eJewishPhilanthropy

Your Daily Phil: 10 years boosting day schools; 30 years fighting Israeli poverty

EJP — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:47:46 +0000

Good Wednesday morning! In today’s edition ofYour Daily Phil, we interviewPaul Bernsteinas he marks 10 years since helping foundPrizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools, and speak withGillesDarmon, the founder and president of the Israeli aid nonprofitLatet,as his organization marks 30 years of fighting poverty in Israel. We feature an opinion piece bySteven Windmuellerenvisioning a 21st-century version of North America’s Jewish federation system, and a piece byJeffrey Cahnadvocating for self-defense training to join the security measures becoming standard for Jewish communities. Also in this issue:Rabbi David Levy,Talia Dekel-FleissigandDanny Ben-Moshe. Today’sYour Daily Philwas curated by eJP 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 Fifty-nine senior leaders from major Jewish communities and organizations across dozens of countries are convening in Jerusalem this week for theJ50 Forumas Israel’sMinistry of Foreign Affairspushes to advance a joint declaration affirming that anti-Zionism is antisemitism. This evening,ADI Negev-Nahalat Eranwill mark its 20th anniversary with a gala event at the rehabilitation village in southern Israel. Canary Publishing, a nonprofit press devoted to Jewish writers, is officially launching today. In Jerusalem, the family of slain American Israeli hostageHersh Goldberg-Polinwill gather inJerusalemfor the unveiling of a hand-crafted mural in his honor, nearly two years after his murder. AndSolu, a Chicago-area group that links communities through service, is dedicatingHershs Fridge, a food supply depot, this morning in Skokie, Ill., in honor of Goldberg-Polin. The kosher refrigerator supplies food to families throughout the Chicago region. What You Should Know Ten years ago, when Paul Bernstein began as the founding CEO of Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools,the philanthropic dollars funneled into Jewish day schools amounted to a trickle. The majority of funding came from a single donor, The Avi Chai Foundation, which was sunsetting its grantmaking in 2019. With many day schools still reeling from the 2008 financial crisis and struggling with enrollment, many Jewish leaders questioned if non-Orthodox day schools had a future. In the 10 years since Prizmah launched,day school enrollment has surged, with both the COVID-19pandemicand Oct. 7massacresleading many parents to move their children from public schools to private Jewish ones. Today, 101,000 students are enrolled in non-Haredi day schools, a 7.5% increase over five years ago. Success has triggered more investment from funders, and day schools are now a major focus of the Jewish Funders Network, as well as Jewish Federations of North America. Inan interview witheJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitchermarking the 10th anniversary, Bernstein discussed Prizmah’s most productive moves, bridging denominational differences and how success can create new challenges. Read the full interview ? News QA After 30 years, Latets founder still insists Israels poverty is an existential threat Thirty-one years after he first madealiyah, and 30 years after he founded Latet, one of Israel’s largest and most influential poverty prevention nonprofits, Gilles Darmon spoke witheJewishPhilanthropy’s Justin Hayetfor a wide-ranging conversation about why he frames poverty as an existential threat to Israel, the limits of what philanthropy can do and why he believes the country is finally wealthy enough to solve its own problems. Justin Hayet:How has the ecosystem in which poverty exists changed over the past 30 years? Gilles Darmon:Significantly. According to Israel’s National Insurance Institute, food insecurity increased significantly between 2000, 2010 and 2020. Since we started to measure, the number of families in food insecurity has grown; we now talk about 867,000 families. The environment became more challenging. Poverty and food insecurity became a problem. It is unsustainable for Israeli society — it is an existential threat. You cannot keep a strong economy with such a level of poverty. You cannot keep a strong army with such a gap of social inequality between such large groups of the population. You cannot keep a good level of education when you have more than 1 million children in food insecurity. Read the full interview ? Share Opinion WINDS OF CHANGE The remake: Bringing the federation model into the 21st century In an opinion piece foreJewishPhilanthropy, Steven Windmueller, emeritus professor of Jewish communal studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles,proposesa restructuring to better support the Jewish federation system’s mission of building broad-based Jewish participation and belonging. “When envisioning a 21st-century federation, seven distinctive functions emerge, requiring new configurations of roles, resources and responsibilities on the local, regional and/or national scale.” Read the fullpiece? Share SAFETY FIRST When all else fails: Filling a gaping hole in our communal security strategy In an opinion piece foreJewishPhilanthropy, Jeffrey Cahn, executive director of Romemu in New York City,arguesthat there is more the Jewish community can do to ensure individuals’ safety when even our best practices fail — and that isn’t a question of if, but when, he emphasized. “One idea is to train people on how to save as many lives as possible in the event of a successful mass casualty attack, like in the very worthy program just announced by CSS and AFMDA to teach synagogue volunteers traumatic wound treatment. I’d like to suggest another response, one that could help minimize casualties in the first place: offer self-defense training to every Jew.” Read the fullpiece? Share Worthy Reads Bigger Than AIPAC:InThe Times of Israel,Michael J. Lewis, who worked at AIPAC for 40 years,arguesthe pro-Israel lobby has become “toxic” to many Americans, tracing its declining sway in Congress to its failed 2015 fight against the Iran nuclear deal and its 2021 move into direct political giving. “Ultimately, AIPAC is of course only an instrument to further a greater cause. AIPAC is not the cause itself. If there is a better instrument out there – or a better instrument can be created – to advance this cause; so be it.” Haute Dishonor:The New York Times’ Bret Stephensweighs inon the Mets canceled John Galliano retrospective, arguing the museum drew the wrong line by celebrating the designer rather than merely displaying his designs. “The error of the Galliano retrospective was not the desire to display his outstanding body of work for the public. … The outrage was the highly personalized form of the honor being bestowed on Galliano himself, above all through the Met Gala, which violated the principle of separation by celebrating the execrable creator along with his extraordinary creations.” Transitions Rabbi David LevywashiredbyJewish Federations of North Americaas its new executive director of theIsrael Education Travel Alliance… Daniel LeejoinedtheEvelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, which isdue to shut downin two years, as its president and CEO… Mayela Calderonwasappointedas the director of philanthropy atCantor Fitzgerald… Michal Braverman-Blumenstykisleavingher post leadingMicrosofts Israel RD center after 13 years… Word on the Street EHillel International is opening its first stand-alone undergraduate office at Clemson University, where Talia Dekel-Fleissig, who led theJerusalem Press Clubuntil it closed yesterday after 13 years,plansto formally launch the Tel Aviv-basedIsrael Press Clubon Israeli Election Day next month, to serve foreign correspondents and visiting journalists… Coefficient Giving, the San Francisco grant maker formerly known asOpenPhilanthropy,plansto increase its 2026 giving toGiveWells top-rated global health charities from $175 million to $1 billion, letting nonprofits scale up ahead of an anticipated wave of AI-industry wealth. The group is funded byGood Ventures, the foundation ofFacebookco-founderDustin Moskovitzand his wifeCari Tuna… California’s state Legislaturepasseda bill on Monday adding Jewish as an ethnicity option on state forms that collect demographic data. The bill, which now awaits Gov.Gavin Newsom’s signature or veto, has raised some historical concerns around government records of Jews, while its proponents say the state’s privacy protections should prevent improper use of the data… AnOakland, Calif., coffee shopthat is facing discrimination lawsuits from two Jewish patronsis shutting downas it prepares for its legal fights… “The Colorful Life,” aWassilyKandinskypainting that was returned to the heirs of Dutch Jewish collectorEmanuel Albert Lewenstein, will beup for auctionat Christies in London next month, where it is expected to fetch more than $30 million… In an interview withVariety,Venice Film Festivalartistic directorAlberto Barberasaidthere are no Israeli films featured at the festival this year because there was only one Israeli submission. Asked if the festival is boycotting Israel, Barbera responded, “No, not at all. Never. It is absolutely important to say that we have no prejudice against anyone anywhere in the world. If there had been a Russian film, an Israeli film of good quality, we would undoubtedly have invited it” Touro University, in partnership with theNational Jewish Advocacy Center,launcheda teaching fellowship last month led byRabbi Mark Goldfederthat seeks to train its first cohort of 10 scholars to build undergraduate and graduate courses on antisemitism within their own disciplines… TheJewish Federation of Greater Pittsburghrecordedits strongest fundraising year ever with $80 million raised in overall resource development for fiscal year 2026… “Cancelled,” an Australian documentary by filmmakerDanny Ben-Mosheabout Jewish creatives shut out of the industry amid rising antisemitism, wasrejectedby ABC, SBS and theSydneyandMelbourne Film Festivalsbefore theJewish Independent Film Festivalagreed to launch it… New York Stateawarded$100,000 to the nonprofitChazaqto support youth and educational programming that serves children, teens, families and seniors through Jewish education, culture and heritage… In a post on X,Jon Polin, father of slain hostageHersh Goldberg-Polin,urgedAmerican Jews attending U.S. events featuring current and former top Israeli officials on the speakers circuit to press them with pointed questions about how they steered the war and hostage crisis… David Zini, head of Israel’sShin Betinternal security service,metwith FBI DirectorKash Patelat the agency’s headquarters in Washington… 18Forty’sRabbi Dovid Bashevkinpublisheda new book, “I Read This Over Shabbos” Former Ukrainian Defense MinisterMykhailo Fedorovannouncedon Tuesday that he is launching a defense tech company and thatPalantirCEOAlex Karpwill be its first lead investor… Michael Brooks, veteranHillelprofessional who ledUniversity of Michigan Hillelfor many years as its executive director,diedon Monday at 80… Pic of the Day Courtesy/National Library of Israel Aharon Bar-Oz, 89, presents a letter that was written to him by famed Israeli songstress Naomi Shemer to the National Library of Israel last month. The missive was sent to him in mid-June 1967, at the end of the Six-Day War, in response to a postcard that Bar-Oz had sent to Shemer from the battlefield, telling her that her song, “Jerusalem of Gold,” had inspired him and his comrades. That postcard was donated to the National Library in 2010, along with other documents belonging to Shemer, and was on display, where it was, by chance, seen by Bar-Oz’s daughter, who recognized her father’s handwriting. She informed the library that a response letter existed, prompting the donation last month and “closing the circle of correspondence after 59 years,” the library said. Shemer’s letter, which had been framed and displayed in Bar-Oz’s home, reads: “To Aharon Bar-Oz, greetings and salutations. I’m glad that you and the entire unit can now be congratulated on your victory, and it’s nice to hear that I could help you from afar, at least by way of the song. Blessings to you all, Naomi Shemer.” Birthdays Benjamin Fanjoy/Bloomberg via Getty Images Eric Lefkofsky, serial entrepreneur, co-founder and chairman of Groupon, he is also the founder and CEO of Tempus AI, turns57 Diane Troderman, trustee of a foundation she helped found with her husband, Harold Grinspoon, turns85 Robert Shapiro, attorney who was part of the “Dream Team” that successfully defended O.J. Simpson in 1995, he co-founded LegalZoom, Shoedazzle and RightCounsel, turns84 Yossi Vardi, one of Israels earliest high-tech entrepreneurs, turns84 Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer, rabbi of Baltimores Shearith Israel Congregation since 1987 and president of the Baltimore Vaad HaRabonim, turns82 Tobi Kelmer, Lincolnwood, Ill., resident Richard Mandelbaum, tech entrepreneur and principal at Xynetics Group, turns80 Yaakov Litzman, member of the Knesset for the United Torah Judaism party from 1999 to 2022, turns78 Steven Kocen, SVP at Southern Bank Trust, he is an honorary director of Ohef Sholom Temple in Norfolk, Va. Harvey Levin, television producer, attorney, legal analyst and celebrity reporter, he is the founder of celebrity news website TMZ, turns76 Jon Feltheimer, CEO of Lionsgate film and television studio, turns75 Lee Wunsch, retired president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston (1999-2017), turns74 Nick Hanauer, author, entrepreneur and venture capitalist, turns67 Daniel Klaidman, investigative producer for CBS News James Rosen, chief Washington correspondent for Newsmax, turns58 Guy Rolnik, founder of Israeli media organizationTheMarkerand a deputy publisher of theHaaretzdaily newspaper, he is also a clinical professor at the University of Chicagos Booth School of Business, turns58 Raney Aronson-Rath, editor-in-chief and executive producer at PBS “Frontline,” turns56 Eliyahu David Eli Groner, former director-general of the Israeli Prime Ministers Office, turns56 Ohad Moskowitz, contemporary Jewish religious music vocalist, known by the mononym “Ohad,” turns52 Jess Fassler, chief of staff for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) Richard Rubin, D.C.-based U.S. tax policy reporter forThe Wall Street Journal Jonathan Kite, actor, comedian and impressionist, turns47 Joseph Weisenthal, executive editor of news forBloomberg, the co-anchor of “What’d You Miss” on Bloomberg Television and co-host of the “Odd Lots” podcast on Bloomberg Podcasts, turns46 Ethan Zorfas, partner at Axiom Strategies, turns41 Margot Edelman, lead of the global tech practice at Edelman Seth Zweifler, chief of staff at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School Rob Kaminsky, professional baseball pitcher in the Los Angeles Angels organization, turns32

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When all else fails: Filling a gaping hole in our communal security strategy

Contributing Author — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:00:00 +0000

As the executive director of a New York City synagogue, the assault at Central Synagogue a few weeks ago on Shabbat was a shocking, but not unexpected, nightmare-come-true. To be sure, this was a partial security success. Central Synagogues on-site security team detained the attacker within minutes. While he still managed to assault a congregant and security guard while being escorted out, no one was seriously injured — or G-d forbid, killed. We can thank the organized Jewish community for the investment that has led to the transformation of synagogues from arms open to doors closed.” Thanks to organizations like the UJA-Federation of New York-funded Community Security Initiative (CSI), the Community Security Service (CSS), the ADL, JCRC and slew of generous philanthropists, our shuls are grateful recipients of government grants for vehicle barriers, metal detectors, and panic buttons; volunteer security team training and active-shooter drills; more (and more!) security guards; and NYPD squad cars parked outside our buildings. And the coup de grace that keeps this new reality top of mind for me, lest I forget, is that each Friday morning as I am busy preparing for Shabbat, I receive a bulletin detailing the latest known security threats to shuls nationwide, with pictures and descriptions of suspicious persons who tried to enter a service, or asked questions about when Hebrew school meets, or sat in a vehicle taking pictures of the entrances, or dropped a bag of excrement on the steps. I cut and paste these into my expanding security binder each week, and force our team to review the latest threats before doors open for services. Good Shabbos!! But what happens when all of our prevention efforts fail? While the security guards stopped the bad guy at Central just in time, the other preventive efforts failed. He wasn’t identified on an FBI watch list, nor was a photograph shared of him casing the shul the week before. Its unlikely he was stopped at the door and questioned by a volunteer congregant trained to identify “suspicious people.” What is going to happen when a more determined attacker gets by the security guards at the next targeted shul? Or a bat mitzvah party, a day-school picnic, a Jewish summer camp? I’m in those types of places all the time. How could I help protect myself? My family? Community? With all the Jewish pundits admonishing us to respond to antisemitism by “doubling down on Jewish life,” I’m certainly not going to stop going to bat mitzvahs. And what about in non-specifically Jewish settings, just going about life like everyday Americans? What would I do if I was just sitting in a cafe, like Lior Zeevi and Daniel Levy were last March in San Jose, Calif., speaking Hebrew to my Israeli wife and son, and some thugs attacked, shouting, “Genocide!” Or if I was on the 5 train at the 14th Street-Union Square station when, as happened on June 10, 2024, here in New York City, a gang of masked idiots stepped on the subway and demanded, Raise your hands if youre a Zionist. This is your chance to get out! I went to Zionist summer camp, and I admit, I often eat falafel on the subway. What would I have done? What is happening now to Jews in America is real, its at a different scale than before and its getting worse. I’m not packing up my family and leaving — yet. So what should I do to keep living here in America, in New York, as a practicing Jew and a proud Zionist, without living in fear? Israel is way more dangerous than New York. But they have strategies to cope with the fear. Since 2023, Israelis have endured the massacre of Oct. 7, ongoing terrorism, rockets, missiles and war, with massive casualties. Yet a January 2026 Israel Democracy Institute survey found that 71% of Jewish Israelis said that, from the standpoint of personal safety, it was safer for Jews to live in Israel than abroad. American Jews similarly report in a recent AJC survey that they feel increasingly unsafe since Oct. 7 despite the fact that according to the ADL, while antisemitic incidents have skyrocketed, “only” three Americans have been killed since 2023. (Not to minimize those tragedies… but it does give pause for perspective.) Perhaps there is a difference between feeling safe and being safe. Israelis certainly count on the institutions of government and the army to protect them. But they also have agency as individuals. Mandatory military service gives many experience and comfort with weapons and self-defense skills. Preparedness is embedded in the culture. Shel mi zeh? — Whose is this? — is the kind of question Israelis instinctively ask about an unattended package. None of that makes Israelis invulnerable, but it gives them a measure of self-confidence that each person can make a difference and be of help when, like happened on Oct. 7, all else fails. What can we Americans do to be more prepared? One idea is to train on how to save as many lives as possible in the event of a successful mass casualty attack, like in the very worthy program just announced by CSS and Magen David Adom to teach synagogue volunteers traumatic wound treatment. I’d like to suggest another response, one that could help minimize casualties in the first place: offer self-defense training to every Jew. Now, Im a nice Jewish boy from the Connecticut suburbs, not a fighter. The only fight I ever got into ended with me getting punched in the face by a drunk fraternity student outside a pizza place in college. Im not about to join the Marines or get a black belt in mixed martial arts. But I did start taking Krav Maga (Israeli-born self-defense) classes about six months ago, and enrolled in one of CSS’ free training classes for synagogue security team volunteers. I’m here to report that after about a dozen Krav classes and a few hours of security and situational awareness instruction, I have not been transformed into an action hero. But I have learned how to become more aware of my surroundings. I’ve learned how to walk and stand in ways that project greater confidence, and make me less of a target. I’ve practiced basic defenses against some typical threat situations (like a belligerent guy on a subway, or a chokehold in a bar). And, most importantly, I’ve learned how to better create opportunities to de-escalate situations, and get away from danger. I certainly dont have the skills or ability to intervene in the case of a determined, much less an armed, villain. But that is something I can not control. I do, however, feel a little more prepared, and a little more confident that I have at least done what I can to better the outcome in the event that I am faced with violent antisemitism in my personal or professional life. My shofar’s clarion call this New Year: Wake up and get prepared. On Rosh Hashanah, I blow the shofar for our shul. With each blast, I feel the hopes, dreams and aspirations of every soul in the congregation rising to the heavens. This year, I will be sending an additional intention upwards, a “tekiah gedolah” for our entire Jewish community to wake up, smell the rot of antisemitism, and invest in personal preparedness training for every Jew. My prayer for the New Year is that every Jewish school, summer camp, JCC and synagogue be able to offer situational awareness and basic self-defense training to all Jewish teenagers and adults — free of charge. A curriculum of just a dozen or so classes to start would boost self-confidence and readiness, and most importantly, increase our feeling of safety in an increasingly unsafe world for Jews. Our community institutions are hard at work trying to keep us safe. But when all else fails, as unfortunately, it is bound to do, the last line of defense will be one of us. Time to prepare. Jeffrey Cahn is the executive director of Romemu, the New York-based multi-site synagogue. He has also held senior positions at the Zionist Youth Movement, Young Judaea and UJA-Federation of New York.

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The remake: Bringing the federation model into the 21st century

Contributing Author — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 12:11:15 +0000

Recent Jewish federation campaigns demonstrate that collective giving remains powerful, particularly when urgency and common purpose are clear. The 2024 annual campaigns raised roughly $1.1 billion, according to Jewish Federations of North America — an increase of 7.3% over the previous year. The following year’s campaigns saw a 15.4% increase. While episodic fundraising strength can mask a structural problem — across American philanthropy, dollars are rising while participation is shrinking — not only did charitable giving to federations increase between 2023 and 2025, but the number of donors also increased by 2.7%. But federations face two assignments: to mobilize large-scale capital effectively, and to build broad-based Jewish participation and belonging. Success involving the first initiative cannot substitute for achieving the second outcome. United Way’s evolution is instructive, as this movement has transformed itself from being principally a workplace fundraiser and pass-through allocator toward a community-impact structure organized around defined outcomes such as youth opportunity, health, financial security and resilience. The takeaway is that an umbrella organization muststand for results, not simply for the efficiency of its campaign. Catholic Charities offers a different lesson. Its strength lies in a recognizable national network of locally rooted, operationally autonomous agencies. The national body supplies standards, training, advocacy, data, coordination and disaster capacity; local organizations deliver services within their own communities. In 2025, its 169 agencies served more than 16 million people, while the national organization provided such shared capabilities as disaster training and data infrastructure. Federations might integrate these two organizing elements (United Way’s focus onmeasurable community outcomes and Catholic Charities’ network model of strong local institutions supported by shared national infrastructure), but neither model incorporates one of the key features of the Jewish federation network: responsibility for the well-being and future of a people across local, national and global boundaries. When envisioning a 21st-century federation, seven distinctive functions emerge, requiring new configurations of roles, resources and responsibilities on the local, regional and/or national scale:

1.) The community intelligence center Every federation should maintain a continually updated picture of Jewish life, not merely commission a demographic study every decade. To this end, federations could publish an annual“State of Jewish Life”dashboard that identifies emerging needs, with the underlying data made available to community organizations. This would transform community planning from an internal allocation exercise into a public Jewish knowledge function. 2.) The convener and democratic table setter The historical concept of one institution as a “central address” is too hierarchical for today. Instead, federations must be themost trusted table wheredifficult but essential communal choices can be made and challenges discussed. This discussion table should include representatives from these eight constituencies: Philanthropists, nonprofit professionals and social entrepreneurs Legacy institutions and grassroots organizations Israeli and global partners Young adults and emerging leaders Interfaith and multiracial families Secular and unaffiliated Jews Jews with sharply different political views 3.) The manager of the Jewish philanthropic marketplace Many donors no longer want only one unrestricted gift followed by an opaque allocation process. On these pages and elsewhere, I have written about the distinctive philanthropic space of the federated system. Contributors want choice, evidence, relationships, participation and visible results. Federations should accommodate that without becoming mere transaction processors. A new philanthropic architecture could offer four complementary lanes: Giving lane Donor propositionCommunity purposeCommunity Core“Protect the essential infrastructure of Jewish life.”Flexible operating support and otherwise “unfundable” shared needs.Impact Funds“Join others to address a defined challenge.”Pooled funds for priorities such as mental health, affordability, Jewish learning, security or Israel recovery.Donor-Directed“Use federation expertise to pursue your goals.”
DAFs, family philanthropy, research, diligence, site visits and grant administration.
Innovation Capital“Help build the next generation of Jewish life.”Seed grants, recoverable grants, challenge prizes and growth capital.
4.) The shared-services utility Federations, especially the major ones, should become the operating backbone for Jewish organizations that cannot economically provide every capability themselves. It is important to acknowledge that such services are high-cost items with limited returns to federations and might generate perceived challenges to organizational and operational independence. Potential shared services include: Cybersecurity and physical-security procurement Finance, payroll, human resources, and benefits Insurance purchasing Legal and compliance support Government-grant administration Data infrastructure and constituent relationship systems Marketing and digital engagement Facilities, energy and purchasing cooperatives Evaluation and impact measurement Organizations could purchase services through tiered memberships. The value proposition would be concrete:federation can save agencies money, improve quality and reduce institutional fragility. 5.) The collective-action and crisis command center The Oct. 7 attacks and rising antisemitism reaffirmed federations’ ability to mobilize quickly. That capacity should be institutionalized rather than recreated during every emergency. Federations would maintain a standing local emergency operations structure and protocol that might include such services as a rapid-response philanthropic fund, security protocols, key civic relationships, criteria for direct emergency giving and prenegotiated mutual aid agreements. This model is analogous to Catholic Charities’ disaster network: local delivery, nationally supported training and systems and the ability to shift resources rapidly across communities. 6.) The gateway to Jewish participation Federations should treat every gift, volunteer action, program registration, emergency inquiry, newcomer contact, and website visit as the beginning of a relationship — not as a completed transaction. This requires a “Jewish life navigation” function: A human and digital concierge for finding communities, learning, services, volunteering, travel and giving opportunities. Portable profiles that allow people to remain connected when they move. Micro-communities organized around geography, profession, culture, identity or cause. Small grants allowing participants to create their own Jewish experiences. Peer organizers who can help to build relationships outside institutional settings. 7.) The civic representative and coalition builder Federations should continue their public affairs function but broaden it beyond advocacy. Its civic role would include: Convening Jewish organizations around a limited common agenda. Building durable relationships with other faith and ethnic communities. Mobilizing community members for civic participation. Offering reliable public information during controversy. Training a diverse bench of Jewish civic leaders. Distinguishing genuinely shared communal interests from issues on which consensus does not exist. Envisioning a new organizational structure The federation movement should adopt a “network operating system” with three different layers: A full-service metropolitan platform: A large city and major intermediate communities may be best positioned to provide the additional services and resources I have proposed above, offering some of them to smaller federations. Regional federations: Regional structures are increasingly being put in place by national umbrella systems to serve a geographical region, creating economies of operation and avoiding duplicative programs. At a time of escalating expenses, the introduction of an integrated delivery model adds credibility to the calls for collaboration and integration of resources. Community hubs: The institutions would purchase most operational functions from a shared national or regional center. As part of this reconstituted system, collaboratives organized around priority needs should be created with the intent to design and deliver core services to communities. This organizing model might include the following type structures: a Jewish educators task force, a mental health initiative, a Jewish life affordability study group, an antisemitism coordination team, an Israel-Diaspora committee and an inclusion and engagement workforce. These would allow foundations, individual philanthropists and practitioners to pool capital and expertise with federations. Collaborative philanthropy is already growing nationally;Bridgespanestimates that these vehicles deploy at least $4 billion–$7 billion annually and notes that donors value both pooled expertise and clearer strategic alignment. A reality check here is essential. Not all federations are the same. Smaller communities most assuredly cannot institute all these operational features, depending in part on larger federations to provide for these expanded resources and services. A new operating model cannot sit beneath an old social hierarchy. Boards will need to be more skilled and more representative. A possible model would reserve seats across five constituencies: community and institutional representatives; donors and philanthropic partners; independent subject-matter expertise and participants; emerging leaders; and people directly affected by federation-funded work. Other governing reforms would include such items as term limits and published conflict-of-interest disclosures. In addition, there might be community advisory assemblies with real agenda-setting power and next-generation councils managing actual grant budgets. A diversified economic model Federations shouldn’t measure their operational health primarily by annual campaign totals but focus on multiple resilient revenue engines, among them: unrestricted annual and recurring giving, issue-based pooled funds, major and principal gifts, special/crisis campaigns, endowment and planned giving, foundation and government grants, membership or subscription revenue for shared services and corporate partnerships. Additionally, foundations should be approached as co-designers and risk-capital partners. Federation can offer them what many cannot easily build on their own: local intelligence, a portfolio view, convening power and a mechanism for scaling successful projects. In return, foundations can underwrite experimentation, evaluation, and multiyear capacity — not merely individual programs. The synergy here is essential for both partners. The new federation scorecard should balance money, participation, institutional health and communal outcomes: DimensionIllustrative MeasuresBelongingPeople reporting meaningful Jewish connection; new and repeat participantsBreadthNumber and diversity of donors, volunteers, organizers and decision-makersCapitalUnrestricted, collaborative, directed, endowment and planned-giving growthRetentionFirst-year, recurring, midlevel, major-donor and volunteer retentionCommunity outcomesPriority-specific changes in need, access, learning, safety or participationNetwork healthAgency financial resilience, leadership pipeline and collaborationResponsivenessTime from identified need to collective decision and deploymentTrustDonor, grantee, participant and partner confidence in federationLeverageOutside funding and public resources attracted through federation coordination The deepest test may be this: If the federation disappeared tomorrow, would the community lose only a fundraising vehicle — or would it lose its capacity to see itself, care for its members, make collective decisions, mobilize in a crisis, develop leaders and act as one people? The reinvented federation should make the second answer unmistakable. Its legitimacy will come less from claiming to be the central address and more from becoming the network that helps every part of Jewish life accomplish things none could accomplish alone. In the 21st century, this framework for organizing will become an essential element in reshaping and strengthening Jewish life. Steven Windmueller is emeritus professor of Jewish communal studies at the Jack H. Skirball Campus of HUC-JIR in Los Angeles.

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After 30 years, Latet’s founder warns persistent poverty is an ‘existential threat’ for Israel

Justin Hayet — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 11:54:07 +0000

Gilles Darmon arrived in Israel from France in 1995 with almost nothing but chutzpah. A year later he founded Latet, recruiting the poverty-fighting nonprofit’s first volunteer on the street. With an immigrants eye for those on the margins of society, Darmon set out to take on poverty in Israel. He built the organization slowly, from the ground up, into a nonprofit behemoth, on a premise few shared at the time: that Israeli civil society could shoulder its own most urgent problems, funded only, or mostly, on Israeli resources rather than leaning on government subsidies or Diaspora donors. Thirty years later, Latet runs an operation worth roughly NIS 250 million ($84 million) a year, supports about 100,000 families through its food bank and delivers physical and social support to some 2,000 Holocaust survivors living in need. Roughly 85% of what it raises comes from within Israel, and today every shekel of its activity goes to programs at home. Its Alternative Poverty Report has become a fixture in the national policy debate, a yearly measure of the country’s progress in combating systemic poverty —or lack thereof. Thirty-one years after he first made aliyah, and 30 years after he founded Latet, Darmon spoke with eJewishPhilanthropy for a wide-ranging conversation about why he frames poverty as an existential threat to Israel, the limits of what philanthropy can do and why he believes the country is finally wealthy enough to solve its own problems. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. JH: Describe for people who dont know Latet, in a few words, what the organization does and what makes it unique. GD: Our biggest and most important operation is the food bank. We are the first Israeli food bank. We support approximately 100,000 families across the country through more than 135 different distribution centers. We do this based on universal values: we are here to assist the Israeli mosaic. Most of the food we distribute through this channel is rescued food through operations set up in close cooperation with the food industry. We have almost exclusive partnerships with the largest food manufacturers in Israel. The second channel, which we launched 20 years ago, we call Aid for Life. It is dedicated to Holocaust survivors and elderly people living in Israel. The idea is to provide them with 360-degree assistance — whatever they need, we provide, and we bring it to their home. We have volunteers who, throughout the month, provide everything they need. Twice a month, there is a food box, but there is also renovation work — in the bathroom, the kitchen, the toilet, the corridors — to keep decent living conditions. Latet founder and President Gilles Darmon speaks at an event marking the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks, on Oct. 16, 2025. (Latet/Facebook) JH: How has Latets role evolved over its 30 years? GD: Our impact has grown from zero to it’s current level within 30 years. We have significant impact through more than 135 distribution points and beyond that a youth movement active in more than 50 municipalities. When we started to publish the Alternative Poverty Report, the idea was to give a first voice to poor people. Today, year after year, it has become a tool for analyzing the situation of poverty in Israel — one that is influential and widely used. JH: How has the ecosystem in which poverty exists changed over the past 30 years? GD: Significantly. According to Israel’s National Insurance Institute, food insecurity increased significantly between 2000, 2010 and 2020. Since we started to measure, the number of families in food insecurity has grown; we now talk about 867,000 families. The environment became more challenging. Poverty and food insecurity became a problem. It is unsustainable for Israeli society — it is an existential threat. You cannot keep a strong economy with such a level of poverty. You cannot keep a strong army with such a gap of social inequality between such large groups of the population. You cannot keep a good level of education when you have more than one million children in food insecurity. There is a social, existential threat that must be addressed now. [With] Latet alone, I never had the resources to solve the issue. As an emergency organization, we do not pretend that tomorrow we will solve food insecurity. We provide a minimum, limited, emergency answer thanks to the involvement of Israeli citizens, and the idea is to leverage that public support. This awareness is so important to us. Last year, we had 450,000 donors making a philanthropic contribution. If Latet were a political party, we would be the biggest party in Israel. Our idea was never simply to raise money from the state and a few big donors. The idea was to build public opinion around poverty and food insecurity in Israel — to explain to Israeli citizens that they can do something themselves, and then to turn to national players, to the government, to the public debate, and say: we have a problem, we cannot stay at such a level of poverty, something must be done. JH: Is Israel now wealthy enough and mature enough to solve its own social problems? GD: Israeli society has the capacity and the responsibility to address its own biggest issues. The whole organization is built around this idea — that Israel is mature enough to handle these issues, and that we have a responsibility to do so. In the last few years, we have seen more organizations duplicate the Latet model. For me, that is a success — it means other organizations understand that the solution is here and that we can do it ourselves. It is a question of maturity, responsibility and wealth. We are in a country with a GDP of around $60,000 per capita, and we need to leverage it. We are no longer in the situation of the 1950s. Now we have enough resources to manage — enough resources on the side of Israeli philanthropy, including the high-tech industry, which has grown over the last 20 years because of the kind of economy Israel built. High tech has to find its place in philanthropy and I believe we are only at the beginning. It is not enough for me. The government budget will reach more than NIS 600 billion ($200 billion). To fund the war effort, we found a way to finance almost NIS 350 billion ($118 billion) without endangering the Israeli economy — Tel Aviv did not collapse. If you look at the latest economic figures, inflation is decreasing, and the state deficit is lower than we thought. The Israeli government has the resources to significantly address poverty and food insecurity. It is only a matter of political decision. It is doable to bring poverty back to an average level. It all comes back to my point: Israel has to take responsibility. The state, the government and the leadership must address it seriously. The problem is that leadership is mostly trained around security issues. Look at everyone who wants to be prime minister in the next elections — they are all security specialists. No one is a specialist in social issues. We are in a paradox: there are 2.8 million people in poverty who have no political home, because no one speaks to them. It is a blind spot. Everyone works to keep social issues out of the election debate. We need leadership on social issues because the government is the only player with the real resources to make a real change. JH: Roughly 85% of Latets overall resources originate in Israel. What, if any, is the role of Diaspora philanthropy in partnering with Latet? GD: Philanthropy can only be a catalyst. We go to the Diaspora and to philanthropy and say: We did everything we could by ourselves, but given the emergency that followed Oct. 7, we also need your help. Not to replace us, but to complete us. It is a totally different game, a totally different conversation. If Israel matters to you, we need you — but we need you after we have done everything ourselves. Diaspora philanthropy has to help us to mature, and help Israeli society to mature — not only in terms of donations, but in professionalism and impact. We need everyones help to be more efficient. All the donors should ask Latet painful questions. They should ask for transparency, for details of the operation, for reporting — everything that shows we care about the donation and about the rules of assisting people with limited philanthropic resources. At the end of the day, there is an obligation to maximize impact, and that has to be an obsession for every manager of the organization: how can I do more with the same level of donation and volunteering? That is the mantra for all managers if we want to remain legitimate in asking for support. Professionalism and efficiency matter enormously to us. Our overhead rate is 5.6%, which is really difficult to reach. That covers the salaries and the systems we built to achieve a complicated mission. JH: What do you say to individuals or philanthropists, inside or outside Israel, who say the work youre doing should not be done by a nonprofit — it should be done by a functioning government? GD: They are right. Latet cannot solve an issue that is much bigger than what we do across the entire field of food insecurity. The government has to do something big. If my goal were only to finish my food drive and distribute the food I collect, I would be missing the point. This whole operation is built to push the government to turn toward this field. When we started, the governments investment in food security — what we call the second social-security safety net — was essentially nothing. The argument was: There is no need to distribute food, because we already distribute those benefits. We told them: look at the numbers — it is not working. There is a need for a social-security network that includes food distribution. Again, this should be the governments responsibility. If I stayed quiet and did not ask the government to do anything, we would be in danger. When we publish the Alternative Poverty Report, we say everywhere that the government has to act. As a result, we do not have many friends in the government, and it does not matter whether the government is left or right. We keep shouting and explaining that the government has to act. We do see a little movement, very far from what is required. JH: What budget do you need to dramatically decrease that 2.8 million number of Israelis living in poverty? GD: Governmental committees have tried to define the map to decrease it significantly. The conclusion was that an investment of NIS 7 billion ($2.3 billion) a year over five to 10 years could bring the level of poverty in Israel close to the OECD average. The cost of the war is around NIS 350 billion of additional money that was found. We [the Israeli government] always find money for an emergency situation. JH: Throughout the interview, youre framing poverty and food insecurity as an existential threat to Israel. Given the physical and terror-related existential threats, why do you see this on the same playing field? GD: We are in a situation where we have to maximize the resources to defend our country. How do you expect people to go to the army and defend their country if they live in a situation where they feel that they have been abandoned by the country, because they live a totally different reality from the Israel you see in Tel Aviv? So first, this is about social justice and social perception. We need cohesion. Cohesion is the cement that holds Israeli society together. If you do not pay attention to social inequality, it will blow up the equation of Israeli society, and with no cohesion, there is no army. Remember, the army is the army of the people of Israel — if there are no people, there is no army. It is both an issue of social cohesion and social trust, and of producing wealth for the country. All three matter, and all three are tied to the security of Israel. JH: Do you ever reflect on the chutzpah of your being a new immigrant to Israel trying to tackle such an enormous societal challenge? GD: I can see how far we have come, but above all, how much remains to be done to advance social justice in Israel. What still drives me personally is the sense that our work is never finished: the determination to pursue an ideal, some can say utopia, through action.

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Prizmah CEO marks 10 years of boosting America’s Jewish day school system

Jay Deitcher — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 11:29:44 +0000

Ten years ago, when Paul Bernstein began as the founding CEO of Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools, the philanthropic dollars funneled into Jewish day schools amounted to a trickle. The majority of funding came from a single donor, The Avi Chai Foundation, which was sunsetting its grantmaking in 2019. With many day schools still reeling from the 2008 financial crisis and struggling with enrollment, many Jewish leaders questioned if non-Orthodox day schools had a future. “It was quite a low period for philanthropy in the Jewish day school world, particularly nationally,” Bernstein told eJewishPhilanthropy. Before Prizmah, there were five national organizations supporting day schools, separated mostly by denomination: the Progressive Association of Reform Day Schools; the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education; RAVSAK (an acronym of the Hebrew words for Jewish Community Day School Network); Yeshiva University School Partnership; and the Schechter Day School Network. Knowing Avi Chai was shuttering, the Jim Joseph Foundation made it clear to leaders in the day school movement that it was interested in offering support, but it wasn’t willing to fund a fragmented market. And so Prizmah was born, merging the five organizations into a single centralized support agency, with many employees from the prior agencies remaining with Prizmah to this day. “We had a lot to prove,” said Bernstein, 59, who is a product of the U.K. Jewish day school movement. “Jewish day schools are much more of a norm in other countries, so seeing the relatively low enrollment, particularly in the non-Orthodox world in the United States, was a real [lesson] for me at the beginning of this.” In the 10 years since Prizmah launched, day school enrollment has surged, with both the COVID-19 pandemic and Oct. 7 massacres leading many parents to move their children from public schools to private Jewish ones. Today, 101,000 students are enrolled in non-Haredi day schools, a 7.5% increase over five years ago. Success has triggered more investment from funders, and day schools are now a major focus of the Jewish Funders Network, as well as Jewish Federations of North America. Working together as one agency, Prizmah — “prism” in Hebrew — allows investors to pool their investments so philanthropists “get more bang for [their] buck,” Bernstein said. In an interview marking the 10th anniversary, he discussed Prizmah’s most productive interventions, bridging denominational differences and how success can create new challenges. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Jay Deitcher: Why did Prizmah work? Paul Bernstein: A number of factors. One was because, [after] seeing the unity of five organizations becoming one and starting this new organization, there were a number of people who chose to get behind it — the Jim Joseph Foundation being the prime example. They spoke about unity. They wanted it. It happened. They immediately came in and joined Avi Chai in the funding. So we had initial backers to get us off the ground. The second was that the Avi Chai Foundation, during its sunset, was so deeply committed to the field and to the success of this. The third piece was that we proved that across denominations, schools and school leaders have a lot more that unites them than divides them. Very early on, we organized a gathering around enrollment and admissions to schools [and] brought together representatives of a whole group of schools from different parts of the country in New Jersey. [Attendees discussed], what are our dilemmas that we are facing as we grow? The first school to stand up was a smaller Midwest community school. Their dilemma was, “What does it mean for the culture of our school that we are enrolling more non-Jewish students?,” which is a feature in small communities. To survive, you often enroll non-Jewish students. And while they were telling this story, sitting right next to me was a pretty yeshivish school from Miami. I remember thinking, “What are they going to be thinking about this? Like, what do you mean, non-Jews in the school?” It felt to me like it would be quite an alienating experience for them. When [the yeshivish school] stood up to present their dilemma, they said, What does it mean for the hashkafa [philosophy] of the school when were enrolling more and more families from Latin America?” Fundamentally, [both schools] were talking about, what does it mean when the demographics of your school is shifting? And they managed to figure out a way to learn from each other, despite those pretty fundamental differences. JD: What new challenges has Prizmah’s success created, especially the surge in day school enrollment? PB: The first challenge is, how do you make sure that [the increase in enrollment] isnt just a short-term upswing? Some people believe its part of the surge post-Oct. 7, so the first challenge is, how do you turn momentum into something that is continuing? The second thing would be where there is growth, how do you make sure youve got the capacity for the growth? One of the reasons why weve had this consistent growth is because theres greater recognition of the quality that Jewish day schools are providing. You want to invest more in excellence, which means you need really strong school leadership, and you need enough quality teachers to enable the existing schools to thrive and to be able to meet the new capacity. The last challenge I would mention is that the growth is not distributed everywhere, so how do you address the schools and the communities that are not growing, and really help them join that trend? JD: Talk about the transition Avi Chai facilitated. How did it sunset while helping the field move forward? PB: In their 25 years of operating, they invested a lot in leadership. We still have some of the leadership programs they created. Im not sure they, at the time, understood as well as we now see it, looking with hindsight, that they professionalized the field and really improved what was there. The fundamentals were strong. The second thing they did was the decision to create Prizmah. They invested in our early years, so they [provided a] significant portion of our budget in the early years. They actively helped bring on other funders. They met with us and said, “We have a certain amount of money left, lets work together on how to invest that money to make sure it positions Prizmah well to be ready and attract new funders to be able to take over.” JD: In the past decade, youve seen major philanthropic initiatives supporting Jewish education. What were the most groundbreaking? PB: We managed to really deepen and strengthen the leadership investment in school leaders. If you have the right leadership for schools, they will then do a better job in supporting teachers. We need to invest in teachers as well. Then, there are new areas that have developed. For example, we very much believe in getting to a place where the day school world is data-driven, and we believe in Prizmah being data-driven. Weve really built the data and research capabilities within the organization and for the field, so schools can now both gather data with our help, but also then benchmark themselves against other schools in the financial sphere. [Another is] investing more in enrollment initiatives. For example, weve had this partnership with PJ Library now for all of Prizmahs life, which is about bringing PJ families into day schools and increasing enrolment — thats been very successful, and something were now extending that into the early childhood sphere because the retention of Jewish kids from Jewish early childhood into day schools is not as good as it should be. JD: What do you think the new federal tax credit for education will mean for the decade to come. PB: Generally speaking, when you ask people who are not at day schools why [they aren’t], the first thing they say is affordability. The federal tax credit has the potential to transform the affordability equation if we can mobilize the Jewish community very broadly to participate. It is an opportunity to attract money that does not, in any way, take away funds from public schools because thats not the way that the funding is structured. And if were able to raise the kind of significant funds that are possible, then well really move the needle on affordability. JD: What are you looking forward to over the next 10 years? PB: The tax credit is one opportunity. Obviously, the momentum for growth is another opportunity. The recently announced partnership between the government of Israel and JFNA to invest in day school enrolment is a third. I want to be able to look back in another 10 years and say that we seized the moment that we had 10 years into Prizmah with the success of our schools and just accelerated that growth and addressed the key issues in talent and in affordability and so on.

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Your Daily Phil: Excitement, anxiety as Israeli kids head back to school

EJP — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:42:43 +0000

Good Tuesday morning! In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we reflect on the start of the Israeli school year today, and report on Israels Bank Hapoalim $1.7 million donation to a nonprofit therapeutic farm network.We feature an opinion piece by Menachem Z. Rosensaft in response to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s speech at a Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus event on Sunday; and Laurie Goodman and Nanette Goodman share their parents’ approach to philanthropy in a tribute to their mother, Pearl C. Goodman, a Broward County, Fla., philanthropist who died last week at 97. Also in this issue: Michael Milshtein, Batia and Idan Ofer andAmbassador Marcy Grossman. Today’sYour Daily Philwas curated by eJP 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 City Harvestkicked off itsHigh Holidays Food Driveyesterday as it attempts to stock New York City food pantries and kosher community programs with shelf-stable kosher goods. This evening,Temple Emanu-El’sStreicker Centerin Manhattan will host released Russian prisoner and journalistEvan Gershkovichfor a conversation withThe New Yorker’sDavid RemnickaboutGershkovich’s new book,This Cursed Beautiful Land: A Russian-American Story. What You Should Know A QUICK WORD FROM eJPS JUDAH ARI GROSS Millions of Israeli parents breathed a collective sigh of reliefthis morning: School is back in session. But alongside the excitement and prideas some 2.6 million Israeli kids made their way to roughly 28,000 schools today — including some 180,000 kids starting first grade (one of them being this proud reporter’s son) —there are also grave concerns about the state of the country’s education system in general and particularly its ability to handle the growing emotional and social needs of Israeli children following nearly three years of continuous war and stress. Read the rest of ‘What You Should Know’ here. News MAJOR GIFTS An Israeli nonprofit sent a cold email to a bank’s general inbox. It responded with $1.7 million. It started with a cold email to a general inbox for Israel’s largest bank — a shot in the philanthropic dark. But it worked. Some six months after Nir Amitay clicked “send” on his email requesting support for his network of therapeutic farms in southern Israel, Bank Hapoalim announced that it was donating NIS 5 million ($1.67 million) to his Rimon Farms, which specifically caters to survivors of the Oct. 7 attacks struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder,eJewishPhilanthropy’s Justin Hayet reports. Philanthropic worlds colliding:The donation typifies a growing overlap between Israeli philanthropy — both corporate and individual — and organized American Jewish philanthropy is “a trend to notice and [also] an opportunity to expand philanthropy in Israel and professionalize it,” said Galia Feit, the executive director of the Institute for Law and Philanthropy at Tel Aviv University. Read the full report here. Share Opinion OUT OF BOUNDS Memo to Dana Nessel: Jewish safety and Jewish survival are sacrosanct In an opinion piece foreJewishPhilanthropy, Menachem Z. RosensaftcondemnsMichigan Attorney General Dana Nesselsstatementthat the Jewish community has “a moral imperative to place the needs of the world above even our own self-interest and, yes, even our own survival.” “This is not about partisan politics. Nor is it about endorsing or voting for [Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, Abdul] El-Sayed. … I write because, at a time of surging antisemitism, including antisemitic violence, there can be no excuse for anyone suggesting even obliquely that any threats to Jewish safety or to Jewish survival should ever be condoned or, in Nessel’s case, actually justified.” Read the fullpiecehere. Share IN MEMORIAM Giving as a family value: A tribute to our mom, Pearl C. Goodman In an opinion piece foreJewishPhilanthropy, Laurie and Nanette Goodman, the daughters of philanthropists Dr. Stanley and Pearl C. Goodman (the latter of whom died last week at 97),reflecton their parents’ approach to supporting their Broward County, Fla., community — a legacy that lives on, they write. “Their philosophy of philanthropic giving — give locally, give to causes you care about and be involved — has been passed from our parents to their children and eight grandchildren, who are now in their 30s and 40s. Their six great-grandchildren are still too young to have had many conversations with Pearl and Stanley about philanthropy, but we have begun family conversations with our children about their own giving and the values behind it.” Read the fullpiece here. Share Worthy Reads Crisis of Purpose:InUSA Today, Yeshiva University President Rabbi Ari Bermanarguesthat higher educations deepest crisis is one of lost purpose and casts Education Secretary Linda McMahons call to action as a chance for each institution to redefine why it exists. “Americans have not stopped believing in higher education. They are asking universities to once again believe in themselves.” Breaking the Paradigm:InYnet, Middle East scholar Michael Milshteinarguesthat former Yesh Atid MK Yoav Segalovitzs alliance with Mansour Abbas breaks with past Jewish-Arab pairings and is a rare and unique partnership where neither side is forced to shed its identity. “It is a display of leadership that could challenge the dominance of suspicion and hatred that has taken root since Oct. 7. It offers the possibility of a partnership that does not require either side to surrender its identity or demand that the other change. Instead, it emphasizes common ground and presents a clear-eyed model of tolerant coexistence.” Major Gifts Michael Bloomberg hasgifted$155 million toBostons Museum of Scienceto fund a new public science venue named for his late parents,WilliamandCharlotteBloomberg… Long Island philanthropist Dr.Harvey Maneshasdonated$8 million through hisManes American Peace Prize Foundationto renovate theMid-Island Y Jewish Community Centerin Plainview, N.Y., which is being renamed theManes JCC… Israeli philanthropists Batia and Idan Ofer are increasing the number of Harvard Kennedy School leadership scholarships their foundation provides, funding five to eight recipients at up to $82,000 each, despite the couples resignation from the schools board after Oct. 7… Transitions Former Canadian Ambassador to the United Arab EmiratesMarcy Grossmanwas named director of theAmerican Jewish Committee’s Abu Dhabi office… The Harold Grinspoon Foundationhas hiredJulie Earneas director of its life and legacy program… Edith Lubetskihasretiredas head librarian ofYeshiva UniversitysHedi SteinbergLibraryafter 62 years and will be succeeded byRina Krautwirth… Hebrew Union Collegehas named historianAyelet Brinnto the Milton and Hattie Kutz Chair in American Jewish History at itsLouchheim School, which houses the University of Southern Californias undergraduate Jewish studies department… Adina Goldsteinwas appointeddirector of educational programs atGratz College… Gal Primakbeganhis new position as head of community and partnerships at theIsraelStrategic Futures Institute… Sarah D. Feinbergenteredthe role of chief financial officer atBend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice… Brittany Stevenswasnamedthe next chiefadvancement officerof theJewish Federation of Greater Dallas… Ashley DonohueisjoiningLeading Edgeas its new vice president of marketing and communications… The ForwardappointedJulie Moosas its next editor- in- chief chief content officer andhiredStacey Bosworthas its new vice president of development… Word on the Street EHillel IThe Jerusalem Press Club, an organization that provides international journalists based in Israel with workspace, briefings and direct access to Israeli newsmakers, isshutting downeffective today after 13 years… French-Israeli businessmanPatrick Drahi’sAlticehasreceivedapproval from Israel’s Ministry of Communications to sell Israeli cellular providerHOT MOBILEto a consortium led byDelek RetailandKeystonefor 1.8 NIS billion ($600 million) PresidentDonald Trumpis expected to host leaders of several major Hasidic communities at theWhite Houseon Thursday for Rosh Hashanah greetings, drawing objections from some allies over the anti-Zionist Satmar sects inclusionreportsJewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel… TheBender JCC of Greater Washingtonin Rockville, Md., hasbecomethe first U.S. fitness center to installRightHear, an Israeli-founded audio wayfinding system that gives blind and low-vision visitors spoken navigation guidance throughout the building… Israel haslauncheda NIS 5 million ($1.67 million) government program to recruitAI experts and entrepreneursfrom abroad… Birthright Israel Foundationpresident and CEOElias Saratovskywasinterviewedon MS NOWs “Morning Joe,” saying that the organization has brought 60,000 participants to Israel since Oct 7… TheDetroit Jewish Newsspotlightsfour University of Michigan alumni who have launched Bam Dot Crack, a mobile app for four-person American mahjong that aims to keep far-flung players connected between in-person games… The campaign of Michigan Senate Democratic nomineeAbdul El-Sayedis workingto hire aJewish community liaison, theJewish Telegraphic Agencyreports, as he seeks to make inroads with the state’s Jewish community following his apology for equivocating on a violent terrorist attack targeting a Michigan synagogue in March… Ada Yonath, who became the first Israeli woman to win aNobel Prizewhen she received the prize in chemistry in 2009 for her work on the structure of the ribosome,diedat 87… Pic of the Day Courtesy/IsraAid IsraAid staff pack red buckets with hygiene supplies — towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste and toilet paper — for families displaced by the flooding in Nepal last week. Immediately following the flood, the Israeli humanitarian aid group sent disaster-relief specialists and former local staff to distribute hygiene kits and provide mental health support after a glacier collapse triggered deadly flash flooding north of Kathmandu. Mai Leshem, IsraAid’s head of mission in Nepal, said in a statement, “[We] arrived in Nepal just two days after the flooding and landslides and immediately got to work meeting local partners and delivering urgent relief. We are doing everything we can to aid and amplify their efforts and make sure that the support we bring reaches those who need it most.” Birthdays Laura Ashbrook Photography Esther Safran Foer, former director of Sixth I historic synagogue, she is the matriarch of a literary family (her sons are Franklin, Jonathan and Joshua), turns80 Alan Dershowitz, retired Harvard Law School professor and constitutional scholar, turns88 Leonard Slatkin, conductor, author and composer, turns82 Shalom Hanoch, Israeli rock singer, lyricist and composer, he is often referred to as “The King of Israeli Rock,” turns80 Linda Feldmanturns77 Nadia Ficara, director of donor travel programs at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, turns70 Susan Berry Miller, national president of NAAMAT USA, turns69 Joe Straus, former member and speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, the first Jewish House speaker in Texas, turns67 Dee Dee Myers, White House press secretary during the first two years of the Clinton administration, turns65 Rabbi Asher Lopatin, director of community relations at the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor and rabbi of Kehillat Etz Chayim synagogue, turns62 Malca Resnick, former clinical sciences group lead in the global product development group at Pfizer, turns62 Charlotte Fonrobert, associate professor of religious studies at Stanford specializing in Talmudic literature, turns61 Elana Broitman, former SVP of public affairs at the Jewish Federations of North America, now principal at the Roosevelt Group, turns60 Craig Caplan, Capitol Hill producer for C-SPAN, turns59 Harris Vederman, VP of programs at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, turns56 Rachel Zoe Rosenzweig, fashion designer, businesswoman and writer, she uses only her first and middle names professionally, turns55 Jesse Kellerman, novelist and playwright, his parents, Faye Kellerman and Jonathan Kellerman, are both best-selling authors, turns48 Samuel Salkin, turns40 Shauna Ruda, Denver-based therapist, turns39 Lauren Kiel, head of Bloomberg Medias global community innovation team, turns37 Itay Milner, spokesperson and consul for media affairs at the Israeli Consulate in New York

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An Israeli nonprofit sent a cold email to a bank’s general inbox. It responded with $1.7 million.

Justin Hayet — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 12:04:46 +0000

It started with a cold email to a general inbox for Israel’s largest bank — a shot in the philanthropic dark. But it worked. Some six months after Nir Amitay clicked “send” on his email requesting support for his network of therapeutic farms in southern Israel, Bank Hapoalim announced that it was donating NIS 5 million ($1.67 million) to his Rimon Farms, which specifically caters to survivors of the Oct. 7 attacks struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. Amitay frames the banks donation as emblematic of the resilient character of Israeli society. “The companies helping us and government and philanthropy together — it strengthens that resilience,” he told eJewishPhilanthropy last month. “I dont take it for granted.” Like many similar initiatives throughout the country, Rimon Farms pairs farming —working in agricultural fields, herding sheep —with more traditional therapies to treat PTSD and related mental health conditions. The donation follows a banner year for Hapoalim, which booked a record NIS 9.8 billion ($3.3 billion) profit in 2025 even as the war in Gaza ground on, and is on pace to exceed that amount this year. The bank’s philanthropic commitment flows through its Poalim LeTkuma Fund (a play on the bank’s name that also means “working for recovery”), a NIS 100 million ($33 million) initiative aimed at helping communities recover from the war launched just days after the attacks of Oct. 7. The fund is built around three pillars: education, economic recovery and emotional and community resilience. This specific funding for Rimon Farms will establish two farms in the Western Negev kibbutzim of Holit and Nahal Oz, communities among the hardest hit on Oct. 7, according to Sharona Tarshish, the banks head of community relations. Amitay founded Rimon Farms in 2020 and now runs seven therapeutic sites across the Negev. The organization grew out of his own experiences with trauma and loss. A resident of Kibbutz Lahav in the Negev who served in elite IDF units for 17 years, Amitay returned to service after the Oct. 7 terror attacks. But he traces the project’s founding to the New Year’s Day 2016 Simta Bar terror attack in Tel Aviv, when a terrorist opened fire at the restaurant. Amitay was at the bar when the gunman started shooting. His friends Shimon Ruimi and Alon Bakal were killed in the attack, which also injured five people. The Rimon Farms model rests on four elements: group psychotherapy, agricultural work, acupuncture to calm the nervous system, and communal life meant to restore meaning and belonging. The work is deliberately hands-on, with participants baking bread, pressing olive oil and making wine, so their labor produces something tangible. Returning participants to the workforce is a central goal. Since the war began, the farms have served more than 10,000 veterans and residents of the South. Amitay stressed his appreciation for Diaspora Jewry’s support for his organization. Rimon Farms is supported by several American philanthropic groups, chief among them UJA-Federation of New York. The federation has contributed more than $1.25 million to the organization since Oct. 7, 2023, helping it establish and expand its therapeutic farms for communities in the Gaza border region in light of the major mental health needs in the wake of the attacks. “For too long we took the partnership with the Americans for granted,” Amitay said. “After Oct. 7, we realized we couldnt have done it without you, and we realized we have to respect it — we need to see you as a partner.” “We need support, and its not only about money, Amitay said. “I dont see the money, I see the hug. We see the soul of our Jewish brothers and sisters. It helps us overcome what happened, because the situation is still fragile.” For Bank Hapoalim, the Rimon Farms grant is one piece of its broader Poalim LeTkuma portfolio that also backs pre-military preparatory academies, rehabilitation programs for wounded soldiers and reservists, a business-recovery hub in Israel’s North and a therapeutic surf center at Zikim Beach. On several of these, the bank has partnered with Jewish philanthropies abroad, including the Schusterman Family Philanthropies, UJA-Federation of New York, Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. The increasing overlap between Israeli philanthropy — both corporate and individual — and organized American Jewish philanthropy is “a trend to notice and [also] an opportunity to expand philanthropy in Israel and professionalize it,” said Galia Feit, the executive director of the Institute for Law and Philanthropy at Tel Aviv University. In a statement to eJP, Bank Hapoalim said it “views partnership as a force multiplier for social impact and has worked alongside leading Jewish philanthropic organizations in Israel and around the world.” Feit said the expansion of these partnerships is driven by a specific need. Its because of the [Oct. 7] atrocities — the need for emergency support and then rehabilitation — and thats also what draws corporate donors in Israel, because these are uncontested causes, she said, pointing to rehabilitation and PTSD intervention. “There is a growing need for rehabilitation. We are not seeing the end of it yet. We are just at the beginning.”

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Excitement, anxiety as Israeli kids head back to school

Judah Ari Gross — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 12:04:31 +0000

Millions of Israeli parents breathed a collective sigh of relief this morning: School is back in session. While in the United States, different states, counties and districts start their school year on different dates, in Israel (and most of the rest of the world), all children return to school on Sept. 1 —the one exception being Haredi boys, who generally start at the beginning of the Hebrew month of Elul, which this year began on Aug. 14. But alongside the excitement and pride as some 2.6 million Israeli kids made their way to roughly 28,000 schools today — including some 180,000 kids starting first grade (one of them being this proud reporter’s son) —there are also grave concerns about the state of the country’s education system in general and particularly its ability to handle the growing emotional and social needs of Israeli children following nearly three years of continuous war and stress. Israel’s Education Ministry declared that, in schools across the country, the first week of the year would focus on “strengthening belonging, resilience and interpersonal skills.” “The start of the year on this path rests on the understanding that effective study cannot take place separate from the student’s emotional and social world,” the ministry said in a statement. “Throughout the year, these principles will be integrated into educational and pedagogical work, through a connection between resilience and belonging and study, achievement and ability.” As part of a broader understanding about the risks to students posed by social media and screen usage, many schools across the country, including all middle schools, have banned cellphones on their premises. As has been reported in these pages, a recent study by the social policy-focused Taub Center think tank found that hundreds of thousands of Israeli children with at least one parent who performed reserve duty are struggling with greater emotional and behavioral issues than their peers, and they are less prepared for elementary school. These greater challenges come as Israel’s education system faces a shortage of teachers, both overall and particularly in math and science. This is most acute in the country’s geographic center, where there is a need for at least 200 more teachers. In a Kan radio interview this morning, Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch acknowledged the shortages and the fact that, as a result, some teachers are being forced to teach more than one class-load of students at a time, but said that such cases are rare. “These are some of the pressures that we are dealing with. Can I say I love it? The answer is no,” he said. Carmel Blank, a senior researcher at the Taub Center and at Netanya’s Ruppin Academic Center, told eJewishPhilanthropy in June that a major investment was needed to improve the country’s early childhood education system, which is responsible for roughly a fifth of all Israeli children. “If we don’t change the system and don’t invest billions of shekels within the system, we will not get the change that the system needs,” Blank said, noting that the State of Israel is willing to allocate significant funds for national security. “But this safety also means helping… children thrive and develop.” This year, Israeli schools will also focus on financial literacy and integrating artificial intelligence, as well as more generally boosting science and math education. This comes as recent test scores have shown a marked decline in Israeli students’ performance in these areas —the sharpest drop among developed nations —and amid new reports that have found that Israeli teachers tasked with teaching science lack training in the field. “Sometimes there aren’t appropriate teachers. This has existed in the [school] system for years, and didn’t emerge yesterday. We are doing the most that we can for training teachers,” Kisch said. In his radio interview, the education minister acknowledged Israel’s dropping international test scores, but blamed it on the country’s security situation, which disrupted schools.

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Memo to Dana Nessel: Jewish safety and Jewish survival are sacrosanct

Contributing Author — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 05:35:00 +0000

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is Jewish, was being honored at a gathering of the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus on Sunday when she reportedly urged Jewish voters, according to Jewish Insider, to put aside concerns about their safety “in exchange for the opportunity to save the rest of humanity.” “We have a moral imperative to place the needs of the world above even our own self-interest and, yes, even our own survival,” she also reportedly said. Say what? Nessel’s remarks were made in the context of the controversy over the vocally anti-Israel Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, whom many Jewish Democrats oppose — and whom Nessel has not endorsed, at least not yet. I am less concerned about the specific case of El-Sayed, who appears to be making efforts to repair his fractured relationship with Michigan’s Jewish community, than I am with the essence of Nessel’s remarks. It’s bad enough that American Jews are forced to navigate a gauntlet between ever-increasing anti-Israelism on the far left (read: Democratic Socialists of America) and equally pernicious antisemitic figures on the far right (Tucker Carson, Candice Owens, Nick Fuentes, et al.) But even harsh critics of the Netanyahu government, such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Occasio-Cortez (D-NY) are committed to protecting Jews against antisemitism. “It should not be hardto shut down hatred and antisemitism where we see it,” AOC declared following a pro-Palestinian rally on Oct. 8, 2023. “The bigotry and callousness expressed in Times Square on Sundaywere unacceptable and harmful in this devastating moment, she added. It also did not speak for the thousands of New Yorkers who are capable of rejecting both Hamas’ horrifying attacks against innocent civilians as well as the grave injustices and violence Palestinians face under occupation.” And Mamdani has been equally outspoken in condemning antisemitic manifestations in New York City. Earlier this year, after a rabbi had been physically attacked in Queens, I commended him for publicly emphasizing that “antisemitism is not a thing of the past — it is a present danger that demands action from all of us. There is no place for antisemitism in our city. I stand in solidarity with Jewish New Yorkers and my administration is committed to rooting out this hatred.” And now, a Jewish Democratic politician — a state attorney general, no less — is telling her Jewish constituents that they should be prepared to sacrifice their safety and their survival for some sort of “common good”? In her speech, again according to the Jewish Insider report, Nessel suggested emulating the biblical Queen Esther to “sacrifice the comfort, safety and security and even the very future of our own people in exchange for the opportunity to save the rest of humanity.” Except, of course, it would appear that Nessel did not pay attention in her religious school classes at West Bloomfield’s Temple Kol Ami, since Esther did no such thing. What Esther did was risk the displeasure of her husband King Ahasuerus (the Persian king Xerxes I) and possibly her own life in order to ensure the survival of her people — that is, the Jewish People. Nessel’s analogy is, to be kind, entirely off base. So is her curious attempt to link support for Israel with environmental causes. “What good is defending the historic homeland of our ancestors and demanding that candidates acknowledge its right to exist,” she asked, “if the planet upon which it rests is no longer inhabitable?” This is a non-sequitur to end all non sequiturs, and it makes no sense in the present-day political climate. Is Nessel suggesting that we should ever turn a blind eye to any threats to Jewish safety? Tell that to a parent whose child has antisemitic curses hurled at them on their way home from school. And how would doing so in any way constitute “a moral imperative to place the needs of the world above even our own self-interest and, yes, even our own survival”? Again, her argument, in addition to being offensive, makes no sense. Let’s be clear: Jewish safety is not and can never be negotiable or sacrificed for any reason. Jewish survival even less so. Moreover, this is not and should not be a Jewish issue. No group’s safety and no people’s survival should ever be turned into a pragmatic political bargaining chip. Can you imagine the outrage if anyone suggested that Black survival, or Muslim survival, or any other group’s survival, should be put at risk? Nessel’s remarks constitute a new low in contemporary political discourse. Simply put, it is ludicrous for anyone, let alone a state attorney general, to state categorically that anything, including “the needs of the world,” should ever be placed above Jewish survival. Nessel represents the very state from which Henry Ford notoriously spread his antisemitic venom in the 1920s through his Dearborn Independent. Before she opens her mouth again, it would behoove her to watch Gaylen Ross’ superb documentary, “Sapiro v. Ford: The Jew Who Sued Henry Ford,” which chronicles how this particular brand of antisemitism endangered American Jews and targeted Jewish survival. In the 1930s, America Firsters such as Michigan native Charles Lindbergh and Detroit-area priest Father Charles Coughlin wanted Jews to keep silent about the persecution of Jews in Germany because they felt that Stalin was a greater threat than Hitler. We know how that turned out. I write as a Democrat who has never voted for a Republican in a national or statewide election. This is not about partisan politics. Nor is it about endorsing or voting for El-Sayed. That is between Nessel and her conscience, and between her and Michigan voters. I write because, at a time of surging antisemitism, including antisemitic violence, there can be no excuse for anyone suggesting even obliquely that any threats to Jewish safety or to Jewish survival should ever be condoned or, in Nessel’s case, actually justified. It is incumbent on every last one of us, regardless of our respective political affiliations and views, to publicly and unequivocally repudiate Nessel’s reprehensible remarks. Menachem Z. Rosensaft is visiting professor of the practice at Cornell Law School and lecturer-in-law at Columbia Law School. He is the author, most recently, of Burning Psalms: Confronting Adonai after Auschwitz.

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Giving as a family value: A tribute to our mom, Pearl C. Goodman

Contributing Author — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 21:25:00 +0000

Pearl C. Goodman, our mother and a devoted philanthropist, passed away last week at the age of 97. She and our father, Dr. Stanley Goodman, were married for 73 years, and throughout their lives they shared a deep commitment to strengthening the causes and institutions that mattered to them. Philanthropy was more than a responsibility to them — it was a source of meaning, connection and joy, and a value they passed on to their children and grandchildren. Mom was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., to immigrant parents, but Fort Lauderdale was our parents’ home for 65 years. It was the community they jointly chose when our father began his medical practice, and it was where they raised their three children: the two of us, and our brother Arnold, z”l. Our parents believed that being part of a community carried with it a responsibility to help it grow. Their philosophy was simple: Give locally, give to causes you care about and be involved. They did not see philanthropy simply as writing checks. They gave their time, their attention, their connections and their resources to institutions that mattered to them and to the community they called home. When considering where to settle, our parents would visit the synagogue first — they wanted to be sure they would be comfortable with Jewish life in the community — and their first Jewish philanthropy focused on their synagogue as well. Originally called Temple Emanuel, now Temple Kol Ami Emanuel, it was the synagogue where we celebrated our bat mitzvahs and weddings, and it remained an important part of our familys life for decades. Our parents were generous not only financially but also with their time and leadership, serving on the temple board over the years. Mom beamed when she talked about the growing number of children in the religious school. She felt deeply that the strength of a Jewish community depended on passing Jewish life and values to the next generation. The Goodman Chapel, dedicated last year in honor of our parents lifelong philanthropic contributions, is a lasting reminder of their commitment to Jewish life in Fort Lauderdale. Goodman Jewish Family Services of Broward County was, in many ways, their philanthropic baby. They were involved with JFS long before “Goodman” became part of its name. At one point, the organization was struggling financially, and our parents came to its rescue with a substantial gift. But their commitment went far beyond that gift: they followed the organizations work and took enormous pride in the people it served. They cared about helping families with housing and financial assistance; providing food through The Cupboard, a kosher food pantry; supporting Holocaust survivors and veterans; assisting victims of domestic abuse; and providing mental health and disability services. Whenever Mom spoke with the organizations leadership, she would thank them for the work they were doing to help people in the community. She wanted to hear about the people being helped. The impact mattered more to her than the recognition. Our parents also believed in the power of art and its ability to enrich a community. Over more than 30 years, they built a renowned collection of Latin American art, eventually acquiring nearly 90 works. They were drawn to the art because of its beauty, but also because so much of it told stories about history, politics, culture and social change. Living in South Florida, with its deep connections to Latin America, made the collecting particularly meaningful to them. Building the collection was a shared endeavor. They studied the careers of artists, attended auctions, researched individual works, and carefully considered when and what to acquire. Their collection included important works by artists such as Fernando Botero, Leonora Carrington, Frida Kahlo, Wifredo Lam, José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, Alice Rahon, Rufino Tamayo and Joaquín Torres-García. But perhaps the most important decision they made about the collection was what to do with it. Rather than keeping it within the family, they donated the entire collection, along with a study center, to the NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale so that the people of South Florida could enjoy these wonderful works of art. They spent decades building something they loved, but they believed its greatest value was in sharing it with the community. Their philosophy of philanthropic giving — give locally, give to causes you care about and be involved — has been passed from our parents to their children and eight grandchildren, who are now in their 30s and 40s. Their six great-grandchildren are still too young to have had many conversations with Pearl and Stanley about philanthropy, but we have begun family conversations with our children about their own giving and the values behind it. In time, we hope to have those conversations with the next generation as well. We hope that the joy of giving that was so important to Pearl and Stanley will continue to be part of the lives of their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and all the generations that follow. Laurie Goodman is an institute fellow and the founder of the Housing Finance Policy Center at the Urban Institute. She is a mother of four and a grandmother of four. Nanette Goodman recently retired as research director at the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University. She is a mother of two and a grandmother of one.

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Your Daily Phil: Diaspora Jews can’t vote in Israel, but they sure are taking sides

EJP — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 14:22:39 +0000

Good Monday morning! In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on a new Jewish People Policy Institute poll about American Jewrys preferences in the upcoming Israeli election. We speak with Israeli businessman Gilad Ramot about his new initiative Belong, which seeks to bring classically liberal American Jews to Israel. We also report on the gift Rahm Emanuel and his brothers, Ezekiel and Ari, made to support training Palestinian doctors in an Israeli hospital. We feature an opinion piece by Daphna Raskas that focuses on the challenge of ensuring that foundations and funds abide by their donors’ wishes, and a piece by Daniella Seltzer that offers insights into the world of food aid in Israel from her experiences with Jerusalem Food Rescuers. Also in this issue: Rabbi Joshua Rabin, Julie Menin and Eli Sharabi. Today’sYour Daily Philwas curated by eJP 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 TheRepublican Jewish Coalition’s leadership summit continues in Las Vegas through Tuesday with speakers slated to include CNN’sScott Jennings;Leo Terrell, the chair of the Justice Department’s Task Force to Combat Antisemitism; Sen.Dave McCormick(R-PA); acting Secretary of LaborKeithSonderling; Israeli Ambassador to the U.S.Yechiel Leiter; as well as former Israeli AmbassadorsRon DermerandGilad Erdan. AdamahsJewish Green Business Networkwill host a fireside conversation withGreenBizfounderJoel Makower, a pioneer of the sustainable business movement, this evening in San Francisco. TheIsraeli school yearkicks off tomorrow morning (save for Haredi boys, who began school earlier this month,at the start of the Hebrew month of Elul). What You Should Know A QUICK WORD FROM eJPS JUDAH ARI GROSS As the Israeli election draws near,a new study finds that American Jews who are actively engaged with the Jewish community strongly prefer Israel’s opposition parties over its current government, by nearly 4-to-1, as a sizable minority abstains from voicing an opinion. While Diaspora Jews cannot vote in Israeli elections(nor can Israeli citizens living abroad unless they fly back on Election Day, Oct. 27), the past three years have demonstrated how much the results affect them, with the rise in global antisemitism closely connected to events in Israel. Thenew poll, conducted by Jerusalem’s Jewish People Policy Institute,found that a large majority, 78%, of so-called “connected” American Jews —defined as those having “relatively strong ties to the Jewish community, Israel, and/or Jewish identity” — say that they are very or somewhat closely monitoring the election campaigns. This holds true across political affiliations, with negligible differences between liberals, centrists and conservatives. Those who have spent more time in Israel reported monitoring the election more closely. Read the rest of What You Should Know ? News QA The businessman urging U.S. Jews to make ‘aliyah,’ hoping it will set Israel on a better path For Israeli businessman and former IDF Brig. Gen. Gilad Ramot, what he sees as Israel’s drift toward illiberalism is tied to its demographics, with conservative and reactionary communities growing far more quickly than the classically liberal ones that he supports. To counter this trajectory, Ramot wants more Liberal American Jews — Ramot insists on a capital-L to signify liberal in the classical sense, not as a catchall for left-wing — to immigrate to Israel. To bring that about, he founded Belong, a Tel Aviv-based for-profit company that helps people makealiyah, catering specifically to the classically liberal population he wants to import,he toldeJewishPhilanthropysJustin Hayetin a recent interview. JH:Why should major American funders care about this initiative and your warnings? GR:Israel belongs to all the Jews in the world, not only those living here now. If you care about keeping Israel a democratic country, this is one of the things you can do. Read the full interview ? Share MAJOR GIFTS Emanuel brothers donate $550,000 to program training Palestinian doctors at Israeli hospital Presumed 2028 Democratic presidential candidate Rahm Emanuel and his brothers, Ezekiel and Ari, are donating $550,000 to fund the training of pediatric doctors and nurses from An-Najah University Hospital in the West Bank city of Nablus at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center through the medical nonprofit Rozana, the organization announced on Monday,reportseJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross. A good fit:Rahm Emanuel visited Rozana’s training program forAn-Najah hospital professionals atTel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center during a visit to Israel last month, calling it “one of the most inspiring examples of coexistence I saw in Israel.”Kenneth Bob, chair of Rozana USA’s board of directors, told eJP that the donation was made as a result of that visit. “He was so impressed by what he saw,” Bob said on Monday. “It fit into his worldview, and he saw an opportunity to honor his parents.” Read the full report ? Share Opinion TRANSMISSION FAILURE Philanthropys $328 billion blind spot In an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy, Treasured Letters founder Daphna Raskas observes that “longevity of structure does not guarantee durability of purpose,” zeroing in on one of the challenges that face a giving vehicle designed to outlast its founder, and how to address it. “A fund can keep granting for years after the founder is gone, functioning exactly as intended but having lost any real connection to the convictions that led to its creation. How this gap shows up depends on where you sit.” Read the full piece here. Share READER RESPONDS Israel doesnt just need more food aid. It needs food aid infrastructure. In an opinion piece foreJewishPhilanthropy, Daniella Seltzer, co-founder and co-CEO of Jerusalem Food Rescuers,respondsto eJP’s recent coverage of a landmark study on food aid in Israel (“New paper mapping Israel’s food-aid network finds glaring waste, inefficiency,”Aug. 14), delving into what it would take for all of the actors involved in food aid in Israel to work effectively as a network. “[I]f we fund the food and not the infrastructure around it, we should not be surprised when several organizations arrive in one neighborhood while another community is missed, or when perfectly good food ends up being thrown away. We need to fund the boring parts, too: shared data, mapping, logistics, refrigeration, transportation, coordination staff, referral systems and emergency protocols. And we should stop expecting every organization to build all of those things for itself.” Read the full piece here. Share Worthy Reads Uneasy Allies:InUSA Today, Astoria Center of Israel’s Rabbi Joshua Rabinarguesthat his working relationships with DSA-endorsed elected officials — who helped secure police protection for his synagogue after Marchs attack on a Michigan temple — show that fighting antisemitism effectively depends on building ties across political divides rather than severing them. “At our synagogue, we live this tension every day. But shutting down communication with everyone who disagrees with us about Israel is neither practical nor productive, neither within our congregation nor with our elected officials.” Wealth on the Job:InThe Chronicle of Philanthropy, senior editor Rasheeda Childressexaminesa United Way of Greater Newark pilot program that gave 100 nonprofit workers $1,500 each for investing, with plans to expand to 6,000 participants this fall, as a way to supplement nonprofit salaries. “‘It’s time to start having those courageous conversations with funders,’ Wilson says. ‘There are a lot of national funders that want to build economic opportunity and see economic mobility in communities across the country.’”ture aspirations, they said, ‘I dont give because you asked. I give because I trust.’ Those six words crystallized everything I had come to believe about philanthropy.” Major Gifts TheLas Vegas RaidersownersMark Davis,Egon DurbanandMichael Meldmanpledged$25 million toIntermountain Healthtoward construction of Nevadas first free-standing childrens hospital… Olivia Rodrigos inauguralDaisy Chain Fields festival, an all-women music event in Irvine, Calif., raised $10 million for womens charities, whichMelinda French Gatesmatched… TheJewish Federation of Clevelandraised$1.8 million from 1,298 donors yesterday during its six-hour Super Sunday event… Transitions TheMaimonides FundnamedChanan Weissman,currentlythe director of the fund’sSapir Institute, as its new director of emerging technologies and also namedYael Warachto a new position: assistant director of leadership and gatherings. The organization also hiredRabbi Jonathan Hackas its new program officer for its newly established policy initiatives department andAlina Bitelas its new program officer focusing on Jewish life and learning… Eyal Davidbeganhis new role as Israel’s deputy consul general in New York… Philissa CramerandGrace Gilsonhave left theJewish Telegraphic Agencyand arejoiningHaaretzas its new senior Jewish life correspondent and its young generation correspondent, respectively, as part of an American expansion by the Israeli newspaper TribeTalk, the Boston nonprofit that helps Jewish individuals and allies counter antisemitism, namedZoe Calahorra-Woodas its director of development andAbbyKaufmanas program and development officer. Ethan Kernkrautisleavinghis role atOneTable… Judah Rosenbaumis leaving his role atTorah Academy of Bergen County(N.J.) tobeginhis new role as chief financial and operating officer atHillel Yeshivain Asbury Park, N.J.… Word on the Street Franklin Grahams evangelical Christian aid groupSamaritans Purseis turning down$300 million inState Departmentfunding, saying it relies on faith, not governmental support… Vogueannouncedthis morning that theMetropolitan Museum of ArtandJohnGallianohave canceled a planned Spring 2027 Costume Institute exhibition honoring the designers work, with Galliano recognizing the pain his past antisemitic and anti-Asian remarks caused; the move followsmounting criticismof the museum’s decision to honor him… Friends of Irgun Nechei Zahal, the Israel Defense Forces disabled veterans organization, is rebranding asWarriors of Israel… Some 120 Israeli expats, represented by attorneyGilead Sher, arechallengingtheir removal from Israels voter registry and are pursuing legal action to restore their eligibility ahead of the Oct. 27 election… Former hostageEli Sharabiwas selectedto co-host Israels unofficial Oct. 7 memorial ceremony at Tel AvivsYarkon Park, alongside actress and comedianShani Cohen… The Chronicle of Philanthropyreportsthat a year after theChan Zuckerberg Initiativestopped funding social advocacy, its former grantees are still trying to recover from layoffs, program cuts and a scramble for new donors… PresidentDonald Trumpsignaledsupport for a proposal —pushed by theNational Association of Christian Lawmakers— to create an expedited legal pathway for Jewish Canadians to relocate to the U.S. amid what the group calls a disproportionate surge in antisemitism… The U.K.’sBoard of Deputiesand theJewish Leadership Councilwarnedthat the British governments anticipated ban on trade with West Bank settlements could strain U.K.-Israel relations and carry harmful consequences for British Jews… Michigan Democratic Senate nomineeAbdul El-Sayedsought forgiveness from members of the Michigan Jewish Democratic Caucus for his hedging reaction to the March synagogue attack inWest Bloomfield, though attendees remained torn over whether his contrition was genuine,Matthew Kassel reports ineJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publicationJewish Insider…hed a Jewish man in Surfside, Fla., cursed the victim and his wife and threatened to kill them… Pic of the Day Chaim Goldberg/Flash90 Israeli protesters outside the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem hold large photographs today of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alexander Lobanov and Almog Sarusi, the so-called “beautiful six” — the six Israeli hostages who were killed in Hamas captivity on this date two years ago — and a banner reading, “We won’t forget. They could have returned alive.” Participants demanded a state commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 terror attacks. Birthdays Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO Yossef Joseph Cedar, Israeli American film director and screenwriter, turns58 Howard Crim Itzhak Perlman, world-renowned violinist and conductor, turns81 Joseph Rafalowicz, attorney and a member of the boards of UJA-Federation of New York and JCRC-NY Lowell Ganz, screenwriter for theater, television and film, turns78 Steve Soboroff, former Los Angeles police commissioner, turns78 David Blumenthal, healthcare policy expert, his brother is Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), turns78 Hugh Politzer, 2004 Nobel laureate in physics and professor at the California Institute of Technology, turns77 Iris Krasnow, professor emerita of journalism and womens studies at American University and author of seven books on marriage and relationships, turns72 Rabbi Jonathan I. Rosenblatt, former rabbi of the Riverdale Jewish Center in New York, turns70 Ahmed Zayat (a/k/a Ephraim David Zayat), owner of thoroughbred racehorses including the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, turns64 Mark L. Walberg, television host of “Antiques Roadshow” and “Temptation Island,” turns64 Shaney Fink, gold medalist in volleyball at the Maccabiah Games in 1997, she is currently the VP for athletics at Seattle University, turns54 Lyudmila Milman, physician assistant now serving as a senior clinical director at NYCs Mount Sinai Medical Center Sam Little, English golfer, he won five tournaments on the PGA European Challenge Tour, turns51 Sivan Beskin, Israeli poet, translator and literary editor, turns50 Jessica Raimundo, communications director at the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Nick Horowitz, group director at Real Chemistry Bennett E. Resnik, SVP for critical infrastructure at Venn Strategies Thomas Kaplan, standards editor atThe New York Times Asaf Zamir, deputy mayor of Tel Aviv, turns46 Deryn Sousa, AIPAC’s national spokesperson Laura Adkins, director of content and editorial strategy at the Anti-Defamation League Josh Feigenbaum, head of marketing at Zipher Yael Shelbia Cohen, Israeli fashion model, she was the 2020 winner of TC Candler’s Most Beautiful Face of the Year, turns25

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Emanuel brothers donate $550,000 to program training Palestinian doctors at Israeli hospital

Judah Ari Gross — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:46:59 +0000

Presumed 2028 Democratic presidential candidate Rahm Emanuel and his brothers, Ezekiel and Ari, are donating $550,000 to fund the training of pediatric doctors and nurses from An-Najah University Hospital in the West Bank city of Nablus at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center through the medical nonprofit Rozana, the organization announced on Monday. The gift, which was first reported by Politico, was made in honor of the Emanuels’ parents, Dr. Benjamin and Marsha Emanuel. The donation was made to the international organization’s American arm, Rozana USA. During a visit to Israel last month, before the donation was announced, Rahm Emanuel visited Rozana’s training program for An-Najah hospital professionals at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, calling it “one of the most inspiring examples of coexistence I saw in Israel.” Kenneth Bob, chair of Rozana USA’s board of directors, told eJewishPhilanthropy that the donation was made as a result of that visit. “He was so impressed by what he saw,” Bob said on Monday. “It fit into his worldview, and he saw an opportunity to honor his parents.” According to Bob, the donation represents the largest private donation that the organization has ever received. The donation comes as some international medical organizations have warned of growing strains on the Palestinian healthcare system in the West Bank. Founded in 2013, Rozana has branches in Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the United Kingdom and the United States dedicated to promoting access to quality healthcare. In Israel and the territories, the organization focuses on so-called “health diplomacy,” connecting Israelis and Palestinians through medical care. “This contribution will ultimately provide much-needed, improved care for Palestinian children while leveraging the field of healthcare to build constructive, trusting relations between Israeli and Palestinian medical professionals, bridging the divide,” the Emanuel brothers said, according to Rozana. The funds will help provide “clinical training, fellowships and leadership development program” for 11 pediatric doctors and 36 pediatric nurses through Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, also known as Ichilov Hospital, and it will enable the establishment of An-Najah’s new West Bank pediatric hospital, Rozana USA said. The training program will be run through Ichilov’s Dana-Dwek Childrens Hospital. “Training our doctors and nurses in specialized pediatric care will be a key part of making this new hospital successful. We are especially pleased that the program will include training for respiratory technicians, as this is a new area of specialized training that is not currently available in [the West Bank],” Dr. Iyad Maqbool, CEO of An-Najah National University Hospital, said in a statement.

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The businessman urging U.S. Jews to make ‘aliyah,’ hoping it will set Israel on a better path

Judah Ari Gross — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:40:10 +0000

Gilad Ramot describes himself as an Israeli businessman — a concerned one. In a country he loves, one trend alarms him above all: what he sees as Israels drift toward illiberalism. Ramot belongs to a growing cadre of elite Israelis unsettled by that trajectory, with many launching their own initiatives to address it. Some are working toward change at the ballot box, including mobilizing Israelis abroad to fly home and vote in the Oct. 27 election. Ramot, a brigadier general in the reserves, sees the issue as a question of demographics: Haredi families are growing far faster than secular ones, which he sees as creating an Israeli public that is increasingly tolerant of illiberal leaders. To combat this, he wants more Liberal American Jews — Ramot insists on a capital-L to signify liberal in the classical sense, not as a catchall for left-wing — to immigrate to Israel. He therefore founded Belong, a Tel Aviv-based for-profit company that helps people make aliyah, catering specifically to the classically liberal population he wants to import. Ramot, whose company helps people navigate travel, study, work and investment in Israel as they prepare to move permanently, says his pitch sets him apart from existing organizations in the field. Nefesh BNefesh, which facilitates all immigration to Israel from the United States, he argues, primarily serves religious-minded clients who are more likely to immigrate anyway, without external encouragement. Belong, on the other hand, courts the more secular, Liberal Diaspora Jews — the audience that he says is the hardest to convince and the one he believes Israels democratic future depends on. He built Belong as a for-profit company, investing nearly NIS 10 million ($3.35 million) since it launched in 2024. Today, Belong has a staff of 10 full-time employees. In a recent interview with eJP, he touched on why he chose a for-profit model over a traditional nonprofit, how his approach differs from established aliyah organizations, the demographic imperative driving his mission, and his push to engage American Jews to safeguard Israels democratic future. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Justin Hayet: What led a businessman like you to put so much of your time, resources and energy into Belong? Gilad Ramot: About 15 years ago, I looked at Israels demographics and realized we’re moving in the wrong direction. The groups that have more children than us are winning, and the only real potential lies outside the country. If they dont come, we lose, and well be left with a country that, for me, wont be a place I want to live. So I had to do something to make them want to move here. At the same time, I anticipated that antisemitism will grow. I watch whats happening on Twitter, Facebook, social media, and I knew that Jews in Western countries would feel less and less comfortable where they live. I love this place [Israel]. Its my only home. Ive lived all over the world. For me, Israel is the greatest country in the world. We have a very good product, and when you have a good product, all you need to do is market it aggressively. Gilad Ramot. (Courtesy) JH: Many people in the philanthropic world would ask what makes your initiative different from Nefesh BNefesh. Why is Belong different, and why should American funders, especially the Liberal ones, care? GR: Nefesh BNefesh is essentially a government initiative, and they help people whove already decided to make aliyah. They help them with the logistics. Im focused on the harder audience — American Jewish Liberals — who are much more difficult to convince, but they’re our goal. JH: You established Belong as a private company instead of a nonprofit. Why? GR: I also had to decide whether to run this as a private company or a nonprofit, and I chose a private company. I dont really know the nonprofit world — its too restricted and supervised by the government. There are too many rules, and Ive been in business all my life; thats what I know. I dont like being beholden to donations because when the donations run out, youre stuck. Belong runs on profit. If someones buying an apartment, I connect them with a contractor, and the contractor gives us a commission; thats how we sustain ourselves. So Im not looking for donors. Im looking for people who believe in the product and the ideology, and for investors who want to put money into the company and into that ideology. They can see it as a donation, but my goal is not to rely on donations. JH: But can you actually outpace the demographic trends in Israel? Haredi birthrates are exponential, whereas immigration is generally more of a flat line. GR: Thats exactly why I said, when I started, that it would take years. But well convince them we have a great product here. I know antisemitism will keep growing in the U.S., and I believe many of them will eventually see that Israel is home. At first, itll be more for defensive reasons, but it will grow. What youre saying is true — but we dont have a choice. Were not going to have more children than they do, and given that, aliyah is our only option, and well have to work hard and spend a lot of money to make them come. JH: This sounds similar to the AID Coalition’s Fly Vote initiative, which is mobilizing all Israelis living abroad, regardless of political affiliation, to fly in to vote in the upcoming election. But the numbers seem to work against initiatives like that. If 70,000 people fly in to vote, and even if you convince 25,000 to move, can the math add up to real change? GR: The two sides are very close — very close. So even 75,000 matters, and the potential is bigger than that. The name of the game is, ultimately, how many voters you get to the polls on Election Day. Is there more potential? Yes, but we have to fight to bring anyone who wants change. We dont have another choice. I think its a very important thing to do. JH: Why should major American funders care about this initiative and your warnings? GR: Israel belongs to all the Jews in the world, not only those living here now. If you care about keeping Israel a democratic country, this is one of the things you can do. If a million Liberal Jews came to vote, you would find yourselves with a different government and a different policy, and this would change how countries around the world treat us. So American Jews have a big interest in seeing a different government come out of this election because the current direction is not going to a good place. And its getting worse. JH: Are you seeking other funders to join you, or do you want to continue self-funding this? GR: We are starting to look because the more you campaign and market, the more people come. I cant do this alone for long, or at the scale I want. We need to make a real change. So yes, were looking for partners, and were starting now to do so. JH: Israeli or American philanthropists? Who are you approaching? GR: They have to know and agree with our ideology because you have to be aligned with your partners. They can be Israeli or American — its open — as long as theyre good people. Thats good enough for me. JH: Do you really think a campaign can push someone to move to the other side of the world? GR: A good campaign is the only way I know to sell this. If I didnt believe we have a good country, it would be very hard, but I believe in this product. Maybe you have to be here to see it for yourself, but I do believe it — and the only thing that works is a long, aggressive campaign. Thats how you sell a good product: if people dont know what theyre buying, they wont come. I believe in the founding purpose of Israel. Israel was built to be a home to all the Jews in the world. Thats the only reason the country exists. So, I see Jews in the Diaspora as having the same rights here that I have. They may choose to live elsewhere now, but this is their country, and thats another thing you have to campaign on: to convince them and make them proud that even if they live abroad now, Israel is theirs too. It takes time to put that into peoples minds, which is why we need a long-term, aggressive campaign. Were not really selling a product — were selling an idea, an ideology. We dont have oil or gas or minerals; the only thing we have is our minds. If we bring more of that mind here, well be a superpower — a superpower of knowledge. And that knowledge should go toward doing good in the world: new medicines, cyber technologies, building a better world, rather than weapons. More minds here will do good for the whole world eventually. Thats my aim for the long run. Itll take time, but we dont have a choice.

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U.S. Jews track Israeli election, with most hoping for government’s ouster, poll finds

Judah Ari Gross — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:33:38 +0000

As the Israeli election draws near, a new study finds that American Jews who are actively engaged with the Jewish community strongly prefer Israel’s opposition parties over its current government, by nearly 4-to-1, as a sizable minority abstains from voicing an opinion. While Diaspora Jews cannot vote in Israeli elections (nor can Israeli citizens living abroad unless they fly back on Election Day, Oct. 27), the past three years have demonstrated how much the results affect them, with the rise in global antisemitism closely connected to events in Israel. The new poll, conducted by Jerusalem’s Jewish People Policy Institute, found that a large majority, 78%, of so-called “connected” American Jews —defined as those having “relatively strong ties to the Jewish community, Israel, and/or Jewish identity” — say that they are very or somewhat closely monitoring the election campaigns. This holds true across political affiliations, with negligible differences between liberals, centrists and conservatives. Those who have spent more time in Israel reported monitoring the election more closely. For years, surveys, anecdotal evidence and analysts have indicated that ties between American Jews and Israel have grown increasingly strained, even as American Jews overwhelmingly indicate feeling connected to Israel. Though this drift long precedes the Oct. 7 terror attacks and resulting wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, the past three years appear to have exacerbated these trends, as the policies and politics of Israel’s right-wing and mostly Orthodox coalition have alienated the generally more liberal American Jews, and as Israelis have bristled at American Jewish criticism for what they consider to be existential conflicts. To many Israelis and Jews in the Diaspora, the upcoming election represents a critical moment for Israel-Diaspora ties. The majority of “connected” American Jews —54% — said that they wanted Israels current opposition parties to win the upcoming election, compared with 14% who favor the governing coalition. Roughly a quarter — 24% —said that it was “not my place” to express a preference, and 8% said they had no preference. Among Israeli expats and others with Israeli citizenship, there is greater support for the current coalition, though it remains a minority position at 26%, while 53% said that they support opposition parties, the survey found.

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Philanthropy’s $328 billion blind spot

Contributing Author — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Rosh Hashanah cards are arriving daily from every organization you have ever given to, Kol Nidre appeals are filling inboxes and families are sitting down to settle the years maaser, the tithe of their income. Its the season for reckoning — for asking not only what you owe and to whom, but what you should give and to whom. More of that giving now moves through donor-advised funds, which grew 27.9% in fiscal 2024 to $328 billion, according to the Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative. DAFs granted $64.6 billion to charities that year, and Jewish federations, foundations and family funds hold a growing share of that capital. It sits and earns returns, eventually to be granted out according to someones sense of what matters. But that someone isnt always the person who created the fund. The infrastructure for holding that capital is more sophisticated than ever before. The infrastructure for explaining why it exists has not kept pace. Whenever a DAF or family foundation is structured to outlast its founder, by choice or because it defaults to its named successors, one risk follows: longevity of structure is not durability of purpose. A fund can keep granting for years after the founder is gone, functioning exactly as intended but having lost any real connection to the convictions that led to its creation. How this gap shows up depends on where you sit. For institutional foundations and federations, it shows up in the boardroom: a founding generations priorities get translated into a strategic plan, the plan gets refreshed on a schedule and staff execute against it. New trustees inherit the current funding priorities, but not the deliberations that produced them. They often cant say what problem the founders were responding to, or what would have to change for the mission to be fulfilled. One practical fix: build a founders letter of intent into trustee orientation as required reading, discussed in the room. Then set aside part of one board meeting a year to ask out loud whether the institution is still doing what it was built to do. For family office and multigenerational foundation boards, the gap shows up at the handoff between generations. A founders children or grandchildren inherit both the seat at the table and the obligation to keep granting, without ever being told what the fund was for. They can easily learn the payout requirements. What they rarely get is any account of why — what needs their parents or grandparents set out to address, what beliefs drove their giving, what theyd want preserved if priorities had to shift. A letter of intent helps here as much as it does at an institution, but families have something a foundation board doesnt: years together before the handoff. The remedy is to bring incoming trustees into real grantmaking conversations well before they hold authority, so that they learn not only why grants are approved but also why prospective ones are declined. The next generation then absorbs the judgment along with the responsibility, not just the mechanism. For individuals and couples with their own DAFs, there is often no governance at all — no board, no staff, no co-trustee who might have heard what never got written down. If the account holder’s intentions are never said aloud to a spouse, an adult child or an advisor, the funds eventual disposition gets decided later by people guessing. The fix is to write a short personal letter of intent alongside the DAFs paperwork, and talk it through with whoever might one day inherit advisory privileges over the account, rather than assuming the giving pattern will speak for itself. Jewish practice does not treat the transmission of purpose as automatic. The Shema instructs that belief — and the reasons behind it — be taught diligently to your children, spoken when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you rise (Deuteronomy 6:7). Not modeled silently, but said. Put into words a child can hear, and repeated. The assumption embedded in the verse is blunt: Conviction that stays private tends to end with the person who held it. Most philanthropic structures assume the opposite: that founders intentions are self-evident or will be absorbed by osmosis by whoever inherits the fund. The mechanics — the grant cycle, the payout schedule, the list of usual recipients — are preserved, but what doesnt reliably transmit is the reasoning behind any of it. This is the same kind of gap the Shema guards against at the individual level. For donors at any of these levels, the payoff isnt only risk mitigation. Donors who articulate the why behind their giving often find that the giving — and the organizations they give to — come to mean more to them. Conversations with the next generation deepen, and continuity holds across the handoff in a way that structure alone cant guarantee. None of this shows up in a DAFs balance, a foundations payout rate or any of the numbers a board reviews each quarter. But it can be the difference between a fund thats merely well-capitalized and one thats still, in any meaningful sense, doing what it was built to do, long after the founder is gone. Daphna Raskas is the founder of Treasured Letters, where she helps people articulate the values they hope to pass on alongside their financial and philanthropic planning. She holds a Ph.D. in management from Columbia Business School and has spent 25 years leading and advising nonprofit organizations.

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Israel doesn’t just need more food aid. It needs food aid infrastructure.

Contributing Author — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 06:54:00 +0000

In the weeks after Oct. 7, 2023, Jerusalem Food Rescuers received more than 2,300 requests for food. We could not meet them all, so we approached the Jerusalem Municipality and asked for a list of the organizations providing food assistance across the city. If we could not help a family ourselves, perhaps we could set up a call center and connect them with another organization operating nearby. We assumed such a list existed, but the municipal welfare department told us it did not. So, we started building one ourselves. We called organizations and began mapping who was working where, what food they distributed, which communities they worked with, whether they could accept new families, on which days they distributed, and what capacity they had. Very quickly, another picture emerged. In some neighborhoods, several organizations were distributing similar food at similar times. Elsewhere, needs were going unmet. One organization might have vegetables but need dry goods. Another might have more food than it could distribute that week, while an organization a few neighborhoods away was struggling to meet demand. This wasnt because organizations were doing poor work. Many were responding under extraordinary pressure, often with limited staff, volunteers, vehicles, storage and information. They knew their own communities well. What was missing was a way to connect what each of them knew and had. That experience came back to me while reading Judah Ari Grosss recent eJP coverage of new research mapping Israels food-aid network (“New paper mapping Israel’s food-aid network finds glaring waste, inefficiency,” Aug. 14). The findings raise important questions about duplication, geographic disparities, data and coordination. We have seen some of those problems firsthand in Jerusalem. But I am less convinced that the first question should be about how many organizations exist. I think the more urgent question is: What would allow them to actually work as a network? Coordination does not mean centralization Consolidation may be part of the answer in some places, but fewer organizations is not necessarily the goal. Small neighborhood and community organizations often have something that large national organizations cannot easily reproduce: relationships. They know the families. They notice when someone stops showing up. They understand what people actually eat, the languages spoken in a neighborhood, religious and cultural practices, and the informal networks through which communities function. Large national organizations can also do things small organizations cannot. They can move enormous quantities of food, operate warehouses and logistics systems, procure at scale and respond across regions. We need both. The mistake would be replacing fragmentation with centralization. What we need is a network where organizations of different sizes can do what they do well, while sharing information, food and infrastructure. A functioning citywide food network should be able to answer some fairly basic questions: Who is distributing food today? Where? What kind? Who can take additional families? Where are needs increasing? Who has extra produce? Who has refrigeration? Who has a vehicle available? Is food sitting somewhere that another organization could distribute? After Oct. 7, answering even some of these questions required dozens of phone calls. In ordinary times, that would mean waste and delays. In an emergency, it could mean a family waiting for food that never arrives. What began as an emergency spreadsheet eventually forced us to ask a much bigger question: Who is actually responsible for understanding how food moves through Jerusalem? This year, Jerusalem Food Rescuers and the Jerusalem Municipality launched Jerusalems Urban Food Policy Forum, following Mayor Moshe Lions signing of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact. The Forum brings together municipal officials, public-health professionals, researchers, civil-society organizations, food businesses and community representatives. One of its first jobs is simply to understand the system. Where are the needs? What already exists? Where are several organizations doing the same thing? Where is nobody working? What infrastructure could be shared? And what needs to be in place before the next emergency instead of being invented during it? There is a danger here, too. Mapping people is not the same as listening to them. People who rely on food assistance and the neighborhood organizations working alongside them need to have a say in what food is appropriate, where the gaps actually are and what would make the system work better. Then there is a question of government responsibility. Food insecurity touches welfare, health, education, waste, emergency preparedness, transportation and neighborhood development, but responsibility is scattered across departments. It is possible for everyone to be doing their job while nobody is responsible for the whole. Better NGO coordination cannot become an excuse for the government to step away. Food aid responds to an immediate need; it cannot be the policy answer to poverty. As we got to know more food-distribution organizations, we started noticing something else: sometimes they receive too much food, and sometimes they receive food they cannot use. There is nothing negligent about this. Food donations are unpredictable. Organizations don’t always control what arrives or in what quantities, and they may be reluctant to turn away food from businesses they rely on, particularly if they know it might otherwise be thrown out. Fresh produce also moves quickly. The number of people arriving for distribution changes. One organization may suddenly receive a huge quantity of one vegetable. Another may not have refrigeration. A delivery may arrive on a day when there are not enough volunteers to sort it. So, even food that has already been rescued can end up being wasted. We also began hearing about the problem from another part of the municipality. In conversations with staff from Jerusalems Sanitation Division, we heard concern about edible food entering the citys waste stream. The two things were connected: Food that one organization cannot distribute can become municipal waste while another organization a few neighborhoods away is looking for food. That is what led us to begin piloting what we call the Last Stop model. The idea is very simple. Before good food reaches the waste stream, we try one more time to find somewhere in the city that can use it. Last Stop works specifically with food that has already entered the food-aid system. We are not looking for more surplus from businesses. We work with organizations that have already received donated food and, for whatever reason, cannot distribute all of it. Sometimes we can connect two organizations directly and arrange a pickup. When the food needs to be sorted, reorganized or stored temporarily, it comes through our logistics center and then goes back out through the network. What is interesting to me is that this is not really another food-rescue program; it is shared infrastructure. A surplus in one organization and a shortage in another can exist on the same day, in the same city. Someone has to be able to connect them — a spreadsheet cannot do that by itself. You need people who know the organizations. You need vehicles. Refrigeration. Somewhere to sort food. Somewhere to hold it temporarily. And someone whose job it is to make the connections. Build it before the emergency Oct. 7 taught us something else that now seems obvious: You cannot build an emergency food network during an emergency. You can improvise one. We did; so did many others. But that is not the same thing. The relationships, information and protocols need to exist beforehand. A city should already know which organizations can expand quickly, who has kitchens, who has vehicles, who has refrigeration or storage, which communities different organizations can reach and where food can be redirected when one part of the system is overwhelmed. That makes coordination part of emergency preparedness, not just a way to make food aid more efficient. If organizations work together every week, they do not have to introduce themselves to each other when the next crisis begins. There is also an uncomfortable question here for philanthropy. Funders understandably like paying for food. A truck of vegetables, a food package or a meal is tangible. You can count it. You can photograph it. It is much harder to photograph the person who spent the morning figuring out that one organization had three pallets of vegetables it could not use and another organization across town needed them. But if we fund the food and not the infrastructure around it, we should not be surprised when several organizations arrive in one neighborhood while another community is missed, or when perfectly good food ends up being thrown away. We need to fund the boring parts, too: shared data, mapping, logistics, refrigeration, transportation, coordination staff, referral systems and emergency protocols. And we should stop expecting every organization to build all of those things for itself. At the same time, efficiency is not enough. A perfectly coordinated system can still give people food they do not want, undermine community organizations, or leave people with no real choice over what they eat. We should care about whether food is nutritious and appropriate, whether people have choice, whether different communities are being reached fairly, and whether the people using the system have some power in shaping it. The recent research published by Aron Troen, Moran Accos and Orly Tamir in Food Policy and covered in eJP gives us badly needed data about Israels food-aid system. It should push us to ask hard questions about duplication and effectiveness. But I would be careful about jumping from there are many organizations to there are too many organizations. Maybe some should consolidate. Maybe some should stop doing work that another organization can do better. We should be willing to ask that. But we should also ask a different question: Have we ever actually built the infrastructure that would allow these organizations to work together? That is what we are trying to test in Jerusalem. Not one organization running everything, and not another layer of bureaucracy, but a city that knows where food is, where it is needed, who can move it, and who already has the relationships to get it to people. It won’t solve poverty or make food aid unnecessary. But until we get there, we are leaving food, money and capacity on the table while families are still waiting. Daniella Seltzer is the co-founder and co-CEO of Jerusalem Food Rescuers.

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Your Daily Phil: OU names new EVP, announces new CEO role

Rachel Kohn — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 14:58:41 +0000

Good Thursday morning! In today’s edition ofYour Daily Phil, we cover the announcement ofRabbi Shmuel Silberas the new executive vice president of theOrthodox Unionand the creation of a new CEO role at the OU to be held byRabbi Josh Joseph. We also exclusively report on the hiring ofMijal Bittonas dean ofMaimonides Fund’sMaimonides Jewish Leadership Institute. We feature an opinion piece byJonathan Schulmanthat warns against letting fringe voices pass unchallenged as the representative voice of American Jewry, and a piece byRabbi Derek Gorminthat emphasizes that building lasting Jewish identity is a cumulative project, not the outcome of a single transformative experience, however powerful. Also in this issue:Michael S. Levinson,Yaron WaksmanandLisa Ansell. The next edition ofYour Daily Philwill arrive Monday, Aug. 31. Shabbat shalom! Today’sYour Daily Philwas curated by eJP 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 TheMilken InstituteHamptons Dialogueskicks off today and runs through Sunday. Israeli singerIshay RiboandThe Israel Philharmonicwill perform tonight atRadio City Musical Hallin Manhattan. CJHive, theCenter for Jewish Historys group for young Jewish adults in New York City, will host artist Steve Marcus this evening, spotlighting his exhibition Psychedelicatessen, a mash-up of Jewish history, deli culture and 1960s psychedelia. What You Should Know The Orthodox Union has named Rabbi Shmuel Silberas its next executive vice president, completing a leadership transition that began nearly a year ago after the sudden death of Rabbi Moshe Hauer, the OU’s former executive vice president. Rabbi Josh Joseph, who had served jointly with Hauer as OU’s executive vice president as well as separately as chief operating officer, will assume the newly created role of chief executive officer. Hauer, who guided the organization through the dramatic periodspanning the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks,had functioned as both OU’s operational leader and its rabbinic and public voice.The OU’s new leadership structure will have Silber focus on rabbinic and public-advocacy work, while Joseph — who has informally filled much of Hauer’s role since his death — will oversee management strategy and operations across the OU’s programs. Read the rest of ‘What You Should Know’ here. News EXCLUSIVE Maimonides Fund hires Mijal Bitton as dean of its Jewish leadership institute Mijal Bitton. co-founder and spiritual leader of Manhattan’s The Downtown Minyan and Maimonides Fund’s inaugural scholar in residence, is coming on board as dean of the Maimonides Jewish Leadership Institute starting Aug. 31,eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim reports exclusively. Putting the Jewish learning in Jewish leadership:Before MJLI’s pilot cohort has even completed its first year, efforts are already underway to scale the nascent fellowship program, Maimonides Fund President Mark Charendoff told eJP. The program grew out of an educational vision developed by Bitton and Rabbi David Wolpe while they served together as the funds’ scholars in residence. We were so impressed with the original cohort and so impressed with the impact that it was having on them, we didnt want to lose a year, Charendoff said. Read the full report here. Share FOLLOW THE MONEY Brandeis Center urges DOJ to investigate whether Northwestern is acting as foreign agent for Qatar The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law is urging Attorney General Todd Blanche and the Justice Department’s Foreign Agents Registration Act Unit to investigate whether Northwestern University’s longstanding ties to Qatar violate FARA,Haley Cohen reports foreJewishPhilanthropys sister publicationJewish Insider. Doha dollars:In a letter sent to Blanche on Wednesday, the Brandeis Center cited $737 million Northwestern has received from the government-run Qatar Foundation in connection with the university’s Doha campus, arguing the relationship extends beyond ordinary academic activity. “Academic freedom and the civil rights of students, faculty members, and their families should never be beholden to the purse strings of a foreign government, especially one that has so openly sought to spread anti-Semitism and embolden extremism in the United States,” Kenneth Marcus, chairman and CEO of the Brandeis Center, told JI. Read the full report here. Share Opinion SPEAK UP The majority of American Jews can no longer afford to be silent In an opinion piece foreJewishPhilanthropy, Jonathan Schulman, founder of The Jewish Majority,arguesthat Jewish activists presenting “a distorted picture” of American Jewry’s views ultimately provide “political cover for individuals and organizations pursuing objectives that most American Jews reject.” “Famously, Justice Louis Brandeis argued that the remedy for harmful speech is ‘more speech, not enforced silence.’ He was right, the rest of us must stop allowing these tokenized voices to dominate the conversation. … Write an op-ed for your local newspaper. Submit a letter to the editor. Build relationships with the reporters covering your community. Offer to speak with local television and radio stations. When a small faction claims a Jewish consensus that does not exist, say so clearly and openly.” Read the full piece here. Share FOUNDATIONAL INVESTMENT Preparing Jewish teens to stand tall In an opinion piece foreJewishPhilanthropy, Rabbi Derek Gormin, managing director of programming and education for NCSY and JSU,writesabout the importance of giving teens a variety of opportunities throughout the year to discover and build on what being Jewish means to them. “What I have seen again and again is that Jewish identity rarely develops through one transformative moment. It grows through relationships and experiences that build on each other. Each experience creates an opportunity for the next, allowing teens to keep asking questions, exploring and deciding what they want Judaism to mean in their own lives. Slowly, Judaism becomes less abstract. It becomes theirs. That matters in every generation. But it matters especially now.” Read the fullpiece? Share Worthy Reads A Sector’s Predicament:In theStanford Social Innovation Review, Keosha Varelaarguesthat as AI firms offer nonprofits hundreds of millions in free tools, staff and grants, the sector should weigh risks around data, dependency and market influence and push to share in the industrys upside. “The social sector is getting an incredible offer that almost never happens. But the need for careful assessment is real.” Faithfully Failing:InThe Times of Israel, former Ben-Gurion University of the Negev professor Naomi GraetzdrawsonParashat Ki Tavoto argue that even after failure,teshuvahoffers the chance to begin again, weaving in her late husband Rabbi Michael Graetzs optimism through illness and her grandnephews bar mitzvah. “That is the lesson I take from the connection betweenKi Tavo, Eikhah, and the haftarah: it is not enough to know how we should act. We also need to know how to respond when we fail.”ed a relationship over time told me something I have never forgotten. After discussing our communitys needs and future aspirations, they said, ‘I dont give because you asked. I give because I trust.’ Those six words crystallized everything I had come to believe about philanthropy.” Major Gifts Marketing executiveAlison Friedman Brodhaspledged$1 million toTulaneUniversityto endow a media and communications wing bearing her name… An anonymous individualdonated$1.47 million to the Portland, Maine-based nonprofitProject Hometo double its TRUST program, which provides unrestricted cash to low-income single mothers… Transitions Aaron Gaberbegan a new role as assistant director of programming and advocacy at theAmerican Jewish Committee’s New England regional office… Johana WiznitzerjoinedtheAmerican Jewish Committee’s Miami and Broward office as its new assistant director… TheJewish Community Foundation San DiegonamedMichael S. Levinsonas its board chair and appointedSusan Chortek Weisman,Debby Cushman-Parrish,Karen Foster SilbermanandLeo Simpseras directors… Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadershipnamed Chicago entrepreneurStephen Wolffas its new chairman of its board of trustees… Word on the Street Former Israeli hostageEvyatar DavidtoldCNNsBianna Golodrygain his first international interview about the extreme starvation he endured, being forced to dig his own grave for a Hamas propaganda video and the severe PTSD he now battles… The U.S.Treasury DepartmentsanctionedU.K.-basedPalestine Actionas aSpecially Designated Global Terrorist, following Britains July 2025 ban on the group, which has targeted defense sites including facilities tied to IsraelsElbit Systems… InIsrael Hayom, theJewish People Policy Institutes Shuki Friedmanarguesthat the unearthed Altalena wreckage should refocus attention onto the states exclusive right to wield force, warning that unchecked West Bank militias are eroding Israeli statehood and courting civil war… Pittsburgh’sTree of LifeCongregationleadersunveiledplans for a roughly 26,000-square-foot building and memorial honoring the 11 people killed in the 2018 synagogue shooting, with an opening projected for early 2028… TheState Departmentdirectedits diplomatic missions worldwide to press host governments for stronger security around synagogues, and Jewish community events during the upcoming High Holy Days… TheMarkerprofilesYaron Waksman, who builtHaGal Shelinto what he claims is the worlds largest therapeutic surfing organization, serving over 21,000 Israelis in 13 centers across Israel… An Israeli traveler is among 468 tourists and travelers that authorities inNepalsay are stillmissinga day after a deadly flood hit its border region withTibetandChina… An arson attackdestroyeda vacant church that had previously been ClevelandsWilson Avenue Temple, the local Jewish community’s oldest surviving synagogue building… United Airlineswillresumeits three weekly nonstopSan Francisco-Tel Avivflights in 2027… Australia’sNew South WalesJewish Board of DeputiesaskedtheBallina Shire Councilto remove a Nazi swastika that has been visible at a vacant former hotel site for about three weeks… Larry Burton Greenberg, an Atlanta auto-parts businessman, Korean War veteran and longtimeShrine Bandmusician known as Party Larry,diedon Aug. 23 at 95… Pic of the Day Federation of Zionist Youth Federation of Zionist Youth participants gather in Santi Chai Prakan Park in Bangkok as they wrap up an 11-day “Netina” journey through Thailand with Justifi, an organization blending travel and advocacy for young Jewish adults. The trip centered around education, volunteering and learning about efforts to combat human trafficking. Birthdays Screetshot Daphne Koller, Israeli-born CEO of Insitro, she was a professor at Stanford for 18 years and a 2004 winner of a MacArthur genius fellowship, turns58 Ruth Ann Hapner, Chatsworth, Calif., resident Mark Freedman, board chair for North America at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, turns75 Michael Wolff, author, essayist and journalist, turns73 Moshe Shlomo Vladimir Sloutsker, co-founder of the Israeli Jewish Congress, he is a former senator in the Russian Federation, turns70 Martha E. Pollack, president of Cornell University until June 2024, turns68 Kathy Hochul, governor of New York since 2021, turns68 Anna Azari, Israels ambassador to the Czech Republic, turns67 Gary Cohn, vice chairman at IBM and lead independent director on the board of Apollo Global Management, he was previously the president and COO of Goldman Sachs, turns66 Nadav Tamir, executive director of J Street Israel, he served as Israels consul general to New England from 2006 to 2010 Steve Clemons, editor-at-large atThe National Interestand the founding editor ofSemafor, he is also chairman and CEO of Widehall, turns64 Neil A. Wallack, private equity investor and a trustee of the Jewish Federations of North America’s board Avril Haines, director of National Intelligence throughout the four years of the Biden administration, she was the first woman to ever hold the DNI position, turns57

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Maimonides Fund hires Mijal Bitton as dean of its Jewish leadership institute

Nira Dayanim — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 13:27:50 +0000

Before the pilot cohort of the Maimonides Jewish Leadership Institute has even completed its first year, efforts are already underway to expand the nascent fellowship program, a project of Maimonides Fund. For starters, Mijal Bitton — co-founder and a spiritual leader of Manhattan’s The Downtown Minyan and one of the fund’s inaugural scholars in residence — is coming on board as dean of MJLI on Aug. 31, Maimonides Fund has shared exclusively with eJewishPhilanthropy. We were so impressed with the original cohort and so impressed with the impact that it was having on them, we didnt want to lose a year, Maimonides Fund President Mark Charendoff told eJP of the decision to begin expanding so soon. MJLI presently operates exclusively in New York City and Los Angeles, with the goal of expanding to additional communities over the next several years. The organization is also seeking to hire a director, who will be tasked with overseeing that growth, Charendoff said. Im thrilled to be taking on the role of dean of MJLI, developing its curriculum and content and serving as one of its core faculty, Bitton told eJP. The Jewish people are facing tremendous challenges and new opportunities right now, and Im proud to be part of a bold new vision — one where we support leaders across industries with Jewish community, Jewish wisdom,and Jewish learning. Weve already seen MJLIs transformative effect, and Im excited to see even more. MJLI arrives at a moment when the world of Jewish leadership fellowships is in flux. In recent years, Schusterman Family Philanthropies has stepped back from operating programs directly, closing its Schusterman Fellowship in 2024 and shutting down ROI Community this year after two decades. The Wexner Foundation, meanwhile, announced in May that it will spin off its North American leadership programs into an independent nonprofit next year, backed by a $40 million gift from Les and Abigail Wexner, a move the foundations president called long-planned, though it followed renewed alumni scrutiny of Wexners ties to Epstein. MJLI is a yearlong fellowship program that provides Jewish learning, leadership training and community building for professionals in fields ranging from entertainment to law to journalism. What the fellows have in common, according to Charendoff, is that they have reached senior standing in their careers without a strong Jewish background. In the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, there was a wave of interest from professionals who wanted entry points for engaging with the Jewish community, he said. The program grew out of an educational vision developed by Bitton and Rabbi David Wolpe while they served together as the funds’ scholars in residence: “A combination of finding a highly curated group that was kind of an A-Team,” said Charendoff, “and giving them a combination of Jewish-rootedness, Israel-rootedness and an opportunity for activism — that was what we were after. “Nobody hands you a leadership credential at the end,” Jarrod Bernstein, policy director and counsel at Morrison Cohen LLP and an MJLI fellow, said of the program. “You leave with a room full of people who’ve pushed back on you all year and a community you actually feel obligated to.” “At a moment when everyone wants to tell Jews what being Jewish means, MJLI does the opposite — it makes you figure it out for yourself, alongside people who take the question as seriously as you do,” Bernstein said. As dean of the program, Bitton will primarily shape the curriculum and educational vision of the fellowship alongside Wolpe, also a scholar in residence at the fund. The “nuts and bolts” of running the program will be the responsibility of the future director, said Charendoff. In addition to Bitton’s role as spiritual leader of The Downtown Minyan, she served as a visiting researcher at NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service studying Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish life and current affairs. She is also a writer and co-host of the podcast Wondering Jews. Charendoff pointed to that background as what drew the fund to her in the first place, describing her Mizrahi perspective on Jewish life as different, and in a healthy way, from what he called a more mainstream communal approach. “Shell continue teaching and writing and serving as a public figure, which we think is valuable, and we want her to continue doing,” Charendoff said, but her role at MJLI will be “her primary professional identity. Charendoff described MJLI as an exception to a personal rule that foundations shouldnt operate programs themselves, drawing a parallel to Sapir, the journal Maimonides Fund launched only after no existing outlet was willing to build what the organization had in mind. I would have preferred to have given a grant to someone to do this, Charendoff said of MJLI, but there was not an institution out there that I thought was the right fit.” “We’re also flexible enough that when theres a reason to make an exception to the rule, well make an exception to the rule, he said.

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The majority of American Jews can no longer afford to be silent

Contributing Author — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 10:52:00 +0000

The formula is familiar. A relatively small group of Jewish activists organizes a letter, protest or campaign. The participants emphasize their Jewish identity and are presented to politicians, policymakers and the press as evidence of meaningful Jewish support. What these elected officials and influencers rarely receive is the context necessary to understand how unrepresentative these activists are of American Jewish opinion. The result is a distorted picture of what American Jews believe, and political cover for individuals and organizations pursuing objectives that most American Jews reject. We saw this in 2024, when groups like Jewish Voice for Peace, IfNotNow and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice organized a Jewish campaign against increased funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. As threats against Jewish institutions were rising, the campaign urged Congress to reject hundreds of millions of dollars in additional security funding. Meanwhile, organizations spanning the breadth of organized Jewish life, including the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Jewish Federations of North America, the JCC Association of North America, the Union for Reform Judaism, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Orthodox Union, were encouraging increased funding. In contrast, a small group of DSA-aligned organizations invoked their Jewish identity to oppose the security assistance that the organized Jewish community had been demanding for years. We continue to watch this strategy be employed. As Congress considers H.R. 3565, commonly known as the Block the Bombs Act, a new campaign is recruiting rabbis to endorse a restricted weapons embargo on Israel. The campaign’s website says the letter is “unbranded and unaffiliated” and “does not belong to any organization,” and it describes its participants simply as “diverse Jewish clergy from across religious denominations.” Look beneath that description, however, and a familiar network emerges. Among the signers are Alissa Wise, a former Jewish Voice for Peace organizing director; Brant Rosen, a founder of JVP’s Rabbinical Council; and prominent JVP activists Lynn Gottlieb, David Mivasair, Jessica Rosenberg and Abby Stein. Numerous additional signers are members of its Rabbinical Council or contributors to its organizational work. The broader Block the Bombs coalition includes the Democratic Socialists of America, as well as the Council on American-Islamic Relations and American Muslims for Palestine. DSA’s National Political Committee unanimously approved joining the campaign. The value of attaching a list of rabbis to these organizations’ appeal is obvious. DSA, CAIR and AMP have all faced credible allegations of antisemitism. What could shield their preferred legislation from charges of anti-Jewish bias more effectively than a rabbinic endorsement list? But the public is entitled to know that this is not a representative uprising of the American rabbinate. It is a campaign whose signatories and organizational allies substantially overlap with a relatively small network of anti-Zionist and DSA-aligned organizations. Only about 5% of American Jews identify as anti-Zionist while nearly 90% support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. Yet the anti-Zionist minority is disciplined, media-savvy and eager to speak. This is how tokenization works. A small number of Jews are elevated precisely because their views are useful to political movements whose larger objectives most Jews oppose. Their Jewish identity becomes a shield against scrutiny and a substitute for evidence of broader Jewish support. Famously, Justice Louis Brandeis argued that the remedy for harmful speech is “more speech, not enforced silence.” He was right, the rest of us must stop allowing these tokenized voices to dominate the conversation. Too many members of the mainstream Jewish community assume their views are already understood or that established organizations will speak for them. They imagine that an occasional press release will suffice or that obviously marginal positions will be recognized as fringe without anyone saying so. Those assumptions are no longer sustainable. Every Jew who belongs to this majority should be prepared to pick up a pen or a telephone. Write an op-ed for your local newspaper. Submit a letter to the editor. Build relationships with the reporters covering your community. Offer to speak with local television and radio stations. When a small faction claims a Jewish consensus that does not exist, say so clearly and openly. Speaking publicly can be intimidating. Most rabbis, educators, volunteers and lay members of the community are not media professionals. They may not know how to pitch an article, prepare for an interview or translate a complicated Jewish concern into language accessible to a general audience. That is part of why The Jewish Majority was launched. We help members of the Jewish community to articulate mainstream Jewish positions and represent their communities effectively in the press. Jewish leaders who want to use their grassroots voices in support of the community should contact us to learn more. Jewish anti-Zionists have learned that organization and repetition can make a fringe position look mainstream. The Jewish community must learn the corresponding lesson: Numbers alone do not guarantee representation. We no longer have the luxury of silence or of hoping that someone else will speak for us. Jonathan Schulman is the executive director of The Jewish Majority, which provides resources, information and training to help advocates educate the public about Jewish priorities.

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Preparing Jewish teens to stand tall

Contributing Author — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 10:11:00 +0000

Just a few weeks ago, I stood on an overlook in Jerusalem with a group of high schoolers. As the sun dipped over the Judean Hills, teenagers who had arrived in Israel not knowing one another just a month earlier stood arm-in-arm, singing together. These teens were participants on The Anne Samson Jerusalem Journey, or TJJ, NCSY’s flagship summer experience for public school teens in partnership with Root One. For three weeks, they connected with thousands of years of Jewish history, each other and their heritage. I witnessed something special this summer, something I have experienced before: that moment when a teenager realizes that being Jewish isnt just something they inherited or learned about; it’s something they can experience, explore and make their own. But that journey doesn’t end in Jerusalem. The question is what happens when they land back in New York, Chicago, Miami or Los Angeles. Our participants have returned home for their junior and senior years in public high schools at a complicated time to be a Jewish teenager. They are navigating a wave of antisemitism and anti-Israel hostility, all while conversations about Israel and global politics increasingly make their way into classrooms, friendships and social media feeds. And for our older teens, college campuses are around the corner, and they need all the Jewish pride and armor they can get in preparation. The recent vandalism at the AEPi fraternity house at UC San Diego hit particularly close to home for me. I served as president of AEPi when I was in college, and we faced significant antisemitism on our campus. At the time, I hoped these were battles my generation could fight so that the next generation would not have to fight them. I was wrong. Seeing something similar happen decades later, on a campus where some of the high school students I work with may soon find themselves, is difficult. But after years of working with Jewish teens, I have also learned that we cannot prepare them for those environments by focusing only on what they may encounter there. Before we ask a teenager to stand up for being Jewish, we have to give them opportunities to discover what being Jewish means to them. That is a big part of our year-round work through the Jewish Student Union, NCSY’s network of more than 515 clubs in public and community high schools, including 115 on the West Coast alone, where Jewish teens can find one another, explore their Judaism and build relationships with trusted advisors. For many teens, it starts simply. They gather during lunchtime to eat pizza, ask questions, learn something Jewish and spend time with other Jewish students. An advisor keeps showing up and becomes a fabric of their Jewish lives. Over time, those relationships can extend beyond the classroom to Shabbat dinners, community programs, leadership opportunities and summer experiences like TJJ. What I have seen again and again is that Jewish identity rarely develops through one transformative moment. It grows through relationships and experiences that build on each other. Each experience creates an opportunity for the next, allowing teens to keep asking questions, exploring and deciding what they want Judaism to mean in their own lives. Slowly, Judaism becomes less abstract. It becomes theirs. That matters in every generation. But it matters especially now. Our teens will encounter difficult conversations about Israel. Some will experience antisemitism. Some will eventually find themselves on college campuses where they are the only Jewish person in the room and feel pressure to explain or defend something deeply personal to them. Of course, we want them to have knowledge. We want them to understand Jewish history and Israel, know how to engage in constructive dialogue, advocate for themselves and know where to turn when a line is crossed. But confidence does not come from having the perfect response to every question. It comes from knowing who you are. That is something I think about when I look at the teens I stood with in Jerusalem this summer. I don’t know exactly what they will encounter over the next few years. I wish I could promise them that the antisemitism my generation experienced on campus will not be theirs to face, but I can’t. What I can do, and what the educators who work with them throughout the year can do, is make sure fear is not the foundation of their Jewish identity. We can help them build something stronger: the opportunity to explore their own Jewish identity, relationships they can count on and a community they know they belong to. That investment has to begin before they step foot on a university quad. Then, when they eventually walk onto a college campus, they are not encountering their Jewish identity for the first time through someone else’s hostility toward it. They are arriving with a Judaism they have already begun to experience, understand, appreciate and make their own. That is what it means to prepare Jewish teens to stand tall, at school, on campus or wherever their Jewish journey takes them next. Rabbi Derek Gormin is the managing director of programming and education for NCSY and JSU.

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