Your Daily Phil: Jewish groups to colleges: Here’s how to combat antisemitism
Good Wednesday morning.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on the Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s annual gathering this week in Aspen, Colo., and on the death of Jerusalem Foundation President Shai Doron. We feature an opinion piece on Jewish civic engagement by Rendy Auguste in advance of National Poll Worker Recruitment Day in the U.S. Also in this newsletter: Jonathan Greenblatt, Harry Lippman and Sylvia Tischler Hiat. We’ll start with Jewish groups crafting a new list of recommendations for universities to curb antisemitism in the coming academic year.
In an effort to curb rising antisemitism on college campuses as the fall semester nears, five leading Jewish organizations are partnering to present a new series of recommendations for university leaders to implement at their schools, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Haley Cohen has learned.
What Jewish students faced on campus in 2023-2024 “cannot be allowed to continue into the new academic year,” Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, said in a statement.
The four-page set of guidelines is a joint effort from the AJC, Anti-Defamation League, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Hillel International and Jewish Federations of North America.
The guidelines call for university leaders to “anticipate and mitigate disruptions” on the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks in Israel. Other suggestions include: “Clearly communicate campus rules, standards, and policies”; “support Jewish students”; “ensure campus safety”; and “reaffirm faculty responsibilities.”
Steps to “support Jewish students,” according to the recommendations, include ones to “prevent discrimination against Jewish students in campus organizations, clubs, and institutions, unequivocally denounce targeting of Jewish student organizations, ensure Israeli students and faculty are welcome, and reject BDS and provide antisemitism education and training for all students.”
The new recommendations, the Jewish leaders say, are in part an effort to compel universities to enforce their own codes of conduct on campus. “Too many administrations failed to respond effectively,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. The sentiment was echoed by Conference of Presidents CEO William Daroff, who noted that last year saw “numerous incidents of harassment against Jewish students, violent protests and flagrant violations of conduct codes.”
“During the last academic year, countless Jewish students experienced harassment, intimidation, discrimination, and even assaults on campus,” Adam Lehman, Hillel International president and CEO, said in a separate statement. “Alongside our efforts to build vibrant Jewish communities on campus, we are providing college and university leaders with clear guidance and practical solutions for the steps they need to take to ensure a safer and more welcoming environment for Jewish students.”
ASPEN IN AUGUST
Harold Grinspoon Foundation hosts retreat in Colorado for PJ Library supporters featuring Zionist activists, academics
More than 50 philanthropists and funders are gathering in Aspen, Colo., this week for the Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s annual invitation-only event for leading supporters of its program PJ Library, which provides free storybooks for children, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Haley Cohen reports.
Speakers list: The Aspen gathering was started in the 1970s by Grinspoon, the founder of the foundation, who celebrated his 95th birthday on Saturday, where he would bring friends for retreats. Speakers at this year’s “Aspen in August” retreat include Sharon Nazarian, president of the Y&S Nazarian Family Foundation; David Shenker, senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy; and Amanda Berman, the founder and executive director of Zioness. Grinspoon will not attend this year’s gathering.
More than ever: Winnie Sandler Grinspoon, president of the foundation, underscored the importance of PJ Library in a time of growing antisemitism. “Amid these difficult times, we are heartened by the families of the 650,000 children who receive PJ Library books around the world and their commitment to instilling a love of Jewish life and strengthening Jewish identity in the next generation,” she said. “We are inspired by the many supporters who make PJ Library’s scale and scope possible.”
BARUCH DAYAN EMET
Shai Doron, mainstay of Jerusalem civil society, dies at 64
Shai Doron, a mainstay of Jerusalem philanthropy for decades and a disciple of the city’s legendary former mayor, Teddy Kollek, who served as president of Kollek’s Jerusalem Foundation, died of a heart attack yesterday, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross. He was 64.
Jerusalem to his core: Doron, a fourth-generation Jerusalemite who championed the city’s diversity, has served as president of the Jerusalem Foundation since 2018. Before that, for 25 years, he led Jerusalem’s Tisch Zoological Gardens, turning the zoo, which opened in 1993, into one of the city’s most popular attractions. “Jerusalem bids farewell — shocked and in deep dismay — to Shai Doron, a Jerusalemite with every fiber of his being, who contributed greatly to our city in a number of ways and positions that he filled with extraordinary success over the years,” Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion wrote in a Hebrew Facebook post about Doron on Tuesday.
A lifetime achievement: Doron began his work on behalf of the city of Jerusalem at a young age, taking a position as the head of a community center in the capital’s Neveh Ya’acov neighborhood at the age of 25. In 1988, he became Kollek’s chief of staff, shortly before his sixth stretch as mayor of Jerusalem, serving as his right-hand man until 1993. “In the five years that I worked with him, I learned more than when I went to the Kennedy School of Government or to Harvard. The time I spent with Teddy was the best school ever,” Doron told the Jerusalem Post last year.
‘Gone too soon’: “[Doron] was a Jerusalemite, a man who loved people and was beloved by all those he met. He dedicated his life to Jerusalem and all of its residents. He is gone too soon and will be greatly missed,” the foundation wrote in an announcement about Doron’s death. As president of the Jerusalem Foundation, Doron spearheaded the organization’s Jerusalem 2030 plan, which focused on creating “communal strength” for all of the city’s residents: Jewish, Muslim and Christian, religious and secular. “Under his leadership, the Jerusalem Foundation led numerous philanthropic projects in Jerusalem. He worked to advance shared society and to bridge the gaps between Jerusalem’s diverse communities and to provide equal opportunities for all,” the foundation said.
YOUR INVOLVEMENT MATTERS
Building a civic engagement ladder
“At the Jewish Service Summit powered by Repair the World last October, A More Perfect Union: Jewish Partnership for Democracy led a panel highlighting the intersection of Jewish values, service and civic engagement,” writes Rendy Auguste of Repair the World in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “[During the panel,] Marta Hanson from Power the Polls emphasized that national elections are made up of thousands of local elections, requiring 1 million poll workers nationwide. She introduced the concept of a ‘ladder of civic engagement,’ which values actions of all sizes and provides a clear pathway for increased involvement.”
A user-friendly tool: “Inspired by Hanson’s framework, Repair the World set out to build a tool aimed at mobilizing Jewish volunteers and their communities to foster a culture of civic duty and service within a Jewish context. With the support of A More Perfect Union, Repair the World published the Democracy Ballot, an innovative civic engagement ladder tool tailored to Jewish values. The Democracy Ballot provides easy-to-follow civic learning and engagement actions from vetted partners across A More Perfect Union’s network. For anyone looking to directly support the upcoming election and America’s democratic process, Repair the World created a menu of options that challenge the user to complete one action and return again with a deeper commitment to service.”
Take action tomorrow: “Building on this momentum, Repair the World is envisioning an even more specific and powerful form of engagement: increasing Jewish service among poll workers… We invite you to join Poll Worker Recruitment Day tomorrow on Aug. 1, a day dedicated to mobilizing volunteers from across the country who are passionate about supporting their local elections. Poll Worker Recruitment Day is not just about filling positions; it’s about empowering communities, fostering civic engagement and upholding our Jewish values, which are also the values of democracy. By dedicating just a few hours of your time leading up to and on Election Day, you can make a significant impact on the electoral process, ensuring that every vote is counted and every voice is heard, embodying the Jewish concept of mitzvah goreret mitzvah — that taking a positive action leads to another, resulting in meaningful impact.”
Worthy Reads
Rebuilding Our Brand: In the Jewish Journal, publisher and Editor-in-Chief David Suissa writes that American Jewry should be mindful of the image it is projecting in the fight against antisemitism. “A brand is as valuable as a reputation. That applies to organizations, individuals and products as well to groups of people. The Jews in America have always been blessed with a strong brand, one that is marked, among other things, by our inclination to give back to our country. How is the fight against antisemitism influencing that brand? Branding is all about the noise we make. That noise helps shape the brand we become. Right now, the Jewish noise in America is very much about fighting those who hate us. Whether we like it or not, we’re becoming the group that cares mostly about protecting itself. This is not a criticism. Fighting for safety is primordial. It does, however, hold a subtle trap: Safety is SO important it has a tendency to drown out everything else, to suck up all the noise. As a result, Jews become associated with weakness — fear on one side and seeking safety on the other… As critical as safety is, Israel reminds us there’s a lot more to the Jewish brand than seeking protection.” [JewishJournal]
What’s in a Name?: In The Times of Israel, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt reflects on sharing a name with a 21-year-old Israeli soldier who was killed in battle in Gaza. “It’s not often that you wake up to the news of your own death… Last week on July 20, an IDF soldier who had been inside a building in Rafah was wounded when Hamas fired rocket-propelled grenades into the structure, essentially toppling it. The young man had been transported to a hospital inside Israel for treatment but succumbed to his wounds… The 21-year soldier who died yesterday was named Yonatan Ahron Greenblatt. It hit me like a punch in the face… When I opened the Times of Israel, I found myself looking in a mirror, an image of a younger version of myself staring back at me… In many ways, our backgrounds could not be more different. I grew up on the other side of the world in a small town in New England. I was raised in a secular family that was very Zionist, but I didn’t visit Israel until my 20s. I have never served in the IDF or even the US military. And yet here we are – two people living distinctly different lives, and yet forever indivisibly connected… Again and again, the past 10 months have left no doubt that wherever we might find ourselves — from Kibbutz Be’eri to Kiryat Shimona, Sydney to San Diego, Toronto to Teaneck — the Jewish people all are the same.” [TOI]
Around the Web
Over the course of less than 12 hours, two top terrorist leaders — Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s most senior military commander, and Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh — were assassinated in airstrikes. Israel has taken responsibility for the strike on Shukr in Beirut, while keeping mum about the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran…
Some 150 injured Palestinian civilians were flown to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from the Gaza Strip for medical treatment, with the permission of the Israeli government…
The head of Leo Baeck Day School in Toronto is refuting claims that the school was the victim of a hate crime yesterday. He said the building’s windows were shattered by the heat of a fire that began at the school in the early hours of Tuesday morning; the fire started in an exterior storage shed being used by a homeless person for shelter, according to Toronto police…
The Jewish News Syndicate reports that Jews top the list of hate crime targets in Canada for the first time ever this year…
Agudath Israel of America sent a tweet on Tuesday asking Wikipedia to reconsider its recent delegitimization of the Anti-Defamation League as a credible information source on the war with Hamas and on antisemitism…
The Marcus Foundation awarded a $2 million grant to the University of California Los Angeles for research into restoring sensation to people with spinal cord injuries…
A new study by researchers at Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame found that U.S. charitable giving fell by about $20 billion in 2018 because of the previous year’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which changed the standard deduction for individual income taxes…
Jim Kohlberg donated $30 million to the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law to promote programs to reform the Supreme Court…
Attendees at Hadassah’s annual meeting of voting members on Monday affirmed three new policy statements for the organization: “Denouncing efforts to exclude Jews and Zionists,” “Safeguarding the whole spectrum of reproductive health care” and “Ending the silence on gender-based violence”…
A woman has been charged with embezzling over $350,000 from the Union County, N.J., synagogue where she worked…
Gazala’s, New York City’s only Druze restaurant, is experiencing an uptick in customers as people seek ways to show support for the Druze community after Saturday’s deadly rocket strike on Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights…
A new report on media coverage of the Israel-Hamas war by the Washington Institute for Near East Studies criticizes the Washington Post, finding that the newspaper relied on anonymous sources five times more than all other major U.S. publications combined…
David Biale, a celebrated Jewish historian and three-time National Jewish Book Award winner, died at 75…
Philanthropist Sylvia Tischler Hiat — the mother of Merryl Tisch, the chair emeritus of the Met Council on Jewish Poverty, and the grandmother of Benjamin Tisch, the current Met Council co-president and incoming CEO of Loews — died last week…
Pic of the Day
For 26 years, the Solomonika JCC in Dnipro, Ukraine, has run a family summer camp designed to foster bonding, socialization with other families and learning about Jewish traditions. At this year’s camp, which drew around 50 families, participants were divided into teams to create miniature houses (like the one pictured here) for a model community that reflected their values and traditions. They also participated in creative workshops, field trips, plays and volunteer activities to strengthen the local Jewish community.
The Solomonika JCC is supported by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.
Birthdays
Software entrepreneur, he is the president of Ameinu and serves on the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency, Kenneth Bob…
Film producer, responsible for movies such as “Fatal Attraction” and “Kramer vs. Kramer,” Stanley Richard Jaffe… British judge and barrister, he served as a justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, John Anthony Dyson… Actress who went on to become CEO of Paramount Pictures and president of production at 20th Century Fox, Sherry Lansing… Nobel laureate in economics in 1997, known for his quantitative analysis of options pricing, longtime professor at both Harvard and MIT, Robert C. Merton… Scholar, professor, rabbi, writer and filmmaker, Michael Berenbaum… Founder of Apollo Global Management, in 2015 he bought a 16th century copy of the Babylonian Talmud for $9.3 million, Leon David Black… Author of 36 best-selling mystery novels, many with Jewish themes, Faye Kellerman… Manhattan-based criminal defense and civil rights lawyer, radio talk show host and television commentator, Ronald L. Kuby… Owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks until its partial sale to Miriam Adelson last year, he has been a “shark” investor on the ABC reality program “Shark Tank” since 2011, Mark Cuban… CEO at Leenie Productions, Helene Miller-Walsh… Technology investor and social entrepreneur, he is the founder and chairman of Tmura, Yadin B. Kaufmann… Israeli libertarian politician and activist, Moshe Zalman Feiglin… Professor at USC, UC Berkeley and Pepperdine, Dan Schnur… Born into a practicing Catholic family in Nazareth, Israel, investor and owner of the Detroit Pistons, Tom Gores… Assistant general manager of MLB’s Miami Marlins, he was an MLB outfielder for 13 seasons, the first player known as the “Hebrew Hammer,” Gabe Kapler… Author, actor and comedian, Benjamin Joseph “BJ” Novak… Founder and creative director at Wide Eye Creative, Ben Ostrower… Political activist and the founder and president of Stand Up America, Sean Simcha Eldridge… Director of global communications at Zipline, Danielle Meister… Project engineer at SolarGik, Aryeh Samet Canter… Adam Rosenberg… David Goldenberg… Richard Rosenstein…
