Your Daily Phil: Israeli wartime economic woes hit single mothers hard
Good Tuesday morning.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we examine a new study finding that single mothers have been among the hardest-hit segments of Israeli society in the economic fallout from the current war. We report on a new fellowship to improve reporting on Israel and Jewish life in mainstream media and on pro-Israel groups’ strong fundraising so far this year. We feature an opinion piece by Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch calling for action and accountability from the Jewish community on behalf of both Gaza’s vulnerable civilians and the hostages remaining in perilous captivity; plus Rabbis Micah Greenland and Moshe Benovitz respond to last week’s opinion piece about informal education and “philanthropic redundancies.” Also in this issue: Gali Baharav-Miara, Rabbi Tadhg Cleary and Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt.
What We’re Watching
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is in New York this morning for a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the situation of the hostages held in Gaza. Sa’ar prompted the special session after videos of two hostages — Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski — were released by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Before the session, Sa’ar will hold a meeting with American Jewish leaders.
What You Should Know
In the weeks and months following the Oct. 7 terror attacks and Israel’s retaliatory strikes in the Gaza Strip, a wave of philanthropic funding focused on urgent needs like evacuees, hostages and devastated communities in the south and north of the country. And as the war grinds on, now nearing the two-year mark, Israelis’ growing mental health needs — and their resilience — have captured headlines.
But one demographic group — single mothers, who were already struggling economically on the margins of Israeli society — “continues to be pushed aside,” said Keren Morag, head of performance management at SFI Group, a social finance organization that develops and implements innovative social change models. In many cases, single mothers were hit harder by the war and largely left out of the early aid. “The problem is only growing,” she told Judith Sudilovsky for eJewishPhilanthropy.
SFI Group and the nonprofit Yedidut Toronto, which have partnered with Israel’s Ministry of Labor, recently launched a new initiative — On Your Way — to help improve the economic plight of single mothers. Given that their situation has only deteriorated in the war’s wake, the On Your Way project, added Hilit Sagie, investor relations, philanthropy and marketing manager at SFI Group, has a fresh urgency.
The groups’ recent survey of 371 single mothers paints a distressing picture. Nearly half (46%) reported a deterioration in their financial situation, while 44% said they see no clear path to recovery and are unable to estimate how long it might take to rebound from the war-induced financial crisis. More than one-third reported forgoing medical treatments for their children, and 61% said they had cut out extracurricular activities due to financial constraints.
“What really struck us was… that many [of the mothers] couldn’t even see a light at the end of the tunnel,” Morag told eJP. “These stories aren’t making headlines. The public conversation is focused on resilience and mental health. … That’s why this project is so critical, especially now.”
POWER OF THE PEN
Shocked by poor Gaza war reporting, L.A. couple launches fellowship to improve coverage on Israel, Jewish life
The initial, false reports accusing Israel of bombing Gaza’s Al-Ahli Arab Hospital on Oct. 17, 2023, along with a wildly inflated death toll, spurred Jacki Karsh to action. The explosion had actually been caused by a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group, killing dozens of people — not the hundreds that were initially claimed in news reports around the world, including the home page of The New York Times. “The story was reported incorrectly and then the correction was so muted, it was not like, ‘Wow! We just completely messed up this story,’” Karsh, a six-time Emmy-nominated multimedia journalist, told Ayala Or-El for eJewishPhilanthropy. To combat this, Karsh and her husband, Jeff, in partnership with Jewish Federation Los Angeles, have launched the Karsh Journalism Fellowship — a first-of-its-kind program focused solely on improving media coverage of antisemitism, Jewish life and Israel.
Making an impact: The program offers 10 early- to mid-career journalists in-depth training, mentorship and access to leading experts to help ensure coverage that reflects the complexity and diversity of Jewish life — while actively addressing harmful biases and misinformation in mainstream reporting. The fellows will also attend retreats with expert-led sessions on essential topics such as “The Myth of Jewish Media Control,” “How to Cover Antisemitism,” “Middle East Misinformation” and “Jews in the American Mosaic.” Karsh said: “We want journalists to understand the impact that their reporting has on Jewish issues and Israel, and how that, in turn, affects the global Jewish population — and to understand the power of the pen or broadcast.”
MONEY MATTERS
Pro-Israel groups post strong fundraising figures in first half of 2025
The latest round of fundraising reports filed by leading pro-Israel advocacy groups suggests that they are in strong financial shape as the midterms come into view, even as some of the top pro-Israel candidates struggle to build their war chests in key races. United Democracy Project, a super PAC affiliated with the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, raised $13.5 million in the first half of 2025, according to its mid-year fundraising report filed late last week, with nearly $39 million on hand at the end of June, reports Matthew Kassel for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider.
Shot up: Those figures were far higher than the $8.8 million in contributions the group had pulled in during the same six-month period in 2023, at the beginning of the last election cycle. The group, which ultimately raised much more in the months following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, had $9 million on hand at the time, federal filings show. Among the top donors to UDP this cycle are Blair Frank, a portfolio manager at Capital Group, who gave $1.5 million — marking the only seven-figure contribution. The Kraft Group, a holding company led by Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, gave $500,000 — as did four other donors including Sanford Grossman, Michael Leffell, David Messer and Andrew Schwartzberg, according to the new filings.
Read the full report here and sign up for Jewish Insider’s Daily Kickoff here.
LIVING OUR VALUES
All of Israel is responsible for one another
“At his inaugural lecture as a member of the faculty at Union Theological Seminary, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel z”l declared: ‘No religion is an island,’” writes Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch, CEO of Women of Reform Judaism, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “There are those who would say we must choose between our particular affinity for the Jewish people and our moral outrage at the anguish of the Palestinians. That is why I would extend Heschel’s assertion beyond religions to all people. No person is an island. We are all responsible for one another.”
We have the capacity: “Our moral chorus remains the same, crescendoing with the growing public attention in this moment. We have decried the weaponization of sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon of war. We have called on Hamas to cease using innocent Palestinians in Gaza to further their brutal goals for the destruction of Israel. We have prayed and marched in the streets, from Tel Aviv to Washington, demanding an immediate return of all hostages and an end to this terrible war… The Jewish people are not a monolith, and Jews will respond in a variety of ways to this fraught period in our history. Now is not a time for blame or hesitation — it is a moment for action and accountability… We can hold it all — the universal, the particular, the anger, the pain, the moral compass and the Jewish values that guide our way. No person is an island, and it is beyond time to step up, hold each other accountable and care for every person.”
READERS RESPOND
Teens need opportunities for inspirational, judgement-free learning and mentorship, both inside and outside of school
“We are grateful to be part of this important conversation sparked by Hillel David Rapp’s article, ‘Jewish education’s double payment problem — and a creative solution,’ published in these pages last Thursday,” write NCSY’s Rabbis Micah Greenland and Moshe Benovitz in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “At the same time, we believe the framing of Jewish inspiration as something that can be streamlined or outsourced overlooks something essential: the spiritual connection of a Jewish teen is not a commodity to be optimized — it is precious, fragile and deeply individual. Moreover, what might be perceived or described as ‘redundancy’ is in fact an example of the type of cooperation and congruence that is critical to the success of our communal mission.”
Working together: “NCSY already partners with yeshiva day schools in New Jersey, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, Silver Spring, Md., Boston, Houston and more, delivering informal programming and relatable role models that complement classroom learning rather than replacing it. These experiences and mentors work best when they overlap and reinforce one another, each amplifying the impact of the other… Jewish education is strongest when these partners work together — when schools provide academic rigor, families instill ideals and organizations like NCSY create relational spaces that connect heart to mind, and each establishment reinforces the messages and values of the others… Jewish teens need more resources, not fewer, to meet them where they are and to help them flourish.”
Worthy Reads
Tightrope Walking: In The Washington Post, columnist Max Boot describes his struggle grappling with his support for Israel and his opposition to the country’s ongoing war in Gaza, which he initially backed but now considers to be in violation of international law. “[Supporters] of Israel should be able to draw a distinction between the government and the people. Israel’s actions in Gaza, awful as they are, are not a reason to write off the entire country — any more than U.S. actions in Vietnam or Iraq were a reason to write off the United States. Like many countries, Israel often falls short of its ideals, but that’s an argument for changing its behavior, not condemning the entire country. I continue to believe that it’s possible to love Israel and to hate its war in Gaza. But, these days, it’s not easy.” [WashPost]
Baby Boon: In The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Eden Stiffman examines the plan for $1,000 “Trump Accounts” for newborns and how they could shape the next generation of philanthropy. “In the new tax-and-spending law passed in July, Congress tucked in a plan to put $1,000 into an investment account for every baby born in the next four years. … The new ‘Trump Accounts’ have been embraced by unusual messengers: Michael Dell, the billionaire philanthropist, and Brad Gerstner, a hedge-fund manager who pushed the idea to lawmakers. … That’s because the accounts offer an opportunity for donors to direct cash to children around the country, for example, every resident of their region or state. But not everyone is on board. Some philanthropic supporters of policies that aim to boost wealth and opportunity are hoping they can encourage changes to make the new program more effective.” [ChronicleofPhilanthropy]
A Relatable Moment: In Time, Garry Ridge posits that leaders who are honest about the limitations of their knowledge — even if it means having to worry about being perceived as dumb — have a positive influence on workplace culture. “I discovered the value of being the dumbest one in the room when I first landed in San Diego to start my new role at WD-40 Company. … As a new senior leader, there was pressure to be on top of my game. But throughout the meeting, I felt like I was in one of those dreams where you’re in a room full of people speaking incomprehensibly and you are the only one who doesn’t understand a word… ‘Sorry to jump in here,’ I began. ‘But I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.’… I was surprised to witness a subtle shift in pressure in the room as everyone let out a sigh of relief. And then it dawned on me: If I wanted to be an impactful leader, it would be my responsibility to create a workplace where it would be safe for all of us to not know everything from time to time.” [Time]
Opening the Board: In the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Cleveland Justis, Susan S. Boren, Stephanie Duncan Karp and Daniel Student spotlight a novel approach to recruiting nonprofit board members. “Unsatisfied with the status quo, some nonprofits are embracing an innovative board recruitment practice: an open, competitive application process that is more akin to a public job listing than a personal reference made behind closed doors. Marketing the opportunity competitively rather than making the ask to a few, this practice dramatically reshapes the board’s relationship to its organization and its mission.” [SSIR]
Word on the Street
The Israeli Cabinet voted unanimously yesterday to oust Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara — the chief prosecutor in the corruption case against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — accusing her of political bias. Shortly after the vote, the Israeli Supreme Court issued an injunction blocking the firing and ordering the government to continue abiding by Baharav-Miara’s legal opinions until the justices issue a final ruling, which analysts warn may lead to a showdown between the country’s judicial and executive branches…
On his Substack, independent journalist Ron Kampeas reports that the Tikvah Fund spent $110,000 to publish Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s autobiography in the weeks before the country’s 2022 election in what could be considered a campaign donation…
Tikvah Fund and the Alexander Hamilton Society have launched a new “National Middle East History Competition” for university students with a $7,000 first-place cash prize. The program, which kicks off next month, is “meant to inspire the next generation of Middle East scholars and leaders,” the organizations say…
Modern Orthodox Yeshivat Chovevei Torah in New York City ordained Rabbi Tadhg Cleary in June, The Forward first reported yesterday; this is the first ordination of an openly gay man by an Orthodox institution, coming six years after the same seminary refused to ordain a different gay student…
More than 1,000 nonprofits and religious organizations — including roughly a dozen Jewish ones — have so far signed an open letter to President Donald Trump calling for him to reverse the IRS decision allowing political endorsements from the pulpit, warning that it would “fundamentally [reshape] how political money flows through our system”…
The National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced that sales of the Sarajevo Haggadah – Art and History, as well as income from tickets to see the famed Passover Haggadah, will be donated to Palestinian causes; Jewish groups, including the American Jewish Committee and World Jewish Congress, have denounced the move as a “political stunt” and led Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, to ask: “Can we get a philanthropist to buy it and preserve its dignity?”…
The Jewish News of Northern California spotlights the local efforts of the national Student to Student initiative, which has Jewish students teach their non-Jewish peers about Judaism…
KTIV in Sioux City, Iowa, reports that an abandoned former Jewish community center that had been sold to the city for $1 may soon be turned into housing for people transitioning out of homelessness…
Sir David Garrard, a British property developer, philanthropist and Labour party donor who left the party under Jeremy Corbyn, died in June at 86…
Major Gifts
The Siegel Family Endowment in New York City has announced $17 million worth of grants to a wide variety of nonprofits that are “pioneering innovative approaches to learning, work and community-centered infrastructure design”…
Pic of the Day
The Christian Zionist group Passages presents an award on Sunday to Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter, as he stands next to Passages board members Will Davis (from left), Harry Cohen and John Coleman; Steve Green, the president of Hobby Lobby and board chair of the Museum of the Bible; and Zach Bauer, CEO of Passages.
The award was presented during a gathering of college students from Passages in Washington focused on pro-Israel activism. Leiter spoke at the event, as did Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and assistant to the president Will Scharf.
“There’s a tsunami out there, and in Israel, we’re being accused of the worst kind of crimes. Nonetheless, the bond that exists between Israel and Western civilization won’t be broken,” Leiter told the group. “We don’t kill innocent civilians. We don’t target innocent civilians. Our soldiers died because we don’t target innocent civilians. My son might be alive today if we bombed population centers instead of sending our soldiers in by foot looking for terrorists.”
Birthdays
Investment and foundation manager at Denver-based Race Street Management and a board member of Jewish Federations of North America, Cintra Pollack…
Chairman of Delphi Capital Management, he is the founder and chairman of Open to Debate, a public policy debate series, Robert Rosenkranz… Former chairman of the World Zionist Organization who later served as chairman of the Jewish National Fund, Avraham Duvdevani… Former Israeli ambassador to France, following seven years as a member of the Knesset, Yael German… Author of 25 nonfiction books, including The Portable Curmudgeon, Zen to Go and Advice to Writers, Jon Winokur… Historian, Nazi hunter and director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Jerusalem until 2024, Efraim Zuroff… Banker, once known as “Austria’s woman on Wall Street” and founder of Bank Medici in 1994, Sonja Kohn… Former Soviet Refusenik, he served as speaker of the Knesset for seven years, Yuli-Yoel Edelstein… Intellectual property and entertainment attorney based in Ithaca, New York, he is an adjunct professor of law at both Cornell and Touro, Howard Leib… Member of the British House of Lords, he was chief executive of the Office of the Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks and then chief executive of the United Jewish Israel Appeal, Baron Jonathan Andrew Kestenbaum… Businessman Murray Huberfeld… Songwriter, author, political columnist and noted baseball memorabilia collector, Seth Swirsky… Chair of the Department of Jewish History at Baltimore’s Beth Tfiloh Dahan High School, Neil Rubin Ph.D…. Actor who starred in “Weekend at Bernie’s,” his father and grandfather were both rabbis, Jonathan Elihu Silverman… President at ConservAmerica, he is an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University, Jeffrey Kupfer… President of the Center for Jewish History in New York City and professor at Fairfield University, Dr. Gavriel David Rosenfeld… Former member of the Knesset for the Kulanu party, Roy Folkman… Director of the Center for Middle East Policy at The Brookings Institution for 13 years until this past June, he is soon to become a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, Natan Sachs… Vice president of government affairs at WISPA – the Association for Broadband Without Boundaries, Matt Mandel… Chairman of The New York Times Company and publisher of The New York Times, Arthur Gregg (A.G.) Sulzberger… Professional boxer who held the WBA super welterweight title from 2009 to 2010, in 2014 he was ordained as a rabbi and then known as the “Boxing Rabbi,” Yuri Foreman … Former director of responsible innovation at Meta / Facebook, now a consultant, he is also the spiritual leader of Chochmat HaLev, a progressive spiritual community in Berkeley, California, Zvika Krieger… Member of the comedy duo Jake and Amir, Jacob Penn Cooper Hurwitz… Long-time member of the Israeli national soccer team who also played in Europe’s UEFA Champions League, Gil Vermouth… Co-founder of Cadence, an AI-driven performance nutrition platform, Lila Cohn… Front-end engineer at Platform.sh, Abby Milberg… 2023 graduate of Harvard Law School, now an assistant corporation counsel for New York City, Michael E. Snow… Senior advisor for implementation at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, Lisa Geller… Leslie Saunders… Director of antisemitism programs at the Anti-Defamation League, Anyu Silverman…
