Your Daily Phil: Jewish Agency hails world Jewry’s post-10/7 support amid government inaction
Good Monday morning.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on PJ Library’s efforts to expand into community building, and feature an opinion piece by Sophia Chitlik Abram about what she learned from her mentor,Joel Fleishman, who died last month at 90. Also in this newsletter: Austin Reid, Marc Rowanand Alana Zeitchik. We’ll start with the Jewish Agency Board of Governors meeting that kicked off yesterday in Tel Aviv.
The Jewish Agency for Israel’s Board of Governors rebuked the Israeli government at its annual meeting in Tel Aviv on Sunday, with the organization’s leaders and other members decrying its “neglect and failure” in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 terror attacks and its continued absence in the rehabilitation and reconstruction effort, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judith Sudilovsky from the gathering.
In his address at the opening plenary, the Jewish Agency’s chairman of the executive, Maj. Gen (res.) Doron Almog, who lost several family members in the Oct. 7 massacre, contrasted the “neglect and failure of [Israel’s] government’s defense and state institutions” with the unwavering commitment and rapid mobilization of Diaspora Jewry.
“As part of this commitment, each one of you has been a source of hope,” Almog told the 120 members of the board at the start of the three-day gathering — the second in-person meeting since the massacre.
On Monday, the governors toured communities throughout the country to see the organization’s work up close. The convening was due to conclude on Tuesday, following a session on the group’s initiative Wings, which supports lone soldiers — service members without familial support in Israel.
Almog, who took the helm of the organization in 2022, said the Jewish Agency was dedicated to building a new Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks.
“The image of victory will not be determined on the battlefield,” said the former IDF general. “True victory will be achieved only through building an exemplary society — a society that will be a source of inspiration, attracting Jews worldwide. A society that strives for excellence on one hand and does not leave the weak behind on the other. It will be measured by the society we will build together, a society that builds upon core values, in which all its members carry the burden and take part. The values ??that led you, my dear partners, since Oct. 7, the values ??that were reflected in your enormous contribution to the State of Israel… [have] never been more substantial.” But true rehabilitation for Israel can’t begin until the 101 hostages still in captivity have come home, he added.
Yesterday, the board also elected its first Druze member — former Knesset member Col. (res.) Mofid Marai — and adopted a resolution calling on the Knesset to pass legislation that acknowledges the Druze community’s commitment to the State of Israel, and that affirms the full equality of rights to which the Druze citizens of Israel are entitled.
Marai serves as the Jewish Agency’s commissioner for the promotion of Druze society and currently serves as chair of the Hurfeish-Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest New Jersey Partnership. He was elected on behalf of the Jewish Federations of North America with Almog’s recommendation.
“We, the members of the Druze community, have stood with the State of Israel for generations and will continue to do so in the future,” Marai said. “I see my new position as a mission to strengthen the relationship, partnership, and equality between the Druze community and the State of Israel, and a significant opportunity to advance the important needs of the Druze community in Israel.”
At the meeting, Israeli Druze spiritual leader Sheik Mowafaq Tarif addressed the board members, lauding the Jewish Agency for its work with the Druze community. “Where the government failed, you were there to help and assist the communities,” he said.
Pnina Agenyahu, director of the Global Partnerships Network, told eJP that while the Jewish Agency has been working to connect towns in Israel with Jewish communities in North America through its Partnership2Gether program, the organization needs to ensure that this is supplements — and doesn’t replace — government support. “We don’t want to be in a place where [the government] sees us and then say, ‘Oh they have support already so they don’t need us,’” she said, adding that the government is slowly starting to provide support in some affected communities.
Lori Klinghoffer, a member of the board of governors from the Jewish Federation of Metro-West, N.J., and chair of the subcommittee for Partnerships2Gether, said she personally had been disappointed by the government’s lack of response from day one and the continuing lack of support for certain struggles. “But I’m deeply proud of Israeli society and world Jewry that has stepped up to do what we can to provide the support to provide the heartfelt connection to all Israelis and especially those that are most affected. We hope to be an example for better partnership,” she said. “Governments change over time. Our role does not. Our role is to be the example.”
Also speaking at the opening session, Jewish Agency CEO Yehuda Setton stressed the need for the organization to expand its shlichim (emissaries) program in order to deepen the connection between Diaspora Jews and Israel.
“We need you as active participants,” he said, addressing the attendees from abroad. “Meaningful change comes at moments of disruption and discomfort. My belief in a brighter future for the Jewish people and Israel is anchored in the people in this room.”
BEYOND BOOKS
Moving from the page to the park, PJ Library looks to build community with in-person gatherings
To address rising isolation and polarization in the United States, PJ Library is looking to step beyond its role as a book distributor to foster personal relationships among Jewish families, starting with metropolitan New York, reports Efrat Lachter for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Meaningful meetings: Through its Connector Program, PJ Library is looking to create a sense of community through simple, meaningful gatherings: coffee dates, children’s activities in parks and holiday celebrations. These events are designed to bring Jewish families together, especially those who may not have a strong connection to traditional religious spaces, such as synagogues and religious schools. “We’re an institution that touches people in their personal lives,” said Meara Ashtivker, director of PJ Library New York. “But no one is meant to be Jewish alone; it’s meant to be part of a community. So we’re helping Jewish families connect through dozens of connectors across the New York metro area who are reaching out and bringing people together.”
Need to connect: For many, the desire for connection has intensified in recent years. Emma Rabinovich, a physician from Long Island City and a mother, explains how the program has become a lifeline. “Since Oct. 7, everything has changed. The need to feel connected to other people, other Jews in the neighborhood, is so much greater,” she said. “I didn’t seek this out before, but now we’re really looking for solidarity. It’s been a painful year, and we’re trying to connect, to heal however we can. When Shana [Fruchter], the PJ Library connector [in Brooklyn], invited me to her events, she offered my family a renewed sense of belonging and a way to cope through community.”
YEHI ZICHRO BARUCH
The least lonely man of faith
“I took a walk with Joel Fleishman every week for three years, and he left me the greatest inheritances: his way of thinking, his kindness, his master class on encouragement and his unsurpassed love for life,” writes Sophia Chitlik Abram, a Durham, N.C.-based philanthropist and newly elected North Carolina state senator, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy about her mentor who died last month.
Like family, but more: “I have never seen so many grown men and women be so broken by a death that wasn’t a sudden tragedy then I did at his funeral. Every person seemed simply and profoundly shattered — and it is because we are. Joel was none of our fathers or grandfathers, but we continue to mourn him like one, because he felt like family to us all… He simply gave and gave and gave, not expecting reciprocation, simply knowing that we would grow to merit these gifts later on.”
Like magic: “Joel could have chosen not to invest in me, to like me but not to champion me. Instead, Joel taught me about philanthropy, and I became a philanthropist. Joel taught me about public service, and I became a public servant. Joel taught me about observance, and I became more observant. He believed I could, and I became. Abracadabra.”
Worthy Reads
I Was Born in a Small Town: In the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, historian Austin Reid reflects on his research into small, oft-forgotten Jewish communities in the United States. “For the last several years, I’ve dedicated myself to documenting the Jewish histories of small towns in both my home state of Ohio and my adopted state of New York. I am drawn in by the realization that many of these once-active communities, despite their contributions, were in danger of fading into obscurity… Small-town synagogues often function not just as religious institutions but as unique centers for education and community engagement… As small-town Jewish communities across America continue to contract, preserving their histories becomes not just an act of remembrance, but also an essential part of understanding the broader American story. Though often small in numbers, small-town Jewish communities have played crucial roles in shaping the civic, cultural and economic landscapes of their communities… Preservation alone is not enough. These histories must be shared and integrated into broader conversations about American identity. We not only honor Jewish families who helped to build and sustain so many small-town communities but also ensure that future generations understand the complexity and richness of small-town life in America.” [JTA]
Around the Web
The Anti-Defamation League is hosting its 30th annual concert at the Kennedy Center in D.C. this evening under the banner, “In Concert Against Hate,” featuring emcee Ben Stiller, the National Symphony Orchestra, Australian singer-songwriter Sia and Israeli singer Eden Golan; music executive Scooter Braun will be honored for his work bringing the Nova Music Festival exhibition to the U.S….
Apollo Global Management CEO and UJA-Federation of New York Board Chair Marc Rowan is being considered for Treasury secretary…
Grantmaking from donor-advised funds has remained stable despite economic challenges, totaling $54.77 billion in 2023, while contributions dropped 21.7% to $59.43 billion, according to a new report by the National Philanthropic Trust…
In an opinion piece in J. The Jewish News of Northern California, Alana Zeitchik, whose Israeli cousins were taken hostage in the Oct. 7 attacks, challenges the American Jewish community to expand its viewpoints on Israel beyond a binary for and against to accept support for Israel alongside criticism of its war efforts…
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and wife, Lynne, have pledged $25 million to construct a new outpatient clinic in Kea’au, Hawaii, through the Hilo Benioff Medical Center; the couple has previously donated $50 million to the health center…
Seven months after becoming executive director at the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis, Rabbi Scott Shafrin will step down in January; his wife, Rabbi Jessica Shafrin, has been appointed director of mission at the Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati…
The Orthodox Union’s Jewish Student Union is opening a roughly 4,000-square-foot hub for Jewish communal activities and learning in St. Louis…
Rabbi Angela Buchdahl of Central Synagogue in New York City interviewed Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of Park Avenue Synagogue about his new book, For Such a Time as This: On Being Jewish Today, which explores what it means to be Jewish after Oct. 7…
The U.K.’s Charity Commission is reviewing a statement from the Campaign Against Antisemitism that condemned the U.K. government’s suspension of 30 arms export licenses to Israel as “obscene,” on the grounds that the comments may constitute forbidden political activity…
Twelve people were arrested for trespassing during a protest outside the Jewish National Fund-USA’s Global Conference in Dallas…
Ethan Sobel has been named the next executive director of the Boston University Hillel …
A Haredi businessman from Los Angeles, David Hager, in partnership with the Netzach Yehuda Foundation, hosted 140 wounded Israeli soldiers and their families at a Jerusalem hotel over the weekend…
The Associated Press profiled Brigham Young University quarterback Jake Retzlaff, who has led the team to a 9-1 season…
A group of graduates from the University of California Berkeley has launched the Cal Jewish Alumni Network to “to protect the environment at Cal for Jewish kids,” according to one of the organizers…
The Chronicle of Philanthropy asked experts if nonprofits should mention the results of this month’s national election in their end-of-year campaigns. The verdict: It depends…
Pic of the Day
Participants on an Orthodox Union Relief Missions trip to Western North Carolina help repair a property last week that was damaged by last month’s Hurricane Helene.
“For some of the homeowners, it’s their first time ever seeing a Jew. And to leave an impression that their first time seeing a Jew is us coming, flying down, volunteering, helping them with their houses — it’s amazing,” Jonathan Billauer, a high school senior who took part in the trip, told a local television station.
Birthdays
Professor emerita at Harvard Business School, Shoshana Zuboff…
Theoretical physicist, at age 27 he became a professor and then later president of the Weizmann Institute, he is the founder of the Davidson Institute of Science Education at Weizmann, Haim Harari… Former president of East Bay Federation, Steve Goldman… National director of major gifts for the American Committee for the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem until the end of 2023, Paul Jeser… Lecturer at Boston University School of Law, he was formerly senior vice president and general counsel of Fidelity Management & Research Company, Eric D. Roiter… Atlanta resident, Lynda Wolfe… Israeli cantor and actor, known for his Broadway performance as Jean Valjean in “Les Misérables,” David “Dudu” Fisher… Professor of epidemiology at Columbia University, Walter Ian Lipkin… Former U.S. ambassador to South Africa, she is also a luxury handbag designer, Lana J. Marks… Singer-songwriter, he is also the author of a popular Passover Haggadah, Barry Louis Polisar… Long-time former play-by-play sportscaster for the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, Marc Zumoff… Mayor of Dallas from 2002 until 2007, Laura Miller… Senior vice president and general counsel of HSP Group and ARF Financial, Robert Bruce Lapidus… Moroccan-born, member of the Knesset since 2003 for the Shas party, he currently serves as the minister of welfare and social affairs, Yaakov Margi… New York City-based writer, activist and performer, Shira Dicker… Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington-based correspondent for The New York Times covering health policy, Sheryl Gay Stolberg… Retired Baltimore attorney who devotes her time to philanthropic and pro-Israel activities, Laurie Luskin… Rabbi of Burbank Temple Emanu El and national coordinator of Rabbis Without Borders, Tsafreer “Tsafi” Lev… Chabad rabbi in Kyiv, Ukraine, and executive chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine, Raphael Rutman… Member of the Knesset for the Yesh Atid party, Michal Shir Segman… Real estate agent at Coldwell Banker and a consultant for Bridals by Lori, Talia Fadis… Israeli singer-songwriter and music producer, Elisha Banai…
