Your Daily Phil: Chabad ‘surges’ ahead post-10/7, JFNA survey finds
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we examine how Jewish communal discourse around Israel and Gaza has shifted in recent weeks and reveal new Jewish Federations of North America data showing that “The Surge” has affected Chabad more than other denominations. We report on a letter signed by dozens of prominent Jewish donors calling for an end to the war in Gaza, and speak with members of the St. Louis Jewish community after a local family’s cars were firebombed in an apparent antisemitic attack. We feature an opinion piece by Shalom Goodman about helping families quietly drowning in the costs associated with Jewish life in America, and one by Jacob Rosenblum about the potential of teacher salary endowments for improving day school teacher compensation and retention. Also in this issue: Stephen Levin, Larry Skolnick and Elaine Galinson and Ronny Douek.
Ed. note: The next edition of Your Daily Phil will arrive in your inbox on Monday, Aug. 11, as eJewishPhilanthropy shifts to a four-day schedule for the month of August. Shabbat shalom!
What We’re Watching
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is convening his Security Cabinet tonight for a vote on what Israeli media has described as a “full conquest” of the Gaza Strip. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has warned against a full takeover of the enclave.
The Secure Community Network is kicking off its High Holy Day training series with a live session this afternoon.
Israeli singer Ishay Ribo is performing tonight at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in New York’s Catskill Mountains, near the site of Woodstock, as part of B’nei Akiva’s Yamim Ba’im concert. Singers Avraham Fried, Zusha and Shmuel are also set to perform at the concert.
What You Should Know
In recent weeks, the needle appears to have shifted on what is considered acceptable to talk about in the Jewish philanthropic world related to criticism of Israel. This comes after multiple mainstream organizations and figures with clear Zionist bona fides, such as the American Jewish Committee, British Chief Rabbi Efraim Mirvis, the Zionist Federation of Australia and others, have released statements expressing deep concern about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitcher.
Those remarks, all of which primarily blamed the situation on the Hamas terror group, which launched the war with its brutal Oct. 7 attacks and perpetuates it by holding 50 people hostage, seem to have signalled to the wider Jewish community that criticizing aspects of Israel’s conduct in its war against Hamas is not out of bounds.
And on Wednesday, dozens of prominent Jewish philanthropists from around the world signed a letter, along with thousands of other Jews, calling for an end to the war in Gaza, a crackdown on settler violence in the West Bank and denouncing the extremist rhetoric of some Israeli politicians. More on this below.
Until now, the majority of Jewish nonprofits, day schools and movements have refrained from criticizing Israeli policies and actions in Gaza and the West Bank. This has made some members of those organizations who have harbored such concerns fearful that they could lose their jobs if they voice their criticisms of Israel. But with institutions now providing a more nuanced example of what it means to support Israel — including criticism and even outright condemnation, in the case of the Reform movement — the lines of what can and can’t be appear to have shifted.
“It needed to happen,” Steven Windmueller, emeritus professor of Jewish communal service at the Jack H. Skirball Campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, told eJewishPhilanthropy. “Probably because the situation itself has evolved to a point where the donor, the student, the rabbi, you name it… where everyone is struggling to find a way forward in terms of how to understand what is happening, how to question and ask questions about the crisis and the response.”
These changes, in which organizations feel the need to widen the conversations around Israel and Zionism, are happening “from the bottom up,” Windmueller said. “So many folks are asking questions, and they have been to so few places where people were prepared to offer answers, or at least give space for the right to ask such questions.”
According to Windmueller, the people pushing for these shifts are not “necessarily coming at this from a point of view of being an anti-Zionist or a non-Zionist, but rather from the point of view of their love of and engagement with Israel and their difficulty and even frustration at times with understanding and managing the events that are unfolding.” He added: “That’s a very different kind of conversation than one having to do with folks who have walked away from the Israel discourse. This is where the mainstream of the Jewish community is having, finally, that kind of essential conversation.”
EXCLUSIVE
Jews connected to Chabad are ‘surging’ more than in other movements, JFNA survey finds
As American Jewry overall has experienced an increase in Jewish engagement in the wake of the Oct. 7 terror attacks, in what has been deemed “The Surge,” the largest rise has been seen among those connected to the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, outpacing all other denominations and among unaffiliated Jews, according to survey data from Jewish Federations of North America that were provided exclusively to eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross.
Points to ponder: According to the findings, which come from data collected by JFNA earlier this year, among the Jews affiliated with Chabad, 44% reported deeper involvement in Jewish life since Oct. 7. This can refer to both someone who was already engaged Jewishly but became more so or someone who was previously uninvolved who has started taking part in Jewish activities. This places the Hasidic movement above Orthodox Judaism (42%), Conservative Judaism (36%), Reform Judaism (33%) and those of “no particular denomination” (24%). The survey data does not indicate why Chabad saw the greatest increase in engagement, though Mimi Kravetz, the chief impact and growth officer at JFNA, told eJP that there are indications of what may be driving the growth, principally Chabad’s many locations and the unintimidating atmosphere that Chabad leaders have cultivated. “So that’s something for our institutions to consider and think about,” she said.
(NOT SO) DEAR BIBI
Dozens of prominent Jewish donors, leaders send letter to Netanyahu decrying Gaza war
Thousands of Jews from Israel and around the world, including dozens of prominent Jewish philanthropists and communal leaders, have signed a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemning his government’s policies and rhetoric for causing “lasting damage” to Israel and Diaspora Jewry and calling for an end to the Israel-Hamas war, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim. The missive was initiated by the liberal Zionist London Initiative, which launched last year.
Call to action: “We are under no illusions about the actions and intentions of Hamas, other extremist forces and the states that support them, and we acknowledge the painful dilemmas any Israeli government would face in addressing these threats. Yet we also cannot escape the fact that the policies and rhetoric of the government you lead are doing lasting damage to Israel, its standing in the world and the prospects of secure peace for all Israelis and Palestinians,” the letter reads. The missive specifically calls for a massive influx of humanitarian aid to Gaza, an end to the war there, a crackdown on settler violence in the West Bank and a commitment to not seek the forcible transfer of the Palestinian population in the West Bank or Gaza.
Who’s who: Among the more than 4,000 signatories from at least 18 countries who have so far signed the missive, were philanthropists Charles Bronfman — one of the founders of Birthright Israel — Michael Gelman, Susie Gelman, Dame Vivien Duffield, Sir Ronald Cohen and Marcia Riklis, as well as Rabbi Sharon Brous and UnXeptable founder Offir Gutelzon.
COMMUNAL CONCERN
Firebombing targeting Jewish family, IDF veteran rocks St. Louis Jewish community
St. Louis’ Jewish community is reeling after a targeted antisemitic attack in the predawn hours of Tuesday morning on a family whose college-aged son served in the Israeli military, reports Marc Rod for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider.
Legitimate concerns: “People are just really startled,” Rabbi Jeffrey Abraham, a board member of the Missouri Alliance Network, a local political organization dedicated to fighting antisemitism and supporting Israel, said. Abraham said the local Jewish community has been “on edge” for months following the violent antisemitic attacks in Washington and Boulder, Colo. “But when it actually happens in your own backyard, it takes on a different meaning. I think people are legitimately worried and also just really upset.”
Read the full report here and sign up for Jewish Insider’s Daily Kickoff here.
UNDER PRESSURE
Middle-class Jewish families are struggling to stay afloat, and it’s time for a real solution
“Tales of Jewish economic success run deep in our communal consciousness,” writes Shalom Goodman, co-founder and executive director of Collective Kindness, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “But that success story has created dangerous blind spots. Behind closed doors, our neighbors on all types of career paths are silently struggling.”
Do the math: “This isn’t about luxuries… Day school tuition is expensive, with rates varying from $10,000 to $40,000 per year per child. Add synagogue membership, kosher groceries (50% of Orthodox families spend over $400 weekly), summer camps and holiday expenses, and Jewish life easily costs $120,000 per year or above. Meanwhile, housing prices in Jewish population centers outpace income growth. The result? Families with two impressive salaries living paycheck to paycheck… The solution requires communal courage to acknowledge this crisis’ scope and creativity to address it systematically.”
READER RESPONDS
Boosting teacher salaries: A promising approach from Denver Jewish Day School
“In a thought-provoking opinion piece in these pages, “Strengthening Jewish education from the inside out: Supporting our teachers” (March 21), Sharon Freundel sparks an important conversation about how we can better support educators in Jewish day schools,” writes Jacob Rosenblum, director of Jewish community grants and partnerships at the Rose Community Foundation in Denver, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “While many schools focus their fundraising efforts on capital improvements, new technologies or other special initiatives, the day-to-day realities of supporting teachers through fair pay, professional development and workplace stability are often overlooked. Yet these are the very elements that determine whether educators feel valued, supported and motivated to remain in the profession.”
A closer look: “A longtime grantee partner of Rose Community Foundation, the Denver Jewish Day School (DJDS) has piloted a teacher salary endowment — an initiative designed to boost teacher salaries while ensuring long-term financial sustainability. This model offers a powerful example of how schools can think creatively about compensation, not just as a line item in their annual budget, but as a strategic investment in the future of Jewish education.”
Worthy Reads
Powerful Good: In The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Eboo Patel writes about the importance of continuing to give people opportunities to volunteer and experience the transformative power of doing good things for others. “This summer, I had the opportunity to keynote the Points of Light annual conference in New Orleans, where a consistent message emerged from the stage: Don’t let the craziness emanating from the halls of power stop you from doing the good that you can do… The great Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, believed that society should create spaces that make it easier for people to be good. … Let’s do the good we can in the time we have, knowing our acts of decency lift people up today, and set the stage for a better tomorrow.” [ChronicleofPhilanthropy]
Dollar Rich, Knowledge Poor: In Barron’s, Abby Schultz reports that billionaires’ low confidence in their knowledge about where and how to give can play a role in their reticence to part with their fortunes. “A 2023 biennial study from the bank and Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy found less than 5% of affluent Americans rate themselves as expert in charitable giving, [national philanthropic strategy executive at Bank of AmericaDianne Chipps] Bailey says. ‘This perception around a lack of confidence is a major barrier.’ By contrast, the small percentage who do have a philanthropy budget, and monitor the impact of their giving, are more likely to perceive their gifts are having the intended impact and they give more, she says.” [Barron’s]
Word on the Street
The Chicago man accused of shooting and killing two Israeli Embassy employees outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington in May was indicted on federal hate crimes charges…
The University of Pennsylvania removed the name of alum and donor Stephen Levin from the school’s behavioral sciences building after Levin halted the remainder of his $15 million pledge to the university in November 2023 over administrators’ handling of campus antisemitism…
The Times of Israel examines the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, speaking with residents of the war-torn enclave…
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said that the U.S. and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation planned to scale up the number of distribution sites from the existing four to as many as 16…
The New York City-Israel Economic Council, a new joint initiative between the two governments aimed at building economic ties, hosted its launch event on Wednesday at New York City Hall, reports Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen…
Gratz College outside Philadelphia launched a doctoral program in antisemitism studies, a year and a half after launching a master’s program on the subject…
The Canadian Jewish News spotlights Mikvah USA, a Brooklyn-based charity that helps renovate old mikvehs and build new ones, after the group completed 10 such projects in Canada…
A Chicago-area Chabad center yesterday buried the ashes of Holocaust victims, which had previously been in the possession of the Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois…
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland announced that its allocation budget for this year is $33.1 million, an increase of $1.3 million from the previous year…
CNN anchor Bianna Golodryga and Yonit Levi, an anchor on Israel’s Channel 12 news, joined forces to write a new novel for middle schoolers titled Don’t Feed the Lion about confronting antisemitism, which goes on sale on Nov. 11…
Writing in The Hill, Ken Marcus, the founder of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, accuses teachers’ unions of fomenting antisemitism in K-12 schools…
Legal scholar and professor Marshall Breger, who served as White House Jewish liaison during the Reagan and Bush 41 administrations, died at 78…
Jack Cole, the former provost of the University of Arizona and dean emeritus of its College of Pharmacy and a mainstay of the Tucson, Ariz., Jewish community, died on Saturday at 95…
Glorya Kaufman, a Los Angeles-based philanthropist who supported a wide array of dance-related causes, died on Tuesday at 95…
Transitions
The board of trustees of Houston’s Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center has hired Larry Skolnick to serve as CEO, succeeding Joel Dinkin, who will retire at the end of the year after a nearly 50-year career in the JCC movement; for the past 12 years, Skolnick has served as president and CEO of the Memphis JCC…
The Jewish Funders Network announced that Elaine Galinson and Ronny Douek will co-chair the group’s international conference in San Diego in March…
Pic of the Day
Family members of Israeli hostages who are being held captive sail today in a flotilla from the Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon toward the maritime border with the Gaza Strip, calling for the immediate release of the hostages.
Birthdays
An incoming professor of psychology at Israel’s Ariel University and director of research at Metiv: Israel Psychotrauma Center, Anna Harwood-Gross…
Brooklyn resident, Esther Holler… Former U.S. trade representative and then U.S. secretary of commerce, both positions during the Clinton administration, Michael (“Mickey”) Kantor… Co-founder of the worldwide chain of Hard Rock Café, his father founded the Morton’s Steakhouse chain, Peter Morton… Retired lieutenant general in the Israeli Air Force, he also served as chief of staff of the IDF, Dan Halutz… Former PR director for the New York Yankees and author of more than 20 books, Marty Appel… President of private equity firm Palisades Associates, former CEO of Empire Kosher Poultry, Greg Rosenbaum… Former U.S. intelligence analyst, he pled guilty to espionage in 1987 and was released from prison in 2015, Jonathan Pollard… Spiritual leader of Agudas Israel of St. Louis since 1986, Rabbi Menachem Greenblatt… Founder of the Cayton Children’s Museum in Santa Monica, Calif., Esther Netter… Former comptroller of the city of Rockville Centre, N.Y., Michael Schussheim… Television cook, YouTuber, restaurateur and cookbook author, known as Sam the Cooking Guy, Samuel D. Zien… Local and state government relations principal for Cleveland’s MetroHealth System, he is also the city council president of Westlake, Ohio, David S. Greenspan… Professor of computational biology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Liran Carmel… CEO at Capital Camps & Retreat Center, Havi Arbeter Goldscher… U.S. representative (D-VA-7) from 2019 until earlier this year, she is running to become governor of Virginia, Abigail Spanberger… Financial news anchor for CNBC, Sara Aliza Eisen… Emmy Award-winning political reporter for The New York Times, Jonathan V. Swan … Public address announcer for both MLB’s Athletics and the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, Amelia Schimmel… Former MLB catcher, he batted .350 with two home runs for Team Israel at the 2020 Olympics, he is now a catching instructor for the Chicago Cubs, Ryan Lavarnway… Product management director at Signify Health, Estee Goldschmidt… Professional Super Smash Bros. player, known as Dabuz, Samuel Robert Buzby… Goalkeeper for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer, he played for the U.S. in the 2009 Maccabiah Games in Israel, Zac MacMath… Founder of Love For Our Elders, a global nonprofit organization in 27 countries, Jacob Cramer… Scott Harrison…
