Your Daily Phil: Jewish groups to again march for Israel in DC next month
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on an initiative spearheaded by hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb to get 10,000 Jews to study Torah to commemorate the Oct. 7 attacks and on President Joe Biden’s High Holy Days call yesterday with Jewish communal leaders. We feature an opinion piece by Alon Tal about tackling institutional constraints on effective philanthropy, and one by Sarah Osborne calling for increased sensitivity in messaging around fasting and eating on Yom Kippur. Also in this newsletter: Mayim Bialik, Laura Kam and Sheryl Sandberg. We’ll start with another march for Israel planned for next month in Washington, D.C.
One year after a record-breaking number of Israel supporters descended on Washington for the “March for Israel,” signaling support for the Jewish state just a month after the Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and drawing attention to the hundreds of hostages that were held in Gaza, the event’s organizers announced yesterday that a similar rally, called “Stand Together – an event of Unity, Strength, and Resilience,” is slated for Sunday, Nov. 10, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Haley Cohen.
This year’s event, organized by Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, comes amid a fraught year for Israel and American Jews. In the 12 months since Oct. 7, antisemitism has climbed to unprecedented rates in the U.S., particularly on college campuses; 101 hostages remain held in Gaza and Israel’s war against Hamas in the south and Hezbollah in the north rages on. The event plans to bring 30,000 Jewish Americans and allies to “Stand with Israel, for the hostages, and against antisemitism; thank America, the U.S. Military, and our civic partners and allies; honor heroes; and strengthen our Jewish unity,” according to the organizers.
Scheduled for five days after the presidential election, and hours before JFNA’s 2024 General Assembly kicks off, this year’s rally is slated to be significantly smaller than the “March for Israel,” which drew an estimated 290,000 attendees — a larger turnout than the two largest Jewish community rallies on the National Mall in D.C., during the Second Intifada in 2002 and in support of Soviet Jews in 1987, which drew an estimated 100,000 and 250,000, respectively.
For the rally in 2023 — which was planned in just over a week — organizers made it a point to schedule the event on a weekday, when Congress was in session and considering emergency supplemental aid to Israel, which Eric Fingerhut, CEO of JFNA, told Jewish Insider at the time was “an important element of this march.” This year’s gathering is scheduled for a Sunday.
A JFNA spokesperson told eJP that details on the event’s lineup were not yet available but organizers said it will include public officials, political leaders, celebrities and a musical performance by Israeli singer Idan Raichel.
“It is in the times of greatest adversity that the Jewish community has shown its strength and resilience,” Fingerhut said in a statement on Wednesday. “Now is the time for our community to gather and Stand Together as one in order to show the world that we will not back down, we will not disavow our values, we will not give in to antisemitism, and we will not be divided.”
Added William Daroff, CEO of the Presidents Conference, in a separate statement, “The Jewish people are resilient and have long fought against antisemitism, adversity, and impossible odds. This painful situation is no different and at Stand Together, we will reaffirm our strength as a community standing together against hate and antisemitism, and standing with the State of Israel.”
PEOPLE OF THE BOOK
Investor Daniel Loeb launches ‘Simchat Torah Challenge’ to get 10,000 Jews to study Bible to commemorate Oct. 7 attacks
On Sept. 19, hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb announced the Simchat Torah Challenge, with the aim of getting at least 10,000 Jews to read the entire Torah, beginning this year on Simchat Torah — Oct. 25 outside of Israel — and ending Simchat Torah 2025. By Oct. 2, nearly 8,000 people had signed up. One week later, more than 9,000, reports Jay Deitcher for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Group effort: The effort is being done in partnership with Sefaria, Chabad, Yeshiva University, UJA-Federation of New York, Tablet magazine, Moishe House, Hillel International and other Jewish organizations. “The terrorists who targeted Israel last year chose to do it on the holiday of Simchat Torah, the joyous day on which we finish reading the Torah and begin anew,” Loeb said in a statement. “It is important for Jews to define ourselves by who we are, not by the fight against those who hate us. As we look to better understand ourselves and our story, as well as all look for strength and comfort, we turn to the book that holds our people together, giving us hope and expressing our values.”
Study guides: Participants receive weekly newsletters that include parshah summaries, community updates, local events, and supplementary podcasts and videos. Everyone involved has access to Sefaria’s numerous translations and commentaries, as well as insight provided and curated by Tablet staff, Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff of Manhattan’s Edmond J. Safra Synagogue and other partners. UJA-Federation of New York is offering grants for up to $5,000 for participants to create study groups.
HOLIDAY GREETINGS
‘You are not alone’: Biden delivers final High Holy Days greeting as president
In a bipartisan tradition dating back several presidential administrations, President Joe Biden offered High Holy Days greetings to American rabbis on Wednesday, sharing an emotional message about his support for Israel and the Jewish people in what will be his final High Holidays call as president, reports Gabby Deutch for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider. “It’s a very difficult time in the Jewish community, and for Jews around the world. In the midst of the High Holidays two days ago, we commemorated the first anniversary of October 7, the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” Biden said, referring to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks as the “the second, smaller Holocaust.”
More to do: Biden expressed alarm about rising antisemitism in America and around the world and touted his administration’s efforts to fight it — including securing $400 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program after Oct. 7, which he called “the largest single increase ever,” and “put[ting] our colleges on notice about something that should be obvious to everyone, that antisemitism is discrimination … and prohibited under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.” “I know there’s so much more to do,” said Biden. “Let me assure you, as your president, that you are not alone. You belong, always. Always have, always will be and always must be protected.”
Read the full report here and sign up for Jewish Insider’s Daily Kickoff here.
BE THE CHANGE
We need a revolution in philanthropy
“Since the massacre of Oct. 7 one year ago, many of us have begun to profoundly reevaluate not only our worldview but also how we contribute to Israel and the Jewish world,” writes Alon Tal, founder and CEO of the Merit Spread Foundation, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “We witnessed public services and systems in Israel and around the Jewish Diaspora faltering, overwhelmed or in need of a sharp pivot to meet extreme emergent challenges.”
Obstacles abound: “Throughout my career as a wealth manager for ultra-high-net-worth individuals and a funds manager in highly regulated capital markets, I have observed a common thread: a genuine desire to do good, locked in a pervasive struggle with the inefficiencies of the philanthropic sector. High overhead costs, lack of oversight and rigid structures hamper the ability to make meaningful contributions. When I became a donor myself, I realized these inefficiencies were not mere inconveniences; rather, they were unacceptable norms that would never be tolerated in the business world, which thrives on transparency and efficiency.”
A different approach: “In October 2023, just days before the tragic events on Simchat Torah, we launched the Merit Spread Foundation with a mission to challenge and change these norms. We set out to challenge the standard practices in philanthropy in order to foster greater agility and responsiveness in addressing urgent and emergent social issues. We streamlined the whole process from donor to recipient and introduced a zero overhead policy. By embracing a far more flexible approach to giving, we enhanced our partners’ ability to give impactfully and drive meaningful change more effectively… In just one year, we grew from zero to $50 million in assets, raised from donors and deployed to various projects covering multiple social-benefit causes.”
V’CHAI BAHEM
Some people need to eat on Yom Kippur. It’s time to stop laughing about it.
“There are multiple ways to support Jews unable to safely fast. A first step is being aware of the messaging that we are using in our synagogues, communities, and yes — on social media,” writes Sarah Osborne, founding executive director of A Mitzvah to Eat, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Consider this: “Last week, I came upon a New York Times article titled ‘Our Best Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Recipes.’ It was shared on Facebook to a chorus of laugh emojis and jokes… According to traditional Jewish sources, those unable to safely fast actually have a mitzvah to eat on Yom Kippur. Nevertheless, as someone unable to safely fast myself, I know how it can feel wrong to eat on Yom Kippur, even when eating protects life, maintains safety or prevents significant or ongoing health impacts. For some people unable to safely fast, the lack of communal support along with messaging that Yom Kippur is an obligatory fast for everyone can make it very difficult or even impossible to eat safely on Yom Kippur. Now, add in being the subject of jokes. Imagine what it is like to have to eat on Yom Kippur while others are laughing at the mere concept.”
Spread the message: “While social media offers content on a variety of topics, A Mitzvah to Eat’s social media stands out as a place where Jews unable to safely fast or who need other ritual accommodations can find resources, support and advocacy that meet their needs. In fact, in 2023, A Mitzvah to Eat’s prayer guide for those needing to eat on Yom Kippur reached 85,000 people on Facebook alone… You can introduce our work and encourage safe observance of Yom Kippur with the following language: ‘When fasting is safe, it is a mitzvah to fast. When fasting is unsafe, it is a mitzvah to eat.’”
Worthy Reads
What Hillel Gave Me: In The Atlantic, Mayim Bialik reflects on her relationship with Hillels as the campus organization has regularly been a target of antisemitism over the past year. “In 1923, as elite American universities began adopting quotas restricting the number of Jews they admitted, an organization was formed to provide a home for Jewish students on campus where they could congregate to pray, socialize, and feel welcome. This organization was called Hillel, and it has been the central address for Jewish life at colleges and universities ever since… Hillel is where I was taught how to pray, how to learn, and how to participate in charity and social-justice work. Hillel is where I learned to define my Judaism not by my immigrant grandparents’ experience and the Holocaust, but by the joy and beauty of Jewish culture as it is unfolding to this day… I have been uninvited from venues since Oct. 7 simply because I am Jewish. I have been shouted down, asked to leave, accused of a hatred I know not how to summon. And my response is one that I and generations of students have learned at Hillel. Hillel teaches that we should not be afraid to be Jewish. We can be proud to be American. And we deserve the rights and privileges awarded to every minority on campus: a safe place to gather, to pray, to learn, and to fight for what is right.” [TheAtlantic]
Don’t Get It Twisted: In the Jewish Journal, Pamela Paresky responds to an essay by Naomi Klein published in the Guardian earlier this week titled “How Israel has made trauma a weapon of war.” “‘What is the line between commemorating trauma and cynically exploiting it?’ Klein asks. ‘Between memorialization and weaponization? What does it mean to perform collective grief when the collective is not universal, but rather tightly bound by ethnicity?’ As someone who encountered gruesome videos of Hamas’s ‘cynical exploitation’ and ‘weaponization’ of Israelis’ trauma exactly a year ago, watched as terrorists referred to terrified Israelis in the South — those who just happened to be most likely to oppose ‘settlements’ — as settlers and dogs, and heard firsthand from people who witnessed livestreams of family and friends held at gunpoint, most of them murdered or taken hostage, I found the premise grotesque. It was particularly appalling because beyond the therapeutic effect of creating artwork, the cri de cœur that motivated the art installations from Tel Aviv to American college campuses, ‘kidnapped’ posters across the globe, the Nova Exhibition, online maps of the massacres, and documentaries about October 7, is the denials of the trauma itself. And the feeling that since that horrific day, we have been abandoned. That we are profoundly alone.” [JewishJournal]
Around the Web
Giving to women’s and girls’ organizations topped $10 billion for the first time, receiving $10.2 billion in philanthropic support in 2021, according to a report by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Yet this only represents 1.9% of all giving…
Philanthropist Melinda French Gates launched a $250 million “Action for Women’s Health” fund on Wednesday through her Pivotal Ventures organization to improve women’s mental and physical health…
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his Foundation to Combat Antisemitism will air an ad dubbed “Time Out Against Hate” during tonight’s 49ers vs. Seahawks NFL game on Amazon; the spot will feature a number of star athletes, including Billie Jean King, Shaquille O’Neal, Jim Harbaugh, Doc Rivers, Joe Torre, Ryan Blaney and Candace Parker…
Some 10,000 women attended a pre-Yom Kippur event in Lakewood, N.J., this week that was hosted by N’shei Adirei Hatorah…
Veteran Israeli-American public relations professional Laura Kam joined the advisory board of the Global Jewry Network…
The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle spotlights the work of the Jewish early childhood education initiative ElevatEd in the city…
Rabbi Carnie Rose, the CEO of the Mandel Jewish Community Center of Cleveland, has resigned from his position; Margot Tomer was recently hired as the JCC’s chief operating officer…
Harvard Hillel suspended the local chapter of J Street U after the group’s members used Hillel funding to print and display flyers around Harvard Square that described Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Lebanon as a sin…
A Monet pastel drawing of the beaches of Normandy that was looted by the Nazis during World War II was returned to the grandchildren of the Jewish art collectors who owned the work until 1938…
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew visited the headquarters of both the Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah — Israel’s leading (and often feuding) emergency medical services — to mark the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 terror attacks…
The New York Times reports on The Trump Organization’s interest, prior to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, in developing property in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem; the project stalled following the attacks, but the company has expressed interest in restarting negotiations…
The Chronicle of Philanthropy looks at some of the miscommunication happening when donors request anonymity when making charitable contributions through a community foundation donor-advised fund (DAF)…
In Time, Nadia Murad, a Yazidi woman who was kidnapped by ISIS, and Sheryl Sandberg call on the international community to hold to account perpetrators of sexual violence and trafficking of women and children following the rescue of a Yazidi woman in Gaza…
In an opinion piece in the Jerusalem Post, Israeli-American entertainment executive and philanthropist Haim Saban announced his endorsement of Kamala Harris…
Philanthropist and Paramount Global Chairwoman Shari Redstone chastised CBS for its response to an interview of author Ta-Nehisi Coates by anchor Tony Dokoupil…
More than $58,000 was raised over the course of three days to repair a San Francisco cafe that was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti; the cafe’s owner, who originally hoped to raise $36,500, credited the fundraising to two celebrities — Mayim Bialik and Alex Edelman — who posted about it on their social media pages…
Brown University trustees voted on Tuesday against a resolution to divest from roughly a dozen companies that do business in Israel, in a rebuke of student demands for a boycott of Israel…a
Real estate entrepreneur and philanthropist Eugene Rosenfeld, a longtime donor to his alma mater UCLA, died at 90 on July 20…
Robert R. Wolf, a mainstay of the New Orleans Jewish community, died on Monday at 99…
Pic of the Day
Representatives from the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations meet yesterday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his office in Jerusalem.
Members of the Conference of Presidents have met with a number of Israeli officials in recent days as part of a mission this week.
Birthdays
Former White House Jewish liaison, now the director of the Sapir Institute, Chanan Weissman…
Professor emeritus of constitutional law at Harvard Law School, he has argued 36 cases at the U.S. Supreme Court, Laurence Tribe… Past chairman and CEO of KB Home, a nationwide home builder known until 2001 as Kaufman & Broad, Bruce Karatz… Physician, philanthropist and the majority owner of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation and the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, Miriam Adelson… Former director of the Center for Information and Documentation Israel in The Hague, Ronald Maurice (Ronny) Naftaniel… Former member of the Knesset for 30-years on behalf of three political parties, he has served in six ministerial roles, Meir Sheetrit… Longtime IDF chaplain, Yedidya Atlas… Award-winning writer and photographer based in Albuquerque, N.M., Diane Joy Schmidt… Vocalist and songwriter best known as the lead singer of Van Halen, he is an inductee of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, David Lee Roth… Co-chairman and chief investment officer of Oaktree Capital Management, Bruce Karsh… Former NASA astronaut who flew on five Space Shuttle missions, he has held many positions at NASA including chief scientist, John M. Grunsfeld… Shareholder at the Bethesda, Md., law firm of Selzer Gurvitch, Neil Gurvitch… Professor at Harvard Law School, where he is now serving as Interim Dean, John C. P. Goldberg… Founder and principal of two Los Angeles-based real estate firms, Freeman Group and Metro Properties, Rodney Freeman… Governmental relations and strategic communications principal at BMWL Public Affairs, Sam Lauter… Head of School at de Toledo High School, a Jewish school in northern Los Angeles County, Mark H. Shpall… Governor of California since 2019, Gavin Newsom… Concert pianist and composer, Evgeny Kissin… Israeli comedian and actor, twice voted as the funniest Israeli, Asi Cohen… Chief rabbi of Vienna and of the Austrian Armed Forces, Schlomo Elieser Hofmeister… Journalist and author of four acclaimed books, Matti Friedman… President at the Alliance to Combat Extremism Fund, Ian Sugar… Head of U.S. government relations and corporate affairs at Glencore, Seth Levey… VP in the Chicago office of Goldman Sachs, Avi Davidoff… Rabbi of Congregation Bnai Yeshurun in Teaneck, N.J., Elliot Schrier… North American campus director at CAMERA, Hali Haber Spiegel… Winner of Israel’s National Bible Quiz as a teen and then a soldier in the IDF’s Combat Intelligence Collection Corps, he is a son of Benjamin Netanyahu, Avner Netanyahu… Deputy director at the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, Or Shaked…