Your Daily Phil: ANU’s Dan Tadmor tapped to lead Philly’s Weitzman Museum
Good Tuesday morning.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on the Jewish National Fund-USA’s recent conference in Dallas and the Anti-Defamation League’s “In Concert Against Hate” event in Washington, D.C., last night. We feature an opinion piece by Michelle Friedman on the downsides of event-driven fundraising. Also in this newsletter: Craig Newmark, Michal Uziyahu andChristine Beresniova. We’ll start with Dan Tadmor being tapped to lead Philadelphia’s Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.
After leading the transformation of Tel Aviv’s erstwhile Diaspora Museum into today’s ANU-Museum of the Jewish People, Dan Tadmor has been tapped to serve as the next president and CEO of Philadelphia’s Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History beginning Jan. 1, reports Jay Deitcher for eJewishPhilanthropy. Tadmor will succeed Misha Galperin, who stepped down earlier this year after some four years in the role.
During his 12 years as CEO at ANU, Tadmor guided it through a major rebranding, a $100 million renovation and a concerted effort to transform it from a relatively minor museum into a leading institution on Israel-Diaspora relations. Tripling its size, ANU-Museum of the Jewish People has become the largest Jewish museum in the world.
In one of his first interviews since being selected as the next CEO of the Weitzman, Tadmor spoke with eJP about his plans for the years ahead, the museum’s journey to becoming a Smithsonian institution, whose story is part of the American Jewish story and how to cultivate viral moments.
Jay Deitcher: What lessons did you learn from your time at ANU?
Dan Tadmor: Look, a modern museum is always more than a museum. You’ve got core exhibits, changing exhibitions, but also public programming, education and all sorts of outreach.
The museum needs to make sure that it remains relevant, especially a thematic museum, a museum that tells a story, and this is the story of Jews in general, and American Jews specifically. In time, the stories change. The way in which we tell them changes. Technology changes. The challenge in museums always is how do you remain relevant and how do you remain up to date.
Museums typically either evolve incrementally or drastically with varying degrees, or they don’t at all and they’re going to become irrelevant.
JD: All the press and marketing for your organization says, with a lot of confidence, that the museum is on the way to becoming a Smithsonian Institution. How can you say that with such conviction?
DT: It’s not only us saying it. It’s the House [of Representatives] saying it, and the Senate is about to say that as well. There’s legislation that has passed in the House and is going to the Senate. So it’s happening.
Becoming a Smithsonian says two things. One, it’s a declaration on the part of the U.S. government that American Jews are an integral part of the fabric of American society. On the other hand, it ensures that the museum remains a top-notch, world-class organization forever.
LONE STAR (OF DAVID)
Jewish National Fund-USA brings thousands to Dallas to discuss Israel reconstruction, combating antisemitism
Some 2,500 Israel supporters from 10 countries flocked to the Lone Star State last Thursday through Sunday — many donning cowboy hats and boots, alongside “Bring Them Home Now” dog tag necklaces, to bring attention to the 101 hostages still held in Gaza. Together they packed Dallas’ Hilton Anatole for the Jewish National Fund-USA’s Global Conference, where they discussed rebuilding the Jewish state and combating unprecedented levels of antisemitism in the U.S., reports Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen for eJewishPhilanthropy from the gathering.
Pitching in: “What JNF is doing, not just for us— but the whole region [of southern Israel] — is incredible,” Nicole Carbone, a resident of the decimated Kibbutz Be’eri, whose mother was killed in the Oct. 7 attacks, told eJP. Carbone, together with Ido Shwartz, head of philanthropy for Kibbutz Be’eri, traveled to Dallas, following meetings last this week in Washington at the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly and with U.S. government officials, to express gratitude and fundraise at the four-day conference.
Righteous anger: Rabbi David Wolpe, rabbi emeritus of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles and the Anti-Defamation League’s inaugural rabbinic fellow, delivered the keynote address on “the future of American Jewry” on Friday afternoon. “The anger and disgust was just as important as the initial stimulus,” Wolpe, who in December stepped down from the antisemitism advisory committee at Harvard University amid an investigation into allegations of antisemitism at the school, said about the Jewish community’s reaction to rising antisemitism at Harvard.
ON THE BLUE CARPET
Scene at the ADL’s ‘In Concert Against Hate’
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts rolled out the red carpet — or rather, blue carpet — as celebrities and Jewish activists gathered in the nation’s capital Monday night for a star-studded evening in support of the Anti-Defamation League’s 30th annual “In Concert Against Hate,” where tunes from “Fiddler on the Roof”and a rendition of “Oseh Shalom” by the National Symphony Orchestra echoed through the halls, reports Haley Cohen for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider from the event.
No joke: Ahead of the sold-out concert — which featured performances by Israeli Eurovision star Eden Golan and nine-time Grammy Award-nominated singer Sia — celebrities, event honorees, philanthropists and Jewish leaders appeared on the blue carpet where several chatted with JI. Ben Stiller, who emceed the evening, said that times are “frightening,” with “antisemitism being at such an all-time high.”
Sounds of silence: In a separate conversation on the blue carpet, music executive Scooter Braun, who was honored last night with the ADL’s Spotlight Award for his efforts in bringing the Nova Music Festival exhibition to U.S. audiences, told JI, “It’s important to be here because we have to be a voice that’s louder than the people trying to divide us.” Braun has frequently condemned the silence from the music industry after more than 400 people were murdered at the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7, last year.
Who’s who: VIPs spotted in the audience included: Uri Levine, co-founder of Waze (who told JI he traveled from Israel specially for the event); Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism; Josh Kadden, CEO of the Nova Exhibition; Ari Ackerman, co-owner of the Miami Marlins; Katherine Kallinis, co-founder of Georgetown Cupcake; and CNN journalists Dana Bash and Wolf Blitzer.
Read the full report here and sign up for Jewish Insider’s Daily Kickoff here.
GALAS GALORE
Moving beyond event-driven fundraising to strengthen nonprofits
“In my three decades as a volunteer fundraiser serving as board chair and development chair for several Jewish nonprofits in Chicago, I’ve witnessed the transformative power of philanthropy. However, I’ve also seen over many years the pitfalls of overreliance on event-based fundraising. While galas, concerts, golf tournaments and similar events can infuse energy and financial support into a nonprofit’s work, they often present significant challenges that can undermine sustainability and donor relationships,” writes Michelle Friedman, a veteran nonprofit board member, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
All that glitters: “Events are often celebrated as the crown jewels of nonprofit fundraising… Yet, the sparkle may be fleeting and often comes at a steep cost. First, events are inherently transactional… Moreover, event success often hinges on external factors: the geography of the venue, the talent of performers and donors’ social calendars… Financially, event-driven fundraising can be precarious. With substantial costs for venues, catering, entertainment and logistics, nonprofits may spend as much as 50 cents for every dollar raised.”
Bring them inside: “Annual giving campaigns offer an alternative that prioritizes mission-focused donor engagement. Instead of seeking support through the enticement of an event, annual giving invites donors to invest in a nonprofit’s vision and impact. This approach transforms the donor experience from transactional to relational.”
Worthy Reads
Not Hiding: In Time, Rabbi Brian Strauss of Houston’s Congregation Beth Yeshurun reflects on how rising antisemitism in the United States has affected him and his community, and what can be done about it. “I’ve worn a yarmulke all 24 years I’ve been a rabbi here, but recently found myself removing it in certain public settings. It’s not that I felt an immediate threat to my safety as I entered a local café or as I walked around town, but I felt enough wariness about how it would be received that I tucked it in my pocket until I knew I was in a safe location… While fear grows within our community, there are actions we must take collectively to help combat this alarming rise in violent anti-Jewish hate. The White House’s National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism is an essential first step, but requires careful coordination. I strongly urge the Biden Administration to appoint — and the future Trump Administration to retain — a dedicated coordinator to help lead the interagency process that is working to implement the strategy and guarantee that its benchmarks are being met… This work cannot be done in isolation. The fight against antisemitism is not just a Jewish cause; it’s an American cause. Left unchecked, antisemitism is a disease that undermines the moral fabric of our communities and compromises the safety and well-being of all Americans. This is why preventive measures and policies are essential, not just to protect Jewish lives but to safeguard the inclusive values we hold dear as a nation.” [Time]
Around the Web
The Marcus Foundation donated $32 million to the Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital, bringing Bernie and Billi Marcus’ total donation to the hospital to $75 million…
Michal Uziyahu, head of the Gaza-adjacent Eshkol region’s community center, was installed as the next head of the regional council; Uziyahu succeeds Gadi Yarkoni, who served two terms as mayor of the region, which was one of the hardest-hit areas in the Oct. 7 attacks…
President Joe Biden sanctioned Amana, the Israeli settlement movement’s main development organization; the direct impact may be minimal as President-elect Donald Trump is likely to reverse the executive order…
Jewish Insider examines the criticism leveled against the National Book Foundation for its decision to honor Paul Coates, founder of Black Classic Press, who has published antisemitic titles…
Craig Newmark donated $25 million to the Bob Woodruff Foundation to support military veterans…
Members of a historic synagogue in Haifa’s Carmel neighborhood vowed to rebuild after a Hezbollah rocket attack on Saturday damaged the building and nearby properties, and injured several people…
CNN interviewed American pilots who participated in the multinational effort to shoot down Iranian ballistic missiles and drones that were fired at Israel during Tehran’s April attack…
Christine Beresniova was hired as the next executive director of the Council of American Jewish Museums, beginning on Dec. 2; Beresniova, who most recently served as lead curator of the Holocaust Center of Florida, succeeds Melissa Martens Yaverbaum, who served in the role for 10 years…
San Diego Jewish Academy in Carmel Valley, Calif., hosted 95 Israeli high school students for 12 days from the Gaza-adjacent community of Sha’ar HaNegev, its sister city in Israel, through the Israeli Ministry of Education and the Jewish Federation of San Diego…
Judith Alembik and her son, Gary Alembik, partnered with the Jewish Educational Loan Fund to establish a $1 million fund to support the educational needs of the children of Jewish clergy…
The Knesset passed an amendment to Israel’s Food Donation Act, which is designed to streamline the rescue of food from governmental institutions and the redistribution to Israelis in need; the legislative effort was supported by the food insecurity nonprofit Leket…
As the academic year opens The Times of Israel interviews Sapir Academic College President Nir Kedar about the college’s plans to bolster resilience among its students, dozens of whom were murdered on Oct. 7 and many others evacuated or serving as IDF reservists, after the college was declared a closed military zone for months after the war began…
Tufts University has suspended Students for Justice in Palestine until 2027…
The University of California, Berkeley removed from its website a course description for the upcoming spring semester that praised authoritarian governments and referred to Hamas as a “revolutionary resistance force”…
In The Atlantic, Reya Hart, whose father, Mickey Hart, played drums for the Grateful Dead, reflected on a childhood of meals on the road while her family followed her father on tour…
Canadian authorities thwarted an October plot by Iran to assassinate former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler…
The Netherlands and France held a meeting focused on antisemitism on the sidelines of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council convening; American Jewish Committee Europe Managing Director Simone Rodan-Benzaquen presented to the group…
Real estate developer and philanthropist Harold Grinspoon has donated $250,000 in matching funds to the Massachusetts Austen Riggs Center to support the Riggs Online Intensive Outpatient Program, providing in-depth mental health care to young adults…
Travel writer Arthur Frommer, whose Europe on 5 Dollars a Day and other eponymous guidebooks revolutionized the travel industry, died yesterday at 95…
Pic of the Day
Some 2,000 students from 176 universities recite Havdalah together on Saturday night as part of Chabad on Campus’s 2024 Pegisha annual gathering in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
Birthdays
Chief impact officer at Forbes, he previously served as a senior executive at the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Seth Cohen…
Retired New York State Supreme Court judge, husband of “Judge Judy,” Jerry Sheindlin… Attorney, investment banker and major fundraiser for the Democratic Party, he served as U.S. ambassador to the U.K. in the Obama administration, Louis B. Susman… Professor of chemistry at Stanford University, Richard Neil Zare… Fifteen-term member in the U.S. House of Representatives (D-NY) until 2013, he is now a partner in Gotham Government Relations, Gary Ackerman… Fashion designer, Calvin Klein… U.S. ambassador to Germany from 2022 until this past July, following 18 years as president of the University of Pennsylvania, Amy Gutmann… Los Angeles based real estate investor, Sydney Ilene Cetner… Owner of Patty’s Piano Studio in Santa Monica, Calif., Patricia Fiden… Cosmetic dentist and chairman of pharma company Akelos, Inc., Steven Fox, DDS… California state senator until 2022, Robert Myles “Bob” Hertzberg… Dean and professor of Jewish history, literature and law at Yeshiva University, Rabbi. Ephraim Kanarfogel… Academy Award-winning screenwriter, producer, director and lyricist, best known as the writer of “Being John Malkovich,” Charlie Kaufman… President of Sunrise Financial Group, Nathan Low… Retired member of the Knesset for the Kulanu party, he served as Israel’s minister of finance for five years, Moshe Kahlon… Officer of NORPAC New York and a partner in a Brooklyn-based law firm, Trudy Stern… Co-president of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Lisa Eisen… Director of state and local government affairs for SAIC, Eric Finkbeiner… Member of the New York State Assembly since 2005, Andrew D. Hevesi… New York Times best-selling novelist, she is also a professor at Rutgers University-Camden, Lauren Grodstein… Gymnast, she was a member of the Magnificent Seven, the women’s U.S. gymnastics team at the 1996 Summer Olympics, Kerri Allyson Strug… Editor-in-chief of Time magazine, Samuel P. Jacobs… Associate director at Northwestern University Hillel, Rachel Hillman… Former congressional staffer, Michael Dale-Stein… Professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour, John Maxwell Homa… Managing director at Climate Power, John D. Axelrod… European deals reporter at the Financial Times based in London, Ivan Levingston…
