Your Daily Phil: How to commemorate an event like Oct. 7
Good Thursday morning.
Ed. note: The next edition of Your Daily Phil will arrive in your inbox on Tuesday, Sept. 3. Shabbat shalom and enjoy your Labor Day!
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on a newly signed $50 million joint venture by JNF-USA and KKL-JNF to rebuild southern Israel and on Maimonides Fund’s inaugural scholars in residence: Rabbi David Wolpe and Mijal Bitton. We feature an opinion piece by Leonard Petlakh reflecting on the impact of having 26 Israeli shlichim (emissaries) join his camp staff, and one by Eliana Goldin on the role of her campus community in giving her the energy to combat antisemitism. Also in this issue: Irish Chief Rabbi Yoni Wieder, Robin Miller and Debbie Newman Bernstein. We’ll start with a look at how world Jewry will mark the first yahrzeit of the Oct. 7 terror attacks.
In just under six weeks, Israel and Jewish communities around the world will mark the one-year anniversary of the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust and the start of an ongoing war in Gaza and fighting along the Lebanese border, as well as a major rise in global antisemitism. While these ceremonies will likely focus primarily on the commemoration of the murder of some 1,200 people, the injury of thousands more and the kidnapping of more than 250 — nearly half of whom remain in captivity — they are also among the first official opportunities to establish the narrative of the Oct. 7 massacres, to place that watershed moment in the context of Jewish history writ large, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross.
Were the attacks primarily the result of division within Israeli society and the Jewish world more broadly, coming amid an at-times vicious public debate over the Israeli government’s plans to overhaul the country’s judicial system? Were they the consequence of Israel’s long-standing policy of keeping Hamas in power in Gaza? Were they just the latest iteration in a long history of antisemitic brutality? Or were they something else entirely?
“Designing this memory has always been [the responsibility of] Jewish leadership. Some generations have succeeded and given us the best stories, which really make sense of who we are and what should be done. Some generations failed and these moments in history we don’t even collectively remember,” Naama Klar, director of the Koret International School for Jewish Peoplehood at Tel Aviv’s ANU – Museum of the Jewish People, said at a discussion organized by ANU and the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia last week.
Particularly in Israel, these questions are not abstract or theoretical. There is a roiling debate underway over the Israeli government’s plans to organize a memorial ceremony, as many of the communities attacked on Oct. 7, as well as the families of hostages and victims, hold the government responsible for failing to prevent the massacres and for failing to return the captives.
This level of discord around Oct. 7 memorials is significantly less evident outside of Israel, where the focus is more on providing a venue for shared grief. In order to enable such memorial ceremonies, the Jewish Federations of North America is offering microgrants of up to $10,000 to communities that plan on hosting them.
“We think the most important and powerful way to mark Oct. 7 is in community and to give access to as many people as possible to mark the day,” Shira Hutt, executive president of JFNA, told eJP. “In the days and weeks following Oct. 7, there were nearly 200 community gatherings, vigils and rallies. People wanted to be together, they wanted to be in community, and so we feel that this is once again an opportunity to do that.”
The semi-virtual ANU-Weitzman gathering featured a wide range of Jewish leaders and intellectuals to discuss these topics, to identify existing successful memorial practices, to craft a narrative around Oct. 7 and to consider how the attacks will be remembered in the future. In addition to Klar, the speakers included Dara Horn, the author of People Love Dead Jews; Rabbi J.J. Schacter, a professor of Jewish history and Jewish thought at Yeshiva University; Brian Schreiber, a former CEO of the Pittsburgh Jewish Community Center who led the its commemoration initiative for the 2018 Tree of Life shooting; David Bryfman, CEO of The Jewish Education Project; Vered Vinitsky-Sarossi, a sociology professor at Hebrew University who specializes in collective memory; Aya Feuchtvanger, a fellow at Beit Midrash Le’Ma’ase; and others.
The discussion, which was shared exclusively with eJP, did not offer a one-size-fits-all template for memorial ceremonies, but instead provided topics for consideration, based on Jewish tradition and history. ANU and Weitzman plan to release a document about the insights gleaned from the discussion next week.
The Israeli speakers in particular noted the difficulty in thinking about memorializing the Oct. 7 attacks when they are — in many ways — still the reality in Israel, with hostages still in Gaza and many border communities still displaced. “It’s very, very difficult for me to talk about memory when there are still people who are still living in tunnels [in Gaza] and are not here yet,” Vinitsky-Sarossi said at the start of her remarks.
Later in the discussion, Horn pushed back on this concern. “People need it now. It’s not that whatever we’re doing now is going to be the thing that’s done l’dor va’dor [from generation to generation]… but you are setting a stage and setting some precedence,” she said.
The attendees also dealt with more logistical questions: When should the attacks be commemorated? While even in Israel, the attacks are typically referred to by the Gregorian date on which they occurred — Oct. 7 — it is far more common to use the Hebrew calendar, but marking a day of profound mourning on the holiday of Simchat Torah, when the attacks occurred, is not a viable solution. Should commemorations instead be folded into existing days of mourning, such as Tisha B’Av?
“The Jewish yahrzeit is going to be Simchat Torah, which is a happy day, even if we try to ignore it and say it is Oct. 7,” Schreiber said. “It is going to be a big, big, big challenge, and it is going to challenge the sense of what mourning looks like in a holiday that is supposed to be so happy… We face this in Pittsburgh every single year, whether we commemorate on Oct. 27, which is when most of the people commemorate, versus the 18th of Cheshvan, and we ultimately now do two different commemoration events.”
This year, different Jewish communities will commemorate the attacks on different days. “Some [ceremonies] are taking place on Oct. 7. Some are taking place on Sunday just before because there’s more access over the weekend,” she said. “There may be some synagogues that mark the Hebrew date.”
Some 75 communities across North America have already approached JFNA about receiving funding for their ceremonies (applications are open through Sept. 9); the events are being listed on a JFNA website about the initiative as they are approved. “But over the coming weeks, we expect many dozens more events to be added to the website that will show again that the entirety of the Jewish community is coming together to mark the day,” she said.
BUILDING BACK TOGETHER
JNF-USA and KKL-JNF sign $50 million joint venture to rebuild southern Israel
Nearly a year since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, efforts to rebuild the Gaza border communities destroyed remain underway, with experts estimating that reconstruction could take at least half a decade. A recently signed $50 million joint venture of the Jewish National Fund-USA and Keren Kayemet Le’Israel-Jewish National Fund will aid in rehabilitation on a “project-by-project basis” of the southern Israel communities devastated by Hamas’ attacks, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Haley Cohen.
Looking for more: Sol Lizerbram, president of JNF-USA, called for additional support for the effort. “We need Zionist organizations everywhere to coordinate efforts to address these unprecedented challenges,” Lizerbram said in a statement on Wednesday. According to JNF-USA, the money will be used to identify projects that both groups can philanthropically invest in and is considered more of a joint venture rather than a fund.
Time for rapprochement: The collaboration also indicates a deepening cooperative relationship between the two organizations after almost two decades of separation. The groups have maintained strained ties with one another over the years over a variety of disputes, some ideological and some over management practices. Ifat Ovadia-Luski, KKL-JNF chairwoman, told eJP that she made repairing the rift one of her top priorities when stepping into the role in 2022. “This situation could not continue and we must work together,” she said, recalling that multiple in-person meetings, both in Jerusalem and New York, took place before the groups agreed to join forces.
GREAT MINDS
Maimonides Fund launches scholars in residence program: Rabbi David Wolpe to revitalize non-Orthodox Judaism, Mijal Bitton to capitalize on ‘The Surge’
Maimonides Fund launched a new scholars in residence program, bringing on board Rabbi David Wolpe and Mijal Bitton as its inaugural fellows. Through the program, Wolpe will develop a “new vision of non-Orthodox Judaism” and Bitton will consider how the Jewish community can best capitalize on “The Surge” of interest in Jewish identity following the Oct. 7 attacks, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross.
Help wanted: “The changes wrought by the tragic events of Oct. 7 and beyond will be with us for generations,” Mark Charendoff, president of Maimonides Fund, said in a statement. “We must double down on our ongoing work with a new sense of urgency, and we also need to reexamine what it means to be Jewish in the world today. Wise, creative and inspirational leaders like Rabbi Wolpe and Dr. Bitton can help us make sense of our moment and our efforts to strengthen and sustain Jewish life into the future.”
Sermon prep: Wolpe, who is also a senior adviser to Maimonides Fund and the inaugural rabbinic fellow at the Anti-Defamation League, has already started running “sermon workshops” ahead of the High Holy Days as part of this effort to help “rabbis, educators, and other cadres of Jewish leaders [develop] the tools they need to bring more effective Jewish practices and ideas to their [non-Orthodox] communities,” the organization said.
Meeting the moment: Bitton, the spiritual leader of New York’s Downtown Minyan, will “work to better understand the new challenges and opportunities that exist for those seeking access to rich, sophisticated and accessible Jewish life and learning,” Maimonides Fund said.
SUMMER REFLECTIONS
Bringing Israel’s story to American Jewish day camps
“A rabbinic colleague recently shared an insightful observation: ‘I was raised with a deep love for Israel, but I’ve come to realize that my child’s connection will likely be more about loving Israelis,’” writes Leonard Petlakh, CEO of the Kings Bay Y and JCC Brooklyn in New York City, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
An impactful encounter: “This summer, we welcomed 26 remarkable young post-army Israelis to our Kings Bay Y and JCC Brooklyn day camps through the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Summer Camp Shlichim program. The immersive experience of interacting with these young Israelis — through dance, music, activities, sports and arts — imparted more about Israel than any formal educational setting could achieve… Through daily activities, these emissaries brought a piece of Israel and a sense of connection to Jewish peoplehood to children who otherwise might not encounter it.”
Insight into their lives: “As a father of an American lone soldier in an IDF combat unit, I thought I had a firm grasp on the realities these young Israelis face. Yet on July Fourth I was taken aback to find ‘our Israelis’ huddled together in a JCC space, seeking comfort from the seemingly innocuous fireworks of Brooklyn’s Independence Day celebrations. The sounds, reminiscent of their recent traumatic experiences, were a stark reminder of the ongoing reality in Israel: Omer carries the memory of his close friend Evyatar, lost in the tragic events of Oct. 7. Eitan’s family, their home in Northern Israel destroyed by Hezbollah, remain displaced and have endured ongoing hardship since October. Yossi traveled from Colombia to join his reserve unit in Gaza when the war started, and he was diagnosed with PTSD after three months of intense service.”
STUDENT VOICES
Once more into the fray, but not alone
“Next week, I will return to Columbia University as a senior,” writes Eliana Goldin in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “Most people assume that I’m dreading going back, and in some senses, I am. I have no desire to re-experience all of the antisemitism I went through last year. At the same time, returning to Columbia means that I, along with the rest of my Jewish peers, have a tremendous opportunity to make a kiddush Hashem (sanctification of God’s name.)”
A renewed relationship: “When I started at Columbia as a freshman, my Jewish identity hung in a state of limbo. My Modern Orthodox upbringing was all I’d ever known, and in college it seemed like I had access to the whole world of diverse Jewish practice at my fingertips. I was eager to explore… I began spending more time with the Orthodox Union’s Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (OU-JLIC) community. Through various JLIC programs and Shabboses, I found what I was looking for: a renewed connection with Hashem, a passionate community that shares my values and a rabbi excited about helping college students maintain their observance even in secular — and in the last year, hostile — environments.”
Answering the call: “A couple of weeks after Oct. 7, I was asked by the Hillel administration at Columbia if I would help revive Aryeh, a pro-Israel group on campus that strives to bring nuance into the conversations about Israel, Zionism and antisemitism at Columbia. Immediately thrust into the world of Israel activism, my classes became a side gig and combating antisemitism on campus became a full-time job.”
Nurture your Jewish identity: “Engaging with a Jewish community for Judaism’s sake – and not just because antisemites are telling you that you should go back to Poland – is crucial to thriving as an observant student on a hostile secular college campus. By nurturing our Jewish identities for the sake of God, rather than for the sake of our attackers, the JLIC community at Columbia grew in passion and rigor. Through feeling confident in our Jewish identities, we in turn had the bandwidth and mental energy to engage with antisemitism on campus.”
Worthy Reads
A Gamble Pays Off: In Jewish Insider, Matthew Kassel examines how AIPAC has become a major force in political primaries after establishing a super PAC in 2021 and starting to directly back candidates. “In late 2021, the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC announced it would soon begin wading directly into campaign politics — launching a bipartisan political action committee as well as a super PAC to wield its considerable resources in high-stakes congressional elections. The pivot, which marked a major shift in AIPAC’s 61-year history, was seen at the time as a risky and controversial maneuver threatening to sow backlash and risk diminishing its clout in Washington, where it has long been engaged in bipartisan lobbying to uphold support for Israel. But nearly three years and two election cycles later, AIPAC’s new efforts have made a significant impact on the primary landscape, political strategists say, pointing in particular to a waning influence of the far left that had until recently been ascendant in the Democratic Party, where divisions over Israel have fueled rising tensions in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.” [JewishInsider]
Topical Topics: In the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Jacob Gurvis speaks with rabbis about how they will be including the current moment — the war in Israel and rising antisemitism around the world — in their High Holy Days sermons. “As rabbis across the United States prepare their sermons for the upcoming High Holy Days, the first since Oct. 7 sent shockwaves across the Jewish world, many are acutely aware that similar last-minute changes could be needed yet again. As the Israel-Hamas war continues and the U.S. presidential election approaches, the volume and pace of news show no sign of abating. For any rabbi interested in preaching on current events, that uncertainty presents a challenge… Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky, who leads Congregation Shaare Tefilla, a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Dallas, said he has recently been writing his Shabbat sermons later than usual and, where possible, avoiding references to specific events that could quickly become outdated… While last-minute changes to High Holy Days sermons have historically been prompted by tragedy — 9/11, COVID spikes, war in Israel — Guzik isn’t ruling out the possibility that good news could throw a wrench into her sermon this year. ‘Say suddenly on erev Rosh Hashanah, I get news that — God willing it happens much earlier — a deal has been reached and the hostages are being released, you better believe that my sermon is changing,’ she said.” [JTA]
Around the Web
Israeli forces in Gaza recovered the body of an IDF soldier who was killed on Oct. 7; the soldier, whose identity is not being released at the request of the family, was killed before his body was taken to the enclave…
Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry found that approximately 56 square miles of vegetation in northern Israel and three square miles along the Gaza border have been burned since Oct. 7, mostly due to Hezbollah and Hamas rocket fire, respectively…
The Canadian Jewish News interviews two prominent Jewish National Fund of Canada donors — Jonathan Goodman and Mary Ellen Herman — on its podcast as part of its continuing coverage of the financial controversy between the Canada Revenue Agency and the fundraising organization…
A 3,500-year-old jar on display in Haifa’s Hecht Museum was shattered after a boy attempted to peer into the artifact, which was not behind glass…
The Howard R. Levine Foundation donated $1 million to the Renaissance West Community Initiative in Charlotte, N.C. to help in its fight against generational poverty…
Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family Service and Melvin J. & Clare Levine Jewish Residential & Family Service announced five new members to their 2024-2025 boards of directors. The new Alpert NFS board members are Scott Glassman, Emily Grabelsky, Mindy Steiner Nichols, and Barbara Shear, while Ellen Forrest is joining the Levine JFRS board of directors…
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) urged U.S. airlines to reconsider their prolonged suspensions of flights to Israel, accusing them of ‘ effectively boycotting’ Israel…
The Biden administration issued its sixth batch of sanctions targeting Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, blacklisting the Hashomer Yosh (Guardians of Judea and Samaria) organization — not to be confused with the Hashomer Hachadash movement — and Yitzhak Levi Filant, the chief security officer for the Yitzhar settlement in the northern West Bank…
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency interviews Ireland’s new Chief Rabbi Yoni Wieder about his role, growing hostility against Jews and how the Irish Jewish community is navigating pro-Palestinian Ireland’s relationship with Israel…
Faith leaders say education is key to reversing New York’s increasing hate crime trend which was revealed in a new report by the New York state comptroller indicating that the most targeted groups include gay men, Black people and Jews…
The Siegel Family Endowment has awarded over $10.4 million in grants to 28 organizations focusing on “the intersection of learning, workforce, and infrastructure”…
Robin Miller was appointed the new chief executive officer of Jewish Family Home Care in Broward County, Fla. …
Crain’s Chicago Business examines how philanthropy may be stepping in to save local news, notably through Press Forward, a $500 million, five-year national initiative to invest in local news led by the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation…
The Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach has raised $2.6 million for the renovation and expansion of its building at Florida Atlantic University; the space will be named the Newman Bernstein Hillel in honor of the lead donor, local philanthropist Debbie Newman Bernstein…
Religion News Service spotlights the Lithuanian Jewish community’s effort to preserve the Yiddish language…
Pic of the Day
An Israeli flag joins the many French flags at a demonstration against antisemitism on Tuesday that was organized by the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF) at Place de la Comedie in Montpellier, France. It was held following an attempted arson attack on Synagogue Beth Yaacov in La Grande-Motte, a popular seaside resort town near Montpellier, on Saturday.
The demonstration drew 1,000 people, Agence France-Presse reported, and speakers included Grand Rabbi of France Haim Korsia, CRIF president Yonathan Arfi and an assortment of regional and local government officials.
Birthdays
President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation since 2017, Dr. Richard E. Besser…
Longtime actor, born as Elliott Goldstein, Elliott Gould… Former U.S. secretary of the Treasury during the Clinton administration, Robert Rubin… Retired IDF major general, he is the founder of Commanders for Israel’s Security, Amnon Reshef… Head of Yeshiva Ahavat Shalom in Jerusalem, Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Hillel… Hotel and real estate mogul, she is the U.S. ambassador to Malta since 2022, Connie Milstein… Former dean of Duke Law School following 17 years as a U.S. District Court judge, David F. Levi… Founder of Yad Sarah and former mayor of Jerusalem, Uri Lupolianski… Los Angeles resident, Warren B. Stern… U.S. ambassador to Israel, he was the secretary of the Treasury during the Obama administration, Jacob Joseph “Jack” Lew… Former senior counsel at the Federal Communications Commission for 23 years, Amy L. Nathan… Director of operations at Kesher Israel: The Georgetown Synagogue, Laura Kamer-Israel… CEO of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Ariel Zwang… Journalist, author and blogger, Lisa Frydman Barr… District attorney of Queens, Melinda R. Katz… Associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Neil Gorsuch… Director, screenwriter and editor, Ra’anan Alexandrowicz… Head of the global business group at Facebook / Meta, Nicola Sharon Clyne Mendelsohn… Partner at DC-based HLP&R Advocacy, Jerr Rosenbaum… Election law guru at Dickinson Wright PLLC, Charles R. Spies… Hip-hop fashion designer, entrepreneur and artist, born in Lakewood, N.J., Marc Ecko… Author and staff writer at The Atlantic, Gal Beckerman… Rosh Yeshiva and Head of School at Bnei Akiva Schools in Toronto, Rabbi Seth Grauer… Israeli computer hacker, known as “The Analyzer,” Ehud Tenenbaum… Rabbi of Congregation Sons of Israel in Cherry Hill, N.J., Michael Z. Davies… Ice hockey defenseman for 18 seasons, Dylan Paul Reese… Actress Lauren Collins… Actress, singer and songwriter, known professionally by her first and middle names, Lea Michele Sarfati… Winner of the Tiberias Marathon and the Jerusalem Marathon, Haredi mother of five children, Bracha “Beatie” Deutsch… Robin Rubin… Adam Shapiro…
