As Israel’s first special envoy for combating antisemitism and delegitimization, Israeli actress and author Noa Tishby knows she has her work cut out for her. Antisemitic attacks – both online and in-person – are on the rise, and Israel is the rare country whose right to exist is regularly challenged, Tishby told Jewish Insider’s Ruth Marks Eglash this week in an exclusive interview, her first since being appointed.

Reaching out: Appointed by Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid as an official envoy  — though not an employee of the Israeli government, as the role is unpaid — Tishby said she would work to create alliances with groups who “might not be aware of the rise in antisemitism” and share with them that the increase in antisemitism is bad for an entire society. She also said she would work to raise awareness in international forums such as the United Nations to push more governments and organizations to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Association (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism as a legal baseline.

Social scene: In addition, Tishby, 44, said she would utilize her own social media networks, with hundreds of thousands of followers, to engage with people online and work closely with antisemitism envoys in other countries, including with Deborah Lipstadt, who was confirmed by the Senate last month after an eight-month delay as the State Department’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism.

Read the full interview here.

“In our efforts to bring Jews into JFN, we cannot rely on stereotypes and sweeping generalizations,” writes Lindsey Bodner, executive director of the Naomi Foundation, in a response to eJewishPhilanthropy’s coverage of the recent Jewish Funders Network conference, during which JFN’s CEO, Andres Spokoiny, broached the subject of a lack of Haredi participation. “We know not to assume all Jews eat gefilte fish — or even keep kosher. While it is true some Haredim would not participate in mixed-gender events, there are many more who would gladly attend a panel discussion with mixed seating. In many Haredi communities there are plenty of spheres in which men and women work together — particularly in chesed, kiruv and chinuch: giving, outreach and education. And let’s not forget that the wealthy among these groups — funders and prospective JFN members — are perhaps even more likely to participate in groups with men and women than the general population as they are used to attending business meetings and conducting real estate transactions in mixed-gender settings.”

Encouraging participation: “We must leave our prejudices aside when cultivating open and diverse spaces and conversations. I wonder if the first thing you would say about integrating another Jewish group would be a reason not to include them, and a flimsy one at that. When considering how to encourage participation by specific identity groups, such as Jews of color, Sephardic Jews and Jews in the LGBTQ community, I believe we would discuss the value of their participation first, and we would be extra careful laying out the perceived obstacles. We owe our Haredi brothers and sisters the same consideration.”

Listening with respect: “If there are obstacles to any member’s participation at JFN, I hope we can listen with an open ear and see if an accommodation is possible. If at that point the answer is no, whether because of ideology, respect for women, space, cost, etc., then of course it is a reasonable decision to make. Let’s get to the point where Haredi Jews are requesting gender-segregated spaces before suggesting that is the reason they are not participating and thereby foreclosing the possibility of future Haredi attendance.”

Read the full piece here.

“As a data-informed organization, Prizmah invests considerable time and resources uncovering the trends and best practices in the Jewish day school world. Our newly released Development Pulse Survey Report is the most recent collection of data from the field to help day school leaders and philanthropists make informed decisions that are based on facts and measurable outcomes. From our network of 305 Jewish day schools and yeshivas across North America, we received 118 responses to our survey, representing a diversity of school sizes, geographies and religious affiliations. In reviewing this extraordinary data set, it’s clear that there’s good news for day schools,” writes Hannah Strasser Olson, senior vice president of development for Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.

Building systems in crisis: “In the early days of the pandemic, many Jewish communal organizations went into crisis mode. How will we meet our mission at a six-foot distance? What will it take to ensure that we can continue to serve the families who rely on us? In day schools in particular, this meant a huge investment in technology and infrastructure to be able to serve students in virtual classrooms and socially distanced in-person classrooms. The immediate need to upgrade technology, refurbish air filtration systems, invest in cleaning and maintenance staff, hang plastic dividers, and build outdoor learning environments seemed overwhelming. But with the support of generous donors, emergency resources and reserves, schools were able to put in place the systems necessary to continue the teaching and learning. In fact, for many, day schools became hallmarks of successful pandemic experiences, thinking creatively to ensure that their missions were met even in the most difficult of circumstances.”

Long-term support: “Now, as we move beyond the acute stresses and change created by the pandemic, schools feel buoyed by the relationships they created in their crisis mode. Rather than an emergency need, schools are talking to their communities about the kinds of support that will help them serve their students in the long-term, and endowment funds are finding their way to the top of that priority list. Seventy-eight percent of respondents, representing 92 schools, reported that their school has an endowment fund. Of the 27 schools that reported not having an endowment, nearly 50% are planning to launch an endowment campaign in the next five years, while an additional 41% are interested in doing so in the future.”

Future-focused philanthropy: “Endowment valuations have increased significantly from last year. This is the result of both strong stock market performance and schools securing additional endowment funds […] Endowment funds are the very definition of future-focused philanthropy; like retirement funds, an investment in the present ensures that long-term planning is supported and that the financial health of schools is on track.”

Read the full piece here.