Your Daily Phil: Art of the merger deal in Boston’s cultural scene
Good Tuesday morning.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on a new merger in Boston between the historic Vilna Shul and the Jewish Arts Collaborative, and on a new donation to support female religious soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces. We also examine how the USAID freeze will affect organizations in Israel and the West Bank. We feature an opinion piece by Melissa Balaban, Rachel Cort, Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum and Justin Rosen Smolen looking back at the development and impact of the Jewish Emergent Network, and one by Rabbi Joanna Samuels about the conflict facing progressive Jewish women today. Also in this newsletter: William Daroff, Shiri Fein-Grossman and Jason Isaacs.
What We’re Watching
The Jewish Federation of Detroit’s Women’s Philanthropy is hosting its Signature 2025 fundraising event tonight at the city’s Congregation Shaarey Zedek. Six-time Emmy- and Tony-nominee Tovah Feldshuh will be the keynote speaker.
The inauguration of Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund’s “Iron Swords Forest,” a memorial forest in honor of the victims and fallen soldiers from the Oct. 7 terror attacks and the Israel-Hamas war, which was supposed to take place this morning in the Western Negev has been postponed indefinitely. The delay is due to security concerns following Hamas’ announcement that it was halting the hostage-release deal.
M²: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education and Kol HaOt have released a special Haggadah for the Tu B’Shvat seder that was “specially adapted and dedicated to raising awareness about the Israeli hostages being held in Gaza” ahead of the holiday, which falls on Thursday.
What You Should Know
For over 100 years, the Vilna Shul has stood nestled in Boston’s Beacon Hill — an outpost of Jewish immigrant history in one of the city’s most popular, most historic neighborhoods. While rooted in its Jewish cultural history, it’s also a building that has known change. Starting in the 1950s, when the Jewish community began to filter out of the neighborhood, the synagogue fell into a period of disuse, then disrepair. Restored by a Jewish community initiative in the 1990s, it now operates as a cultural center, honoring Boston’s Jewish immigrant history as a new generation walks through its doors for educational programs, entertainment, public art exhibits and historic tours.
In the latest chapter in an old building’s history, a merger between the Jewish Arts Collaborative and the Vilna Shul — alongside a planned multi-million- dollar capital renovation to transform the synagogue’s historic sanctuary space into a center for Jewish performing arts — aims to cement the redbrick synagogue as a one-stop shop for Jewish culture in Greater Boston, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim has learned.
“It’s not just that the Boston Jewish community rescued the Vilna Shul from being destroyed. They have rescued this story of the Jewish immigrant history of this community,” Laura Mandel, formerly JArts’ executive director, told eJP. “Now through our partnership, through the artists and the program vision that we are creating together, we’re really gonna be able to illuminate those stories.”
Following the merger, which was voted on in late January and announced this week, Mandel stepped into the role of managing director of program strategy and impact at The Vilna. Both the Vilna and JArts’ core programs will continue, and JArts’ three signature events — Hanukkah at the MFA, Be The Change at the Fenway and the Community Creative Fellowship powered by CJP — will be absorbed into the Vilna’s programming. There will be no layoffs from either organization in the process, Dalit Ballen Horn, The Vilna’s executive director, told eJP.
“JArts and Vilna combined are now what will be one of the largest mailing lists in the Greater Boston area for this kind of work,” Mandel told eJP.
According to Ballen Horn and Mandel, the decision to unite seemed obvious to the two organizations, which both operated on similar budgets for a similar target audience. By joining together, it was clear to both organizations that they could streamline their operations while also deepening their impact in the community.
“The Vilna and JArts are vibrant treasures of our community, and their coming together marks an exciting step forward in nurturing Jewish culture holistically,” Marc Baker, president and CEO of Combined Jewish Philanthropies, the city’s Jewish federation said in a statement.
According to Ballen Horn, the organizations also hope the merger stands as an example of the ways consolidating complementary organizations can create a broader impact within a community. “The goal is not to live in a world where you have so many options and so many people working separately, unwilling to consider combining that power to make something that’s more effective for the community,” she said.
IN THE ARMY NOW
Jeremy, Ann Pava donate $1.5 million to Ohr Torah Stone program for female religious soldiers
Philanthropists Jeremy and Ann Pava have donated $1.5 million from their Micah Philanthropies toward the Modern Orthodox Ohr Torah Stone network’s program for religious female soldiers, which is being renamed the Pava Hadas Army Program in their honor. According to the Pavas, it may be their single largest grant. “We understood that there is an influx, a huge number of Orthodox young women who are deciding to choose army service now more than ever. So we thought that this is a really good time to support a program like this,” Ann Pava, president of Micah Philanthropies, told eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross.
Spiritual support: The program provides “intense Torah study before, during and after” IDF service for its 310 participants, who are spread across three campuses, in Jerusalem, Lod and Carmiel, according to Ohr Torah Stone. “The Pava Hadas Program is trying to make sure that we answer the needs of the women who want to serve. We want to make sure they’re spiritually prepared. We want to make sure that they’re physically able to do it. We want to make sure that we give them spiritual accompaniment through the army,” Rabbi Kenneth Brander, Ohr Torah Stone’s president and rosh yeshiva, told eJP.
HUMANITARIAN AID
The good, the bad and the ugly of USAID’s Middle East funding
In the name of shrinking the federal workforce and cutting off U.S. dollars going abroad, President Donald Trump and top deputy Elon Musk have all but shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), whose $40 billion annual budget supports humanitarian projects internationally. USAID has for decades supported both Israeli and Palestinian organizations in the Middle East, with a particular emphasis on humanitarian support for the Palestinians. But the agency has also faced scrutiny for a perceived lack of vetting and transparency about the organizations it funds. Some in both the public sector and civil society have raised concerns that, while USAID does support important institutions and legitimate peacebuilding efforts, U.S. taxpayer dollars may be reaching other organizations with ties to terror or with an anti-Israel agenda, report Gabby Deutch and Lahav Harkov for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider.
‘Brutal’ methods: All recipients of USAID funding — the good, the bad and the ugly — have been affected by the funding freeze, leaving recipient organizations scrambling. USAID has provided funding to top Israeli medical institutions including Sheba Medical Center, Shaare Zedek Medical Center and Hadassah hospitals. “The uncertainty of USAID funding directly impacts Hadassah,” Lilly Freemyer, a spokesperson for the organization, told JI. One Hadassah program now on hold “fosters collaboration between Israeli and Palestinian mental health professionals to better serve children and adolescents suffering from emotional trauma,” Freemyer said. Elliott Abrams, a Republican foreign policy mainstay who sat on an advisory board for some Middle East USAID grants, said that while he thought there was waste, vetting issues and other mistakes, “the way this is being done is brutal.”
Read the full report here and sign up for Jewish Insider’s Daily Kickoff here.
AND BEHOLD, IT WAS GOOD
The Jewish Emergent Network: From emergence to evolution
“In May 2014, rabbis and professional leaders from our seven organizations — IKAR in Los Angeles, Kavana in Seattle, the Kitchen in San Francisco, Lab/Shul and Romemu in New York, Mishkan in Chicago and Sixth & I in D.C. — came together for the first time at the Leichtag Ranch in Encinitas, Calif., with support from Natan and the Leichtag Foundation. As leaders, we were building Jewish community in new ways, focusing on an entrepreneurial approach that was purpose-driven, rooted in tradition and radically welcoming… As this loose affiliation began to take shape, we partnered with the Jim Joseph Foundation to create the Jewish Emergent Network, with the idea that new and thriving Jewish spaces could grow together in surprising and creative ways,” write four of the groups’ leaders — Melissa Balaban, Rachel Cort, Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum and Justin Rosen Smolen — in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
What a difference a decade makes: “The story of the Jewish Emergent Network echoes the story of Jewish tradition and innovation, in which new forms of community emerge in response to the needs and desires of the people we serve, informed by the past but fundamentally oriented to the present moment… In a period of reflection about the future of the network, we looked around us to realize, with great joy, that the landscape of innovative and vibrant Jewish organizations has exploded since we began 10 years ago… We celebrate these exciting developments for the field — and it was in this context, after a yearlong wind-down as an independent network, that this past summer the Jewish Emergent Network passed on its core initiatives to two thriving organizations best positioned to carry out specific aspects of the network’s legacy: the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable and Atra.”
FEELING TORN
Jewish women, the vibe shift and how we step back into building a just world
“Jewish women who hold progressive values close while also maintaining a steadfast commitment to fighting antisemitism find ourselves at a crossroads. This dual allegiance often places us in a world of contradictions, especially when political leaders and movements present conflicting stances,” writes Rabbi Joanna Samuels, CEO of the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan in New York City, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Remember the real beneficiaries: “It is impossible to unsee the hatred directed at our community and Israel over these past 16 months. In particular, the continued failure of most women’s rights and human rights organizations to speak out forcefully — or in some cases, even at all — against the mass rape of Israeli women and for the return of hostages is simultaneously mystifying and enraging… [W]e we must remind ourselves of what is at stake: the people who are helped by social justice, international aid and social services organizations — who are decidedly not the same people as those who run them. Despite the poor choices of some organizational leaders, women still need reproductive health care; families need places to live; and people of limited means need food. We must not let our anger at ineffective leadership overwhelm our compassion for those they serve, particularly as an unstable government environment is creating chaos for many nonprofits that rely on government funding.”
Worthy Reads
Acknowledging Shared Pain: In The Times of Israel, Rea Bochner reflects on the way the trauma afflicted on individual Jews affects other members of the tribe. “It’s like that story I hate about the couple that goes to the doctor because, as the husband says, ‘Our arm hurts.’ Maybe not the healthiest model for marriage, but it perfectly captures what it feels like to be a Jew in these agonizing times. If you’re in pain, then I am, too. The reason I feel like all of this is happening to me is that it is. I don’t mean this in a self-promoting or performative way; I’m saying it because I need to give myself permission to hurt as much as I do. I imagine I’m not the only olah or Diaspora Jew who feels this way. As newcomers to a country where everyone is connected by one degree, or as Jews living miles away from the events, it’s not always easy to justify our pain, grief and trauma. I’ve questioned myself for being soft-bellied and self-indulgent, because real Israelis are going through far worse. But the truth is, I am a real Israeli. And I am a Jew, which means that I am a part of this story. This does not take away from the experience of the victims, the hostages and their families. If anything, it enriches it, because it means they are not alone. Just as they need physical and emotional support while they navigate the day after, so do the rest of us. That begins by acknowledging how much “our arm hurts,” without doubt or apology. [TOI]
Toss Them a Lifeline: In The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Nick Grono urges funders to offer individualized support to first-time nonprofit CEOs to increase their chances of success. “Nonprofit leadership is tough in the best of times. And these are not the best of times. Today’s leaders are contending with ever-tightening government budgets; unrelenting challenges of fundraising and complicated board dynamics; decisions about how best to respond to important, contested issues like the Israel-Gaza war and DEI; and in the United States, the impacts of a potentially stricter regulatory environment. Incoming CEOs face a host of additional challenges. Many funders pause or reduce their support during times of leadership change. Most new executives are recruited externally, with research showing that outside hires take twice as long to get up to speed as internal ones, and a significant proportion fail within the first 18 months… If we want to pay more than lip service to the undoubted need for more diversity of identity and lived experience among nonprofit leaders — and for more successful first-time CEOs in general — then we need to give them ample support to maximize their chances of thriving. That support should be thoughtful and tailored to the pressures and challenges they are likely to face and to the talents, expertise and perspectives they bring.” [ChronicleofPhilanthropy]
Word on the Street
The Times of Israel interviews William Daroff, the CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, about how the U.S. Jewish community is approaching the Trump administration’s policies on Israel…
Kibbutz Kissufim announced that resident Shlomo Mansour, 86, who had been taken hostage alive by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, was killed in captivity in Gaza, where his body remains…
The family of Ziv and Gali Berman confirmed that they had received signs of life for the twin brothers, who were kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 7; the families of hostages Alon Ohel and Eliya Cohen said they also received signs of life from their loved ones…
Released hostage Arbel Yehoud decried the politicization of the hostage issue in Israeli society, in a message read aloud by her father in the Knesset yesterday, saying she did not believe it when her captors told her that the topic had become a source of division; Yehoud called on the Israeli government to renegotiate the hostage-release deal to bring back everyone “in one go”…
A discussion scheduled for today at Georgetown University Law Center featuring a convicted member of the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is being postponed so that the university can “conduct a serious investigation”…
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency looks at an upcoming Supreme Court case about charter schools that could have wide-ranging implications for Jewish day schools…
The Florida Holocaust Museum raised $1.26 million at its annual “To Life” Gala on Feb. 1, some $100,000 more than at last year’s event…
The Los Angeles Times examines how the approximately $650 million that was raised for L.A. wildfire relief can best be spent to aid recovery for the area…
President Donald Trump named Ric Grenell, the administration’s special envoy for special diplomatic missions, as the interim executive director of the Kennedy Center, days after Trump dismissed the cultural institution’s board and installed himself as chairman…
A new Jewish educational center and community complex opened its doors in Mogilev, Belarus; funding for the Chabad-affiliated center came from the Federation of Jewish Communities, which serves Jewish communities from the former Soviet Union; local businessman Yevgeny Baskin; the Rohr family; Moscow businessman Abraham Asher Zhurov; the 770 Foundation and other donors…
Shiri Fein-Grossman has been named CEO of the Israel-Africa Relations Institute think tank after serving as its head of strategy and operations…
The Canadian Jewish News interviews Karina Gould, who is running to lead Canada’s Liberal Party, which has lost much of its Jewish support over its stances on Israel and domestic antisemitism…
The backup dancer who was removed from Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show for unfurling a Palestinian/Sudanese flag will not face criminal charges, but received a lifetime ban from NFL stadiums and events…
HIAS has joined a lawsuit against President Donald Trump over his freeze on refugee admissions; the group was part of a similar effort in 2017 over Trump’s travel ban…
J. The Jewish News of Northern California spotlights how local Jewish groups are aiding refugees in the Bay Area…
Pic of the Day
British actor Jason Isaacs wears a yellow ribbon pin signifying support for the hostages in Gaza at yesterday’s Los Angeles premiere of the third season of the HBO series “The White Lotus” at Paramount Theatre. Isaacs, who has often discussed his Jewish identity and whose parents moved to Israel, has regularly been seen wearing the pin at public events in recent months.
Birthdays
Assistant general manager for MLB’s Baltimore Orioles, Eve Rosenbaum…
Journalist, writer, political commentator and author of a Passover Haggadah co-written with his late wife Cokie Roberts, Steven V. Roberts… NYC-based gastroenterologist, he is the past president of American Friends of Likud, Dr. Julio Messer… Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007, John Ellis “Jeb” Bush… Former Knesset member for the Jewish Home, Likud and Ahi parties, Eliyahu Michael “Eli” Ben-Dahan… ProPublica’s editor-in-chief since 2013, Stephen Engelberg… Victorville, Calif., resident, Tricia Roth… Hospice and palliative care physician, Dr. Gary E. Applebaum… Principal at Gallagher Benefit Services, Alan Vorchheimer… U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)… Admin and special project coordinator for Jewish Renewal programs at JDC, Debbie Halali… Founder and president of RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, Scott Berkowitz… Governor of Hawaii, Joshua B. Green… CEO at Baltimore-based real estate firm, Quest Management Group, Jason Reitberger… Elected as a member of the Broward County (Fla.) School Board in the months following the death of her daughter at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, Lori Alhadeff… Director and executive producer of the broadcast team at Salesforce, Rob Hendin… Ilana Ozernoy… Executive at City Winery, he was also a pitcher for Team Israel in qualifying for the 2020 Olympics, Shlomo Lipetz… Tight end on the NFL’s Carolina Panthers for four seasons ending in 2006, Mike Seidman… Executive director of Merkos 302 and the International Conference of Shluchim at Chabad HQ, Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky… Republican strategist and president of Somm Consulting, Evan Siegfried… Entrepreneur, pilot and commercial astronaut, he is pending Senate confirmation to serve as the next administrator of NASA, Jared Taylor Isaacman… Vice president of global healthcare banking at Bank of America, David B. Stern… Senior program director at WillowTree, Michelle Zar Beecher… Former director of account management at State Affairs, Rachel Kosberg… M&A partner at Kirkland & Ellis, Alix Simnock… Associate attorney at EarthJustice and author of two books on origami, Scott Wasserman Stern… and his twin brother, a vice president for Technicolor Political, Eric Wasserman Stern… Data scientist at CAST AI, CY Neuberger Twersky… Master chef, Yisroel Neuberger…
