Your Daily Phil: Zionist Congress polls close, but fights are just gearing up
Good Monday morning.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on the end of voting — and apparent beginning of a legal battle — in the World Zionist Congress elections and on a request for a major increase in funding for the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program. We feature an opinion piece by Dan Mitzner highlighting the financial burden of increased security measures on Jewish institutions since Oct. 7, and one by Shira Hutt reflecting on the spectrum of Jewish communal professionals drawn to JPro25, which starts today. Also in this newsletter: Galit Cohen, Richard “Richie” Pearlstone and Rabbi Shalom Ber Lipskar.
What We’re Watching
The Israeli government ordered the Israel Defense Forces to significantly expand its military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, calling up tens of thousands more reservists, with plans to conquer portions of the enclave.
The Zionist Rabbinic Coalition National Conference kicked off yesterday in Washington. It continues through Tuesday.
The Milken Institute Global Conference launched yesterday in Los Angeles. Speakers today include: the Carlyle Group’s David Rubenstein, Starwood Capital’s Barry Sternlicht, Apollo Global Management’s Marc Rowan, Milken Family Foundation Executive Vice President Richard Sandler and World Central Kitchen’s José Andrés.
The JPro25 conference starts this morning in Baltimore, with some 1,300 people registered to attend the three-day gathering. If you’re there, say hi to eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim!
The Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California is holding its Capitol Summit in Sacramento today and tomorrow. Those addressing the two-day gathering include UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk, Gov. Gavin Newsom (who is speaking virtually), California Attorney Gen. Rob Bonta, former Heath and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Lieutenant Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
The Future Summit begins today in Tel Aviv, bringing together entrepreneurs, investors and “world leading subject matter experts” for the three-day confab.
What You Should Know
The polls closed in the highly contentious World Zionist Congress elections in the United States last night, ending eight weeks of dogged campaigning by the 22 participating slates, but the results are unlikely to be announced soon in light of the more than 10,000 suspect votes that have so far been identified by the Area Election Committee (AEC), which oversees the process.
Further complicating matters, one of the slates — the AID Coalition, which is allied with Israel’s anti-government protest movement — filed a petition to the Zionist Supreme Court hours after the vote ended, calling for a “judicial or independent review” of the vote, the removal of the “infringing slates” and an “external monitor” to investigate the full election process.
“Our petition references not only the voting irregularities, but the systematic failures of the AEC to maintain transparency, and to implement steps to reduce and avoid the fraud, and their failure to enforce their own rules. These failures resulted not only in the submitting of fraudulent votes, but an effective voter repression denying many voters their ability to exercise their right to vote,” AID Coalition wrote in a message to other slates.
Other slates have also demanded a full and thorough investigation of the votes and forceful consequences for those involved. “The evidence is overwhelming: slates attempting to manipulate the election used prepaid debit cards, unverifiable phone numbers, identical addresses and additional unethical tactics. This is not just misconduct. It is corruption,” the Reform movement, Conservative movement and progressive coalition Hatikvah wrote in a joint statement today. “These acts were an intentional, organized effort designed to distort representation, divert communal funds and subvert the very ideals on which the Zionist movement was built. We say to the AZM and those responsible for the appeals process: Do not whitewash their actions with a slap on the wrist.”
Last month, Votem, the firm hired by the American Zionist Movement to implement the election, flagged nearly 2,000 votes as suspect because of a variety of irregularities, including the use of prepaid credit cards, suspicious email addresses and repeating home addresses. Within a few weeks, more than 8,000 other votes had also been identified as potentially fraudulent, representing nearly 6% of the total votes cast at that point.
The AEC has said that it has not yet found evidence that the slates receiving the votes — which have not been named — played a direct role in the apparent mass voter fraud, though it is continuing to investigate the matter.
The U.S. elections will determine the allocation of the 152 American seats in the 525-member World Zionist Congress (the rest of the seats are divided between Israel, which gets 200 seats based on domestic political parties’ results in the most recent Knesset elections, and the rest of the world, which gets 173 seats as determined by their local Zionist communities, through elections or agreed-upon allocations). The World Zionist Congress, which next convenes in October, controls the so-called National Institutions — the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency for Israel and Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, which owns more than 10% of the land of Israel. In total, the World Zionist Congress oversees a budget of upwards of $1 billion annually — coming mainly from philanthropy and KKL land holdings — which is spent in Israel and around the world.
Under the rules of the elections, slates are permitted to lodge an appeal with the Zionist Supreme Court — the ultimate authority over the World Zionist Congress — if during the election “a defect was revealed which was liable to influence the results of the elections or the number of votes or the distribution of seats; or the allocation of seats was not legal.”
In its appeal, AID Coalition called for the election to effectively be nullified, leaving the allocation of the 152 seats up to the “non-infringing slates” to decide or, if there’s no agreement, up to the Zionist Supreme Court.
Rabbi Josh Weinberg, who is leading the Reform movement’s efforts in the election, told eJP today that he opposes leaving the allocation up to the slates or the Zionist Supreme Court. “This is about democracy. We want the people to have their voice heard,” he said. “What do you do with all these people who legitimately voted?”
What happens next depends on if and how the Zionist Supreme Court, led by its acting president, U.S.-born retired Israeli labor judge Steve Adler, accepts the petition.
PROTECTION PROPOSAL
House members put forward highest-ever request for nonprofit security for 2026
A bipartisan group of more than 130 House lawmakers put forward the highest-ever request for funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, asking for an appropriation of $500 million, nearly doubling the current funding level, reports Marc Rod for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider. Despite the substantial bipartisan support, the request could face strong headwinds as the appropriations process moves forward, with the Trump administration proposing significant cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s non-emergency grants — a category that includes NSGP — and not yet offering a specific budget line-item for the NSGP.
National security matter: The signatories to this year’s letter wrote that the funding is “critical to our national security and part of DHS’ comprehensive measures to strengthen the safety of our communities” given that “the risk of extremist-motivated violence as a danger to national security,” that “violence against nonprofits and faith-based institutions is likely to continue” and that threats to places of worship have been increasing “at alarming rates.” The Trump administration froze reimbursements under the program as it reviewed the NSGP and other FEMA grant programs, and has yet to announce funding awards under a $200 million supplemental funding round that was expected to be finalized earlier this year. Applications for the 2025 grant cycle are expected to open soon.
Read the full report here and sign up for Jewish Insider’s Daily Kickoff here.
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
In the discussion around taxes, we can’t let the ‘antisemitism tax’ be forgotten
“After Oct. 7, [2023,] Jewish communities across the country sprang into action to protect their institutions, ensuring that Jewish life could continue safely despite historic levels of antisemitism. As a result, however, many communities were forced to shoulder a heavy financial burden to subsidize added security costs — an unsustainable ‘antisemitism tax,’” writes Dan Mitzner, director of government affairs for Teach Coalition, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
New year, different battle: “In the months following Oct. 7, when the security concerns of the Jewish community dominated the headlines, any news of vandalism, a bomb threat or an assault received full coverage, and passionate calls for change and government intervention swiftly followed from both ends of the political spectrum. Jewish communities nationwide rallied for additional security funding and resources; and our advocacy, propelled by the timeliness of the issue and the alarming headlines, was met with historic levels of security funding granted to Jewish institutions… Just over a year later, state budgets are once again being negotiated, and a reset button has been hit as state budgets across the board are being slashed. We as a community must again fight for critical security funding — a need that has unfortunately not dissipated with time.”
OPENING DAY THOUGHTS
Many paths, one destiny: The Jewish vision at JPro25
The communal professionals attending JPro25 this week, which is on track to be the largest-ever JPro conference to date, “represent a critical piece in the Jewish community’s future,” writes Shira Hutt, executive vice president of the Jewish Federations of North America, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “Alongside our leaders, board members and generous funders, it is these professionals who will be responsible for guiding us into the perilous and uncertain times that we face for the Jewish community.”
United in purpose: “We are rabbis and lay leaders. We are scholars and activists. We are young and old. We are Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi and Jews of color. We are LGBTQ+ and straight. We are those deeply engaged in Jewish life, those who are just beginning to explore their heritage and many who work hard at building flourishing Jewish communities despite not being Jewish themselves. We are, in short, a microcosm of the global Jewish community and its allies, with all its beautiful complexity… We will unite around a shared core of purpose, unique to the Jewish nonprofit sector: a sense that whether working to strengthen the Jewish community directly or working to serve the needs of the broader world motivated by Jewish values, we are embarked together on a shared journey and a shared destiny.”
Worthy Reads
It’s My Anxiety: In his Substack newsletter “Moneyball Judaism,” Rabbi Joshua Rabin explores the dynamics behind a situation many encounter in the small world of Jewish communal work. “Imagine this: You’ve known Person X since high school. You’ve never worked directly for them or vice versa, but you’ve shared the field for over a decade and have a warm, collegial relationship. One day, Person X tells you they’re launching a consulting business — strategic planning, executive search, coaching — and they know you’ve been looking for help with your organization’s strategic plan. It’s beshert! You could be their first big client and help them get started. You already see the problem. As an experienced leader, you know hiring a friend might not be wise. But here’s the more challenging part: how do you say no without signaling distrust, disrespect, or rejection? Meet this week’s big idea: insinuation anxiety (IA). Dr. Sunita Sah, whose book on this topic we will examine in greater depth, defines IA as ‘The concern, worry, or apprehension we feel about signaling a negative evaluation about another person to that person.’” [MoneyballJudaism]
Testing, Testing: In a blog post for NonProfitPRO, Daria Knupp highlights a tool for nonprofits seeking to increase event registration. “A/B testing, or split testing, allows you to experiment with different elements of your registration process and marketing approach to determine what resonates most with your audience… By changing a single variable at a time and analyzing the results, you can make data-driven improvements over time. This approach is particularly valuable for nonprofits, which often have tight marketing budgets — meaning every optimization can make a huge difference. In event promotion, A/B testing helps identify what resonates most with potential attendees. Even small adjustments can lead to a significantly greater number of sign-ups. By continuously refining your messaging and user experience, you can ensure that your nonprofit’s marketing efforts are both effective and efficient, maximizing your chances of filling seats at your next event.” [NonProfitPRO]
For Future Use: In the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Jim Fruchterman and Steve Francis urge nonprofit leaders and funders to adopt a playbook for preserving the data and other “intellectual assets” of organizations shutting down. “At the present moment of unparalleled disruption, the entire nonprofit sector is rethinking everything: language to describe their work, funding sources, partnerships, and even their continued existence. Nonprofit programs and entire charities will be closing, or being merged out of existence. Difficult choices are being made. Who will fill the role of witness and archivist to preserve the knowledge of these organizations, their writings, media, software, and data, for those who carry on, either now or in the future? We believe leaders in these tough days should consider a model we’re calling Exit to Open (E2O) and related exit concepts to safeguard these assets going forward.” [SSIR]
Word on the Street
A Houthi-fired ballistic missile struck the grounds of Ben-Gurion Airport yesterday after Israeli air defenses failed to intercept it. Six people were lightly injured in the blast, which forced the airport to temporarily halt operations; several foreign airlines have suspended flights…
A Temple University student was suspended after he and another individual ordered a sign with antisemitic text to his table at a bar owned by Barstool founder Dave Portnoy; in a social media post, Portnoy said he would cover the costs for the two individuals to travel to Auschwitz “to learn about the Holocaust,” having discussed the incident with the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism’s Robert Kraft…
Julia Malkin-Reger was named the next vice president of philanthropic engagement at the Jewish Funders Network…
Shortly after dismissing eight Biden-era appointees from the board of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, President Donald Trump appointed eight new members including conservative radio personality Sid Rosenberg; Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz, founding editor and publisher of the Haredi Yated Ne’eman newspaper; and Alex Witkoff, the son of Trump’s diplomatic envoy, Steve Witkoff…
Trump also named the members of the Religious Liberty Commission which he established by executive order on May 1, including Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, as well as Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Phil McGraw, Pastor Franklin Graham, Pastor Paula White and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick as chairman…
The Jewish Climate Trust has hired Galit Cohen, the former director-general of Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection, as the organization’s inaugural Israel director…
The Israeli government reportedly decided against establishing a state commission of inquiry at this time to investigate the circumstances leading up to and including the Oct. 7 terror attacks…
Reflecting on his organization’s recent study that identified a record-high number of antisemitic incidents last year, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt writes in The Hill that the continuing surge in antisemitism following the Oct. 7 attacks should be of concern to all Americans…
In The Free Press, Rabbi David Wolpe criticizes Harvard University’s report on antisemitism saying that it fails to address the underlying issue of a pervasive ideological bias among faculty that is often anti-Western, anti-Israel and antisemitic…
Harvard University President Dr. Alan Garber explains in an interview with The New York Times why the university is taking the Trump administration to court as the federal government moves to revoke the university’s nonprofit status and cut billions in research, while also acknowledging that the university has a severe culture problem that demands immediate attention…
And in an opinion piece in The New York Times, Harvard University computer science professor Boaz Barak argues that universities must separate academics from activism, warning that blurring those lines undermines trust in higher education and fuels polarization…
The George Washington University has suspended Students for Justice in Palestine through May 2026, citing unapproved events held on campus in March…
The Central Council of Jews in Germany, the umbrella organization for German Jews, welcomed Germany’s official classification of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as an extremist organization, which allows the country’s intelligence agency to intensify its surveillance of the party, whose rhetoric has raised alarm among many in the Jewish community…
Caroline Ratner has been named as the new CEO of UK Friends of Natal…
The Associated Press spotlights the “Violin of Hope,” which was recently discovered to have been made by a Jewish craftsman while imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp; the violin-maker, Franciszek “Franz” Kempa, survived the war and died in his native Poland in 1953…
Singer Jill Sobule, who was known for her hits “Supermodel” and “I Kissed a Girl,” died on Thursday at 66…
Rabbi Shalom Ber Lipskar, founder and long-time spiritual leader of The Shul of Bal Harbour, Fla., and of the Aleph Institute, which championed criminal justice reform and supported military families, died on Saturday at 78…
Sandy Landes, who together with her husband, Yehuda Landes, were instrumental in bringing Chabad to Palo Alto, died on March 22 at 92…
Pic of the Day
Richard “Richie” Pearlstone holds the second annual Max M. Fisher Award, which was presented to him last night in Baltimore by the Jewish Agency for Israel, as he is flanked by Beth Kiefer Leonard, a Jewish Agency board of governors member, and Bruce Sholk, chair of the organization’s budget and finance committee. The award is named for the oil magnate and philanthropist, who long supported the Jewish Agency.
Over $1,000,000 was raised at the award gala for The Circle, a new Jewish Agency initiative to build a network of Israeli philanthropists.
Pearlstone is the the founder, chairman and CEO of The Pearlstone Group Inc. real estate firm, which — among other things — owns and operates the Pearlstone Retreat Center in Reisterstown, Md. He has previously served as chair of the Jewish Agency’s board of governors and a number of other leadership positions over the past 30 years. “Richie exemplifies the meaning of the Max M. Fisher Award, and we are proud to present it to him,” the Jewish Agency said in a statement.
Birthdays
Senior managing director of the Jewish Funders Network, Yossi Prager…
Senior U.S. district judge for the Northern District of Illinois, Robert W. Gettleman… Best-selling author of 20 novels featuring fictional Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper, written by the former head of the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, Linda Fairstein… Retired chief judge on the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, he was once president of the Jewish Community Council of Washington, Peter B. Krauser… Docent at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ruth Klein Schwalbe… Gayle Weiss Schochet… Member of the Knesset, almost continuously since 1988, for the Haredi parties of Degel HaTorah and United Torah Judaism, Moshe Gafni… South African-born president of American Jewish World Service, Robert Bank… David Shamir… Pulitzer Prize-winning author of three nonfiction books, historian and journalist, Tom Reiss… Emmy Award-winning television writer and producer, known for “The Simpsons,” Josh Weinstein… Special education consultant and nanny, Nancy Simcha Cook Kimsey… Executive vice president of BerlinRosen, Nicole Rosen… Executive director of public relations at UJA-Federation of New York, Emily Kutner… Executive director of Micah Philanthropies, Deena Fuchs… Head coach of the football team at the University of Washington, Jedd Ari Fisch… President of Charleston, S.C.-based InterTech Group, Jonathan M. Zucker… Journalist, stage and film actress, Lara Berman Krinsky… Former Israeli national soccer team captain, he also played for Chelsea, West Ham United and Liverpool in the English Premier League, Yossi Benayoun … Mayor of Bat Yam, Israel, Tzvika Brot… Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2013, Michael H. Schlossberg… Former professional golfer, now an orthopedic surgeon, David Bartos Merkow, MD… Partner at New Enterprise Associates, Andrew Adams Schoen… Maxine S. Fuchs… Blake E. Goodman… Basketball player for the Under 20 Team Israel in 2023 and the Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten Conference, he recently declared for the NBA draft, Daniel Wolf…
