = Who cares about the truth, the lies are far more profitable for us?

“Take care of your own shit” = Great message for a post that is extolling the virtue of an organization supposedly meant to foster the community.

“Take care of your own shit” – Did you actually write that!?!?

Tell me Jordan how many parcels of basic food products could have been purchased for the price of a single air-fare of the type that ROI funds for its participants?

Have you seen the pictures from Monday’s demonstration in Jerusalem. Did you see the nice little old ladies COLLECTING ROTTING TOMATOES TO EAT?!?

You see Jordan, as a starving artist I AM taking care of my own shit.

I’m questioning the validity of the cause that is milking a generous benefactor whose assets would have been better allocated if only a bunch of spoiled lazy leeches weren’t so professional at securing their meal tickets.

…Oh and thanks for promoting my art.
Apropos that: My print Ahmadinejad’s Daughter just got published in a European Art magazine. D’ya think perhaps the publicity that generates for Israel’s plight with a nuclear Iran might warrant a grant from ROI?
flickr.com/pho...

I’ll bet you a slap in the belly with a wet fish that ROI can’t handle this kind of criticism and heaven forbid it should ever reach the ears of the nice little old lady that foot their bills.

Sheesh! The asininity one has to put up with on the web…

Hungry people usually have nothing to lose and that’s a major advantage basically.

One the other hand, you know, hungry, poor and such, we should get rid of them ASAP. They just hold us back for no reason.