NEW YORK - It was a tough decision for the Jewish-American philanthropists who routinely write large checks for charity at the drop of a tear. The cause this time was Palestinian jobs in Gaza, where Jewish settlers were in the process of being evicted by their own government.

Despite that, billionaire publisher and real estate magnate Mort Zuckerman donated his own money and managed to persuade several other well-heeled associates to do the same, all at the behest of the Bush administration.