Your Daily Phil: Detroit’s Gary Torgow tapped as next board chair of JFNA
Good Tuesday morning.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on the nomination of Gary Torgow to serve as the next board chair of the Jewish Federations of North America and examine the growing turmoil in the Reconstructionist movement about anti-Zionism as it searches for a new CEO. We spotlight a new medical school program at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and look at how Jewish groups are responding to the latest funding proposal for the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program. We feature an opinion piece by Rabbi Rick Jacobs reflecting on the early results from the World Zionist Congress elections, and one by Andrew Keene encouraging Jewish institutions to take advantage of an economic window to incorporate Israeli small businesses into their supply chains. Also in this issue: Omer Shem Tov, Emily Kaiser and Carly Cohen.
What We’re Watching
House leadership is hosting a vigil this evening on Capitol Hill in memory of slain Israeli Embassy staffers Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky; the event will also be attended by Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter and American Jewish Commitee CEO Ted Deutch.
The Jewish Federations of North America is leading an LGBTQ+ Pride mission to Israel this week ahead of Friday’s Tel Aviv Pride Parade.
What You Should Know
Michigan businessman Gary Torgow, current board president of the Jewish Federation of Detroit, has been tapped to succeed Julie Platt as board chair of the Jewish Federations of North America starting July 1, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim.
Torgow has been an active lay leader in the Jewish community for years, co-chairing last year’s JFNA General Assembly and serving previously as national campaign chair for the organization. Since 2017, Torgow has served as chairman of Mosaic United’s steering committee, steering the organization’s work to strengthen Israel-Diaspora ties. He has also been a leader in the Orthodox community, with roles such as senior vice president of the Orthodox Union and chair of OU Kosher in 2021.
“I am appreciative and honored to be elected chair,” said Torgow in a statement. “The North American Jewish community is at an inflection point, and looking to its federation leadership to ensure that we not only overcome the challenges we face, but thrive.”
JFNA’s leadership change comes at a fraught moment for North American Jewry. Torgow steps into the role as the Jewish community is still reeling from two violent attacks in the last month and amid a steep increase in antisemitism following Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attacks and the subsequent Israel-Hamas war, alongside a “Surge” in Jewish engagement. In a statement, Torgow listed fighting for funds for the community’s security, support for Israel and deepening Jewish education as priorities.
“As chair, I will work with the broad Jewish Federations leadership to fight for our community’s security, work together to rebuild Israel, and deepen Jewish education so that our communities can flourish,” Torgow continued.
In his roles as a businessman, philanthropist and community advocate, Torgow has worked extensively with the NAACP and other civil rights organizations, fostering a strong relationship with Detroit’s Black community. On multiple occasions, he’s chaired the NAACP’s Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner, and Torgow received the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022. He also led the City of Detroit’s Strategic Neighborhood Fund’s corporate fundraising campaign, which raised $250 million for seven Detroit neighborhoods.
“Our system could not be more fortunate to have Gary Torgow taking the helm during this critical period, in which we are battling an unprecedented spike in antisemitism and working to meet the moment offered by the recent surge in Jewish engagement,” JFNA’s president and CEO, Eric Fingerhut, said in a statement.
Platt will continue to be active as immediate past chair. “While we have done so much in the past three years, the work is not yet done,” Platt said in a statement. “Jewish Federations of North America are so fortunate to have Gary as our next chair, and I look forward to working with him to ensure that, even in these difficult times, our vital work will continue to provide leadership, resources, and hope as we build and secure flourishing Jewish communities.”
AT A CROSSROADS
Reconstructing Judaism grapples with Israel amid CEO search: Is the movement becoming more inclusive or pushing out Zionists?
While the Jewish community grapples with fraught discussions over Israel, Reconstructing Judaism, the movement’s umbrella, remains the only denomination of Judaism to ordain openly anti-Zionist rabbis. With Rabbi Deborah Waxman retiring as CEO in August, many are wondering what is next for the denomination, reports Jay Deitcher for eJewishPhilanthropy. The current row was touched off when two students at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) penned an opinion piece in The Forward last year announcing that they were dropping out over what they saw as the college’s increasingly antagonistic attitude toward Zionism. Waxman countered that the movement believes in Israel’s right to exist, but will not impose “litmus tests” on members.
Messy evolution: For proponents of the RRC’s acceptance of anti-Zionism, this stance represents a general openness to different ideas. For opponents, this professed lack of “litmus tests” by the movement is blatantly false, given its firm stances on other issues, such as LGBTQ rights. Seth Rosen, chair of Reconstructing Judaism’s board of governors, told eJP that the fierceness of the debate over the issue is proof of its necessity. “Evolution is messy. Evolution is not a simple, clear line from point A to point B. Evolution is a process through which competing ideas… sort of vibe with each other to see which emerge as the ones that are best suited to survival.” An “unequivocally” Zionist offshoot group of Reconstructionist rabbis, Beit Kaplan, says the movement risks losing its mandate if it continues on this path. “If Reconstructing Judaism fails to live up to its mission and its moral obligation, then Beit Kaplan will have to do it for them,” Rabbi Shoshana Hantman, board chair of Beit Kaplan, told eJP.
DOCTORS WANTED
With funding from plastics magnate Sami Sagol, Ben-Gurion U. launches med school geared toward new immigrants
As Israel faces a growing doctor shortage with the looming retirement of 1990s-era Russian immigrants, the newly named Sagol Medical School for International Health — a partnership between Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Sagol Network — has launched a four-year medical school program focused on advanced technologies, public health and future-ready medical education. Unlike other medical schools in Israel, which are six-year programs for students without bachelor’s degrees, this shorter program is meant for students who have completed their bachelor’s degrees, making it more suitable for new immigrants, though it is open to all Israeli citizens, its director, professor Alan Jotkowitz, told eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judith Sudilovsky.
Addressing a shortage: The creation of the school comes in the wake of the Israeli government’s decision, in 2022, to close Israeli medical school programs for international students to prioritize the training of domestic doctors to address the growing physician shortage. There are currently 160 students enrolled in the new program. The program will emphasize a comprehensive global health perspective, the importance of preventive medicine and the integration of state-of-the-art technologies and the strategic use of artificial intelligence, already used in radiology and pathology, into other areas of medicine. It will also work to strengthen the medical services in southern Israel, Jotkowitz said.
SECURITY FUNDING
Jewish groups say House’s NSGP proposal falls short
Jewish groups said on Monday that the House Appropriations Committee’s 2026 appropriations bill, which includes $305 million in funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program, fails to meet the need for the program. The House Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland Security voted on Monday evening to advance the bill funding the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, with an increase from 2025 of just over $30 million for NSGP funding. The full committee will debate and vote on the bill on Thursday morning, report Emily Jacobs and Marc Rod for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider.
Jewish groups react: Nathan Diament, the executive director of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, said in a statement the House proposal is “a far cry from what is needed in the face of exploding antisemitism. The pro-Hamas calls to ‘globalize the Intifada’ have arrived in America. Jewish communities are facing a real crisis with a real set of threats, and Congress must respond with real action.” The Anti-Defamation League expressed a similar view. “In the wake of the horrific antisemitic violence we’ve seen in Washington, D.C., and Boulder, our communities are living in fear. We appreciate the proposed increase to $305 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, but it is not enough,” Lauren Wolman, director of federal policy and strategy at the ADL, said in a separate statement. “Not when Jewish schools are forced to hire armed guards. Not when synagogues are receiving bomb threats during services.”
Read the full report here and sign up for Jewish Insider’s Daily Kickoff here.
REFORM ZIONISM LIVES
The Reform slate received a historic number of votes in the WZC election — and there’s much more to the story
“The early results are in: After more than a year of organizing, mobilizing and outreach among Reform congregations in every state, Vote Reform received 48,000 votes in the 2025 World Zionist Congress (WZC) elections, the most votes to go to a single slate,” writes Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president? of the Union for Reform Judaism, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “We engaged people by speaking directly to their profound concerns and aspirations for the future of Israel. We made the case for a Judaism — and a Zionism — that is inclusive, just, inspiring and democratic. And they responded.”
A voice for our values: “We will leverage the power demonstrated in the election results to shape the Israel that the majority of North American Jews support: one that rejects domination by right wing messianists who aspire to annex the West Bank, resettle Gaza and weaken Israel’s democratic institutions — all while trying to snuff out expressions of non-Orthodox Jewish life in the Jewish State. For too long, those dangerous values have been ascendant within Israeli life, to the detriment of Israel’s well-being and that of the Jewish people throughout the Diaspora. The high number of WZC votes garnered by slates aligned with such views is deeply concerning, as is the fact that a handful of slates have been caught with thousands of fraudulent votes… In the weeks ahead, we will convene our slate members and allies, set priorities and get to work. We’ll push for policies that reflect our values. We’ll push back against any entity who seeks to erase our voice. And we’ll continue to build coalitions in Israel and across the Diaspora that can drive real change. We will do this with honesty and transparency — the same way we ran our campaign.”
THINK BEYOND CHARITY
Tariff tumult provides a unique opportunity to support Israeli small businesses
“Since Oct. 7, 2023, nearly half of Israel’s small businesses have reported severe disruptions to their operations,” writes Andrew Keene, founder of Esek, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “According to the Israel Small and Medium Enterprises Authority, small businesses — defined as those with up to 100 employees — make up 99.5% of all businesses in Israel. That’s nearly 700,000 enterprises, accounting for over 60% of private-sector employment and nearly half of Israel’s GDP. These are not abstract numbers. These are real people — entrepreneurs, artisans, shop owners and members of family businesses who form the backbone of Israel’s social and economic fabric.”
Another way to help: “It’s time to expand our vision of what it means to support Israel. For decades, we’ve faithfully used our allocations budgets to fund Israeli nonprofits and resilience projects. But how often do we look at our operational budgets — the dollars we spend every day on goods, services and supplies — and ask: Could we be spending this in Israel?… Recent shifts in global trade policy put us at a unique crossroads. While tariffs on Chinese goods continue to swing unpredictably — just last month, the U.S. announced another round of significant tariff increases on key Chinese imports — tariffs on Israeli products have stabilized at the new global minimum of 10%. This has created a rare window when many Israeli products have become relatively more affordable and competitive in the American market…[O]rganizations and businesses across the U.S. are actively seeking more stable, values-aligned sources for their procurement needs. In other words, this isn’t just a moral imperative; it’s a smart economic decision.”
Worthy Reads
A Local Victory: In The Atlantic, Megan Greenwell spotlights the story of a retired doctor named Roger Gose who collaborated with a group of his neighbors to fund and build a new local hospital in their poor rural Wyoming community after the existing one was acquired and stripped down. “Building a new, locally owned hospital isn’t a scalable way to help every community where hospitals owned by private-equity firms are providing less health care. The particular combination of ingredients in Riverton Medical District’s recipe baked into something resembling a miracle. But to Gose’s mind, following Riverton’s example doesn’t require building a community hospital in every rural county in the country. What it requires is people with knowledge of, and investment in, one specific community making decisions for that community — the exact opposite of the private-equity ethos of consolidation at all costs.” [TheAtlantic]
No Atheists in Foxholes: The New York Times’ Isabel Kershner interviews former Israeli hostage Omer Shem Tov about the religious journey he experienced while in Hamas captivity in Gaza. “A few days into his captivity, he said, he began to speak to God. He made vows. He began to bless whatever food he was given. And he had requests — some of which he believes were answered. ‘You are looking for something to lean on, to hold onto,’ Mr. Shem Tov said in a recent interview at his family home in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv. ‘The first place I went to was God. I would feel a power enter me,’ he said. … Mr. Shem Tov, who turned 22 in captivity, said he had always had faith, but had never been religiously observant. Many other released hostages have spoken of similar experiences, finding solace and the strength to survive by connecting or reconnecting with God and recalling oft-forgotten Jewish rituals.” [NYTimes]
Next Gen: In Bloomberg, Amanda L. Gordon examines the effects of the Giving Pledge on its signers’ children. “Next-generation philanthropists like Emily Kaiser are poised to play an increasingly important role as an aging population prepares to transfer its wealth to heirs or to charity. Nearly half of the world’s 500 richest individuals tracked by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index are age 70 and older, collectively holding $4.72 trillion in assets. … About 250 individuals or couples have signed the Giving Pledge, including Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Larry Ellison… It’s a remarkable feat of peer pressure that’s changed the way many think about philanthropy, though it’s been criticized for its non-binding nature. It also forces the next generation to confront the impact of philanthropy, both on their own lives and the wider world. Inevitably, a decision by an ultra-wealthy parent to part with most of the family’s fortune will raise some questions, if not outright conflict. … George Kaiser, meanwhile, has already provided for his three children and grandchildren through equity stakes in his assets. Upon his death, 100% of his wealth will go to philanthropy, he said. ‘They have enough so they can do anything they want,’ Kaiser, 82, said in an interview. ‘But the vast majority of everything we have is going to charity. And that is not a problem, I don’t think with any of them, and certainly not with me.’” [Bloomberg]
Word on the Street
The United Kingdom is poised to sanction Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir for their conduct during the Israel-Hamas war, freezing any assets they have in the country and barring them from entering…
In a win for Israeli environmental activists, the Jerusalem District Court revoked the operating permit of an Ashdod power plant and desalination facility and called for a fresh review by the country’s Environmental Protection Ministry, after a lawsuit argued that the plant would be a major source of pollution…
The House of Representatives passed two resolutions yesterday condemning the recent antisemitic attacks in Washington and Boulder, Colo. A bipartisan measure passed nearly unanimously, with just two lawmakers, Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), voting present. The other, led by Republicans, focused on the Boulder attack and immigration issues, and split the Democratic caucus…
Argentine President Javier Milei arrived in Israel last night, traveling to the Western Wall in Jerusalem shortly after landing; tomorrow, he will receive the Genesis Prize…
Ken Moelis will step down from his eponymous investment bank later this year; Moelis, who launched the firm in 2007, will be succeeded by co-founder Navid Mahmoodzadegan, the bank’s co-president…
Israel Bonds has doubled its fundraising to more than $5 billion in global investments for Israel since Oct. 7, 2023…
The Jewish Agency for Israel’s Fund for the Victims of Terror and Israel’s National Insurance Institute and the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs have established the Family Circle initiative to fill in gaps in support for second- and third-degree relatives of Oct. 7, 2023, hostages and other victims…
The family of Israeli hostage Matan Angrest released video taken from his capture on Oct. 7, 2023; in the video, Angrest’s limp body is seen being tossed off a tank into the arms of terrorists…
The New York Times interviews former hostage Liat Beinin Atzili, who was released from captivity in November 2023 and whose husband, Aviv, was killed in the Oct. 7 attack…
Two years after lawmakers approved it, an initiative of the New York Department of Health meant to encourage living donor kidney donations would offer up to $14,ooo in financial assistance to donors for out-of-pocket expenses as thousands of New Yorkers wait for transplants…
The LGBTQ+ legal aid nonprofit Lambda Legal has raised $285 million, exceeding its original goal by $105 million…
A new study by the Pew Research Center found that the global Jewish population increased by 1 million between 2010-2020; the report noted that the global Jewish population has not yet recovered its pre-World War II numbers, with 14.78 million Jews alive today compared to an estimated 16.6 million in 1939…
Pope Leo XIV held a ceremony on June 2 with members of the Romanian Jewish community in attendance honoring the life of Romanian secret cardinal Blessed Iuliu Hossu, who risked his life to rescue Jews and asked his community in the Romanian Greek Catholic Church to do the same during the Holocaust…
Police in Ottawa, Canada, are investigating the vandalism of the city’s National Holocaust Monument that took place earlier this week…
In a Haaretz opinion piece, Judah Isseroff examines the theological dynamics behind the growing connection between talk show host Tucker Carlson and progressive Jews who are critical of Israel…
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee CEO Ariel Zwang has been named one of Crain’s New York Business Most Notable Leaders in Philanthropy for 2025…
Climate activist Greta Thunberg departed Israel on a flight to France on Tuesday morning, a day after the boat she and other activists had attempted to sail to Gaza was intercepted by Israeli forces…
Major Gifts
A $11.5 million gift to the Heinz History Center by Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin will allow the center and the Fort Pitt Museum to offer free admission for all children under 17 beginning on Sept. 1…
Grants by FireAid totaling $25 million to support long-term recovery efforts following the January wildfires in Los Angeles will be distributed under the recommendation of the Annenberg Foundation. This second round brings total awards to $75 million, following a $100 million fundraising concert earlier this year…
Transitions
Carly Cohen has been appointed PJ Library philanthropy officer for major gift fundraising efforts across the New York region…
Pic of the Day
The Jewish LGBTQ group A Wider Bridge hosts a congressional event last Thursday at Washington’s Capital Jewish Museum, which recently opened a new exhibit on LGBTQ Jews. It was the first event held at the museum following last month’s deadly terror attacks.
Pictured, from left: AWB board member Andy Austin, Rep. Wesley Bell (D-MO), Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), AWB interim Executive Director Rabbi Denise Eger, board member Sharon Wilkes, Board Chair Daniel Hernández Jr. and board members Seth Schermer and Elan Divine.
Birthdays
Actress and the older sister of comedian Sarah Silverman, Laura Silverman…
Author of award-winning books about her experiences before, during and after the Holocaust, Aranka Davidowitz Siegal… Journalist and author, Jeff Greenfield… Musician, producer, composer and conductor for film and television, Randy Edelman… Physical therapist at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Andrea Sachs… Cathy Farbstein Miller… Senior director of communications for CoGenerate, Stefanie Weiss… Former attorney general and later governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer… Director of business development at Evergreen Benefits Group, Avi H. Goldfeder… Blogger and columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, Neil Steinberg… Film, television and stage actress, Gina Gershon… President and CEO of JINSA, Michael Makovsky… Israeli film and TV actress, Avital Abergel… Veteran of nine NFL seasons as an offensive tackle, he is now the athletic director of Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, Calif., Mike Rosenthal turns 48… Vice president of strategic partnerships at the Birthright Israel Foundation and director of community education at NYC’s Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, Rabbi Daniel Kraus… Professor at the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, Yascha Mounk… Economic commentator on Israeli television, Matan Hodorov… Publisher of The New York Sun and CEO of The Algemeiner, Dovid Efune… Actor, producer, writer and director, Joseph Paul “Joey” Zimmerman… CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of San Francisco, Tyler Gregory… Singer, composer and entertainer, Simcha Leiner… CEO of Encounter Programs, Yona Shem-Tov… Belgian singer and songwriter, known as “Blanche,” Ellie Blanche Delvaux…
