Your Daily Phil: Detroit wheel of life: Historic Downtown Synagogue remembers Samantha Woll
Add EJP on GoogleGood Thursday morning!
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we cover last night’s Colel Chabad gala, which honored Ahmed al-Ahmed, who barehandedly disarmed one of the terrorists in the Bondi Beach terror attack last month. We spotlight the efforts of Detroit’s Downtown Synagogue to memorialize its slain president, Samantha Woll. We feature an opinion piece by Gidi Grinstein calling for American Jewry to use its current challenges as a spark for innovation; another by Joe Roberts on the importance of bolstering the often overlooked Jewish communities in the American heartland; and one by Yehuda Setton on the virtues of international infrastructure for when disaster strikes. Also in this issue: Sara Forman, Jonathan Falk and Rabbi Uri Lupolianski.
What We’re Watching
The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center in New York City is hosting a screening this evening of “The Road Between Us,” a documentary about the efforts of Maj. Gen. (res.) Noam Tibon to rescue his son, journalist Amir Tibon, and Amir’s family from Kibbutz Nahal Oz during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will meet today with survivors of the Hanukkah terror attack in Sydney, Australia.
What You Should Know
Less than a month after two terrorists killed 15 people at a Chabad-run Hanukkah celebration at Sydney, Australia’s Bondi Beach, the focus was on resilience, not violence, at Colel Chabad’s annual International Awards Gala, where Rabbi Yehoram Ulman of Chabad of Bondi made his first public address outside of his community since the attack, and Ahmed al-Ahmed, the Syrian-born shopkeeper who disarmed one of the gunmen, was honored for his bravery, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim from the event in Manhattan.
During the annual fundraiser for Colel Chabad, one of Israel’s oldest charities, Ulman discussed the attack, described the support his community has received since and beseeched the crowd of several hundred people to “never allow the darkness to win.” Following Ulman’s speech, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman awarded al-Ahmed with a menorah inscribed with “Light will win” and donated $180,000 to Colel Chabad in al-Ahmed’s honor.
“[Jews] are 0.2% of the world. So seeing someone step forward on behalf of people he didn’t know, to risk his own life, and the calculus of going after a guy with a gun. It’s really one of the great acts of heroism, and I think it was very reaffirming to the Jewish community to have someone stand up on behalf of our community in the most profound, life-affirming way,” Ackman said. “That’s why we’re here. The menorah represents endurance, represents courage, represents persistence and, most of all, represents life and light in the darkness. And this man deserves this.”
Addressing the crowd at Manhattan’s The Glasshouse, al-Ahmed said that his appearance at the event was miraculous. “I am proud to be here with a community and with the human, innocent people who I put my life at risk to save. The innocent people. This moment, it is very, very hard to explain, but I think it was holy. And the miracle is from God,” he said.
The pair’s visit to North America was prompted by Chabad International, which advised Ulman to come for support after Chabad Bondi’s assistant rabbi — and Ulman’s son-in-law — Rabbi Eli Schlanger and Chabad Bondi’s chief operating officer, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, were killed in the attack on the annual “Chanukah by the Sea” event, Ulman told eJP, speaking on the sidelines of the event.
Ulman then decided to invite al-Ahmed. “I reached out to Ahmed, and I suggested that he should come,” Ulman said, noting that the two had never before spoken as al-Ahmed had been unconscious when he’d visited him in the hospital. “First of all, to visit the Ohel… the burial, the holy place of the Lubavitcher rebbe… And at the same time to share the message of the seven Noahide laws, which are the universal laws of morality and goodness. That what he did, it wasn’t just an individual act or random act,” he added. “It was something much deeper than that. It really separates what’s right and what’s wrong.”
MOTOR CITY MOMENTUM
Detroit’s Downtown Synagogue aims to build bridges with programming arm named for the late Samantha Woll
Over the past two decades, there’s been a revival of Jewish Detroit, with young Jews streaming back into the revitalized city from the suburbs. The late Samantha Woll, who was fatally stabbed in October 2023, was one such person, breathing life into Jewish landmarks, including the historic Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, where she served as president. “Sam was a Jewish Detroiter,” Rachel Rudman, executive director of the Downtown Synagogue, the last remaining synagogue in the heart of the city, told eJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitcher. “She lived in Detroit. She showed up as a Jewish person in all the places where she showed up, and she showed up as a Detroiter in all the places where she showed up as a Jew.”
A nuanced legacy: At the congregation’s 2024 block party, the synagogue renamed the rehabbed four-story, triangle-shaped landmark with Skittle-colored windows the “Samantha Woll Center for Jewish Detroit,” but the makeover was not simply physical — in November, the over-100-year-old nondenominational congregation announced that it is reimagining its programming arm as “The Sam” in Woll’s honor. The Sam will offer programs exploring Jewish identity as well as cultivate nuanced conversations around politics, culture, art, race, security and Israel. The only rule for participation is that participants must be respectful and tolerant of competing views.
NO STRINGS ATTACHED
Jewish House Democrats urge Noem to rescind new conditions on security grants
The members of the Congressional Jewish Caucus — every Jewish House Democrat — wrote to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Wednesday urging her to rescind new conditions — presumably related to immigration enforcement and diversity programs — instituted earlier this year on recipients of Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding, reports Marc Rod for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider.
Notable quotable: “[W]e reject any efforts to force Jewish and other houses of worship and institutions to choose between vital security funding and expression of their core religious freedoms, as well as their faith teachings and values,” the lawmakers wrote. “In this time of increased hate crimes against minorities, and in particular rising antisemitism, we believe it is crucial that NSGP remains a critical resource accessible to all communities in need and free from partisan politicization.”
Read the full story here and sign up for Jewish Insider’s Daily Kickoff here.
CALL TO ACTION
Launch a decade of renewal, now
“Mark Twain apocryphally said: ‘History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.’ Without a doubt, World War II and the Holocaust were the bleakest era in the recent history of world Jewry, but the preceding interwar period, which included the Great Depression, was not rosy for American Jews either. … At the same time, the interwar years saw tremendous institutional growth that turned out to seed decades of Jewish prosperity in America,” writes Gidi Grinstein, founder and president of Reut USA, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Adversity-driven innovation: “The conflicting narratives regarding the interwar period — one of pressing threats and the other of dramatic renewal — are often told separately. Nonetheless, in hindsight, they represent one integrated lesson: the tremendous trials of that period led to a wave of creativity that nurtured a more vibrant and confident Jewish community that would prosper for the following decades. This lesson gives us the confidence that current American Jewry will, again, respond to the crisis it faces with institutional and intellectual innovation that will usher in a new era of security and well-being.”
FLY-INTO STATES
American Jewry’s future lies not on the coasts but in its heartland
“Jewish life in America is at an inflection point. The pressures facing us from all sides are unparalleled in modern American Jewish history. And yes, philanthropic dollars have surged into the fight, with real accomplishments to show for it. But the national Jewish conversation still has a blind spot so large it hasn’t even entered the conversation. Here is the truth we have to say out loud: The survival of American Jewish life will not be decided only in the biggest coastal hubs. It will be decided in the places where Jewish life is fragile enough to fail and close enough to revive,” writes Joe Roberts, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa, Okla., in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
The mighty middle: “If smaller communities in the American heartland thin out, age out or disappear, we will have traded a broad national Jewish presence for a brittle coastal future. We will become a people whose American story narrows to a handful of metropolitan zip codes. That is not merely sad. It is reckless. Because small and mid-sized communities are where Jewish life is most at an inflection point. These are places where the margin for error is thin, but the upside is enormous.”
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
From Bondi Beach to the next crisis: Why the first hour matters
“The deadly terror attack during Hanukkah at Bondi Beach did not unfold in the shadows. It happened in broad daylight, in one of Australia’s most iconic public spaces. For many Jews watching from afar, the shock was not only the violence itself, but the recognition: If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere,” writes Yehuda Setton, CEO and director general of the Jewish Agency for Israel, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “For world Jewry, the question is no longer whether antisemitism will reach our communities, but whether we are prepared to respond when it does. And one lesson has become painfully clear over the past decade: In moments of crisis, the first hour matters.”
Strong foundations: “The greatest risk facing world Jewry today is not antisemitism alone. It is complacency — the belief that preparedness can wait until after the next crisis. Preparedness is not charity; it is responsibility. The Jewish people have never survived by accident. We survived because we built institutions, trusted one another, and understood that collective strength matters more than individual effort. … The first hour will come again. What we choose to build — together — will determine how ready we are when it does.”
Worthy Reads
Tax Codes: In The Conversation, Emily Schwartz Greco interviews Boston College law professor Ray Madoff about how tax laws can change how many charitable dollars reach charitable causes. “In the early 1990s, about 6% of all giving was going to intermediaries, like foundations and donor-advised funds, and 94% was going directly to charities: hospitals, universities, churches, organizations curing diseases, all sorts of things. … Today, around 40% of U.S. giving from individual donors goes instead to charitable intermediaries, and 60% of those donations go straight to charities. … Charitable giving, in other words, used to be more connected to what I’d call ‘charitable getting.’ Now, the money is often landing in what’s essentially a halfway house, with no obligation to get out. … I have two proposals. First, I believe that private foundations and donor-advised funds should have to distribute their funds that are reserved for charity within some set time period. Second, I think that just as other Americans are subject to limitations on their tax benefits, the wealthiest should be subject to limitations on their tax benefits too.” [TheConversation]
Goodbye, Caracas: In the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Larry Luxner speaks with members of the Venezuelan Jewish diaspora who hail the ousting of Nicolás Maduro, but say they still won’t likely move back. “At one time, Venezuela was home to some 25,000 Jews. Today, no more than 4,000 remain… The few Jews remaining in Venezuela are reluctant to speak publicly about the situation, especially given recent government threats to expropriate Jewish properties in Caracas — not to mention the country’s strong relationships with Iran and Hezbollah. … Despite Venezuela’s longstanding friendship with Israel prior to the Chávez era, [Venezuelan expat and president of Israel’s Open University Leo] Corry says he’s highly skeptical that large numbers of Jews — or anyone, for that matter — will rush back. ‘Eight million people have left Venezuela. There’s no other example in world history like this,’ he said. ‘At the beginning it was the elite, then the middle class, and finally everyone. Families have been completely destroyed — so it’s too early to start speaking about the idea of returning.’” [JTA]
Word on the Street
Qatar is the top country donating foreign funds to American universities, and Cornell University is its leading recipient, according to a new dashboard from the Department of Education that displays foreign gifts and contracts provided to U.S. educational institutions, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports…
After weeks of pressure, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the formation of a royal commission to investigate antisemitism in Australia following last month’s deadly terror attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach…
Ynet news outlet spotlights Chabad’s Charidy fundraising platform, which facilitated a record $133 million in donations last year…
Speaking at the CES 2026 trade show, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told reporters that he plans to visit the company’s Israel office soon…
In the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Rabbi Ari Saks writes that he is stepping down from Conservative Jewry’s Rabbinical Assembly over the movement’s continued refusal to allow clergy to officiate interfaith weddings…
The board of Warner Bros. Discovery recommended that shareholders reject a hostile bid by David Ellison’s Skydance Paramount, which had amended a previous bid in an effort to sway Warner Bros. from moving forward with a deal with Netflix…
The foreign desk chief of Spanish daily El País apologized for the newspaper’s characterization of Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is presiding over the trial of deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro; the paper described Hellerstein as having “made efforts to maintain an impartial stance despite being a well-known member of the Jewish community,” a clause that was later deleted from the online version…
Jay Stein, whose development of Universal Studios’ tram tour turned the company into an empire that competed with Disney, died in November at 88…
Swiss film producer Arthur Cohn, who won six Oscars for his films, including Best Documentary Feature for “One Day in September,” about the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre, died last month in Jerusalem at 98…
Major Gifts
The Cayton Goldrich Family Foundation awarded $30 million to Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai hospital to establish an eponymous center focused on researching the BRCA gene, which is more common among Jewish women and is tied to increased risks of breast and ovarian cancer…
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust donated $1.5 million to the Jewish Agency for Israel for its JReady community security initiative…
The State of Israel provided a number of fully-equipped Magen David Adom ambulances to the Druze community in southern Syria as part of a large medical aid package…
Transitions
The New York Solidarity Network announced that Sara Forman, the group’s inaugural executive director since 2022, will step down at the end of the month; the organization has launched a search for her successor, who will have the title of CEO…
Jonathan Falk has been named senior vice president of campus solutions at Hillel International…
Emily Sharko and Jim Heeger have joined itrek’s board of directors…
Jordan Balaban was hired to serve as the next CEO of the Calgary (Canada) Jewish Academy…
Pic of the Day
The body of Rabbi Uri Lupolianski, the first Haredi mayor of Jerusalem and founder of the Israeli Yad Sarah medical nonprofit, who died yesterday at 74, is loaded into a van today as he is brought to the city’s Har HaMenuchot cemetery for burial.
The current and former mayors of Jerusalem, as well as former Jerusalem chief rabbis and friends, delivered eulogies for the trailblazing politician outside of his home in the city’s Sanhedria neighborhood.
“Rabbi Uri, my brother and my friend, you dedicated your life to Jerusalem, and today, Jerusalem cries for your loss,” Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said. “Jerusalem, for you, wasn’t just a position or a title; she was your life’s mission.”
Birthdays
Founder and chief investment officer of Pzena Investment Management, Richard “Rich” Pzena turns 67…
Sociologist at the American Enterprise Institute, Charles Murray turns 83… Senior U.S. district judge for the Southern District of Florida, now on inactive status, Alan Stephen Gold turns 82…Member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a guitarist and founding member of the Doors, Robby Krieger turns 80… Moscow-born classical pianist, living in the U.S. since 1987, Vladimir Feltsman turns 74… Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning composer, he is a professor of music composition at Yale, David Lang turns 69… Israel’s ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Rafael Harpaz turns 64… Co-founder of Pizza Shuttle in Milwaukee, Mark Gold… Violinist and composer best known for her klezmer music, Alicia Svigals turns 63… VP of wealth services at the Alera Group, he was an NFL tight end for the Bears and Vikings, Brent Novoselsky turns 60… Founder and president of DC-based Professionals in the City, Michael Karlan turns 58… Lobbyist, attorney, patron of contemporary art and philanthropist, Heather Miller Podesta turns 56… Anthropologist and epidemiologist, she is a professor of pediatrics at UCSF, Janet Wojcicki turns 56… Former state senator in Maine (2008-2016), Justin Loring Alfond turns 51… Singer-songwriter, musician, and actress, she was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the indie rock band Rilo Kiley, Jenny Lewis turns 50… Former director of U.S. public policy programs for Meta / Facebook, now a partner in Lev Collective, Avra Siegel… Editor, investigative reporter and screenwriter, Ross M. Schneiderman… Actor, screenwriter and director, he is a son of film director Barry Levinson, Sam Levinson turns 41… Retired professional soccer player, he is now a partner in Columbus, Ohio-based Main + High Investments, Ross Benjamin Friedman turns 34… Principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, Skylar Paley Brandt turns 33…
