eJewishPhilanthropy

Your Daily Phil: Koum bets big on pluralistic education in L.A.

EJP — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 14:23:49 +0000

Good Friday morning! In today’s edition ofYour Daily Phil, we examine the growing condemnations of the emerging deal with Iran. We interviewTara Brown, the CEO ofMomentum, about her plans for the mom-focused Jewish engagement group, and report on a $36 million gift from theKoum Family Foundationto Los AngelesMilken Community School. We feature an opinion piece byRabbi Rachael Klein Millerwith a message for anyone thinking of walking away, be it from belief in God or support for Israel; andRabbi Rob GleisserandMollie Feldmanspotlight a pilot program exploring an approach to boosting male engagement in Jewish life. Also in this issue:Mijal Bitton,Alisha SelaandVan Jones. Shabbat shalom and happy Juneteenth! Today’sYour Daily Philwas curated by eJP Managing Editor Judah Ari Gross, Opinion Editor Rachel Kohn and Israel Editor Justin Hayet. Have a tip?Email us here. Follow us on Whatsapp Follow us on Telegram What Were Watching Jewish News Syndicate’s second annual international policy conference kicks off Sunday in Jerusalem at the Waldorf hotel featuring a host of speakers from the current Israeli government. In New York, the Jewish Food Society’s Great Nosh will take place on Sunday on Governors Island. The Orthodox Union’s Advocacy Attorneys Conference begins Sunday and runs through Monday in Washington, bringing together lawyers to talk strategy on fighting antisemitism through the law. What You Should Know A QUICK WORD FROM EJPS JUDAH ARI GROSS When news first emerged of an agreement between the United States and Iran to end the war, many Jewish groups were hesitant to weigh in on the matter, holding out until the full details were released. Now, as the official language for the memorandum of understanding has been published, a growing number of initially reluctant Jewish organizations and figures, including Jewish GOP donors, are speaking out about the deal, which some warn emboldens the Islamic Republic and endangers Israel’s national security. The condemnations of the agreement,which calls for an end to Israel’s fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon, are likely only to grow after four Israeli soldiers, including a battalion commander, were killed today in a strike on their tank by the Iran-backed terrorist militia in southern Lebanon. In a separate incident, five Israeli soldiers were also injured in a drone attack early this morning. While some of President Donald Trump’s Jewish and Israeli supportershold out hope that the emerging agreement merely represents a stall tactic ahead of the midterm elections or the start of a negotiation that can still be turned against Tehran, others have resigned themselves to a new, complicated reality. The “Heimish Humor” social media accountcapturedthis fatalistic feeling in a joke: One person asks how the new Iran agreement sounds, and the other responds, “Hashem is in control of the world,” to which the first replies, “Wow, that bad? Read the rest of ‘What You Should Know’ here. News QA After 19 years at AIPAC, Tara Brown is building Momentum for Israel-Diaspora ties Tara Brown. Courtesy/Momentum For nearly 19 years, Tara Brown was a fixture of AIPACs Mid-Atlantic region, running between fundraisers, the halls of Congress, AIPAC Policy Conference and all the coffee meetings in between — until last year, when she was appointed CEO of Momentum, a Jewish nonprofit that seeks to empower Jewish mothers to connect with their Jewish identity through trips to Israel and post-visit engagement. Speaking toeJewishPhilanthropy’s Justin Hayet, Brown said that her dream is to grow Momentums flagship Israel program fivefold, from about 2,000 women a year to 10,000. JH:Critics say immersive Israel experiences are most impactful during formative years teens and college years. How do you respond to that? TB:We focus on moms specifically, but moms arent actually our target audience. Their kids are. We focus on moms because the greatest social influencer of all time isnt TikTok, isnt Noa Tishby — its the Jewish mom. When a mom decides she wants to raise her kids a certain way, or think differently about her own family’s Judaism, it happens. Read the full interview here. Share MAJOR GIFTS Koum Family Foundation gifts $36 million to L.A.’s Milken School for campus expansion Milken Community School in Los Angeles. Cbl62/Wikimedia Commons The Koum Family Foundation donated $36 million to Los Angeles’ Milken Community School, one of the largest non-Orthodox Jewish day schools in the country, as part of a major capital campaign, the school announced on Thursday,reportseJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross. Koum keeps giving:The donation to the Milken school is the latest allocation by the foundation launched by the WhatsApp co-founder, Jan Koum, who has emerged as one of the most significant Jewish philanthropists today, supporting a wide array of Jewish causes in the United States, Israel and the former Soviet Union. Read the full report here. Share Opinion SOUNDS FAMILIAR The God you don’t believe in (and the Zionism you don’t believe in either) “A bar or bat mitzvah student sits across from me, leans in with a look of practiced defiance, and prepares to blow my rabbinic mind. ‘Rabbi,’ they say, ‘I have to be honest. I don’t really believe in God,’” writes Rabbi Rachael Klein Miller of Temple Emanu-El in Atlanta in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “I don’t recoil. Instead, I ask the question that has become (almost?) every rabbi’s favorite opening move: ‘Tell me about the God you don’t believe in.’” Real talk:“Judaism is a tradition of wrestling. You cannot wrestle with a shadow; you have to get close enough to feel the weight of the thing you’re grappling with. … If you find yourself ready to walk away from a big idea — be it faith or peoplehood — ask yourself first:How much do I actually know about the thing I’m walking away from?You might just find that the version you’re rejecting is one that the rest of us don’t believe in, either.” Read the full piece here. Share READERS RESPOND What happens when students lead Jewish learning: An experiment in Jewish male engagement “Zack Wainer, Isaac Kurtz and Doron Kenter recently wrote in eJewishPhilanthropy about the Jewish community’s need to confront ‘a growing body of data’ revealing that ‘on many of the measures that matter most for a flourishing life, men are falling behind.’ They concluded with a challenge: If we want different outcomes, we need to experiment with different approaches,” write Rabbi Rob Gleisser of Penn State Hillel and Mollie Feldman of Hillel International, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. A promising pilot:“On a Tuesday night at Penn State, groups of fraternity brothers gather in their living rooms to talk about masculinity, responsibility and what it means to be a Jewish man. There is no rabbi or teacher at the front of the room. The conversation is led by a peer, for their peers.” Read the full piece here. Share Worthy Reads Race to Scale:In thePhilanthropy Roundtable, David Bassfollowsthe rollout of the new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit and the funding, supply and political challenges shaping its implementation. “‘The barriers are information, making sure supply is free and politics,’ said Robert Enlow, CEO of EdChoice, the national school choice research organization founded as Milton Friedman’s legacy foundation. ‘You could have all the new money out there and no supply, and that’s a problem.’ For philanthropists, the opportunity goes beyond funding scholarships. It is helping build the legal, operational and educational infrastructure capable of supporting a national educational choice ecosystem before the system fully comes online.”[PhilanthropyRoundtable] Go to the Tents:In herSubstack, Mijal Bitton uses the Korach story toarguethat Jews worried about the Democratic Socialists of America need to stop mocking them and start out-organizing them. “The Talmud in tractate Sanhedrin records that even though Moses was the aggrieved party, he tried to persuade the people before God decided the dispute. He didn’t approach Korach, but went to the tents of Datan and Aviram – the people in the orbit of the rebellion who might still be reached. They rebuffed him. “We will not go up.” When I read this, I realized that it was only after Moses deployed his legs that day in the wilderness that divine vindication came. We learn: God does not intervene to save people who have not tried. Now ask yourself: are we going to the tents?”[Committed] Major Gifts Myisrael, a U.K.-based charity that supports small nonprofits in Israel,raisedover £1.17 million ($1.54 million) in 36 hours from 3,300-plus donors to support vulnerable Israelis… Jewish National Fundrecently funded a new emergency vehicle for first responders in the Negev town ofYeruhamas part of its broader push to boost emergency readiness across Israel… TheHealthcare Foundation of New Jerseyawarded$686,000 in the second quarter of the year across renewal grants for autism, mental health, perinatal care and diabetes screening programs… Transitions Hannah Loffmanwaspromotedto the role of senior director of women’s impact and development atJewish Women International… JEWISHcoloradonamed current board vice chairNeil Oberfeldas its incoming board chair, succeedingBen Lusher, who is stepping down after a three-year tenure in the position… EarlyJhiredAlisha Selaas its Los Angeles director… CNN commentatorVan Joneswasappointedto the advisory board of theGenesis Prize Foundation… Word on the Street In Jewish Insider, Gili Cohen examines the growing rift between President Donald Trumps White House and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government over the emerging Iran deal Jewish organizations are split over a proposedState Departmentmerger of the antisemitism and Holocaust affairs envoy roles, with supporters citing efficiency and opponents warning it would politicize and weaken dedicated Holocaust restitution work,Jewish Insider’sMarc Rod reports… The U.K. government ispledging£1 million ($1.3 million) to support theJewish Museum London;U.K. Culture SecretaryLisa Nandysaid the funding would go to sharing the “stories, the connections and the understanding that are the basis of a cohesive society and the future of our country” The Chronicle of Philanthropydetailshow when federal cuts wiped outFoodCorpssAmeriCorpsfunding, theHealy Foundationresponded with a flexible $1 million grant that helped the nonprofit reinvent itself with new initiatives rather than simply downsizing… TheJewish Community Foundation of Greater Prescottgranted$150,000 to boost technical education in northern Arizona, with $100,000 funding scholarships atCoconino Community College… Pic of the Day Shalom Ross/chabad[dot]org A group of women say prayers yesterday at the grave of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, in Queens, N.Y., in honor of the 32nd anniversary of his death. Tens of thousands of people visited Schneerson’s grave, known as the Ohel, which has become a regular pilgrimage site for members and supporters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. Birthdays Paul Archuleta/Getty Images Actor, singer and entrepreneur, who now raises awareness about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,Aaron Scott Lazarturns 50 on Sunday FRIDAY:Attorney, investment banker, film producer and former deputy mayor of NYC,Kenneth Lipperturns 85 Rabbi emeritus of Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple in New Brunswick, N.J., RabbiBennett F. Miller Historian of the Jews in Muslim lands in the modern era, he won the Israel Prize in 2025 for Jewish history,Yaron Tsurturns 78 Retired president and CEO of the Jewish Federation Los Angeles, he is now the president of American Jewish University,Jay Sandersonturns 69Inna N. Zalevsky Former director of communications for Kings Bay Y,Adrienne M. Knoll Member of the European Jewish Parliament for Latvia,Valery Engel, Ph.D. turns 65 Physician specializing in reproductive endocrinology and infertility,Jessica Rosenberg Brown, MD Co-founder of Centerview Partners, a boutique investment bank based in NYC,Blair Effronturns 64 Singer-songwriter, actor and television personality, she was a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18,Paula Abdulturns 64 Former member of Knesset for the Zionist Union party, in the 1990s she was an assistant legal advisor to then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin,Ayelet Nahmias-Verbinturns 56 Vice president for education at the American Jewish Committee and director of its Center for Education Advocacy,Laura Shaw Frank… Human rights activist and advocate for women and minorities in Iran,Marjan Keypour Greenblatt Co-founder of nine venture-backed companies in the telecom, high-tech, pharmaceuticals, energy, water and biotechnology industries,Andrew T. Perlmanturns 51 Consul general of Israel to the Southeastern United States,Eitan Weiss Staff writer atThe New Yorker,Isaac Chotiner Director of affinities and major gifts at the Minneapolis Jewish Federation,Tslil Shtulsaft Founder of JSwipe, a Jewish dating app created in 2014,David Austin Yarus Activist and educator,Barak Sella… Retired rhythmic gymnast from Israel who competed in the 2008 (Beijing), 2012 (London) and 2016 (Rio) Olympics,Neta Rivkinturns 35 Vice president at Jewish Federations of North America,Anna Langer COO at Lightning Inspiration,Alex Jakubowski Organization director at Senate Leadership Fund One Nation,Cydney Couch Singer, popular on video and streaming services, known as Skye for short,Daniel Skyeturns 26… SATURDAY:Weston, Fla., residentHarold Kurteturns 97 Former member of Knesset for the Meretz party,Ran Cohenturns 89 Owner of Schulman Small Business Services in Atlanta,Alan Schulman Detroit-based pawnbroker, reality TV star, author and speaker,Leslie Les Goldturns 76 Chef, baker and author of eight books, she popularized sourdough and artisan breads in the U.S.,Nancy Silvertonturns 72 Writer of the “Bully Pulpit” Substack from Booksmart Studios,Bob Garfieldturns 71 Former assistant managing editor for politics at NBC News, now an adjunct professor at the University of Florida and FIU,Gregg Birnbaum Co-founder of Brilliant Detroit (helping children out of poverty) and owner of Riverstone Communities,James BellinsonRosh yeshivaat Yeshiva University and rabbi of Congregation Ohr HaTorah in Bergenfield, N.J., RabbiZvi Sobolofskyturns 61 Israeli-American screenwriter, film director, writer and producer of 20 films,Boaz Yakinturns 60 Senior legal affairs reporter atPolitico,Josh Gerstein Governor of Pennsylvania, one of three current Jewish governors that are named Josh,Joshua David Shapiroturns 53 Singer, songwriter andhazzan, he is a co-founder of the band Moshav,Yehuda Solomonturns 49 Senior program director of civic initiatives at The Teagle Foundation,Tamara Mann Tweel, Ph.D. Israeli author of crime and thriller books that have sold more than 2.5 million copies in more than 20 languages,Mike Omerturns 47 Journalist, blogger and EMT in NYC, formerly editor forGawkerand director of public relations for theVillage Voice,Maggie Shnayersonturns 45 Executive vice president of Moxie Strategies,Pearl Gabel French-Israeli singer and songwriter,Amir Haddadturns 42 Deputy communications director in the Trump 45 White House, now head of corporate affairs at Standard Industries,Josh Raffel Jennifer Bernstein Photographer, producer and digital strategist, she is a supervising producer at HardPin,Sara Pearl Kenigsberg Writer, director, comedian, YouTuber, podcaster and mental health advocate,Allison Beth Raskinturns 37 Team captain of Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the EuroLeague,John DiBartolomeoturns 35 Chief campus and culture officer at Hillel Ontario,Bev Shimansky Ades Development director at Ashkenaz Foundation,Jaime Reich SUNDAY:Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, she is the mother-in-law of Chelsea Clinton,Marjorie Margoliesturns 84 Investment banker, he was the U.S. ambassador to El Salvador in the Bush 43 administration,Charles L. Glazerturns 83 Philanthropist, she is vice chair of the Museum of Jewish Heritage,Ingeborg Hanna Rennert British businessman, co-founder with his brother Charles of advertising agency Saatchi Saatchi which became the largest in the world, appointed to the House of Lords in 1996,Baron Maurice Saatchiturns 80 U.K. Cabinet minister in both the Thatcher and Major governments, SirMalcolm Leslie Rifkindturns 80 Retired creditors rights attorney in the Chicago area,David Stephen Miller Retired senior editor and writer atThe Washington Postfor 33 years, now chief editor at The Reis Group,Peter Perl Member of the Knesset since 2013 for the Yesh Atid party,Mickey Levyturns 75 Susan Gutman CEO of Amir Development Company in Beverly Hills, he is a member of the national council of AIPAC,Keenan L. Wolens Punk rock singer and songwriter, known as the Gangsta Rabbi,Steve Liebermanturns 68 Washington Institute director and adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins SAIS,David Makovskyturns 66 Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author,David L. Marcus Co-founder and executive editor ofAxiossince 2016,Mike Allenturns 62 National education writer forThe Washington Post,Laura Meckler Founder and leader of Beautifully Jewish,Tanya Rebecca Singer Yale Law School graduate, journalist and author,Abigail Krauser Shrierturns 48 Public affairs consultant based in Manhattan,Sam Nunbergturns 45 Co-founder and former CEO of Kaggle, a data science platform acquired by Google in 2017,Anthony Goldbloomturns 43 Former member of the Knesset where she was the first-ever Druze woman, she then became a Jewish Agencyshlichato Washington,Gadeer Kamal Mreehturns 42 Head of Communications for Paramount+,Jacqueline (Jackie) Berkowitz Chief of staff to the chairman and CEO at Saban Capital Group,Amitai Raziel Award-winning Israeli classical pianist,Boris Giltburgturns 42 Executive director at Hunter Hillel,Merav Fine Braun Editor for the global programming team at CNN,Madeleine Morgenstern Singer-songwriter known as Jeryko,Yaniv Hoffmanturns 35 Singer-songwriter and actor, known by his mononym Max,Maxwell George Schneiderturns 34

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Condemnations of the budding Iran deal grow as more details emerge

Judah Ari Gross — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 12:13:47 +0000

When news first emerged of an agreement between the United States and Iran to end the war, many Jewish groups were hesitant to weigh in on the matter, holding out until the full details were released. Now, as the official language for the memorandum of understanding has been published, a growing number of initially reluctant Jewish organizations and figures are speaking out about the deal, which some warn emboldens the Islamic Republic and endangers Israel’s national security. Concerns around the MOU have led even some of President Donald Trump’s staunchest supporters to condemn the agreement and the thinking that went into it. Eric Levine, a top GOP fundraiser who is on the board of the Republican Jewish Coalition, told eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider yesterday that the war with Iran “achieved none of its stated aims,” including Trump’s pledge to liberate Iranians from a theocratic regime and to end its nuclear program. “We ran 26 miles, and then chose to stop at the last 385 yards,” he said, reaching for a marathon metaphor. “I don’t understand why.” Read JI’s full report on the reactions by GOP donors and activists here. For many in the U.S., however, the “why” is clear: This has been an unpopular war, causing an even more unpopular energy crisis in the months leading up to midterm elections. The White House was willing to pay a price to end it quickly, even if doing so came at Israel’s potential expense. The condemnations of the agreement, which calls for an end to Israel’s fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon, are likely only to grow after four Israeli soldiers, including a battalion commander, were killed today in a strike on their tank by the Iran-backed terrorist militia in southern Lebanon. In a separate incident, five Israeli soldiers were also injured in a drone attack early this morning. Many of the criticisms of the emerging agreement are similar to those voiced in the lead-up to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action —namely that it provides economic relief to an enemy state that will use those funds to build up its own military capabilities and those of its terrorist proxies.Though some have alleged that the current deal is even weaker, halting efforts to support the Iranian opposition through a “no intervention” clause and restricting Israel’s freedom of action in Lebanon. As with President Barack Obama’s JCPOA, the new deal does not address Iran’s ballistic missile program,a key area of concern for Israel, which has been repeatedly pummeled by those weapons over the past year. However, unlike Obama, Trump legitimized Iran’s long-range missile program, saying in a press conference this week that the Iranians “have to have some” since others in the region do. This time around, however, the pushback on the agreement will be more complicated as many of the JCPOA’s greatest critics cast their lot with Trump, who pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal at their urging. By doing so — and undoing a key foreign policy achievement of Obama’s White House —those JCPOA critics left themselves with few friends in the Democratic Party. While some of Trump’s supporters hold out hope that the emerging agreement merely represents a stall tactic or the start of a negotiation that can still be turned against Tehran, others have resigned themselves to a new, complicated reality. The “Heimish Humor” social media account captured the fatalistic feelings in the more conservative parts of the Jewish world in a joke: One person asks how the new Iran agreement sounds, and the other responds, “Hashem is in control of the world,” to which the first replies, “Wow, that bad?

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After 19 years at AIPAC, Tara Brown is building Momentum for Israel-Diaspora ties

Judah Ari Gross — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 11:36:21 +0000

For nearly 19 years, Tara Brown was a fixture of AIPACs Mid-Atlantic region, running between fundraisers, the halls of Congress, AIPAC Policy Conference and all the coffee meetings in between — until last year, when she was appointed CEO of Momentum, a Jewish nonprofit that seeks to empower Jewish mothers to connect with their Jewish identity through trips to Israel and post-visit engagement. Brown stepped into the role at a fraught moment: Antisemitism continues to rise globally as more Jews feel disconnected from their own identity and from Israel, and the cost of Israel travel has climbed roughly 90% since 2019. Browns answer is to think bigger and bolder. Speaking to eJewishPhilanthropy, Brown said that her dream is to grow Momentums flagship Israel program fivefold, from about 2,000 women a year to 10,000. In a wide-ranging conversation, Brown broke down what it means to be in her role at this Jewish moment, addressed the complexities and cost of Israel travel today, debunked misconceptions about Momentum and laid out a vision for American and global Jewry, as well as the role Israel and Momentum seek to play in that future. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Justin Hayet: What is the biggest misconception about Momentums role in Jewish engagement? TB: This biggest misconception is that we are trying to make people more observant. We constantly hear that were more religious and observant than we actually are. Look at our board, our staff, our trip participants — were one big tent. One of the core goals in our mission statement is unity without uniformity: we want a unified Jewish people, but that doesnt mean one size fits all, so we have representation from every part of Judaism. We want people to connect however works best for them and their families. [New York Times columnist] Bret Stephens gave a talk at The Streicker Center where he said the Jewish community should do 10% more — not 10% more financially, but 10% more Jewishly. Thats our philosophy too. Every mom who infuses a little more Judaism and Jewish values into her home gives her kids a little more strength and confidence to be proudly, securely Jewish. Were not trying to make everyone observant; we want people moving at their own pace, toward stronger, more courageous Jewish identity. Another misconception is that were just about trips. After the trip, participants return to their communities as part of a Jewish sisterhood and spend the next year learning and working together, which not only strengthens their own Jewish identities, but also their local organizations. When Jewish women in leadership, and moms in leadership, come to Israel and catch that spark, it reignites something in them to do more, feel more, connect more and be part of this global Jewish sisterhood and community. When that happens, the whole alphabet soup of Jewish organizations gets stronger. We do plenty beyond Israel. We run leadership summits around the globe throughout the year, rooted in Jewish values, to help women lead more effectively in their homes, communities, businesses and organizations. Israel travel is our flagship program, but its far from the only thing we do. JH: Critics say immersive Israel experiences are most impactful during formative years teens and college years. How do you respond to that? TB: We focus on moms specifically, but moms arent actually our target audience. Their kids are. We focus on moms because the greatest social influencer of all time isnt TikTok, isnt Noa Tishby — its the Jewish mom. When a mom decides she wants to raise her kids a certain way, or think differently about her own family’s Judaism, it happens. If we want strong, connected kids who understand Jewish values and grounded pride in and connection to Israel, this must be reinforced at home. Most of the women who come on this journey are religiously unaffiliated. When we survey them a year after they return [after the trip], 25% have since enrolled their kids in Jewish day school. Thats a transformational, generational ripple effect and it is a direct outcome of their experience with Momentum. JH: Israel travel costs are up 90% since 2019. Couldnt everything you just described be done in America? Why does it have to happen in Israel? TB: Our mission is to empower a woman to change her family, her community and to strengthen Jewish communities around the globe. Israel is the birthplace of the Jewish people and the Jewish religion — the words “Israel” and “Jerusalem” appear more than almost any other word in Jewish scripture. You cannot separate Israel from Jewish life; people try and its impossible. When a woman is taking her first step, or her next step, in her Jewish journey, we believe it should start in the birthplace of Jewish life. The cost is real, especially now, in the middle of a war, with the shekel strong against the dollar. And still, our data shows that a year after the trip, our women are more engaged, more philanthropic, taking more action regarding Israel, talking to their kids about Israel and Judaism, enrolling their kids in Jewish day school and Jewish day camp. These are exactly the things we all should want for Jewish continuity, things these women wouldnt have done without this journey. The stakes are simply too high. People are turning away from Judaism and from Israel at the exact moment we need strong Jewish communities, both in the diaspora and in Israel. Ill take that investment any day of the year. JH: After 19 years at AIPAC, you stepped into this role at a hard moment — for Israel, for American Jews, and for you personally. How does all of that shape how you lead? TB: Im still a proud AIPAC activist, and I believe all American Jews should be involved in AIPAC and pro-Israel politics. And at the same time, were facing a crisis, not just in American Jewry, but in Jewry across the globe with levels of hatred and violence against Jews are rising, at a time when many Jews feel as disconnected and uninformed about their Judaism and about Israel. But as I thought about my own Jewish journey and the legacy I wanted to leave for my daughter, and this opportunity — to empower Jewish women to strengthen their Jewish communities as well as Jewish communities across the globe — this felt like a natural next step. I want there to be generations of people, in America and beyond, who understand why were a special people, and who understand Israel is the backbone of who we are as a people. We want to show our participants theres more to being Jewish than fear. We have thousands of years of resilience and strength behind us, and an obligation to show that to Jewish women across the globe, so they can pass that legacy on to their kids. JH: Where do you see Momentum in five years? TB: This isnt just about trips. Were transforming individuals, families and communities, and we believe that the ripple effect can eventually reach a tipping point that transforms the Jewish world. We think that the tipping-point number is 10,000 Jewish moms a year reengaging their journey and traveling to Israel through Momentum. Right now, even before the war affected our numbers, were bringing a little over 2,000 women a year — so were talking about scaling fivefold. Its a lofty goal, but we are living in a pivotal part of Jewish history that demands big dreams. Well need to do some things differently, and well need more funding, but were committed to hitting that mark. Will it happen in five years? I hope so, because I dont think time is on our side. JH: Momentum recently started bringing Jewish educators to Israel. Can you tell us more about this, and what does that reveal about your strategy? TB: We found that even in Jewish day schools, teachers were often talking about Judaism and Israel in ways that could be stronger. So we started bringing educators to Israel — we ran a pilot last year and learned a lot from it. Because these educators also have to meet the mom criteria, the impact doubles: They bring what they learn home to their own families, and they bring it into their classrooms, amplifying the effect for their own kids and their students. With antisemitism rising, we found that a lot of teachers dont know how to talk to students about hatred and violence toward Jews. Before the trip, when we surveyed educators, only 19% said they felt confident discussing antisemitism with their students. After the trip, that number jumped to 70%; this is a 51-point increase. Given everything happening right now, having teachers who feel equipped to have that conversation matters enormously.

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What happens when students lead Jewish learning: An experiment in Jewish male engagement

Contributing Author — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 07:57:12 +0000

On a Tuesday night at Penn State, groups of fraternity brothers gather in their living rooms to talk about masculinity, responsibility and what it means to be a Jewish man. There is no rabbi or teacher at the front of the room. The conversation is led by a peer, for their peers. Zack Wainer, Isaac Kurtz and Doron Kenter recently wrote in eJewishPhilanthropy about the Jewish community’s need to confront “a growing body of data” revealing that “on many of the measures that matter most for a flourishing life, men are falling behind” (“Engaging men and boys in Jewish life: What we know, what we don’t know and what we can do,” May 26) They concluded with a challenge: if we want different outcomes, we need to experiment with different approaches. So what might that different approach look like on college campuses? For decades, Hillel has built learning programs designed to help students explore Jewish ideas in meaningful, relationship-centered ways. This model has proven remarkably effective at cultivating Jewish identity and a sense of belonging on campus. And yet, a set of converging trends is impacting the landscape in which this work unfolds: First, as noted, male student engagement continues to lag behind that of their female peers. Second, students increasingly trust their peers much more than they trust institutions or traditional authorities. Third, we’ve found fewer students are stepping into leadership roles in the post-COVID-19 era, absent compelling frameworks for doing so. These trends are both root causes and outcomes of one another, affecting Jewish life on campus as well as Jewish communities beyond the college years. The Men to Mensches (M2M) program, developed at Penn State Hillel and supported by the Maimonides Fund, offers a response to these converging realities, as well as the larger problem outlined in Wainer, Kurtz and Kenter’s piece. M2M is a four-session, peer-led, Jewish values and identity conversation that takes place within an existing male-networked community, such as a fraternity or an athletic team. Each week, peer facilitators participate in a Men to Mensches session with a Hillel educator, and then lead that same conversation with a group of peers in their home community. In this model, the educator and institution provide the wisdom and structure that is passed on to a larger group through the peer facilitator. The role of the professional educator shifts from primary facilitator to trainer, thought partner and coach, modeling the sessions and supporting peer facilitators to reflect and improve between their sessions each week. M2M has had a significant impact on past student participants. Peer facilitators come to see themselves as owners, creators and contributors to Jewish life on campus. Moreover, when students see a peer confidently leading Jewish conversation, they begin to imagine themselves as capable of Jewish leadership too. In both directions, this sense of ownership and reflective learning inspires an interest, curiosity and openness to continued Jewish learning and leadership. One participant shared, “When I saw my [fraternity] brother teaching, I saw him in a totally new light. He wasn’t just a frat guy — he had wisdom to share.” Another participant said, “We were talking about real stuff — not just classes or parties, but who we want to be.” This demonstrated success affirms Wainer, Kurtz and Kenter’s idea that “young men were drawn in not because they belonged, but because their participation mattered.” In M2M, the goal is not to attract students who aren’t coming into the Hillel building. Rather, it is to bring Jewish conversation into places where students already feel they belong and to invite them to take ownership of it. By empowering students to facilitate meaningful conversations for their peers within existing male-networked communities, M2M transforms these male students’ participation in Jewish learning from passive to active. This spring, Hillel International piloted M2M on 17 campuses to test whether the model that succeeded at Penn State Hillel can scale. This RD approach aims to address this sector-wide male engagement challenge: seek out inspiring and impactful campus initiatives, understand the conditions that make them successful and invest in testing them across the movement. By scaling local innovations through national pilots, we can generate new knowledge, identify promising practices and actively explore strategies to strengthen male engagement and contribution across Jewish life. Our hope is not only to replicate the success seen at Penn State Hillel, but to learn and to challenge our own assumptions in ways that might strengthen the broader Jewish ecosystem. M2M invites Jewish educators — working on campus and beyond — to consider: What emerges when we place meaningful responsibility in the hands of young men? What other experiments might invite young men to see themselves as contributors, leaders and builders of Jewish life? How might we leverage existing communities where young men belong, rather than establishing new ones? M2M is one attempt to empower young Jewish men to bring meaningful Jewish conversation into their closest social networks, and we’ve seen great promise. The work ahead is to continue learning, refining and sharing insights to collectively shape meaningful change across the field. Rabbi Rob Gleisser is the senior Jewish educator at Penn State Hillel. Mollie Feldman is the senior director of the Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Experience at Hillel International and is studying toward rabbinic ordination in the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Beit Midrash for a New North American Rabbinate., affecting Jewish life on campus as well as Jewish communities beyond the college years. The Men to Mensches (M2M) program, developed at Penn State Hillel and supported by the Maimonides Fund, offers a response to these converging realities, as well as the larger problem outlined in Wainer, Kurtz and Kenter’s piece. M2M is a four-session, peer-led, Jewish values and identity conversation that takes place within an existing male-networked community, such as a fraternity or an athletic team. Each week, peer facilitators participate in a Men to Mensches session with a Hillel educator, and then lead that same conversation with a group of peers in their home community. In this model, the educator and institution provide the wisdom and structure that is passed on to a larger group through the peer facilitator. The role of the professional educator shifts from primary facilitator to trainer, thought partner and coach, modeling the sessions and supporting peer facilitators to reflect and improve between their sessions each week. M2M has had a significant impact on past student participants. Peer facilitators come to see themselves as owners, creators and contributors to Jewish life on campus. Moreover, when students see a peer confidently leading Jewish conversation, they begin to imagine themselves as capable of Jewish leadership too. In both directions, this sense of ownership and reflective learning inspires an interest, curiosity and openness to continued Jewish learning and leadership. One participant shared, “When I saw my brother teaching, I saw him in a totally new light. He wasn’t just a frat guy — he had wisdom to share.” Another participant said, “We were talking about real stuff — not just classes or parties — but who we want to be.” This demonstrated success affirms Wainer, Kurtz and Kenter’s idea that “young men were drawn in not because they belonged, but because their participation mattered.” In M2M, the goal is not to attract students who aren’t coming into the Hillel building. Rather, it is to bring Jewish conversation into places where students already feel they belong and to invite them to take ownership of it. By empowering students to facilitate meaningful conversations for their peers within existing male-networked communities, M2M transforms these male students’ participation in Jewish learning from passive to active. This spring, Hillel International piloted M2M on 17 campuses to test whether the model that succeeded at Penn State Hillel can scale. This RD approach aims to address this sector-wide male engagement challenge: seek out inspiring and impactful campus initiatives, understand the conditions that make them successful and invest in testing them across the movement. By scaling local innovations through national pilots, we can generate new knowledge, identify promising practices and actively explore strategies to strengthen male engagement and contribution across Jewish life. Our hope is not only to replicate the success seen at Penn State Hillel, but to learn and to challenge our own assumptions in ways that might strengthen the broader Jewish ecosystem. M2M invites Jewish educators — working on campus and beyond — to consider: What emerges when we place meaningful responsibility in the hands of young men? What other experiments might invite young men to see themselves as contributors, leaders and builders of Jewish life? How might we leverage existing communities where young men belong, rather than establishing new ones? M2M is one attempt to empower young Jewish men to bring meaningful Jewish conversation into their closest social networks, and we’ve seen great promise. The work ahead is to continue learning, refining and sharing insights to collectively shape meaningful change across the field. Rabbi Rob Gleisser is the senior Jewish educator at Penn State Hillel. Mollie Feldman is the senior director of the Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Experience at Hillel International and is studying toward rabbinic ordination in the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Beit Midrash for a New North American Rabbinate.

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Koum Family Foundation gifts $36 million to L.A.’s Milken Community School for campus expansion

Judah Ari Gross — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 07:53:09 +0000

The Koum Family Foundation donated $36 million to Los Angeles’ Milken Community School, one of the largest non-Orthodox Jewish day schools in the country, as part of a major capital campaign, the school announced on Thursday. The 22-acre property that the school recently purchased from the American Jewish University will be named the Jan Koum Campus of Milken Community School in recognition of the donation. The donation to the Milken school is the latest allocation by the foundation launched by the WhatsApp co-founder, who has emerged as one of the most significant Jewish philanthropists today, supporting a wide array of Jewish causes in the United States, Israel and the former Soviet Union. Last month, Koum donated $200 million to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center. “Jan Koum’s extraordinary generosity is a profound investment in the future of the Jewish people,” Sarah Shulkind, Milken’s head of school, said in a statement. “We see the creation of this campus as a transformational moment for the Los Angeles Jewish community. By strengthening Milken, we are strengthening the future of Jewish life, deepening community and inspiring enduring connections to Israel.” Keith Wasserman, a Milken school board member and co-founder of the VC firm Gelt Venture Partners, hailed Koum as a “true mensch” for the donation, writing on social media that the new campus will “be the epicenter for the heart and soul of Jewish L.A.” The school said that the Koum donation brings the school’s total fundraising effort for its capital campaign to $152 million.

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The God you don’t believe in (and the Zionism you don’t believe in either)

Contributing Author — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 06:42:46 +0000

It’s a scene that plays out in my office every year: A bar or bat mitzvah student sits across from me, leans in with a look of practiced defiance, and prepares to blow my rabbinic mind. Rabbi, they say, I have to be honest. I don’t really believe in God. I don’t gasp. I don’t recoil. Instead, I ask the question that has become (almost?) every rabbi’s favorite opening move: Tell me about the God you don’t believe in. Inevitably, they describe a giant, bearded man in the sky who pulls levers, rewards the good with candy and punishes the bad with lightning bolts. I usually wait a beat, nod, and say, That’s interesting. I dont believe in that God either. By the end of the hour, their eyes are a little wider. They begin to glimpse the vast, shimmering landscape of Jewish theology — the metaphors, the struggles and the ancient debates. But at 12 or 13, they are standing at the very edge of a deep ocean, armed only with feelings, overheard snippets of adult conversations and the noise of the surrounding culture. They have a lot of learning left to do. Recently, I had a meeting with a young adult that felt like an eerie case of déjà vu. We weren’t talking about God, though the intensity was the same. We were talking about Zionism and Israel. This young person was not yet too distraught, but swimming in the waters of uncertainty. They were worried about what it meant to be in a relationship with Israel when they were–to put it mildly–less than thrilled with what they were seeing on their feeds. They felt a sense of unbelief in the project of Israel that mirrored the middle-schooler’s unbelief in God. So, I reached for my conversations about God toolkit. I started asking questions such as Where are you learning about this? What books have you read? Have you sat down and talked to an actual Israeli on the ground? Ultimately, I realized what I was really asking was: Tell me about the Zionism you dont believe in. As we peeled back the layers, the realization set in. Much like the seventh grader with the Old Man in the Sky theology, this young adult’s understanding of a century-old, complex geopolitical and political movement was based on a curated digital diet that floated on the surface level of the deep waters I swim in every day. I don’t judge them for it. I’m ready for them to dive deeper. The parallels between these two conversations are striking. Both the atheist teen and the questioning-their-Zionism young adult share four things: A rejection of an outdated ideal. A lack of depth in their understanding of the subject. A hunger for more, even if they start the conversation with a defensive posture. A relationship with a mentor whom they trust enough to challenge. My job isnt to hand them a pamphlet and tell them what to think. My job is to hold up a mirror. When we look in that mirror, we realize that our certainty is often just a lack of information. We live in a TL;DR culture that demands we have a take on everything before we’ve even read the preface. We feel pressured to either believe or cancel based on a feeling. But Judaism is a tradition of wrestling. You cannot wrestle with a shadow; you have to get close enough to feel the weight of the thing you’re grappling with. I told that young adult what I tell my bar mitzvah students: its okay to not know. It is even okay to be uncomfortable. But it is not okay to mistake a few headlines for an education — especially when it comes with an agenda. I’ve been a rabbi for nine years, and I still consider myself a student. I continue my education every single day, because the God I believe in and the Israel I love are far too complex to be captured in a single conversation or a 30-second clip. If you find yourself ready to walk away from a big idea — be it faith or peoplehood — ask yourself first: How much do I actually know about the thing I’m walking away from? You might just find that the version you’re rejecting is one that the rest of us don’t believe in, either. Rabbi Rachael Klein Miller serves Temple Emanu-El in Atlanta.

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Your Daily Phil: JGive survey finds rise in Israeli crowdfunding

EJP — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 14:59:22 +0000

Good Thursday morning! In today’s edition ofYour Daily Phil, we report on a new study from Israeli philanthropic platformJGivecharting the growth of Israeli crowdfunding, we cover a new prize from theNathan Cummings Foundationand theJewish Social Justice Roundtablecelebrating quiet bridge-builders combating antisemitism and follow an open letter from Jewish leaders marking Americas 250th anniversary. We feature an opinion piece byRabbi Mendy Chitrikdrawing from his work with small Jewish communities across Africa, and a piece byDror Steinarguing for a broader institutional approach to Israel engagement. Also in this issue:Joe Lonsdale,Jesse EisenbergandSeth Wise. Today’sYour Daily Philwas curated by eJP Managing Editor Judah Ari Gross, Opinion Editor Rachel Kohn and Israel Editor Justin Hayet. Have a tip?Email us here. Follow us on Whatsapp Follow us on Telegram What Were Watching Today marks the 32nd anniversary of the death of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to gather at his resting place, known as the “Ohel,” in Queens, N.Y. The Lab/Shul will celebrate its 13th anniversary this evening at the Brooklyn Bowl, where Harry Otterman will receive the Jodi Cohen L Michael Graver Legacy Award. What You Should Know A QUICK WORD FROM EJPS JUSTIN HAYET Half of all Israelis donate to charity every year — a fact thats often overshadowed by the larger focus on Diaspora giving to Israeli causes — and they are increasingly doing it online. According totheIsraeli Giving Report, a new study by the Israeli crowdfunding platform JGive, roughly 1 in 5 Israeli donors now give through a website. The platforms Israeli donor base has expanded by roughly 70% over five years, total giving on the platform has grown by close to 167% and the number of nonprofits raising funds through JGive has grown sixfold in seven years, climbing from about 500 organizations to upward of 3,000. Among Israels top donors, 6 in 10 are under 50. Ori Ben Shlomo, JGives founder and CEO, doesnt see any of this as a coincidence. He started building the platform in 2014, during his own military reserve service in the early days of that summer’s Gaza war, Operation Protective Edge, after concluding that Israelis desire to give was real, but the country lacked the infrastructure to make it happen. The heart was there, but it was a mess, he toldeJewishPhilanthropy. Read the rest of ‘What You Should Know’ here. News FEELING THE LOVE Progressive ‘36 Awards’ aim to fete those who combat antisemitism, not shame those who spread it Leaders from Jewish congregations and partners from across faiths in the Harrisburg, Pa., community gather for a vigil near the Governors Residence a few days after an antisemitic attack against Governor Josh Shapiro on the first night of Passover on April 12, 2025. Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg/Facebook The progressive Nathan Cummings Foundation, in partnership with the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable umbrella group have launched a new prize for individuals who combat antisemitism — the 36 Award — that shifts the focus away from shaming bigots to instead celebrating those who build bridges, even during fraught times, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitcher. Common folk:The two organizations named the initiative the 36 Award in reference to the idea that in every generation there are 36 righteous people, hidden in their communities, whose goodness sustains the world. “We felt like that concept from Jewish tradition really was the North Star for what we’re looking for with giving this award to individuals,” Abby Levine, CEO of JSJR, told eJP. “We don’t want the famous or the credentialed, but the people who are doing what’s right, even when it’s unpopular or unnoticed or far from the spotlight. This is our attempt to go find some of them and to say, ‘We see you and we support you, even if you haven’t been recognized up to now.’” Read the full report here. Share WE THE PEOPLE ‘The single best Diaspora experience’: Jewish leaders mark America’s 250th with open letter An America 250 US flag on the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images As the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary, American Jewish leaders have signed an open letter expressing gratitude to a nation “unlike so many others through Jewish history [that] did not merely tolerate Jewish life, but made possible its flourishing,” while also highlighting Jewish contributions to the country’s founding, reports Haley Cohen for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider. What it says:“From the earliest days of the American experiment, Jews were drawn to the promise of a nation founded not on bloodline, monarchy, or established religion, but on liberty, covenant, and the dignity of the individual,” the letter reads. “Having known the weight of persecution and exclusion, Jews recognized in America’s founding ideals something rare in human history: the possibility of belonging without surrendering our identity.” Read the full report hereandsign up forJewish Insider’s Daily Kickoff here. Share Opinion SHARED INVESTMENT Beyond politics, a well still needs water “The future of Jewish-Muslim relations may depend less on what we say to one another in conference halls and more on what we build together in places of need — schools, hospitals, wells and quiet acts of charity,” writes Rabbi Mendy Chitrik, chairman of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States and Ashkenazi Rabbi of Turkey,in an opinion piece foreJewishPhilanthropy. Not only possible, but already happening:“There is enormous room for this kind of partnership to grow. Across Africa and beyond, religious communities often possess something governments and international institutions lack: trust at the local level, long-term presence and a moral obligation deeply rooted in communal life. If Jewish and Muslim organizations can work together to provide food, medicine, education and dignity, all while remaining fully faithful to their own traditions, they may help model a different kind of coexistence — one built less on slogans and more on responsibility.” Read the full piece here. Share OUT OF THE SILO Beyond Israel programming: The case for institutional redesign “For decades, the North American Jewish community has invested enormous resources into what became known as ‘Israel education,’” writes Dror Stein, director of content and leadership at the Z3 Project, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “This investment created a jargon and built generations of educators deeply committed to helping North American Jews form meaningful relationships with Israel. I am part of that story myself.” Unintended problem:“As it became a distinct field, institutions came to see Israel as a discrete domain rather than intrinsic to Jewish identity. Over time, ‘Israel’ became a program on the calendar, or a designated staff member — in well-resourced institutions, even a department. And when Israel became siloed rather than integral to an institution’s mission, institutions responsible for building thick, layered Jewish identities inadvertently created fragmented ones instead.” Read the full piece here. Share Worthy Reads New Wealth, New Rules: In his blog, investor Joe Lonsdale argues that legacy institutions have grown dysfunctional and urges a new wave of tech philanthropists to build bold new institutions rather than funding old broken ones. “A lot of people are about to become very rich because they bet on new models, new institutions, new ways of organizing talent and risk. Human instinct is to work on things that are lauded rather than controversial, to find the version of engagement that gets you praised rather than attacked. We must resist this. The things worth doing almost by definition require running toward the hard problems, the ones others will not touch.” [JoeLonsdale] The Ultimate Gift:InJweekly, Dr. Jerry Salimanshareshis cousin’s life-saving heart and kidney transplants to advocate for organ donation. “A major principle in Judaism calledpikuach nefeshasserts that life is essential and that it is our obligation to save a life in jeopardy. In the Talmud, it is mentioned that if you save one life, it is as if you saved the entire world. Taking into account your own health, what are you willing to do to save a life?[J. The Jewish News of Northern California] HineniMoment:In theTimes of Israel, World Jewish Relief USA’s David Weisbergrecallsorganizing Mother Teresa’s 1995 visit to his Pennsylvania town. “In the Torah, when Abraham is first called by God, he responds with a single word: Hineni. Here I am. Thirty-one years later, I still think about those words. Despite my being a young town manager from central Pennsylvania and her being a selfless sage who focused her work in Calcutta, we shared a belief that people in crisis deserve to be lifted up. Not because they are like us. But because they are human.”[TOI] Major Gifts Beit HalochemUKs annual dinnerraisedover £2 million ($2.663 million) for PTSD treatment and rehabilitation for Israeli veterans… ActorJesse Eisenbergspokeabout his experience of donating a kidney on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon… Transitions Seth Wise was named the new board chair of the Jewish Federation of Broward County (Fla.)… Jay Weinstein is leaving his role at the Jewish Agency for Israel and will soon take over as managing director at the Rabbinical Council of America… Word on the Street At the G7 summit, PresidentDonald Trumpsaid that Iran will be allowed to retain some ballistic missiles, retreating from an earlier U.S. war aim, while framing the nuclear restrictionsin the U.S.-Iran MOUas the real victory for Israel and touching on regime change, Lebanon and Gaza.Jewish InsidersMatthew Shea reports… Jamie DimonandStephen Schwarzmanwerespottedat the dinner French PresidentEmmanuel Macronhosted forTrumpat Versailles… The United Statesannouncedover $1 billion in humanitarian assistance toUNICEFand theWorld Food Program, split between roughly $218 million and $800 million respectively… Finchley Progressive SynagoguehasbecomeBritains first Synagogue of Sanctuary, earning the new HIAS+JCORE and City of Sanctuary UK designation for its decade-long work supporting asylum seekers… U.K. Charity Commission ChairJulia UnwinurgedBritain to stop being complacent about philanthropy and instead build public trust and a more celebratory culture around charitable giving… TheChicago Sun-Timesdisclosesthe donors behind theObama Presidential Centerled by nine-figure gifts fromJeff BezosandBrian Cheskyas well as dozens of contributions from business leaders and Chicago philanthropists… Hedge fund managerJohn Paulsonwas provisionallyawardednearly $48 million in his ongoing legal battle with former Puerto Rico business partnerFahad Ghaffar, after an arbitrator found that Ghaffar committed fraud and breached his fiduciary duty… ACalcalistinvestigationrevealsthat one year after Israel’sJune 2025 war with Iran, the Israeli government is still working through nearly 40,000 building damage claims and billions of shekels in repair, including the costly and yearslong restoration of Tel Aviv’s Da Vinci Tower and Ramat Gan’s Elite Tower… Israeli fintech companyPayoneerhas beenacquiredby Canada’sNuveifor $2.75 billion… A new Leger pollshowsroughly 1 in 3Canadians, particularly young adults, men and English speakers, sense a rising tolerance for antisemitic attitudes in the country… A new report from Germany’sFederal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitismfoundmore than 8,700 reported cases of antisemitism in the country in 2025, roughly equivalent to the number of reported instances the prior year… Austin-based tech entrepreneurJosh Baer, 50, waskilledyesterday in a plane crash near Laredo, Texas… Pic of the Day Courtesy/Afeka Tom Wasserstein hangs a mezuzah to inaugurate the “Quiet Tent” at the Afeka College of Engineering in Tel Aviv last week alongside the college’s president, Yossi Rosenwaks. The tent, which was donated by Northwestern University Professor Emeritus David Seidman and his wife, Shoshanah, is meant to provide a calm, relaxing atmosphere for students grappling with post-traumatic stress, with comfortable seating areas. The idea for the initiative arose after Wasserstein’s brother, Afeka student Roi Wasserstein, committed suicide after battling post-traumatic stress disorder. “Over the past year, we have seen firsthand the emotional burden many students are carrying,” Rosenwaks said at the inauguration. “The Quiet Tent was created out of a simple but important understanding: Resilience is not only about pushing forward. It is also about knowing when to pause, when to ask for help, and having a safe place to do so.” Birthdays Carsten Koall/Picture Alliance via Getty Images Executive of the William Pears Group, a large U.K. real estate firm founded by his father and grandfather, SirTrevor Steven Pears(family name was Schleicher) turns 62… Chicago-based attorney, he is the first ordained rabbi to have served as an alderman on the Chicago City Council,Solomon Gutsteinturns 92 FormerWashington Posteditor, reporter and London bureau chief,Fred Barbashturns 81 Retired IT management advisor at Next Stage,Steven Shlomo Nezer Croatian entrepreneur, he was previously the minister of economy, labour and entrepreneurship in the Croatian government,Davor Sternturns 79 Rebecca Diamond Best-selling author and journalist, she was editor-in-chief ofUSA Today,Joanne Lipmanturns 65 Retired professor of English at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, she was on the editorial board ofShofar, a peer-reviewed academic journal of Jewish studies,Helene Meyers White House senior aide during the first Trump administration, he is a principal of Cordish Companies, a real estate and gaming empire,Reed Saunders Cordishturns 52 Film director and screenwriter,Jonathan A. Levineturns 50 Actor, comedian, satirist and writer, known professionally as Ben Gleib,Ben Nathan Gleibermanturns 48 Television producer and writer,Jeremy Bronsonturns 46 Baseball pitcher for Team Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics, he is now assistant general manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks,Jeremy Bleichturns 39 Of counsel at Gibson, Dunn Crutcher,Esther Lifshitz Israeli musician, producer, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by his stage name Dennis Lloyd,Nir Tiborturns 33 Director at Silver Point Capital,Jacob E. Best Rachel Hazan

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Built during one war, proven in another: Israeli crowdfunding platform JGive has biggest year yet

Justin Hayet — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:45:16 +0000

Half of all Israelis donate to charity every year — a fact thats often overshadowed by the larger focus on Diaspora giving to Israeli causes —and they are increasingly doing it online. According to the Israeli Giving Report, a new study by the Israeli crowdfunding platform JGive, roughly 1 in 5 Israeli donors now give through a website. The platforms Israeli donor base has expanded by roughly 70% over five years, total giving on the platform has grown by close to 167% and the number of nonprofits raising funds through JGive has grown sixfold in seven years, climbing from about 500 organizations to upward of 3,000. Among Israels top donors, 6 in 10 are under 50. Donor engagement from abroad accelerated sharply too. Donations from Diaspora Jewish funders on the platform also hit an all-time high in 2025 of nearly NIS 125 million ($42.7 million), helping push total giving on JGive to roughly NIS 400 million ($136.3 million) for the year, with engagement from donors abroad nearly tripling since the Oct. 7 terror attacks. Ori Ben Shlomo, JGives founder and CEO, doesnt see any of this as a coincidence. He started building the platform in 2014, during his own military reserve service in the early days of that summer’s Gaza war, Operation Protective Edge, after concluding that Israelis desire to give was real, but the country lacked the infrastructure to make it happen. The heart was there, but it was a mess, he told eJewishPhilanthropy. JGive launched later that year as a nonprofit, and Ben Shlomo says its proven itself most in moments of crisis since. JGive compiled the report from more than a decade of platform activity, several hundred million shekels worth of giving and survey responses from upwards of 10,000 active donors. While the surge in Diaspora philanthropy to Israel since Oct. 7 has been widely reported, the new study is mostly about Israeli philanthropy itself — including a shift in how Israeli wealth is being deployed. JGive Platinum, the platforms donor-advised fund, drew support from 667 members in 2025, who together donated NIS 302 million ($102.9 million); NIS 85 million ($29 million) of that arrived as stock gifts, a category up 240% in a single year, during a period in which the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange itself posted record gains. Money flowing out of those funds exceeded NIS 204 million ($69.5 million) and reached 2,300 charities. Ben Shlomo sees this as a sign that a growing number of founders, investors and senior tech professionals are folding philanthropy into long-term financial planning, echoing practices long common in the United States. Ben Shlomo noted that he and his team were among the early advocates pushing Israels Tax Authority to create a donor-advised framework similar to the one used in the United States. Ben Shlomo calls the old approach an Uncle Sam model: donors trusted the institutions and mailed in a check, and that was the extent of it. Todays donors expect something closer to a real partnership. Donors increasingly want to know exactly where their money is going, he said, and a growing share prefer to give directly to specific Israeli causes rather than through a middleman such as a federation or an “American Friends of” organization, all while keeping their U.S. tax benefits intact through platforms like JGive. JGives part in pushing Israelis to give in greater numbers themselves, he said, has made Diaspora donors more comfortable giving alongside them. That doesnt mean federations are being squeezed out, he was careful to add, crediting them with a continued and significant role beyond simply moving money; whats changed, he said, is that direct giving and federation giving increasingly coexist. Ben Shlomo said he sees the numbers as proof of a mindset thats accelerated sharply since Oct. 7. Its not [just] a nice to have, its a must-have, he said of giving to Israel today. We build the infrastructure, he added, but giving itself [both from Israeli and Diaspora donors] is the engine that drives a strong Israeli society.

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Progressive ‘36 Awards’ aims to fete those who combat antisemitism, not shame those who spread it

Jay Deitcher — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 07:12:05 +0000

After the Oct. 7 massacres in Israel, hundreds of millions of dollars flooded into initiatives claiming to combat antisemitism, yet antisemitic incidents continued to skyrocket. The surge of anti-Jewish sentiment spurred calls from Jewish leaders as well as observers like New York Times columnist Bret Stephens and World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder to halt the efforts to combat antisemitism so resources could be redirected toward nourishing Jewish identity. Partnering with Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, which is made of 67 progressive Jewish organizations —from mainstream groups like the Conservative movement’s Rabbinical Assembly to more radical ones like Jews For Racial and Economic Justice — the Nathan Cummings Foundation took a different tack, shifting the discussion from shaming those guilty of bigotry to focusing on celebrating those combating antisemitism by building bridges, even during fraught times. Last Wednesday, the two organizations christened the initiative the 36 Award, a reference to the Jewish concept that in every generation there are 36 righteous people, hidden in their communities, whose goodness sustains the world. “We felt like that concept from Jewish tradition really was the North Star for what were looking for with giving this award to individuals,” Abby Levine, CEO of JSJR, told eJewishPhilanthropy. “We dont want the famous or the credentialed, but the people who are doing whats right, even when its unpopular or unnoticed or far from the spotlight. This is our attempt to go find some of them and to say, ‘We see you and we support you, even if you havent been recognized up to now.’” Three awardees will each receive $15,000 to $25,000 in recognition for their work combating antisemitism through a civil rights lens, with the view that antisemitism intersects with other forms of hatred. “Social change doesnt only happen within the contours of nonprofits,” Isaac Luria, senior director of strategic initiatives at NCF, told eJP. “Individuals are making change in their communities, and some of them are not funded at all, theyre just out there doing the work.” The initiative will be pragmatic, with the goal of injecting “more innovation into the space” of combatting antisemitism, Luria said. “I confess to being quite angry about the persistence and growth of antisemitism, but my anger is insufficient when it comes to strategy. I can be angry about what my daughter experienced at school, but what I need to be able to do is [have a] strategy.” Every five years, Nathan Cummings comes up with a strategic plan, mapping its work for the years ahead. The last plan was created in 2022, but last year, the board voted to augment its work due to the rising antisemitism, using what it calls an “all of assets approach” to combat the oldest hatred, Luria said. “Its kind of the NCF flavor of philanthropy, where we try to bring our voice, our resources and grant making, our relationships and reputation to bear on issues that are of serious concern, and antisemitism is obviously one of those.” Both NCF and JSJRbelieve that the best way to combat antisemitism is to cultivate relationships across differences, not to further isolate. At the same time, recently, many in the Jewish community have advocated for Jewish organizations to pull away from progressive circles, which they see as having turned on the Jewish community, especially with their opposition to Israel and support for figures whose criticism of Zionism can cross into antisemitism. Levine pushed back against moving away from progressive alliances, especially when antisemitism is surging, saying, “Building our democracy, building social justice, are the most effective and durable protection for our people.” Shaming people for antisemitism is not a productive method of combating it, Levine said. “Its not effective to call someone a racist if you want to change their views; its not effective to tell someone theyre antisemitic… Were trying to impact the way that our partners understand Jews, understand the way that antisemitism operates as a conspiracy theory, but to do that in partnership with folks who see the world in similar ways and may have real honest questions about the complex nature of Jews as a religion, as an ethnicity, about the ways that Israel plays into all of it.” NCF sees antisemitism as “inseparable” from other forms of hatred. “We know that there is a raging debate on defining antisemitism out there,” Luria said, “and what were trying to do is to think about this in a broad lens. Working on antisemitism through a solidarity civil rights framework has the potential to be extremely catalytic. This is work that is under-resourced and it doesnt have enough attention on it.” Additional partner organizations include the Henry Luce Foundation and The Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Washington, and sponsors include Bend the Arc, Horizon Philanthropy, Nexus, the Rabbinical Assembly, Reconstructing Judaism, the Workers Circle and T’ruah. The prize is open to both Jews and non-Jews, and the initiative involves both non-Jewish partners and judges, including Eric Ward, the executive vice president of Race Forward. Another topic of heated debate post-Oct. 7 is who gets to define antisemitism or decide how to combat it, with many in the Jewish community feeling non-Jews should not play a part in the discussion. “If we measured our success on antisemitism based on what Jews thought about it, that would be a mistake,” Luria said. Including non-Jews in the fight against antisemitism comes from the broader “playbook” of combating other forms of bigotry by bringing in outside allies. By bringing others in and having them invested in combatting antisemitism, it sends the message that “this is a problem across difference, and one that serves the interests of communities facing other oppressions,” Luria said. Jonathan VanAntwerpen, program director of religion and theology at the Henry Luce Foundation, told eJP that his foundation is “grateful” to be involved in the project. “We especially appreciate the way the award emphasizes the extent to which some of the most effective responses to antisemitism are happening in unexpected places, and the way it leans into and seeks to uplift the power of both creativity and moral courage, in an effort to build solidarity across communities.” Working across differences is nothing new for The Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Washington, which partners with the Community Foundation of Greater Washington, a secular organization, to fight hate and extremism in Washington. Post-Oct. 7, many Jews watched a schism develop in cross-cultural and solidity alliances, feeling legitimate hurt over past allies turning hostile towards Israel or overly critical of the country’s actions, but “theres a narrative to be told that solidarity work is still happening in this time,” Sara Brenner, the executive director of JCFGW, told eJP. “Thats been a big focus of our work here locally, and I think this award can help amplify that and support solidarity work.” Henry Luce’s inclusion in the initiative is essential, Brenner said. “Its critically important for the Jewish community to know that there are non-Jewish organizations that will make this a priority, not just with their voices, but with their actions, whether that be money or doing other things.” Recipients can use the prize money to support initiatives they care for, launch a new one or pay off debt. “Itll be up to them,” Luria said. “This is really about spotlighting their work and recognizing that what they have to contribute will be only enhanced by the award.” There are so many stories of people doing work combating antisemitism that can inspire others, Luria said. “The young organizer in New Jersey… who is doing immigration organizing, and she thinks of that work as fighting antisemitism when Jews show up to support immigrant communities. I’m thinking about the small Jewish nonprofit in Minnesota that became a key fiscal backbone for racial justice organizing at a very, very dangerous time. Im thinking about the mutual-aid organized in the Southwest amongst communities and inclusive of Jewish organizations. Im thinking about the individuals who are pulling together multifaith coalitions under extreme duress in small towns all over the country. Im thinking about the high school students organizing an antisemitism training for their teachers in the small town I live in in Massachusetts.”

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Beyond Israel programming: The case for institutional redesign

Contributing Author — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 06:10:39 +0000

For decades, the North American Jewish community has invested enormous resources into what became known as “Israel education.” Younger Jews were growing more distant from Israel, so institutions, educators and funders responded with seriousness and creativity. Immersive trips, campus initiatives, shlichim (Israeli emissaries), Israel days, speaker series, educational programs and conferences all became central tools in the effort to strengthen belonging and proficiency. This investment created a jargon and built generations of educators deeply committed to helping North American Jews form meaningful relationships with Israel. I am part of that story myself. What began for me as a temporary shlichut experience became a career devoted to understanding how Jews build lasting connections to Israel. But alongside its achievements, Israel education also created an unintended problem: it developed into an independent, specialized field. As it became a distinct field, institutions came to see Israel as a discrete domain rather than intrinsic to Jewish identity. Over time, “Israel” became a program on the calendar, or a designated staff member — in well-resourced institutions, even a department. And when Israel became siloed rather than integral to an institution’s mission, institutions responsible for building thick, layered Jewish identities inadvertently created fragmented ones instead. If Israel is part of Jewish identity, then its not enough to exist as a standalone program; it must appear in the institution’s structure itself — its values, mission, staff training, leadership, physical space, budget decisions, programming and community engagement. Every staff member should be able to articulate the organization’s values and understand that they are agents in shaping Jewish identity, regardless of their formal role. Israel cannot remain the responsibility of one department or one educator. It must be woven into the institution as a whole. A child in preschool does not learn what matters only from a formal lesson. They learn from the prayer before snack, the smell of challah on Friday morning, the staff they observe, the songs they hear, the language spoken around them, the images on the walls and the assumptions the adults around them treat as natural. Campers do not build a relationship with Israel only during “Israel Day.” They build it through music, food, Hebrew, Israeli staff, informal conversations and the way Israel quietly becomes part of the atmosphere of camp itself. This is why the focus can no longer remain on program development. We need to talk about institutional design. One useful case study is the evolution of the Z3 leadership lab over the years. Originally, the labs consisted of meaningful learning experiences for cohorts drawn from different parts of the Jewish organizational world, based on the belief that one or two professionals from each organization could help shift its culture. Over time, we realized that if the goal is to influence how institutions shape identity, then it was not enough to train one or two professionals from each organization; we needed to go deeper within individual institutions. Drawing on our own experience as JCC professionals, we began focusing on the JCC ecosystem. Today, executives, preschool directors, camp directors, educators, and board members learn together through the lens of their own professional responsibilities, as delegations from the same JCC, creating a shared institutional context. The goal is not for each participant to learn to run an Israel program within their department. The goal is for each of them to understand how Israel and Jewish peoplehood already intersect with the responsibilities they hold: curriculum choices, staff culture, parent communication, hiring decisions, budget priorities, camp culture, organizational vision and more. This is what allows values and implementation to align across the institution. Different communities have interpreted this idea in ways that reflect their own culture and priorities. One JCC, for example, revisited its mission statement to better reflect the varied ways community members relate to Israel. Another redesigned its welcome hall to include an interactive screen where visitors can explore places across Israel. A third launched a Hebrew-speaking class in its preschool. Beyond those examples, six additional communities have hosted their own Z3 conferences and leadership labs, a number we expect to grow in the coming years, creating local spaces for conversations about Peoplehood and Israel. What these efforts share is not a program model but a mindset. The institutions that seem to make progress are often those that stop asking what Israel initiative to add next and begin asking how Israel and Jewish Peoplehood might already live within the work they are doing every day. Today, more than 350 professionals have participated in this learning journey, adapting these ideas to the realities of their own community. Israel education successfully built the infrastructure that makes Israel and Jewish Peoplehood a priority in these institutions. The next stage is to see Israel education as integral to Jewish identity and a way to influence the entirety of Jewish institutional life. As long as Israel remains a program, the rest of the institution remains exempt. The next stage is not another Israel program, but reconceiving Jewish institutions in a way that understands Israel as part of the identity they seek to shape. Dror Stein is the director of content and leadership at the Z3 Project, an initiative of the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, Calif.

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Beyond politics, a well still needs water

Contributing Author — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 20:06:00 +0000

Few passengers boarded the plane on my recent flight from Doha, Qatar, to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Many wore masks, echoing the uncertain early days of COVID-19; reports of a new Ebola outbreak in the DRC had already altered behavior even before touchdown. I was not traveling as a doctor or aid worker, but to meet the rabbinic leadership of Central Africa. There are not many Jews in Africa, yet the Jewish story on the continent is older and more diverse than many realize: the Ethiopian Jewish communities whose descendants returned to Israel; Igbo communities in Nigeria preserving traditions linked to ancient Israel; the rich history of North African Jewry intertwined with the Muslim world; and South Africas established Jewish institutions that continue to support communities across the region. In sub-Saharan Africa today, with the notable exception of South Africa, most Jewish presence consists of small, scattered groups — businesspeople, teachers, diplomats, investors, aid workers and families quietly sustaining Jewish life far from major centers. Some communities number only 50 families, others a few hundred. Unlike wealthier Jewish centers where institutions are taken for granted — schools, kosher food, security, functioning synagogues — maintaining Jewish life in Africa demands constant improvisation, deep relationships and sacrifice. In such settings, rabbis are rarely just clergy. They serve as organizers, counselors, teachers, fundraisers, social workers and emergency responders all in one. This is precisely the kind of work ChabadAid was created to support. With communities small enough that every absence is felt, religious life is intensely personal. The synagogue is not merely a house of prayer; it is often the fragile hub sustaining an entire communal ecosystem. Yet the work of these communities reaches far beyond their own members. Rabbis and Jewish organizations invest as much energy in food distribution, school support, medical aid and humanitarian relief as in holiday services or Torah study. The line between religious and humanitarian work blurs. In these places, faith is not abstract — it is responsibility in action. This reality has reshaped my thinking about Jewish-Muslim relations. Much contemporary interfaith dialogue implies that religions must dilute their distinctiveness to coexist. I disagree. Judaism and Islam are distinct faiths with different theologies, historical memories and perspectives on regional conflicts. Serious engagement requires acknowledging these differences, not pretending they do not exist. Authentic traditions endure by preserving their unique obligations and worldviews. At the same time, human suffering cuts through political and ideological barriers. A village without clean water cannot wait for geopolitical agreement. A sick child does not demand theological agreement before accepting help. Hunger does not consult a diplomatic calendar. The masks on the flight were a reminder that vulnerability does not respect borders, religions or political alliances. Disease, like hunger, does not wait for diplomatic consensus. In many parts of Africa, Muslims and Jews understand this instinctively. They pray and see the world differently, yet they live side by side, trade together, support one another and raise families amid shared challenges. Practical responsibility often outweighs ideological distance. I have witnessed this repeatedly in Muslim-majority countries where small Jewish communities endure: relationships built not on grand statements, but on everyday trust. A local official securing a synagogue. A Muslim neighbor checking on a Jewish family in crisis. Jewish organizations providing aid to local populations without regard to religion. The future of Jewish-Muslim relations may depend less on what we say to one another in conference halls and more on what we build together in places of need — schools, hospitals, wells and quiet acts of charity. I was reminded of this recently while visiting a ChabadAid-supported school in Nigeria. Nearly 4,000 children study there — approximately 2,000 Muslim students and 2,000 Christian students. I was attending the dedication of a new building funded by a Jewish philanthropist from France. Standing in the courtyard, I found myself looking at a scene that no political analyst could easily explain. Muslim children, Christian children, African educators and a Jewish donor from Europe had all become part of the same story. The children were not being taught to abandon their faith. The Muslim students remained Muslim. The Christian students remained Christian. The Jewish benefactor remained Jewish. Yet together they had built something many adults struggle to achieve: a shared investment in the future. Watching those students stream between classrooms, I could not help but think that this may be what genuine coexistence looks like. Not agreement on every issue, not the erasure of differences, but people remaining true to their own traditions while working together to educate children, strengthen communities and create opportunity where little existed before. A school built together may ultimately do more to advance understanding than 100 conferences about understanding. In another community, a newly drilled well now provides clean water where families once walked long distances each day to collect it. Such projects rarely make headlines. Yet they change lives in ways that political statements rarely can. The Jewish concept of tikkun olam (repairing the world) and Islams emphasis on zakat and care for the vulnerable both frame charity as religious duty, not optional kindness. These traditions need not merge to cooperate effectively. Partnership gains meaning precisely when people remain rooted in their own convictions while upholding the dignity of every human being. This spirit increasingly guides the cooperation between ChabadAid and the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States: not theological fusion, not political alignment, but practical moral responsibility. In Nigeria, ChabadAid runs schools for children who would otherwise have none. In villages across the region, it drills water wells. And each year during Ramadan, it distributes holiday packages to hundreds of thousands of needy families — Muslim families — because a Jewish organization understands that hunger does not ask for a passport or a prayer book. There is enormous room for this kind of partnership to grow. Across Africa and beyond, religious communities often possess something governments and international institutions lack: trust at the local level, long-term presence and a moral obligation deeply rooted in communal life. If Jewish and Muslim organizations can work together to provide food, medicine, education and dignity, all while remaining fully faithful to their own traditions, they may help model a different kind of coexistence — one built less on slogans and more on responsibility. Traveling through Central Africa, I thought less about geopolitics and more about these simple obligations. The modern world pushes us into ideological camps where every issue tests loyalty. Yet beyond social media arguments and governmental calculations, people need electricity, medicine, education and stability. Charity often succeeds where politics fails — because it begins with a simple recognition: another human being cannot be ignored. The Sages taught: It is not upon you to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it (Pirkei Avot 2:16). Few of us can solve the conflicts that dominate headlines. Few of us can transform entire nations. But all of us can help build a school, support a clinic, feed a hungry family or bring water to a village. The work is larger than any one of us. Yet none of us is exempt from doing our part. The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught that the purpose of religious life is not withdrawal from the world, but transforming it into a more Godly place, one act at a time. A better world is built slowly, often beginning with something as basic as bringing water to a village that needs it. Religious organizations, foundations and governments looking to invest in practical coexistence would do well to look at what is already working quietly on the ground. The model exists. It only needs partners willing to recognize that a well dug together holds more water than any resolution passed alone. And the work cannot wait. It begins not tomorrow, but today. Rabbi Mendy Chitrik is the chairman of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States and Ashkenazi Rabbi of Turkey.

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Your Daily Phil: LGBT Jews want more than a Pride Shabbat, JFNA survey shows

EJP — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 14:25:38 +0000

Good Wednesday morning! In today’s edition ofYour Daily Phil, we examine a newJewish Federations of North Americastudy about the needs ofLGBTQ+ Jews. We also explore how Israels upcoming elections could affect the increasingly strained relationship between Israel and American Jewry and consider how theDepartment of Educations transferring of most civil rights investigations to theJusticeDepartmentcould affect Jewish students’ cases. We feature an opinion piece byJonah Halperabout harnessing AI in the service of donor relations, not as a replacement for it; and a piece byJaimie Krasshighlights investments nonprofits can make to show staff that wellness and safety are serious priorities. Also in this issue:Barry Finestone,Abby Stamelman HockyandAmir Tibon. Today’s Your Daily Phil was curated by eJP Managing Editor Judah Ari Gross, Opinion Editor Rachel Kohn and Israel Editor Justin Hayet. Have a tip? Email us here. Follow us on Whatsapp Follow us on Telegram What Were Watching The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law is convening a daylong summit for more than 50 leading litigators and legal experts today at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington to address the legal challenges of defending Jewish students and employees. UJA-Federation of New York and Congregation Rodeph Sholom in Manhattan are hosting an event this evening with cookbook author Jake Cohen in conversation with former UJA President Jeff Schoenfeld about Jewish identity and food in a post-Oct. 7 world. Also in New York, the Childrens Museum of Manhattan is holding a ticker tape celebration for kids to celebrate the New York Knicks’ NBA championship win over the weekend. Amy Schumer and Jessica Seinfeld are set to serve as the parade’s grand marshals. What You Should Know A QUICK WORD FROM EJPS JAY DEITCHER Last June, the Jewish Federations of North America held its first LGBTQ+ Pride missionto Israel in nearly a decade, with almost 100 participants making the trek, 15 of whom were visiting Israel for the first time. Most of the attendees didn’t have a relationship with their local federation, but yearned for one. This realization prompted a study, the 2026 LGBTQ+ Jewish Engagement Report,the first of its kind, released last week by JFNA, which looked at how the Jewish community can better connect to and support LGBTQ+ Jews. This includes programming geared specifically for the community, but it shouldn’t end there, the survey found. “Its nice to have a Pride Shabbat,but theyre hungry to see the engagement year-round and not just limited to one month,” Nate Looney, JFNA’s director of safety and belonging, toldeJewishPhilanthropy. “The Pride Shabbat gets them in the door, but it doesnt retain them; what keeps them coming back is small-group interactions.” Read the rest of ‘What You Should Know’ here. News CAMPAIGN CONUNDRUM How the Israel-Diaspora relationship is the major issue not on the ballot in the upcoming Israeli elections Israelis holding the US and Israeli flag protest outside the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly in Tel Aviv on April 23, 2023. Tomer Neuberg/FLASH90 The bill to dissolve Israels Knesset passed its first reading earlier this month with 106 lawmakers in favor and none against, setting in motion a process that could move national elections up from Oct. 27 to as early as Sept. 8. Seemingly on the ballot is something that extends far beyond Israels borders: the high-stakes relationship between Israel and the Jewish Diaspora, particularly American Jewry, reports Rachel Gutman for eJewishPhilanthropy. Causes and symptoms:To some, a change in Israel’s leadership is a necessary first step to addressing the rifts between the Jewish state and American Jewry. If this government gets voted out, theres a chance to get the younger generation back, veteran Jewish communal figure Jeffrey R. Solomon told eJP. To others, however, this is mistaking the symptoms for the cause. Theres a bigger crisis here that doesnt depend on the government. There are significant ideological and value gaps between the majority of the Jewish public in Israel and the majority of the Jewish public in the American Diaspora, said Ariel Moav of the Shalom Hartman Institute. Read the full report here. Share TRANSFERRING RESPONSIBILITIES Education Department to hand civil rights investigations to Justice Department A person walks past the U.S. Department of Education on March 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee/Getty Images The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it will transfer many of the responsibilities of the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, the division that investigates civil rights violations at American schools and universities, to the Justice Department, reports Gabby Deutch for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider. What this means:The move marks a major step in the White House’s efforts to dismantle the Education Department and significantly reduce or distribute its work. The move sparked criticism from the left, which sees it weakening civil rights protections, and praise from more conservative voices. Read the full report hereandsign up forJewish Insider’s Daily Kickoff here. Share Opinion NO SUBSTITUTE Consider the soul of donor relationships “AI can help a fundraiser review giving history, summarize prior interactions, identify likely interests and prepare thoughtful questions before a donor meeting. A fundraiser who walks into a conversation informed, attentive and prepared is honoring the donor’s time. But preparation is not a substitute for a relationship,” writes Jonah Halper, founder of Altruicity and author of Magnetic Mission: A Fundraisers Guide to Finding Donors Who Share Your True North, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. For example:“Personalization is:‘Dear Sarah, because of your generous support of our scholarship campaign last year, here is another scholarship appeal…’Relationship is:‘Sarah, last time we spoke, you told me your grandparents risked everything so their children could receive a Jewish education. I thought of that when I met a family this week who is making sacrifices for the same reason…’” Read the full piece here. Share PRIORITY CARE Invest for success: How our organization avoids professional burnout “In a powerful op-ed last year calling upon the Jewish communal sector to respond to the impending crisis of widespread professional burnout, Barry Finestonewrote: ‘We ask people to work in a storm that’s battering all of us from every angle. If we don’t start protecting and replenishing them now, there won’t be enough of them left to rebuild whatever comes next,’” writes Jaimie Krass, president and CEO of Keshet,in an opinion piece foreJewishPhilanthropy. Proof in the numbers:“Looking back, especially at the past year and a half, I do not want to imagine what might have happened if we [at Keshet] had not invested in our team’s well-being as a top priority. The real danger we might have experienced. The talent we would have lost. The setbacks our work would have suffered. Instead, I get to marvel at what this investment made possible.” Read the full piece here. Share Worthy Reads Trust Before Treaties:In the U.K.’sJewish News, Amnon Beeri-Sulitzeanu of the Abraham Initiativesarguesthat resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and building a shared Jewish-Arab society within Israel are inseparable goals. “Political agreements without social trust are fragile. Shared society initiatives without a political arrangements are limited in what they can achieve. Peacebuilding cannot be outsourced to diplomats only, nor can coexistence be reduced to local projects disconnected from larger realities.”[JewishNews] Bagpipes and Baseball:InThe Boston Globe, Barry Finestonereflectson his two worlds colliding as soccer fans from his native Scotland descended on Fenway Park in Boston in his adopted United States. “Watching Scots apply football energy to a baseball game is like bringing bagpipes to a chess match. It shouldn’t work, but it did. Immigration does strange things to your identity. You never stop being from Glasgow, but you’re also shaped by the place where you raised your family, by your wife, and the kids who call you Dad. Most days, those identities live side by side quietly. At Fenway, they crashed into each other in the best way possible.”[BostonGlobe] Betting on Baltimore:In theChronicle of Philanthropy, Alex Danielsdetailshow Baltimores failed $100 million fund for Black-led nonprofits pushed CLLCTIVLYs Jamye Wooten toward small donors and community-driven funding. “[Baltimore nonprofits] are off the radar of many foundations and wealthy donors who live in Baltimore’s suburbs. ‘The nonprofit sector in Baltimore is just supremely weak,’ he says, ‘and philanthropy is a big reason why it is weak.’ Black-led groups in many places across the country face similar challenges to those in Baltimore. They have long been excluded from philanthropy and little effort has been made to reach out to them.”[ChronicleofPhilanthropy] Major Gifts The family of former NFL star Aldon Smith, who died suddenly, at 36, hours after volunteering at a homeless charity, donated his brain to Boston Universitys CTE Center to be studied while lawyers investigate the cause of death… Transitions Former Israeli Strategic Affairs MinisterRon Dermeris launching theDermer Consulting Group, a Jerusalem-based strategic advisory firm focusing on the U.S., Israel and the Middle East,Jewish Insider’s Melissa Weiss has learned… Teach CA,the California branch of Teach Coalition, hasappointedNeuriel Shoreas its new executive director… Abby Stamelman Hockyhasretiredafter 22 years leadingInterfaith Philadelphiaas its executive director and founder… Ohr Torah StonehiredYaakov Ribneras its next director of development andRabbi Avi Friedas chief development officer of North America as part of a broader expansion of the organization’s fundraising team… Word on the Street Israeli journalistAmir Tibonwon theSami Rohr Prize for Jewish LiteratureforThe Gates of Gaza, his firsthand account of surviving the Oct. 7 Hamas attack onKibbutz NahalOz with his family and his fathers dramatic rescue effort,Jewish Insider’s Christina Sher reports… The Youngstown Area Jewish Federationwillreceive$200,000 to upgrade its food-pantry operations from a new Ohio capital budget signed by Gov.Mike DeWine, which in totalincludes$2.3 million in capital funding for Jewish organizations in the state… TheWall Street Journals“Tech News Briefing” podcastexploreshow upcomingAI-related stock debutscould direct major new sums toward charitable causes… Toronto Policelinkedat least 28 shootings, including theU.S. Consulateattack, to gun-for-hire networks that pay young people through encrypted apps to carry out and film attacks… The Times of Israelexaminesthe recent sale of a 100-year-oldstone villain Jerusalem’s upscale Talbieh neighborhood that was previously owned by philanthropistCharles Bronfman… On her podcast, “Unholy,”Yonit LeviinterviewsNir Bar Dea, CEO ofBridgewater,about his Israeli Air Force service, life as an Israeli in New York since Oct 7, and his praise for Israels younger generation as its greatest asset… TheDan David Prizeawardednine historians and archaeologists $300,000 each for research spanning Balkan violence, medieval time, Inca roads, transgender history and Romani genocide memory… SalesforcehasacquiredAI customer service companyFin, previously Intercom, for roughly $3.6 billion… Rabbi Jonathan Cohen, longtime assistant director of admissions forYeshiva University’s Israel admissions team,diedthis week after a battle with cancer… Bennett Aaron, Philadelphia trusts and estates attorney and longtimeJewish Federation of Greater Philadelphiapresident,diedat 92… Alvin Libin,Calgary Flamesco-owner and philanthropist who funded theLibin Cardiovascular Instituteand led theCalgary Jewish Community Council,diedat 95… Pic of the Day Courtesy/Brothers for Life Two combat-wounded members of the Brothers for Life community speak at the organizations 18th anniversary gathering last night at Rishon LeZions Live Park in central Israel, which brought together over 3,000 wounded members for the Brothers for Life community ranging from soldiers, their families, partners and funders from around the world. The organizations activities and fundraising has grown dramatically since Oct. 7, rising from roughly $6 million annually before the war to $20 million in each of its last two reported tax years (2023 and 2024). “In Hebrew, the number 18 carries a meaning: chai life,” Rabbi Chaim Levine, co-founder and Seattle chapter president, said in a statement. “For eighteen years, that has been our commitment, our mission, and our promise to every brother and sister wounded in the line of duty. To stand beside them. To walk with them. To choose life.” Birthdays Ziv Koren/Azrieli Group Former member of the U.S. Ski Teams alpine program, he competed for the USA in both the 2014 (Sochi) and 2018 (PyeongChang) Winter Olympics,Jared Goldbergturns 35 Diplomat and attorney, under secretary of state for international security affairs in the Carter administration, former longtime U.N. special representative,Matthew Nimetzturns 87 Winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize in economics, professor at Georgetown and UC Berkeley, he is married to former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen,George Akerlofturns 86 One of the worlds bestselling singer-songwriters over the course of seven decades, born Barry Alan Pincus,Barry Manilowturns 83 Former member of the Knesset for the Zionist Union and Labor party,Eitan Broshiturns 76 Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission during the Obama administration,Jonathan David (Jon) Leibowitzturns 68 Deputy administrator of the Federal Highway Administration during the first two years of the Biden administration,Stephanie Pollackturns 66 President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors until earlier this year,Aaron Dan Peskinturns 62 Singer and composer, a pioneer of the Turkish and Arab music genres in Israel,Ofer Yoel Levyturns 62 Fashion designer, daughter of Reva Schapira,Tory Burchturns 60 Active in interfaith peace initiatives between Judaism and Islam and in encounters for Jews with Eastern religions, RabbiYakov Meir Nagen(born Genack) turns 59 Founder and chairman of Shavei Israel,Michael Freundturns 58 British historian, columnist and musician,Dominic Green, Ph.D. turns 56 Comedian, actor, director, writer and producer,Michael Showalterturns 56 International human rights attorney who serves as managing director of the law firm Perseus Strategies,Jared Matthew Genserturns 54 Screenwriter, television producer, director and voice actor,Matthew Ian Senreichturns 52 Advocacy, philanthropic and political counsel and founding partner at LAVA Strategies,David Elliot Horwich Senior vice president for the economic program at Third Way, a center-left think tank advancing a pro-growth economic agenda,Gabe Horwitz Chief philanthropy officer of the Jewish Community Foundation and Jewish Federation of Broward County (Fla.),Keith Mark Goldmann VP of government affairs for the Conservation Lands Foundation,David Eric Feinman Former rabbi of the Elmora Hills Minyan in Union County, N.J., now an LCSW therapist in private practice, RabbiMichael Bleicher NYC-based senior editor forThe Hollywood Reporter,Alexander Weprin Professional surfer and musician, his family owns Banzai Bagels on the Hawaiian island of Oahu,Makua Rothmanturns 42 Founder and executive director of the Zioness Movement, designed to empower progressive Zionists,Amanda Berman Director of national outreach for the East at the New Israel Fund,Alexander Willick Award-winning college football and basketball analyst for NBC Sports and SiriusXM,Nicole Auerbach Senior art director at Business Insider,Rebecca Zisser Shortstop for Team Israel at the 2020 Olympics,Scott Burchamturns 33 Actor known for her roles in the CBS series “Fam,” the Netflix series “Grand Army,” the HBO series “I Love LA” and the film “Marty Supreme,”Odessa Zion Segall Adlonturns 26 D.C.-based freelance foreign media consultant, she is also a real estate agent,Mounira Al Hmoud center fielder for the San Francisco Giants, Harrison Bader turns 32

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How the Israel-Diaspora relationship is the major issue not on the ballot in the upcoming elections

Contributing Author — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 12:02:02 +0000

The bill to dissolve Israels Knesset passed its first reading earlier this month with 106 lawmakers in favor and none against, setting in motion a process that could move national elections up from Oct. 27 to as early as Sept. 8. (Discussions are ongoing about the specific date.) The vote — unanimous across coalition and opposition parties alike — came against a backdrop of collapsing coalition discipline, a Haredi draft dispute, ongoing efforts by the government to advance a controversial judicial overhaul, the wars with Hezbollah and Iran and the potential renewal of large-scale fighting in Gaza. As Israels opposition parties are gearing up for what promises to be a heated election season, the conversations happening among liberal Israeli civil society leaders and their funders uncharacteristically border on optimistic. This is, in part, inspired by the surprising upset of the more moderate Peter Magyars landslide victory that ended Viktor Orbáns 16 years in power in Hungary. “We are seeing growing interest among the liberal camp in Israel in how the Hungarians managed to replace the government with people committed to the rule of law and democratic values, according to Dan Sobovitz, a Hungarian-Swiss-Israeli citizen and co-founder of DemoCrisis, a transatlantic network connecting civil society organizations across countries experiencing democratic backsliding. Perhaps the most important message is that until a few years ago, democratic backsliding seemed like a one-way process — the Hungarians and Poles have shown Israelis that this is not the case. We are at a junction where Israelis can stop the process of deterioration and return to the family of democratic nations, he told eJewishPhilanthropy. For this group, Budapest is a data point — and the Knesset’s dissolution vote is the starting point. Seemingly on the ballot is something that extends far beyond Israels borders: the high-stakes relationship between Israel and the Jewish Diaspora, particularly American Jewry. Surveys in recent years have shown that while American Jews continue to feel connected to Israel, their ties to the country have become increasingly strained. This could be seen most recently in a Jewish Federations of North America survey that found that a minority of American Jews —37% —identify as Zionists, even as nearly twice that number —71% —said that they felt an emotional connection to Israel. This distancing has been credited to multiple factors, chiefly opposing political shifts in the two communities, with Israelis generally becoming more conservative and American Jews more progressive. This has been exacerbated in recent years by Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, a perception that Israel is not interested in making peace with the Palestinians and its neighbors, and particular issues of religion and state in Israel that have alienated the mostly Conservative and Reform American Jewish community. The community of funders, organizers and civil society leaders invested in Israeli democratic infrastructure is asking grave questions: What happens to that relationship if the elections dont go their way? How will the continuation of the current government impact the safety and well-being of Jews around the world? Sally Gottesman, a longtime funder of the New Israel Fund who is involved in democratic causes on both sides of the Atlantic, sees the rise in antisemitism as a direct result of Israel’s politics and a threat to American Jews. Antisemitism has risen post-Gaza, she said. Israels the biggest problem Jews have. My Jewish safety is really dependent on Israel. For Gottesman, the survival of Jews everywhere depends on Israel stemming its slide toward authoritarianism. Democracy is good for the Jews — when were a minority and when were a majority. How are we not working to protect it in both places? Jeffrey R. Solomon, senior advisor to Chasbro Investments, the family office of Charles Bronfman, and co-founder of Birthright Israel, agrees that a change of government in Israel is vital not just to American Jews’ safety today, but also to the future of the Israel-Diaspora relationship, a critical underpinning for Israel’s security. If this government gets voted out, theres a chance to get the younger generation back, he told eJP. I refuse to believe that if the government doesn’t change, it would be the death knell to the relationship, Solomon said. But I think it could be 10, 15 years before we see any return. Mickey Gitzin, acting CEO at the New Israel Fund, sees the electoral situation from both sides of the Atlantic. Its true that Israelis support the war, but at the same time theyre not happy with their current moment, he said. No one feels safe and secure. For Israelis, it is the combination of war exhaustion, economic strain and collective trauma from Oct. 7. On the other side of the Atlantic, it looks somewhat different. If you ask me, ‘What are the priorities of our donors?’ Gitzin said, Its settler violence and the elections. Those are the things they feel the most engaged, bugged, worried and concerned about. For the first time, a majority of Americans sympathize more with Palestinians than with Israelis. Pew polling shows deepening American disaffection with Israeli policies and the current government. Don Futterman, a veteran civil society leader and Israel director of the Moriah Fund, traces the damage directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has been the face of Israel for an entire generation, Futterman told eJP. “And hes been very explicit about spitting in the face of liberal Jewry. According to Futterman, Netanyahu made Israel a Republican issue beginning in 2015 when the prime minister denounced Democratic President Barack Obama’s signature foreign policy effort, the Iran nuclear deal, in an address to Congress at the invitation of Republican leadership and without the approval of the White House. This decision of favoring evangelical Christians over American Jews and developing a transactional relationship with the American right was not, in Futtermans view, just a diplomatic miscalculation, it was an act of genuine harm to American Jews. “I believe that liberal values are what have both protected and enabled American Jews to thrive in American society. To undermine those values is self-destructive, he said, adding that American Jews are already paying the price and could be paying for it for a generation. Futterman said he believes that a change of government could begin to reverse the damage — but only if American Jewish leadership is willing to make the case clearly and publicly. Once Netanyahu is not the face of Israel, I think things can change, he said. But American Jewish philanthropy has to be courageous enough to say to an Israeli government and to an Israeli prime minister: You are putting us in danger. You are endangering American Jewry. Our constituents are paying the price. And to write everything [critical of Israel] off as antisemitism is both simplistic and dishonest.” Not everyone agrees that a change of government will heal the rift between Israel and the Diaspora. Ariel Moav-Morvari, leading activist at HaReshet HaMasortit and head of public policy at the Judaism and State Policy Center at the Shalom Hartman Institute, argues that the crisis between Israel and the Diaspora runs deeper than any election outcome. I think the gap is more significant than people say, he told eJP. Theres a bigger crisis here that doesnt depend on the government. There are significant ideological and value gaps between the majority of the Jewish public in Israel and the majority of the Jewish public in the American Diaspora. Changing the government, in his view, addresses the symptom rather than the underlying condition. People imagine that if the current coalition loses power, all of its voters will suddenly disappear from Israel. They wont. Governments change. Different periods come and go. Thats part of the normal dynamic of a democratic state, he said. The gap between what the democracy camp hopes for and what the elections can realistically deliver, he argues, is wider than people acknowledge. Were still dealing with the aftermath of Oct. 7. Half of Israeli Jews are religious and conservative. Thats not going to change, Moav said. In a sharp departure from what others in Israel’s liberal camp believe, Moav sees Netanyahu himself as a symptom rather than a cause. He currently acts as a kind of gravitational center for the right. When hes gone, right-wing populism could become even more fragmented and chaotic. The deeper issue is Israeli society itself and the divisions within it. The voters who support Netanyahus approach will still exist. They dont vanish. Thats why I think focusing entirely on Netanyahu while ignoring his voters is a huge mistake, he said. His diagnosis of the liberal camps strategic failures is pointed. The liberal camp needs to learn how to cooperate more effectively, including with people it considers to be on the right side of the political map, he said. Israel’s tribalism, he expects, will continue in the near term. I hope well eventually break out of this binary framework. I think thats the most important thing that could happen. But as long as were stuck in this two-camp mentality, I dont see a solution. It doesnt work. Ive thought about this for about 10 years, Moav said. That structural argument has direct implications for how the American Jewish philanthropic world engages with Israel. American Jews naturally identify with the more liberal side of Israeli society, Moav said. Thats understandable and comes from good intentions. But they also need to learn how to build relationships and partnerships with more conservative and right-wing parts of Israeli society. If there is to be a conversation among Jews, it needs to include Jews from all parts of the political spectrum. Moavs argument about engaging across the full spectrum of Israeli society runs directly into its hardest test: the question of Arab political partnership. According to most of the recent polls, the democratic opposition cannot form a government without Arab parties — and yet, after Oct. 7, Moav said, he simply doesnt see that coalition forming. The political and emotional conditions are not there. The two-state solution, which most American Jews see as the obvious endpoint of any democratic Israeli government, has become almost unspeakable in Israeli political discourse. Moav described attending a policy forum with center-left Israelis and Americans together, and being struck by the gap: Americans could speak easily and naturally about a two-state solution. For the Israelis in the room, the term bore no relationship to their lived reality after Oct. 7. This wasnt a group of Netanyahu supporters, he noted. It was mostly people opposed to the current government. For the American Jewish community, Moavs challenge is the hardest one this election cycle will pose. A change of government in the fall would matter. It would not, on its own, resolve the structural divergence between Israeli and Diaspora Jewish society that has been building for decades. If were looking at Hungary and saying, They ran anti-corruption campaigns, so lets do anti-corruption campaigns too — I think thats simplistic, Moav said. The more useful lesson is that political situations are dynamic. People can change how they vote. Instead of copying someone elses campaign, we should ask what would actually persuade people here. Whats missing, in his view, is a willingness to engage beyond the liberal camps comfort zone. If were talking about democracy, it has to be practiced in the demos — the people — not only in the circus or the system, he said. The discourse, he argues, needs to change register. Maybe it should be less moralistic and more focused on security concerns, because thats what Israelis are thinking about right now. For Gitzin, the upcoming elections are not just about Israel — they are about preserving the identity of his entire constituency: liberal-minded Israelis and American Jews alike. For American Jews in the Diaspora, these elections have become deeply personal. Its not only about us, Gitzin said. Its about them. They feel uncomfortable with their own personal identity in this context. Its not like they give to us only because we give them the solution for the problems on the ground. It gives them the need here for their Jewish identity. For Solomon, who has spent his career building that identity — brick by brick, Birthright trip by Birthright trip — the stakes could not be higher. If you think about the 2,000 years of wishing that it was relevant — and then, within our lifetimes, the wish being fulfilled — how are we so stupid as to blow it? Of all of the tragedies around Bibis endless reign, to me, that is the greatest tragedy.

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JFNA survey finds LGBTQ+ Jews want more than just a Pride Shabbat dinner

Jay Deitcher — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 09:53:31 +0000

Pride celebrations are supposed to be places where members of the LGBTQ+ community can be their true selves, but post-Oct. 7, many queer Jews no longer felt safe attending. Because of this need for community, last June, the Jewish Federation of North America held its first LGBTQ+ Pride mission to Israel in nearly a decade, with almost 100 participants making the trek, 15 of whom were visiting Israel for the first time. (The landmark mission also ended up being one of many trips that were temporarily stranded in Israel due to the outbreak of the 12-day war with Iran last summer.) Most of the attendees didn’t have a relationship with their local federation, but yearned for one. This realization prompted a study, the 2026 LGBTQ+ Jewish Engagement Report, the first of its kind, released last week by JFNA, which looked at how the Jewish community can better connect to and support LGBTQ+ Jews. After the Oct. 7 massacres in Israel, queer Jews surged into Jewish life at a rate higher than the general population, but they also retreated more quickly, previous JFNA surveys found. “It shows that No. 1, [LGBTQ+ Jews] are hungry for [Jewish community], but it creates the question of what is it that makes them run away, and how do we approach this opportunity?” Nate Looney, JFNA’s director of safety and belonging, told eJewishPhilanthropy. The survey of 136 LGBTQ+ Jews connected to the federation system was conducted between Jan. 21 and Feb. 28. One of the core findings was that 90% of queer Jews’ first contact with Jewish life was at events specifically marketed towards them. “Its nice to have a Pride Shabbat, but theyre hungry to see the engagement year-round and not just limited to one month,” Looney said. “The Pride Shabbat gets them in the door, but it doesnt retain them; what keeps them coming back is small-group interactions.” The survey revealed that social gatherings were respondents’ preferred format of programming, followed closely by educational panels, small-group discussions, workshops and retreats. Respondents wanted both identity?specific programming and programming with the entire Jewish community. Additionally, 87% of respondents preferred programming focused on LGBTQ+ Jewish identity and community, followed by 60% who preferred Jewish learning, 56% who preferred arts and culture, and 54% who favored relationship building. Respondents especially yearned for places that were welcoming to them as LGBTQ+ Jews and Zionists, something Looney said was possibly based on the pool surveyed — every respondent was connected to the JFNA already and may skew Zionist. “We know that the estimates around our queer Jewish population in North America is somewhere between 400,000 and 550,000, and so for this particular survey, we were able to capture a snapshot of 136, so its nowhere near the bigger picture,” Looney said. “But it sort of opens a window to whats going on within that world.” Further research, he said, would help the Jewish community connect with a larger proportion of LGBTQ+ Jews. “Not all LGBTQ Jews are Zionists, and if in our research, were not capturing [anti-and non-Zionist] sentiments and what the pain points are that exist there, it limits our ability to either address or engage with folks that have that belief system,” he said. Another finding that the study showed is that when a federation has LGBTQ+ leaders on staff, it makes it easier to engage with the broader LGBTQ+ Jewish community. Federations also have better results when leaders across the board have an understanding of gender diversity and the diversity of family structures. To cultivate a welcoming community, Looney said, be “curious when youre asking someone about their life, what it actually looks like versus assuming what that family unit would look like.” The same way Judaism and LGBTQ+ identities intersect, many members of the queer Jewish community belong to other communities, too, with many who are Jews of color, financially vulnerable or disabled. More than half of respondents stated that there were barriers to their participation, including accessibility and lack of visible LGBTQ+ leadership. For younger respondents, the cost of attending programming was an issue. “Jews that have marginalized identities, oftentimes in order to exist in spaces, you have to compartmentalize who you are and that takes a lot of energy,” Looney said. “It makes me curious about how much stronger our community could be if people [who] were devoting their energy around compartmentalizing their identity, who they are, could devote that energy into strengthening our community. Wed be in a whole different ballpark.” Different cultures and communities are “all seasoning to add to our Jewish pot.” Looney recommends leaders lead “with a sense of empathy and compassion, because as Jews were all navigating antisemitism. However, if there is someone [who] also is holding other marginalized identities, theyre also at the same time navigating other -isms. In particular, if were talking about Jews of color, people in their lives [who] are not Jewish may not still be in relationship with them as a result of Oct. 7, and so theres a loss of community from that other major part of their life. And as our Jewish community continues to evolve, we have to make sure that were creating the spaces that fill up whats lost by these other areas of their community.” It’s also important that the Jewish community recognizes that queer Jews practice differently from one another, Looney said. “If a federation is trying to reach out to LGBT Jews, and they want to also engage with Orthodox LGBT Jews, they need to understand that the challenges and pain points [for a queer Orthodox Jew] look different than someone [who’s] completely secular. For someone [who’s] Orthodox and continuing to exist in community and in a gendered environment, especially if theyre trans, theres a lot more nuance there.” Looney recalled being at an event co-hosted by the federation where kosher meals were served. “One person came up to me with tears in his eyes,” he said. “That was the first time that hed been at an LGBT event and had something to eat.” Over the past decades, the Jewish community has made “significant improvements” with engaging the LGBTQ+ community, Looney said. Only five years ago, his job position, focusing on JFNA’s LGBTQ+ work, didn’t exist. “The fact that, one, we had the Pride mission last year heavily subsidized and well attended is significant, that’s a game changer,” he said. “Two, the fact that our leadership from top down is so in support of us doing this work is also really important because if we think about the federation 50 years ago, would there have been a Pride mission? Would a report like this have even come out? Weve come a long way, and at the same time, we still have a long way to go.”

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Consider the soul of donor relationships

Contributing Author — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 08:41:00 +0000

AI is making it easier than ever for Jewish nonprofits to write faster, segment smarter and communicate more often. It’s writing appeal letters, summarizing donor notes, drafting grant proposals, segmenting lists, generating thank-you emails and helping under-resourced teams do in minutes what used to take days. For organizations that are stretched thin, the promise is obvious. But the question Jewish nonprofits should be asking is not whether we should use AI. The better question is: What will AI do to the soul of our donor relationships? Fundraising has never been merely about finding better words or simply about creating a sharper campaign, cleaner email or more polished pitch. At its best, fundraising helps a donor recognize where their values, capacity and sense of responsibility meet the mission of an organization. Donors are not just moved by need. They are moved by alignment. They give most deeply when they see their own values reflected in the work and understand how their generosity helps carry something meaningful forward. AI can help us communicate that alignment more clearly. But it can also tempt us to manufacture it. A donor can usually tell when an organization is speaking from the heart and when it is speaking from a template with better grammar. They may not know which software was used, but they can feel when the message has been overly polished, overly generalized and emotionally flattened into something that sounds impressive but not intimate. Jewish nonprofits should be especially sensitive to this. Our institutions are not selling products. We are stewarding memory, identity, Torah, peoplehood, education, security, Israel, chesed, dignity and continuity. We are asking donors to enter a covenantal conversation about the future of Jewish life. If we use AI to make that conversation faster but less human, we may gain efficiency while losing the trust that makes generosity possible. That does not mean AI is the enemy. Used well, AI can make Jewish fundraising more thoughtful, responsive and compelling. It can help a small team become clearer. It can help a school, shul, campus organization, social service agency or Israel-focused nonprofit explain its impact in language donors understand. But AI must remain a tool in the service of relationships, not a replacement for them. Here are a few ways Jewish nonprofits can use AI without losing their soul. 1.) Clarify, don’t camouflage If your case for support is messy, AI can help organize it. It can identify themes, tighten language and turn a long institutional explanation into a clearer message. But it cannot give you a mission you have not clarified for yourself. If the organization does not know its true north, AI will simply produce a more elegant fog. Before asking AI to write your campaign copy, ask: What are we really trying to accomplish? What future are we inviting donors to help create? What do we believe so deeply that we are willing to ask someone else to invest in it? AI can sharpen the answer. It cannot substitute for having one. 2.) Help donors see more, not just read more One of the most promising uses of technology is not prettier prose. It’s immersion. A donor should not only be told that a Jewish day school is transforming children. They should see the classroom energy, hear a student explain what they learned, view the Beit Midrash in motion and understand where their gift lives in the actual building, neighborhood or community. AI and related technologies can help curate short videos, photo essays, geographic maps, field updates, impact dashboards and personalized reports that bring donors closer to the work. Imagine a donor funding trauma support in Israel receiving a responsible, dignity-preserving visual update that shows the region served, the services provided and the human impact without exploiting pain. The goal is not to overwhelm donors with content. It’s to collapse the distance between the donor and the mission. 3.) Prepare better for human conversations AI can help a fundraiser review giving history, summarize prior interactions, identify likely interests and prepare thoughtful questions before a donor meeting. A fundraiser who walks into a conversation informed, attentive and prepared is honoring the donor’s time. But preparation is not a substitute for a relationship. Personalization is: “Dear Sarah, because of your generous support of our scholarship campaign last year, here is another scholarship appeal” Relationship is: Sarah, last time we spoke, you told me your grandparents risked everything so their children could receive a Jewish education. I thought of that when I met a family this week who is making sacrifices for the same reason” AI can remind you. It can organize your notes. It can help you see patterns. But only a human being can listen with intent and imagination. 4.) Make stewardship consistent without making it generic Many Jewish nonprofits struggle not because they do not care about donors, but because they lack systems. Thank-you’s go out late. Updates are inconsistent. Campaign donors hear from the organization intensely during the ask and then vaguely after the gift. AI can help fix that. It can draft stewardship calendars, suggest follow-up moments, flag lapsed communication and help teams maintain a rhythm of gratitude. This is a worthy use of technology because consistency builds trust. But the final mile must stay human. A thank-you note should sound like the person sending it. A major donor update should carry the voice of the organization. The donor does not only want acknowledgement. The donor wants to know the relationship is real. 5.) Reduce noise, do not increase it The greatest danger of AI may be that it allows nonprofits to produce more of what donors already ignore: more emails, more appeals, more campaigns, more “urgent updates,” more polished language competing for the same limited attention. Jewish nonprofits do not need to become louder. They need to become more authentic. AI can help us become more compelling and concise. It can help donors see, feel and understand the impact of their giving. But it cannot replace the sacred center of fundraising: one human being inviting another human being to join something bigger than themselves. Donors are not looking for perfect language. They are looking for trustworthy leadership, an authentic mission and a place where their generosity can become part of something enduring. AI can sharpen the message, but it cannot carry the relationship. That sacred work still belongs to us: to listen, to lead and to keep Jewish fundraising profoundly human. Jonah Halper is the founder of Altruicity and the author of Magnetic Mission: A Fundraisers Guide to Finding Donors Who Share Your True North. He works with Jewish nonprofits and foundations on relationship-driven, systems-oriented fundraising.

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Investments that work: How our organization avoids professional burnout

Contributing Author — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 06:43:00 +0000

In a powerful op-ed last year calling upon the Jewish communal sector to respond to the impending crisis of widespread professional burnout, Barry Finestone wrote: “We ask people to work in a storm that’s battering all of us from every angle. If we don’t start protecting and replenishing them now, there won’t be enough of them left to rebuild whatever comes next.” I want to tell you a story that is actively unfolding: it is the story of Keshet’s staff, and how what we’ve learned while weathering the present storm can benefit your team. In 2025 alone, over 1,000 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation were proposed across the U.S. at the state and federal levels. In 2026, that number is at 530 so far. Anti-LGBTQ+ disinformation and hate are on the rise, alongside skyrocketing antisemitism across the globe and the political spectrum. Our organization is deeply, personally affected by this current climate. Over 40% of Keshet’s staff are trans and nonbinary, and all are LGBTQ+ or have an LGBTQ+ child. We have been called “domestic terrorists,” “anti-American,” “groomers,” combinations of antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+ slurs, and worse — not just in speeches and tweets by our most powerful public office holders, but on Keshet’s social media channels, in hate group blogs targeting our organization, in our email inboxes, and on hand-written postcards sent directly to staff. Several Keshet staff have relocated to different states for their own safety. Some are weighing their options, wondering when they’ll know it’s the right time to pack up and leave. Many have had to create and implement back-up plans for their healthcare due to restrictive laws in their states. This constant daily fighting for our own safety and belonging, in both the Jewish community and broader world, should lead to burnout and high turnover. And yet, our organization’s retention rate from 2025 to 2026 was 92%. By the end of August this year, 90% of our staff will have been at Keshet for over 2 years, 70% for over 3 years and 40% for over 5 years. Not only that, but when 100% of our 33-person team completed the latest Leading Edge employment survey in January, these were the results: 94% reported “My organization helps me stay motivated to do my best work” 97% reported “I am enabled to take my available paid time off” 100% reported “Employee wellbeing is a priority at my organization” 100% reported “I would recommend my organization as a great place to work” 100% reported “I have confidence in our leaders to lead the organization effectively” How are we able to achieve these outcomes? By “protecting and replenishing” our team, to borrow Finestone’s words. By investing in wellness and safety and modeling a culture of care for the whole self, we keep morale and retention high. Everything we do toward this end can be replicated within other organizations. It’s both feasible and worthwhile to invest in organizational culture and staff wellbeing. Here are just some of the policies and practices that contribute to the balance and joy of Keshet’s organizational culture. Many of these have been in place at Keshet for years; others are in direct response to today’s reality. All are informed by our organizational values and commitment to racial justice and equity. They may inform your organization’s approach to supporting your team, too. Protecting our rest Our team works tirelessly to support our communities and create change. We also want them to replenish. Following Pride Month in June, one of the busiest times of year for Keshet, we close our offices for the first week of July, allowing our entire organization to catch its breath, an opportunity made more impactful thanks to the support of RR’s BREAKWEEK. From May to August, staff take one Friday off a month without needing to use paid time off. For any staff who have worked full-time at Keshet for seven years, we offer a three-month sabbatical that they can spend doing whatever they wish. Most importantly, when members of our team are offline, their time offline is respected. While our work is life-affirming and, in many cases, life-saving, its importance does not necessitate infringing upon the much-needed time off our professionals take. Keeping our staff safe With support from the Jim Joseph Foundation and Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Keshet covers monthly subscriptions to Kanary, protecting our team from doxxing and other threats by regularly scrubbing our personal information from the internet. We are mindful of state laws and how they might impact our team’s safety when making decisions about required staff travel. For example, we do not host all-staff retreats in states with restrictive policies on transgender people having safe access to public bathrooms, being able to use their IDs, or that have restrictive laws on abortion healthcare. We also cover staff members’ travel TSA precheck and Clear fees. Honoring our whole selves at work People feel supported when they know they are not alone. We host ongoing staff affinity groups, including a trans and nonbinary staff group, a disabled staff/staff with disabilities group and a Jews of color staff group. We host optional processing spaces for staff to gather and connect in response to current events. We bring in outside pastoral care and social work support regularly, so that staff can process the more painful parts of our work as part of our work, not something exclusively relegated to our external lives. We celebrate and mark personal achievements — birthdays, weddings, divorces, births, gender-affirming care milestones, and more — with public recognition, cards and/or a thoughtful gift from our Org Culture Team, depending on that person’s preference. Showing gratitude and public recognition We intentionally carve out time and space to celebrate our wins and each other. Every week, for over eight years now, we collect messages of appreciation for team members and compile them into a slide deck for everyone to view. Every hire date anniversary (Keshet-versary) is celebrated with a public shoutout and a gift organized by the supervisor. Fifth and 10th year anniversaries are marked with a full staff celebration based on the person’s preferences — everything from an open mic staff sing-a-long, to a personal booklet of appreciations written by colleagues, and more. As one staff member shared in our Leading Edge survey, “This is why I love working at Keshet there is a deep sense from everyone I work with on a day-to-day basis that we not only care about our shared work and mission, but about each other.” Looking back, especially at the past year-and-a-half, I do not want to imagine what might have happened if we had not invested in our team’s well-being as a top priority. The real danger we might have experienced. The talent we would have lost. The setbacks our work would have suffered. Instead, I get to marvel at what this investment made possible: Over 8,000 Jewish professionals trained to build more inclusive and welcoming communities. Over 1,600 Jewish LGBTQ+ and allied youth empowered. Over 600 Jewish organizations energized to foster LGBTQ+ belonging. We took our work to new heights — because we had the energy, motivation, and support we needed to soar. And now? We’re ready “to build whatever comes next.” Jaimie Krass is the president and CEO of Keshet.

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Your Daily Phil: U.S. Jewish groups uneasy as Trump signs MOU with Iran

EJP — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 14:14:49 +0000

Good Tuesday morning! In today’s edition ofYour Daily Phil, we examine how the Jewish community is reacting to the emerging agreement between the United States and Iran. We report onProject Shemastransition into an independent nonprofit poised to tackle antisemitism in progressive spaces, and on a new partnership betweenMetaand theBlinded Veterans Associationbeing championed byIvanka Trump. We feature an opinion piece byTamra L. Dollin,who shares insights gained over a decade of consulting for theHarold Grinspoon Foundation’s Life Legacy initiative, and a piece byRaeefa Shamsreflecting on her experience at a recentUniversity of Cincinnaticonference on the Abraham Accords. Also in this issue:Ahmir Lerner,Nina BruderandNoah Aminoah. Today’sYour Daily Philwas curated by eJP Managing Editor Judah Ari Gross, Opinion Editor Rachel Kohn and Israel Editor Justin Hayet. Have a tip?Email us here. Follow us on Whatsapp Follow us on Telegram What Were Watching The Sami Rohr Jewish Literary Institute announced the winner of the annual Sami Rohr Prize today, presenting the award for nonfiction to Amir Tibon for his personal account of the Oct. 7 terror attacks, The Gates of Gaza. Riverside Memorial Chapel in Manhattan is hosting a rededication ceremony today to celebrate the completion of its $18 million restoration and the 100th anniversary of its Amsterdam Avenue location. Keren Olam HaTorah, which finances yeshivas and kollels throughout Israel, is hosting an event this evening at Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim in Queens, N.Y. What You Should Know A QUICK WORD FROM EJPS JUDAH ARI GROSS For many in the Jewish communal world,as the United States and Iran enter advanced talks to formalize and expand the current ceasefire, the moment will feel somewhat familiar, with many similarities to the lead-up to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal alongside fresh obstacles and complexities to navigate. Without the full details of the agreement,it is impossible to assess its merits, yet Jewish leaders and organizations haveexpressed uneaseat the proposed MOU, which the White House is describing not as a final agreement but as a framework for negotiations. Some groups —those more hawkish on Iran and those more critical of President Donald Trump — have already denounced the arrangement, while more mainstream groups have adopted a “wait and see” approach, expressing concern but withholding judgment. Read the rest of ‘What You Should Know’ here. News LISTEN UP After years of growth, Project Shema officially becomes an independent nonprofit Eli Cohn-Postell, Project Shemas vice president of research and innovation, in an undated photo. Courtesy/Project Shema After Oct. 7, the surge in antisemitism and anti-Zionism in progressive circles upended relationships between traditional liberal Jewish groups and those further to the left. Now that Project Shema — an antisemitism education group that deals specifically with that progressive community — has become an independent nonprofit, it stands poised to play a larger role in today’s fraught conversation, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitcher. Origin story:As early as 2015, progressive organizer Oren Jacobson realized that the conversation around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and antisemitism in progressive spaces was breaking down. “The biggest challenges were lack of context, a lack of shared language and sometimes just the ability to slow down enough for people to hear or be heard,” Jacobson, Project Shema’s co-founder and CEO, told eJP. The idea for Project Shema arose in 2018 but became a reality in 2022 after disputes around the actions of Israel in Gaza the previous year again brought the issue to the fore. Read the full report here. Share EYE ON THE PRIZE Ivanka Trump unveils Meta partnership with Blinded Veterans Association to distribute AI glasses to visually impaired veterans Don Overton and Ivanka Trump speak onstage during the UFC Freedom 250 celebration hosted by Meta and UFC at Neds Club Washington DC on June 12, 2026 in Washington, DC. Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Meta and UFC Ivanka Trump on Friday announced a collaboration between Meta and the Blinded Veterans Association that aims to donate Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses to all legally blind American veterans, which the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates number roughly 130,000, Christina Sher reports for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider. Partnership for patriots:The initiative was spearheaded by Trump alongside Meta President Dina Powell McCormick, who served as deputy national security advisor for strategy in the first Trump administration. Speaking at the reception, Powell McCormick said that Meta believes “superintelligence is going to help people find their purpose in life.” On “CBS Morning,” Powell McCormick said she “can’t think of a better way to honor America’s 250th birthday than by giving those who have sacrificed so much a way to make their lives better.” Read the full report hereandsign up forJewish Insider’s Daily Kickoff here. Share Opinion PARTING GIFT When it comes to legacy giving, success demands a decade “For the past decade, I’ve served as a consultant with Life Legacy, a Harold Grinspoon Foundation initiative that helps Jewish communities build endowments through legacy giving,” writes Tamra L. Dollin in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “In looking back on this work as I ready for retirement, one lesson stands out clearly: Durable legacy success takes about a decade. Not because donors are unwilling. Not because planned giving is overly complex. But because culture change takes time.” Out of alignment:“Jewish communities across North America are searching for sustainable financial models amid demographic shifts, leadership transitions and growing competition for philanthropic dollars. Legacy giving, my area of expertise, is often cited as part of the solution. But here is the hard truth: Legacy success does not align with the short-term culture of Jewish philanthropy. … If we want culture change, we must design our funding models, governance expectations and leadership commitments to match the horizon of the work. Here are four outstanding examples that illustrate this point…” Read the full piece here. Share CAMPUS SCENE When academic inquiry requires a police escort “In April, the University of Cincinnati hosted a multiday conference, proudly supported by the Academic Engagement Network, exploring the Abraham Accords and the possibilities for regional collaboration and cooperation that may emerge from those agreements,” writes Raeefa Shams, AEN’s director of communications and programming,in an opinion piece foreJewishPhilanthropy.“[T]he conference featured a heavy police presence — the “Jewish tax” that organizations are forced to ensure safety in an increasingly antisemitic society. The importance of such a presence, and the investment needed to maintain it, was made clear on the last day of the conference.” Isn’t it ironic:“[I]t is a jarring experience to have a program of learning, connection and intellectual engagement marred by propaganda, or to be a small person surrounded by people shouting angry, hateful slogans. But I was more struck by the contrast between the goals of the conference and the rhetoric and actions of the protesters.” Read the full piece here. Share Worthy Reads Holy Compassion: In J. The Jewish News of Northern California, Robb Layne, board chair of Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region, recalls how San Francisco Reform rabbis responded to the AIDS crisis with compassion rather than condemnation in the 1980s, a history he says deserves remembering as antisemitism and anti-LGBTQ hostility rise once again. “Judaism said ‘yes’ before civil law did. This is not Northern California history. It is not LGBTQ history. It is Jewish history, full stop. And it belongs to all of us. Antisemitism is rising. Attacks on LGBTQ people are rising. The way anti-gay messages are delivered have changed, but the message has not. There are gay Jewish kids right now listening to adults debate their existence as they try to figure out who they are. They deserve to know their tradition was already saying ‘yes’ to them before they could say ‘yes’ to themselves. History that stays forgotten cannot protect anyone.” [J.] Execution Gap:InAlliance Magazine, philanthropy commentator Mahak Agrawalarguesthat funders underinvest in the delivery infrastructure needed to transform good programs into lasting results. “In practice, much philanthropic funding replicates the short-termism of more constrained capital. The reasons are not mysterious: accountability to boards, pressure to demonstrate impact within reporting periods, the inherent difficulty of attributing long-term institutional strengthening to any single funding decision…Philanthropy has invested substantially in being better at identifying the right problems. The more demanding frontier is being honest about whether the conditions for solving them are being built with equal seriousness. Ambition sets the direction. Implementation determines whether anyone arrives.”[AllianceMagazine] The Boundaries of Belonging:InJewish Telegraphic Agency, Rabbi Asher Knightcontendsthat while anti-Zionists should be welcomed in Reform synagogues, the movement shouldnt ordain rabbis who reject Jews right to self-determination. “Rabbinic leadership is about transmission and relationship. A rabbi helps Jews locate themselves within a people, a history, a covenant and a future. That work rests on a basic recognition that the people are worth transmitting. That the story is worth carrying forward. That Jews remain responsible for one another even when we are angry, ashamed, afraid, or divided.”[JTA] Transitions Israel Policy Forumelected a number of new board executives and members:Daryl MessingerandRick Rosenwill serve as board chair and vice chair, respectively, andWendy C. Abrams, Steve Kerstenand Avi Gelboim will join the board… TheJCC of Greater AlbuquerquehiredGal Stavas its next CEO… Rabbi D’ror Chankin-GouldjoinedUniversity of Chicago Hillelas its executive director… Joel Scanlonwas announcedas the new president and CEO of theHudson Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington… Word on the Street TheJewish New Teacher Project, focused on a research-based approach to teacher induction and leadership support,is becomingpart ofPrizmah, the organizations announced in a joint statement. JNTP’s core programs are planned to continue without interruption;Nina Bruder, JNTPs CEO, will join the Prizmah leadership team; and most of JNTPs staff will join Prizmah as well… At last night’sUnited Hatzalahgala in New York,Ron Dermer, former advisor to Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu,toldthe crowd that Iran and Hezbollah have been badly weakened since the Oct. 7 terror attacks, while expressing doubts Iran will give up its nuclear program… PopeLeo XIVmeton Monday with a delegation fromUJA-Federation of New Yorkat the Vatican. Outgoing UJA CEOEric Goldsteinpresented the pontiff with a menorah and an inscription expressing hope that the pope’s leadership “will shine a bright light” and bring “dignity for all.” El Alinkeda deal withElon Musk’sStarlink to provide free high-speed internet to passengers traveling with the airline, beginning in 2027… TheCouncil on Foundations, which represents over 1,000 charitable foundations, haslauncheda campaign called “Generosity Builds” aimed at countering perceptions that nonprofits are wasteful or politically driven… Clalit, the medical services provider to over 50% of Israels population, has been chosen to join the international consortium behind the EuropeanPandemics AI Observatory, or PANDAI, an initiative to establish Europe’s first AI-based platform for the early detection, prediction and management of pandemics… Ahmir Lerner, CEO of the Israeli disability nonprofitBeit Issie Shapiro,addressedtheUnited Nations’Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities last week. In his remarks, Lerner criticized the UN and its member states for drawing false equivalencies between Israel and terrorist organizations… The New Schoolcutnearly 90 jobs, including 19 full-time faculty, as part of a broader restructuring meant to close a roughly $50 million annual deficit Far-right Israeli National Security MinisterItamar Ben-Gvircanceleda planned family trip to the U.S. amid challenges in obtaining a visa; Ben-Gvir, who has a history of criminal convictions in Israeli courts that could render him ineligible for a commonESTAvisa, chose to forgo the trip after he was summoned to theU.S. Embassyto be fingerprinted… InJmore,Melinda Michelremembersher friendPam Plattas a steady mentor who helped guide her through her sons unexpected turn toward a more religiously observant lifestyle… Noah Aminoah, former chair of the Talmud department ofTel Aviv University, author ofTorah: The Oral Traditionand great uncle ofJewish Insider’sLahav Harkov, died at 95… Pic of the Day Avi Hayun/KKL-JNF During the first day of his first official visit to Israel on Sunday, Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (left) plants an olive tree in Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Funds Grove of Nations in Jerusalem on Sunday with the help Ilan Shohat (center), CEO of KKL-JNF, and Yuval Yenni, the group’s CFO. “The Grove of Nations inspires leaders and citizens alike to build a more peaceful and compassionate world,” Abdullahi said at the event. He also expressed interest in learning from KKL-JNFs experience in environmental conservation. In December 2025, Israel was the first country and U.N. member state to extend recognition to Somaliland as a sovereign state, and the president’s first official visit to the country will include the inauguration of Somalilands Embassy in Jerusalem and meetings with Israeli leaders. Birthdays Kelly Gavin/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images Pitcher for Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, he is now in the St. Louis Cardinals organization,Zachary D. Zack Weissturns 34 Professor of theoretical physics at Stanford University,Leonard Susskindturns 86 Brigadier-general (ret.) in the IDF, then a member of Knesset, then chairman of Haaguda Lemaan Hachayal, a nonprofit IDF veterans group,Avigdor Kahalaniturns 82 Former dean of Yeshiva College, U.S. ambassador to Egypt for President Bill Clinton, and U.S. ambassador to Israel for President George W Bush,Daniel C. Kurtzerturns 77 Professor at Nanjing University and Chinas leading professor of Jewish studies,Xu Xinturns 77Rickey Wolosky Palkovitzturns 77 Investigative reporter who worked forNewsweek, NBC News and thenYahoo News,Michael Isikoffturns 74 Principal executive at Kohn Associates and chairman of the board of directors at ARMR Sciences Inc., he was the volunteer varsity and junior varsity boys and girls basketball coach at Farber Hebrew Day School in Southfield, Mich., for a total of over three decades,Kenneth I. Kohnturns 73… UC Berkeley professor,Alison Gopnikturns 71 Professor of Jewish studies at the University of Freiburg (Germany),Gabrielle Oberhänsli-Widmerturns 69 Distinguished fellow in Jewish studies at Dartmouth College and visiting professor of modern Jewish studies at Harvard Divinity School,Shaul Magidturns 68 Southern California resident,Roberta Trachten-Zeve Senior project executive at Kansas-based Stuart Associates Commercial Flooring,MatthewRafael Elyachar Pulitzer Prize-winning business reporter and bestselling author, he is a past president of Washington Hebrew Congregation,David A. Viseturns 66 Former chair of the Broward County, Fla., JCRC, he is the co-founder of The Alliance of Blacks Jews,Keith Wasserstrom Actor, screenwriter, producer and director,Daniel Zelmanturns 59 Senior correspondent for military and intelligence affairs forYedioth Ahronoth,Ronen BergmanPh.D. turns 54 Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit,Julie Rikelmanturns 54 CEO and founder of NYC-based Marathon Strategies,Philip Keith (Phil) Singer Israeli photographer, digital artist and artificial intelligence researcher,Dina Bovaturns 49 Geographer and writer,Joshua Jelly-Schapiroturns 47 Singer and songwriter,Benjamin Lev Kwellerturns 45 Comedian, actor and YouTuber with almost 100 million views,Adam Rayturns 44 Senior portfolio manager on the Jewish life and Israel grantmaking team at One8 Foundation,Alyssa Bogdanow Arens Chencin, Perry… Former catcher on Israels National Baseball Team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, now a business transformation consultant for EY,Tal Erelturns 30 Israeli artistic gymnast who won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics,Artem Dolgopyatturns 29

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Jewish groups uneasy as U.S. signs MOU with Iran

Judah Ari Gross — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:47:56 +0000

For many in the Jewish communal world, as the United States and Iran enter advanced talks to formalize and expand the current ceasefire, the moment will feel somewhat familiar, with many similarities to the lead-up to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal alongside fresh obstacles and complexities to navigate. The emerging agreement —details of which remain sketchy —has raised grave concerns in Israel and among its supporters, as the memorandum of understanding appears to leave the Iranian regime in place, potentially providing it with financial relief and without putting explicit curbs on many of its most distressing projects, namely its support for terrorist proxies around the world and its ballistic missile development program. The former in particular is not only a concern for the State of Israel but also for world Jewry, which has regularly found itself targeted by terrorist groups and individuals acting on Tehran’s behalf. Without the full details of the agreement, it is impossible to assess its merits, yet Jewish leaders and organizations have expressed unease at the proposed MOU, which the White House is describing not as a final agreement but as a framework for negotiations. Some groups —those more hawkish on Iran and those more critical of President Donald Trump — have already denounced the arrangement, while more mainstream groups have adopted a “wait and see” approach, expressing concern but withholding judgment. “The announced MOU kicks off a new 60-day window for talks. We look forward to learning the full details of the framework for these negotiations, including whether the deal preserves the sovereign right of our democratic ally Israel to respond to the security threats it confronts,” AIPAC said in a statement. The progressive lobbying group J Street said that it “welcomes” the agreement. In the years leading up to the 2015 signing of the Iran nuclear deal, the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Israel was also sidelined as its greatest ally —Washington —and its greatest external enemy —Tehran —negotiated an agreement that would have tremendous influence over its long-term national security. Then too, the American Jewish community, which generally advocates for Israel, found itself navigating a fraught reality, balancing its communities’ various political opinions and affiliations, some of which clashed internally and some of which broke with those of the administration. While there are similarities between the current negotiations and those of the JCPOA —both in regards to the content of the discussions and the complicated position that Israel and its allies find themselves in —there are also substantive differences. The Iranian regime today finds itself both weaker and more emboldened than it was pre-JCPOA, having emerged intact for now after two major waves of joint American-Israeli attacks, even as those strikes have devastated much of the country’s military capabilities. For Israel and the American Jewish community, however, the more significant difference is that the current talks are being led by a Republican president, who has regularly and repeatedly been lauded for his support for Israel, particularly in its campaign against Iran. In part because of the efforts of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his American allies as they unsuccessfully sought to thwart the 2015 JCPOA —including a divisive speech in Congress against then-President Barack Obama at the invitation of Republican leaders —support for Israel has become an increasingly partisan, Republican issue. Having allied so closely and publicly with Trump, particularly on Iran, it will be difficult to suddenly oppose him and to find allies, in the U.S. and internationally, who will do the same. While there is broad consensus in Israel about the threat posed by Iran and the need for a robust military and diplomatic response to it, the country today is suffering from far greater internal turmoil than it was ahead of the JCPOA, a situation that will likely only worsen ahead of national elections this fall. Going into these talks, Israel also has more allies in the region than it did pre-2015, having normalized ties (under the first Trump administration) with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and also improved relations with Morocco. The American Jewish community also enters this new debate far more splintered and divided than it was pre-JCPOA. The already extant divisions among U.S. Jews regarding Israel have deepened significantly in recent years, particularly in the wake of the Oct. 7 terror attacks. This could be seen clearly earlier this year during the war with Iran, when a J Street poll found that most American Jews said they opposed American military action against Iran and a Jewish People Policy Institute survey of so-called “connected” Jews also found that support for the war was diminishing over time.

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When it comes to legacy giving, success demands a decade

Contributing Author — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:09:00 +0000

Jewish communities across North America are searching for sustainable financial models amid demographic shifts, leadership transitions, and growing competition for philanthropic dollars. Legacy giving, my area of expertise,is often cited as part of the solution. But here is the hard truth:Legacy success does not align with the short-term culture of Jewish philanthropy. For the pastdecade,I’veservedas a consultantwith Life Legacy, aHarold Grinspoon Foundation initiative thathelpsJewish communitiesbuild endowments throughlegacy giving.I’veworked directly with 30 communities, part of a growing network of more than 75 across North America.Through matching incentive grants, coaching, training and providing other resources, Life Legacy is seeing remarkablereturnon investment. In looking back on this work as I ready for retirement,one lesson stands out clearly:Durable legacy success takes about a decade. Not because donors are unwilling. Not because planned giving is overly complex. But becauseculturechangetakes time. Recently, I visited Charleston, S.C., a community that joined Life Legacy ten years agoandbenefitedgreatly fromits partnership. What unfolded there—in an energetically buzzing synagogue room with board chairs, communal professionals and legacy volunteers gathered around four tables—illustrates what happens when leadership is steady, future planning is embraced as strategic, and funding support is sustained. Today in Charleston, legacy giving has been embraced throughout the community. More than 600 legacy commitments have been secured with an estimated future value of $24 million, whilenearly $7 millionis already realized and invested in organizational endowment funds that will support the community for generations to come.What’smore, a volunteer-driven endowment fund evolved into the Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina, now a staffed statewide entity serving Jewish institutions and donors. All three South Carolina Federation CEOs nowparticipatein legacy training. Andabove all else, representatives fromnearly everyJewish organization continue to show up to learn from and with one another, strengthening bonds of friendship and purpose. The room was full — not because of a campaign deadline, but because legacy giving has become part of how the community understands its responsibility to the future. That did not happen in year one. Or year three.It happened because leadership brought vision, funded the initiative over time, and navigated succession well. Communities that succeed share common traits: boards lead and model participation; executives integrate legacy into overall development strategy; institutions collaborate rather than compete.Whenconversations about continuityhappen first,then thefinancial returnsfollow. This work is unfolding amid a historic intergenerational wealth transfer — an estimated $18 trillion expected to flow to charities in the coming decades as baby boomers pass away and their philanthropic commitments are realized — even as many Jewish communities face a shrinking donor base. The opportunity is extraordinary. But I have seen communities lose momentum not because donors disappeared, but because leadership changed twice in three years. Each new leader must learn the job, reassess priorities, and make theirmark. If the new leadershipdoesn’tprioritize future planning, the legacy effort stalls or even stops completely, reducing the chances of the organization ever receiving those gifts. Jewish organizations live with constanttensionbetweenmeetingtoday’s needsand planning fortomorrow.The pressures of todayincludingannual campaigns, competing priorities,andcrisis needseasily crowd out planning for the future.Legacy giving focuses on those longer-term needs while being rooted in the commitment people feel to their organizationtoday. To overcome this, changes arerequiredin structure,systemsand processes. If we want culture change,we must design our funding models, governance expectations, and leadership commitments to match the horizon of the work.Here arefouroutstanding examples that illustrate this point: 1.) Navigate leadership transitions Charleston successfully navigated their leadership transition, carefully putting in place building blocks so that legacy work would continue under their new Foundation. The Federation continues to focus on annual campaigns as well as the longer-term integration of legacy giving and endowment building. 2.) Supportconsistent leadership Jewish Federation of Northeastern NY (NENY) has secured 840 legacy commitments with an estimated future value of $26 million, while more than $4 million is already realized and invested in organizational endowment funds. Their leadership has been consistent sincebeginningLife Legacy in 2018.??Coupled with the endowment department as a technical resource, their Life Legacy coordinator assumes responsibility for relationship building with the community teams. NENY brings a strong contingent every year to our annual conference, where lay and professional leaders gain inspiration, network with others, and share best practices. 3.) Integrate endowment building into all fundraising efforts The Atlanta Jewish Foundation recently celebrated a milestone of$1 billionin charitable distributions, including $53.9 million granted in 2025largely toJewish organizations. In 2022, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlantainitiateda Legacy Society to recognize donors who have made commitments to sustain Jewish life for future generations. A named endowment alsoestablishedthe country’s first permanently funded Chief Philanthropic Officer, integrating the annual campaign and endowment development to better align philanthropy with donor vision. Since launching its legacy initiative in 2018,Federationhas secured 727 legacy commitments with an estimated future value of $49 million, while $8.2 million is already realized and invested in organizational endowment funds. 4.) Cultivate a legacy mindset inall messaging The Jewish Community Foundation of Orange County, Calif., began Life Legacy as part of our first cohort in 2013. With consistent leadership, they have expanded their team and their work to deepen impact across the community.??The foundation cultivates a legacy mindset through consistent messaging, regular training sessions, and robust support for partner organizations. Their Endowment Book of Life program guides donors from idea to commitment, giving them an opportunity to inscribe their name and preserve their story for generations. To date, the Foundation has secured 1281 legacy commitments with an estimated future value of $29 million, while more than $42 million is already realized and invested in organizational endowment funds. If organizations want legacy success, they need to start today. Plan to keep these efforts going for the long-haul — from funding it to leading it for an entire decade and beyond. We know that whencommunities commit to the discipline of legacy giving are not simply raising future dollars:theyare shaping the culture that will sustain Jewish life for generations. Tamra L. Dollin is retiring this week as a senior consultant after a decade with Life Legacy, an initiative of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

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When academic inquiry requires a police escort

Contributing Author — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 09:34:00 +0000

In April, the University of Cincinnati hosted a multi-day conference, proudly supported by the Academic Engagement Network, exploring the Abraham Accords and the possibilities for regional collaboration and cooperation that may emerge from those agreements. Diplomats, policymakers, academics and researchers gathered to discuss topics as wide-ranging as interfaith Zionism, developing an Abraham Accords curriculum and the Accords’ impact on faith, culture and technology. Of course, as with most events today featuring Israeli or Jewish topics, on campus or beyond, the conference featured a heavy police presence — the “Jewish tax” that organizations are forced to pay to ensure safety in an increasingly antisemitic society. The importance of such a presence, and the investment needed to maintain it, was made clear on the last day of the conference. A campaign launched by the university’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter urged community members to disrupt the conference due to the presence of Israeli guests. A group of demonstrators gathered outside, their shouts amplified by loudspeakers. Then, several students who had registered for the final session entered the building and proceeded to disrupt the last speaker, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro, as he made his remarks — one after another, the students read prepared statements mouthing the usual falsehoods about “genocide” and “apartheid,” yelling obscenities and stomping away before the police could escort them out. Most unsettling was the scene as we left the building, when a small group of demonstrators started shouting at us — and then following us. Additional police arrived; it was obvious it wasnt safe for us to walk alone. Ultimately, we had to be driven in police cars to our respective hotels and offices. It was clear that these protesters, at all stages, had been well-trained to get close enough and loud enough to disrupt (and later intimidate), but far enough away to avoid running afoul of the law. This is distinct from peaceful protests, which of course should be protected as a form of free expression. While I was never under a real physical threat, thanks to the presence and professionalism of the police, it is a jarring experience to have a program of learning, connection and intellectual engagement marred by propaganda, or to be a small person surrounded by people shouting angry, hateful slogans. But I was more struck by the contrast between the goals of the conference and the rhetoric and actions of the protesters. Despite the current geopolitical situation, and often-differing views among the speakers, the atmosphere at the conference was one of collegiality, dialogue and hope for a future where nations work together to solve common challenges. The protesters did not care about any of that, preferring to repeat talking points given to them by radical organizations whose presence on college campuses have made life increasingly difficult for Jewish faculty and students. Imagine if they had actually sat in — respectfully — on the panels and sessions, learning about how “normalization” with Israel could bring about more peace and prosperity, one that could benefit all in the region, including the Palestinians whom they claim to support! But the irony is actually the point, because radical anti-Israel groups, on both the faculty and student levels, are not actually seeking peace and justice. They seek to erase Israel from the Middle East, and understanding that as militarily impossible, to remove “Zionists” — and thus the vast majority of the world’s Jews — from campus spaces. To a degree, they are succeeding, with their intimidation tactics leading to an erasure of Jewish, Zionist and Israeli perspectives in many academic arenas. Many institutions and organizations are unwilling or unable to pay the “Jewish tax,” and there have been too many instances of deadly violence against Jewish targets in recent years to take risks with security. The result? Israeli speakers are disinvited from conferences and keynote talks. Celebrations of Israel are muted or do not take place at all. Events focused on Israel, antisemitism or the Jewish experience are not widely advertised, with addresses sent to vetted registrants the day before. Just recently, a Jewish Zionist academic and former university president withdrew his name as a commencement speaker at Georgetown Law, under threat of disruptive protests. And this year’s Israel Day on Fifth parade in New York City required an unprecedented police presence to keep marchers and spectators safe. These all have the cumulative effect of implying that there is something controversial, or debatable, about proud, mainstream expressions of Jewish identity. But Jews and Zionists are not the only victims of this coarsened climate. The whole campus community suffers from the loss of their voices, and from allowing radical faculty and student organizations to violate campus policy and the basic principles of the academy. Places that are supposed to be for critical thinking, social connection, dialogue and debate instead become sites of hostility, exclusion and one-sided narratives. These patterns undermine the very role of the academy in shaping future leaders able to meet the immense challenges of the world. At the Academic Engagement Network, we work to counter these trends. The faculty members in our network craft innovative programs on Jewish identity, Israel, Zionism and antisemitism, insist on Jewish visibility and bravely discuss their experiences with antisemitism and anti-Zionism in the academy; and the administrators we work with are eager to learn about how to make their campuses more inclusive by incorporating Jewish perspectives. But we cannot do it alone. It is up to campus leaders — faculty, administrators, trustees and other stakeholders with authority — to reclaim the core values of the academy. Raeefa Shams is the director of communications and programming at the Academic Engagement Network.

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