Your Daily Phil: Carolina on our mind: Hurricane Helene, one year later
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In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we examine a new survey by Gallup showing Israelis and Palestinians doubting the possibility for peace between them, and interview officials from the Leon Levine Foundation about the Carolina-focused grantmaker’s plans for today and the next 50 years. We report on philanthropist Ronald Lauder’s recent meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and on the Jewish communal world’s muted reaction to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s United Nations address. In the latest installment of eJP’s exclusive opinion column “The 501(C) Suite,” Idana Goldberg applies recent lessons from the Daf Yomi to the subject of philanthropic accountability; and we feature pieces by Ashley Vandewart Lasher and Tzlil McDonald marking the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene. Also in this issue: Daniel Loeb, Glorya Kaufman and Ayelet Harris.
What We’re Watching
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads into a meeting with President Donald Trump at 11 a.m. ET today, which is expected to primarily focus on Gaza ceasefire talks.
In Tenafly, N.J., Edan Alexander and his family will participate in a ceremony to name a street in the former Israel American hostage’s honor.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH EJP’S JUDAH ARI GROSS
Hope, or lack thereof, is rapidly becoming a recurring topic of coverage in these pages. First, it was based on a study by M²: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education, which found a surprising level of despair among American Jewish communal professionals, with just 24% expressing hope for the future (compared to 82% of the general American population). Now, a new survey by the American pollster Gallup again finds that one of the few things that Israelis and Palestinians can agree on is that there will never be peace between them.
According to the latest poll, nearly two-thirds of Israelis and Palestinians believe that peace “will never come to pass,” compared to 21% of Israeli adults and 23% of Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem who said that permanent peace between the two nations could be achieved. (For the past two years, Gallup has not surveyed Gaza-based Palestinians due to the war there.)
Though optimism for peace is a decidedly minority view among Israelis and Palestinians, these latest figures represent an increase from 2023 — before the Oct. 7 terror attacks and the start of the ongoing war in Gaza — when 15% of Palestinians from the West Bank and Jerusalem and 13% of Israelis said that peace was possible.
In addition to being equally pessimistic about the chances for peace, Israelis and Palestinians are unified in their opposition to the international community’s preferred resolution to their conflict: the two-state solution. According to Gallup, most Israelis (63%) and most Palestinians (55%) oppose the idea of an independent Palestinian state alongside an independent State of Israel. A third of Palestinians support a two-state solution to the conflict, as do 27% of Israelis. (Roughly one-tenth of each isn’t sure.)
In both groups, this represents a reversal from 13 years ago, when 61% of Israeli respondents said they supported a two-state solution and 30% opposed it, and 66% of Palestinians said they supported it and 32% opposed.
The new Gallup poll also reinforces the belief that the two societies are growing increasingly entrenched in their maximalist demands. When broken down by age groups, the data show that among both Palestinians and Israelis, older respondents are more likely to support a two-state solution than younger ones, with the 15-29-year-old cohorts being the least supportive of the idea.
Q&A
With $2 billion and 50 years to spend it, Leon Levine Foundation hopes trust (and data) will help it make an impact in the Carolinas
This weekend marked the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, which tore through Western North Carolina and surrounding parts of the Southeast, killing more than 250 people and causing nearly $80 billion in damage. One of the first philanthropic organizations to fund immediate relief work in the wake of the storm was the Leon Levine Foundation. But beyond its hurricane response work, the past year has been a significant one for the foundation, as its assets surpassed the $2 billion mark and its annual allocations exceeded $100 million. To hear more about the foundation’s plans for the next 50 years, after which it plans to shut down, as well as its work in Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene and in the Jewish community post-Oct. 7, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross visited the organization’s headquarters in Charlotte last month and spoke with its CEO, Thomas “Tom” Lawrence III; its senior vice president, Justin Steinschriber; and its “Jewish Values” senior program officer, Jen Rosen.
JAG: Do you know yet what the foundation’s sunsetting will entail? Will it be supporting specific initiatives and programs or building endowments to help develop the long-term health of the organizations that the foundation supports?
TL: Historically, the foundation has spent a significant amount of time and effort with a grant-making strategy that has primarily been through unrestricted multiyear operating funding, and that certainly continues. … Going forward with the growth in assets, the growth in research and development, looking at how we can identify those gaps of need within our mission areas and within our communities and find intentional, strategic, transformational initiatives that can really create long-term and permanent impact. We have the ability to create permanency within those concepts.
JAG: Where are the areas for growth that the foundation sees in the Carolina Jewish community?
Jen Rosen: We’ve commissioned in partnership with the Jewish Federations of North America to do a demographic study across both North and South Carolina, because we have a sense [of the growth] from national trends and from the rough numbers that are out there, but in order to craft a strategy that’s going to be the most impactful we want to actually understand who these folks are, what the needs are, how people connect now, how long they’ve been in their city. So we’re hoping to have those initial findings in the fall.
ROAD TO DAMASCUS
Ronald Lauder meets Syrian president for ‘very positive’ talk on Israel normalization
Ronald Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa last week to discuss the ongoing normalization talks between Damascus and Jerusalem, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross.
First meeting: The meeting took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. A spokesperson for Lauder confirmed to eJP that the two spoke for more than 30 minutes and that this was their first meeting. “We had a very positive discussion about normalization between Israel and Syria,” Lauder later wrote on X.
‘CHURCHILLIAN’ VS. ‘DANGEROUS’
High praise, harsh criticism and silence: Jewish orgs react to Netanyahu’s UN speech
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday morning, he addressed his remarks to a wide audience: not only to the international delegates before him — a comparatively sparse crowd after over a hundred representatives walked out as he approached the podium — and the larger audience watching his speech, primarily in Israel where it was broadcast by local news channels, but also Hamas leadership and fighters and the remaining hostages in Gaza as well after the Israeli military set up speakers around and inside the Strip. American Jewish organizations — another key audience for the speech — have been largely silent on his remarks, with only a few groups reacting to it, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim reports.
Sound of silence: The Jewish Federations of North America, American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League, Israel Policy Forum and World Jewish Congress did not issue statements following the speech, and a representative from the AJC declined a request for comment on Netanyahu’s remarks. The Zionist Organization of America issued a statement describing Netanyahu’s remarks as “Churchillian” and applauding the prime minister for slamming the countries that recognized a Palestinian state. AIPAC live-tweeted several segments of the speech on X but did not make a statement of its own, while J Street posted a critique of Netanyahu and his choice of message as “shameful and dangerous.”
THE 501(C) SUITE
Leadership and the courage of accountability
“In the Daf Yomi cycle, the recently completed Tractate Horayot opens with a jarring question: What happens when those entrusted with wisdom and power — judges, priests, kings — err, and the people follow?” writes Idana Goldberg, CEO of the Russell Berrie Foundation, in the latest installment of eJewishPhilanthropy’s exclusive opinion column, “The 501(C) Suite.” “Horayot is not a tractate about deliberate evils; it is about error and frailty in the highest places and what leadership must do when its fallibility becomes visible.”
Takeaways for funders: “Foundations rely on entrenched paradigms, and when new situations arise — emergencies, changing landscapes, shifting values — we may opt for the safer path or even choose inaction rather than change direction or take controversial risks. It’s no secret that our polarizing times reward conformity; and even among philanthropic leaders, it takes courage to question orthodoxies. The cost of that silence, whether in boardrooms or broader civic life, compounds when those of us with resources and platforms choose comfort over conscience. … Horayot reminds us that leadership demands more: the courage to make difficult decisions and the greater courage to acknowledge that some decisions might have been mistakes. As leaders — religious, political or philanthropic — we must learn to respond, to atone, to grow.”
ONE YEAR LATER
In the wake of disaster, a love letter
“One year ago, I was sheltering in my basement with my daughters and our dog as Hurricane Helene tore through our community just outside of Asheville, N.C.,” writes Ashley Vandewart Lasher, executive director of the Asheville Jewish Community Center, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “Cut off from the rest of the world with no power, water, internet, cell service or gasoline, we spent the first days of the aftermath relying on and caring for anyone we could reach within a couple miles’ radius.”
‘Whatever you need’: “Soon thereafter, with my family’s safety and shelter stabilized, my focus shifted to the Asheville JCC’s employees, members and board members who had lost everything; to those who fled town to find power, water and shelter, and those who stayed behind to try to stitch it all back together. … I knew that Western North Carolina’s philanthropy would be immediately depleted, that I would need to look outside our region. I left town for a couple of days for stable cell and internet access to share our JCC’s most immediate need and my vision for meeting it. That’s when the North American Jewish community began to say ‘Hineini — I am here.’”
LET’S WORK TOGETHER
From devastation to hope: The power of shared values
“One year ago, Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina. Homes were destroyed and communities shaken; yet hope remained, sustained by the outpouring of support from people of all walks of life who came to help. It was also when Nechama, a Jewish disaster relief organization, and Week of Compassion, the disaster ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), began working together,” writes Tzlil McDonald, project director of combating antisemitism for Nechama – Jewish Response to Disaster, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Shoulder to shoulder: “[D]isaster zones bring challenges beyond the storm. After Helene, false claims and antisemitic tropes started circulating online — about aid being diverted to Israel, or even that Jews control the weather and were therefore responsible for the wreckage. For most people in these communities, Nechama was the only Jewish organization they’d ever engaged with directly. By showing up in these communities and working shoulder to shoulder with people of every faith and background, we helped dismantle harmful stereotypes and proved that service transcends religion. … That’s why our partnership with Week of Compassion is so powerful. Together, we’re more than a sum of our parts: Volunteers gain new perspectives. Communities are better served. And compassion is amplified.”
Worthy Reads
Israel Bonds: In the Israeli financial newspaper Globes, Assaf Gilead interviews Third Point’s Daniel Loeb about his recent visit to Israel and his optimism about the country. “Above all, the 2025 model Loeb is a man of contrasts: He grew up in a secular home in California, but now leads Torah study groups in New York, invests in alumni of IDF elite intelligence units, and cultivates ties with rabbis, even those calling for draft exemption for haredi Jews. And now, as someone who was concerned about global antisemitism even before October 7, he intends to play a pivotal and influential role in the Jewish world, both in the US and in Israel. … ‘I visited Israel a year ago. People were deeply depressed at the time, most of the hostages were still being held in Gaza and the war was at its peak. Even then I said that if Israel were a share, I would buy it.’” [Globes]
A Source of Joy: In Inside Philanthropy, Wendy Paris profiles the late Glorya Kaufman, a Jewish philanthropist who died in August at 95 and whose foundation most recently provided the lead gift for a newly opened wellness center in Los Angeles. “This gift reflects Kaufman’s dual philanthropic focus on arts and care — healthcare and wellbeing, and caring for the disadvantaged. It’s also a nice reminder of her contributions in a city that has so many big-time funders, it can be hard to keep track. … Kaufman was a very personal donor, with her philanthropy stemming from her love of dance and her experience with strabismus as a child — a medical condition in which a person’s eyes fail to track together and that requires surgery to fix. … The foundation’s homepage includes a quote from her: ‘Physical and spiritual wellbeing are the centerpiece of my philanthropic aspirations. My ability to touch communities in a deeply personal way gives me immeasurable joy.’” [InsidePhilanthropy]
Lit Crit: In Arc Magazine, Alexander Nazaryan considers the increasing politicization of the LitHub magazine, which has drifted to the ideological left in recent years. “That lean has become especially pronounced since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, leading the writer Lisa Smith Siegel to call its newsletter ‘a daily delivery of anti-semitism in your email box.’ … There is perhaps nothing surprising about a publishing tip sheet taking a strong editorial position on Israel, given the leanings of its readership. But such a publication could still fulfill its news-gathering mission. It is, therefore, just as telling to inspect what LitHub does not cover. For example, in August, The Free Press revealed that Thomas Gebremedhin, a senior executive at Doubleday, had shared an Instagram post celebrating the murder of Wesley LePatner, a Manhattan finance executive, in a mass shooting. … But instead of investigating the story, LitHub never covered it at all—even as, for the wider public, it was the most consequential publishing story of the day.” [ArcMag]
Word on the Street
Some philanthropy leaders are expressing concern following President Donald Trump’s recent executive order to “disband and uproot” nonprofits and foundations that “support or encourage domestic terrorism,” which is seen by some as an effort to crack down on political opponents; the order follows reports of a Justice Department effort to bring charges against George Soros and his Open Society Foundations…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a group of pro-Israel social media influencers that Oracle CEO Larry Ellison’s planned purchase of TikTok could be “consequential” for Israel’s advocacy efforts, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports…
The Israel-Premier Tech Cycling team, which is co-owned by Sylvan Adams and Ron Baron, has been excluded from a late-season race in Italy due to security concerns amid heightening calls to boycott Israeli cultural institutions…
The Associated Press analyzes how philanthropists and nonprofit leaders are refocusing their efforts and forging new partnerships on the sidelines of the United Nations’ General Assembly last week, after sweeping cuts to foreign aid shook the field earlier this year…
A new survey by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics found that half of married Israeli reservists have reported that their reserve duty has caused damage to their marriages, with 30% saying that it has led to thoughts of separation or divorce…
Boston’s WGBH broadcaster spotlights the dwindling Cuban Jewish community…
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency interviews Jewish historian Pamela Nadell about her recent book on American antisemitism and the new “high tide” of hatred American Jews face…
The USC Shoah Foundation and Manhattan synagogue Rodeph Sholom helped Scarlett Johansson feature real Holocaust survivors in “Eleanor the Great,” her upcoming directorial debut about the survivor community…
An anti-Israel activist who firebombed a police car in California and plotted several other acts of violence was sentenced to 19 years in prison…
After it was reported that Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani would attend a “mainstream” Upper West Side synagogue with Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Congregation B’nai Jeshurun — Nadler’s synagogue — confirmed he will not attend its Yom Kippur services…
The Jewish News of Northern California highlights “A Land for All,” a joint Israeli-Palestinian initiative supported by the New Israel Fund, proposing a two-state confederation solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict…
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation examines how a video that came to light last year of local nurses threatening Israeli patients continues to be a source of concern for Jewish Australians, with some hiding their religious identities when seeking medical treatment…
Cornell University placed a professor with a history of anti-Israel activism on leave this week following his attempt to exclude an Israeli student from participating in his course on Gaza, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen has learned…
Howard Elias, founder of the Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival, has died at 67…
Holocaust survivor and Polish-born actress Ruth Posner died on Friday alongside her husband at a suicide clinic in Switzerland at 96 …
Aron Bell, a Holocaust survivor and the last living sibling of the group of four Jewish “Bielski brothers” who led the partisan group that saved 1,200 Jews, has died at 98…
Major Gifts
The Barrack Family Foundationdonated $10 million to the Philadelphia-area Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy to purchase from the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia a portion of the Schwartz Campus in Bryn Mawr, Pa., where the school has been a tenant until now; this represents the single largest gift the school has ever received and raises the foundation’s total support for the institution to $25 million…
Jana and Michael Katz donated $538,000 to Birchway Niagara for the expansion of a 45-bed domestic violence shelter in Niagara Falls, Canada…
Transitions
Rakefet Ginsberg is stepping down as CEO of Israel’s Masorti Movement; the group has launched a search for her successor…
Karen Abravanel has been named the UJA-Federation of New York’s next chief legal and compliance officer, succeeding Ellen Zimmerman, who retired after more than 30 years with the organization…
Pic of the Day
A volunteer from the Israeli Kibbutz Movement delivers a “homecoming kit” to a resident of one of the kibbutzim that was attacked by terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. The kits, funded by the Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund and Bituach Haklai (Agrilcultural Insurance), are being distributed as people begin to return home as most of their communities have been rebuilt following the attacks. They contain an assortment of items that the movement says are meant to symbolize hope and growth, including calming herbal teas, games, a trowel and seeds.
“The kit was born out of genuine and sincere listening to the representatives of the kibbutzim in the Gaza Envelope,” Ayelet Harris, head of the Kibbutz Movement’s society and community division, said in a statement. “In the meetings we held, painful and profound statements were raised about home and the need to befriend the outside world again, to find security anew and especially about the longing for community and a neighbor from whom you can ask for a cup of milk. The kit is our way of telling the families, ‘We are with you,’ and providing them with a soft layer of support during the moving and challenging moment of returning home.”
Birthdays
Holocaust survivor, later a psychologist and a specialist in the treatment of PTSD, she is the author of two international bestsellers, Edith Eva Eger turns 98…
Mathematician and professor emeritus at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hillel “Harry” Furstenberg turns 90… President of New York University from 2002 to 2015, he is the author of Baseball as a Road To God, John Edward Sexton turns 83… Israeli author, translator, journalist and restaurant critic, Avital Inbar turns 81… Retired CEO of Southern California-based LinQuest Corporation, he is a board member at Temple Sinai, Leon Biederman Ph.D…. Former member of the Knesset, he serves as the executive director of Beit El Yeshiva and as chairman of Arutz Sheva, Ya’akov Dov “Katzele” Katz turns 74… CEO at Chain Link Services and past treasurer of the Board of Trustees of Jewish Federations of North America, Harold Gernsbacher… Tony Award-winning actor and singer, Roger Bart turns 63… Professor of sociology at the University of London, and the academic director and CEO of the London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism, David Hirsh turns 58… Composer and pianist, he is the winner of the 2020 Azrieli Foundation Prize for Jewish Music, Yitzhak Yedid turns 54… Governor of Delaware since early this year, Matthew Stephen Meyer turns 54… Strategic consultant at 2048 Ventures, following 21 years in senior positions at AIPAC, Brian Shankman… Director of the Smithsonian Institution’s office of global affairs, Aviva Rosenthal… City controller of Philadelphia until 2022, Rebecca Rhynhart turns 51… YouTube-based yoga instructor with more than 1.6 billion views, Adriene Mishler turns 41… Program manager at New York State Homes & Community Renewal, Aron Chilewich… Research director at D.C.-based S-3 Group, Shawn Pasternak… Film and television actress best known for her role in the ABC comedy “The Neighbors,” Clara Mamet turns 31…
