This week's General Assembly of Jewish federations, meeting in Philadelphia, is a reminder of the power and commitment of the organized Jewish community and of North American Jewish philanthropy in general. During the last two years, North American Jews have shown an impressive loyalty and commitment to Israel; it's safe to say that we Israelis would have been hard-put to maintain the sanity of our society through this crisis were it not for Diaspora Jews' contributions, their visits and their political and moral support.

At the same time, we in Israel watch Diaspora Jews' efforts to reach out to us with a growing sense of unreality. As a former American Jew living in Jerusalem for the last 30 years, I believe I can understand both sides. And I believe our two communities are in many ways talking past one another.

Most troubling to us in Israel is the tendency on the part of many federations and foundations to invest what limited funds they have available at the moment in purchasing ambulances and providing aid to families of victims of terrorism. These would appear to be most worthy causes, and they're awfully hard to argue against. On the other hand, Israel already has a great many ambulances, purchased over the years by Diaspora Jewish organizations. As for the terrorism victims' families, they're being looked after by both government and private bodies.

On the other hand, one out of every five Israelis lives below the poverty line. They're in desperate need of support, and they're not getting it. Also in dire need of support are the educational, cultural and social institutions that make this a country worth living in and fighting for. Particularly in view of what may happen in the upcoming elections, supporters of Israel who believe that this country needs pluralistic Judaism, healthy orchestras and museums and teachers who can educate for both Jewish identity and democracy, ought to show their support in practical ways as well.

And in a sense, even those of us who are not, thank God, direct victims of terrorism need to be able to cope with the current crisis. New York UJA-Federation has generously supported a trauma center in Jerusalem. But what about the traumas teachers encounter in the classroom - the emotionally wounded youngsters, for example, who respond after an attack by writing "death to the Arabs" on the blackboard? How do we help those children recover their sense of the joy of youth? How do we strengthen their Jewish identity and, at the same time, their commitment to human rights? It requires a major new investment of resources in education and culture - resources Israel doesn't have now. For that, we need the Diaspora's help.

If Diaspora Jews saw their support of Israel not so much in the narrow sense of philanthropy but more in the broader sense of investment and partnership, perhaps then they would also rethink and revise another problematic policy. Many of the foundations and federations that do contribute to pluralism, democracy, gender equity, a multicultural society and other important causes demand each time that we in Israel come up with "new, innovative projects" for which they will provide temporary funding. Successful institutions that do serious, long-term in-depth educational work find it hard to obtain ongoing funding. The support goes increasingly to the "start-ups." Donors should know better by now, having seen from the high-tech field what having too many start-ups can do. Perhaps it's time to consider a shift in funding focus toward more profound, long-term social change.

We in Israel have much to learn from our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora. North American Jewry has recognized the need for investing in Jewish education in their local communities, in order to ensure that future generations of Diaspora Jews will be interested in maintaining a dialogue with Israel. But if Diaspora leaders want to ensure that future generations of Israelis will be interested in, and capable of, being part of that dialogue as well, it will take more than ambulances to do the work.

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