2025-08-06 20:23 <br/> Tags: #EarlyZionism #organization #AmericanJewry ![[image-65.png|314x257]] # United Israel Appeal (UIA) - United Israel Appeal is an American Jewish fundraising organization which works as an umbrella funds distributor for many US based Jewish groups. - UIA distributes funds from American Jewry to the state of Israel. - UIA operates as a subsidiary wing of the [[Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA)]]. - *UIA in the US operates under the Jewish Federations parent organization. In every other country UIA works under/with [[Keren Hayesod]]. Knowing this will avoid confusion.* #### Early History - UPA - Originally founded as the United Palestine Appeal (UPA) in 1925. - The UPA was formed to coordinate the fundraising activities of many American Jewish Zionist groups under a single umbrella. - Initial organizations involved with UPA included: - [[Keren Hayesod]] - *UIA and KH are very closely connected, the founding of KH is relevant knowledge to understand the UIA.* - [[Hadassah]] - [[Jewish National Fund]] - [[Religious Zionists of America (Mizrachi)]] - [[Jewish Agency]] - The UPA's key early leaders included: - [[Stephen S. Wise]] - Chairman 1925-26 - [[Emanuel Neumann]] - Chairman of the Executive Committee 1925-28 - [[Abba Hillel Silver]] - Chairman 1938-43 - In 1938 United Palestine Appeal entered a partnership with the [[American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)]] to form the United Israel Appeal. - After its 1938 rebranding United Israel Appeal was organized as an arm of [[United Jewish Appeal (UJA)]]. - The UJA was the parent organization and the UIA its subsidiary. - The UIA was used by the UJA for direct funding of Israeli institutions. *Think of the UIA as the funnel for UJA money going to Israel.* *UIA can also be accurately described as the middleman between American Jewry and Israel.* - [[Henry Montor]] was a critical early force within the UIA. - He was a master fundraiser and can be imagined as the UIA secret weapon in the 30s and 40s. #### After 1948 in the United States - In the years surrounding the declaration of the state of Israel and the [[1948 Arab Israeli War]] the UIA parent organization [[United Jewish Appeal (UJA)]] was involved in mass fundraising activity. - The UIA was involved in distribution of the funds. - [[Henry Morgenthau Jr.]], who chaired the UJA from 1947-50, raised nearly $300 million ($4 billion today) in a mass campaign to support the nascent state. - Every war and crisis since the founding of Israel has been heavily exploited for fundraising purposes. - The [[United Jewish Appeal (UJA)]] page discusses mass fundraising connected to Israeli crises. All of these funds destined for Israel have flowed through UIA. - In 1960 the [[Jewish Agency]], facing US government pressure regarding foreign entities, fundraising, and tax exempt status, separated itself from the [[World Zionist Organization]]. *In practice, this was a merely a slight of hand following a legal workaround to US pressure.* - In 1971 the Jewish Agency underwent further reform resulting in the Jewish agency operating as a subcontractor for all UIA activities and programs within Israel. - At this time UIA gained power over the Jewish Agency through its nominating of members to the Jewish Agency's many boards. - UIA controls ~30% of Jewish Agency seats. - From the 1970s-1999 (when UIA was reorganized under JFNA) the [[Zionist Organization of America (ZOA)]] had a voice on UIA's board. - US taxpayers have funded UIA activities in the form of US government resettlement grants given to the UIA. - Since 1973 the UIA has been awarded over $1.7 billion in US government money. - In 1999, UIA, [[United Jewish Appeal (UJA)]], and the Council of Jewish Federations merged to form the [[Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA)]] (JFNA was first called the United Jewish Communities). ##### Notable Leaders post 1948 *Marked with KH if leading the global Keren Hayesod UIA* - [[Rudolf Sonneborn]] - 1951-55 - [[Dewey Stone]] - 1955-66 - [[Max Fisher]] - 1968-71 - [[Israel Goldstein]] - 1961-71 *KH* - [[Avraham Avi-hai]] - 1977-88 *KH* - [[Avi Pazner]] - 1998-2010 *KH* - [[Sam Grundwerg]] - 2018-present *KH* #### UIA in Israel - UIA money, after it reaches Israel, is used mainly for Aliyah (immigration), social programs, and to fund the many Israeli agencies that oversee such projects. - Prior to Israeli statehood UIA money was critical in forming [[Yishuv]] institutions and economic ventures. - UIA funds reach Israel through the [[Jewish Agency]]. - UIA has worked with [[Youth Aliyah]], a [[Jewish Agency]] department which aids Jewish immigration (Aliyah) to Israel. - From 1948 until the 60s, UIA was the largest source of funds regarding Jewish immigrants and refugees to Israel. - UIA money was used for [[Hebrew Free Loan Society|low interest loans to Jewish Israelis]] interest loans to Jewish Israelis building houses and settlements. - Directly after the [[1967 Six Day War]], UIA was used to circumvent US law forbidding direct donations to the Israeli government. - UIA collected donations from US Jewry and bought mass public housing in Israel. - UIA set up the company Amigour to manage the properties. Amigour has grown into a large and active Israeli housing project. - UIA has worked with the [[Jewish National Fund]] which builds infrastructure in Israel and aids Israeli persecution of the Palestinians via destroying villages. - UIA money funds [[Masa Israel Journey]], an Israeli government/Jewish Agency program which pays to bring diaspora Jews to Israel for a curated educational experience. #### UIA Funding Source - Funds for the UIA are mostly filtered through various other Jewish federations or groups. - The [[United Jewish Appeal (UJA)]] supplies a large percentage of UIA funding. - Jewish federations of large US cities have historically been the largest donors to the UIA (Chicago, Boston, Miami, etc.). - Money flowing from Jewish federations and other charities/organizations into the UIA are composed of some large institutional donors along with many thousands of families and individuals. - Among these individuals include: - [[Max Fisher]] - [[Charles Bronfman]] - [[Charles Schusterman]] and [[Lynn Schusterman]] - [[Harold Grinspoon]] and the [[Harold Grinspoon Foundation]] - [[Richard Pearlstone]] and the [[Pearlstone Group]] (unclear exact funding but Pearlstone is largely involved with UIA and UJA leadership). *Specific UIA donors are mostly unknown as the nature of UIA as a conduit/funnel for other organizations makes tracking the money nearly impossible. These convoluted webs of organizations and money transfers are a staple of Jewish fundraising.* #### Involvement With the Israeli Security System - Around Israel's declaration of statehood, a covert arms smuggling network was being operated in the United States on behalf of Israel's [[Haganah]]. - The network called the [[Sonneborn Institute]] was led by UIA leader [[Rudolf Sonneborn]], and included fellow UIA leader [[Dewey Stone]]. - The UIA was involved in funneling money to Israel in the lead up to the [[1948 Arab Israeli War]] - In the audacious failed 1997 assassination of Hamas leader Khaled Meshal in Jordan, the [[Mossad]] used false Canadian passports for their agents. - Of the two passports found on the agents when they were caught, one belonged to a Canadian Jew working at the UIA. - This Jew, named Shawn Kendall is an example of Mossad's secret weapon, the [[Sayanim]]. These are Jews of the diaspora willing to help the Mossad. - The Mossad has undertaken many covert operations to emigrate Jews from countries considered unfriendly to Jews. - These operations have more than once been bankrolled by the UIA and its parent United Jewish Appeal. - Operation Moses - 1984 - Sudan - Operation Solomon - 1991 - Ethiopia #### UIA and AZC - The [[American Zionist Council (AZC)]], the premier Jewish lobbying organization in the 50s and 60s, was repeatedly demanded to register as a foreign agent. - The DOJ discovered the AZC, and its top lobbyist [[Isaiah L. Kenen]], had been funded with ~$5.1 million from the [[Jewish Agency]]'s New York office. - The Jewish Agency, a quasi wing of the Israeli government, received much of its funding from United Israel Appeal. This means UIA was either directly funding American Jewish lobbying activity or was doing so as a byproduct of freeing up Jewish Agency funds. - This episode of DOJ scrutiny pertaining the Jewish lobby resulted in the disbandment of the AZC and the rise of its primary lobbying wing called [[AIPAC]]. #### Recommended Reading The Israel Lobby - John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt #### References - Wikipedia. “United Israel Appeal.” Accessed August 6, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Israel_Appeal. - Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep). “Foreign Agents Registration Act Files: American Zionist Council, 1962–63.” Accessed August 6, 2025. https://www.israellobby.org/fara/01_AZC_FARA_Order.htm - Crescent International. “Mossad Colluded with Diaspora Jews in Passport Frauds.” October 1997. - United Israel Appeal. _Annual Reports and Financial Statements, 2010–2023._ - Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “Rabbi Wise Demands $5,000,000 Palestine Fund Drive; Orthodox Rabbis Demand His Ouster.” February 1926. - Jewish Virtual Library. 2025. “Henry Montor (1905–1982): U.S. Organization Executive and Zionist.” _Jewish Virtual Library_. Accessed August 15, 2025. [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/montor-henry](https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/montor-henry). - Wikipedia. _“Operation Moses.”_ _Wikipedia_, August 6, 2025. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Moses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Moses).