Your Daily Phil: Jewish humanitarian aid struggles on multiple fronts post-10/7
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on a new survey on the financial and social challenges facing elderly Israelis, and cover a ceremony marking 40 years since Operation Moses brought thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel and thousands of others died along the way. We speak with Olam CEO Dyonna Ginsburg about the field of Jewish and Israeli international aid work post-Oct. 7 as part of eJewishPhilanthropy’s “Get Your Phil” series, and report on a new pro-Israel investment tool launched by JLens. We feature an opinion piece by Avi Ganz calling for a mindset shift in the Jewish community’s approach to disability awareness and inclusion; one by Eliana Mandell Braner about the Koby Mandell Foundation’s work to support families left bereaved by Oct. 7 and the ongoing war; and one by Nadav Douani focused on stemming “brain drain” from Israel’s scientific community.
What We’re Watching
70 Faces Media is hosting the final day of its virtual Jewish Media Summit.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to run in the Tel Aviv Marathon tomorrow morning.
What You Should Know
Nearly a third of elderly Israeli citizens — 29% — have to cut back their spending on essentials in order to pay their electric bills in the winter, a nearly 50% increase from last year and almost three times higher than the 11% who said so in the winter of 2021, according to a new study sponsored by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross.
A similar number of respondents — 28% — reported that Israel’s conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon have caused them greater financial challenges, double the number that said so last year. Electricity prices have increased slightly in recent years, but likely not enough to account for the disparity from previous surveys.
The survey, in which 400 elderly Israelis — ages 75 and up — were interviewed by the polling firm Geocartography Knowledge Group, also found that one-sixth of the respondents (14%) indicated that they had to go without heating during the winter for financial reasons.
Elderly Arab Israelis were found to be significantly worse off financially than their Jewish peers, with 42% saying that they had to cut back spending on other areas in order to pay electric bills, compared to 27% of Jewish respondents.
In addition to the physical and financial struggles facing Israel’s elderly population in the winter, the survey also found that just over half of the respondents reported feeling a stronger sense of loneliness in the winter in general and slightly under half — 44% — reported feeling lonelier during this wartime winter than in previous years.
“The data from this year’s survey is particularly worrying,” Yael Eckstein, president of IFCJ, said in a statement. “With the war dragging on, this winter is particularly harsh and lonely for our elderly citizens.”
In order to pay for the past 16 months of war and increases to the defense budget going forward, the Israeli government is expected to make significant cuts to many welfare services, including several that benefit elderly citizens.
IFCJ said it was increasing its support for roughly 73,000 elderly Israelis to $7.5 million — 2.5 times the amount it distributed last year. “Our pledge to increase assistance arises from our deep commitment to always see the needs of the elderly of Israel, and be there to provide for them,” Eckstein said. “These values are shared by our hundreds of thousands of Jewish and Christian donors, who want the people of Israel to know that we’re not alone.”
‘A STORY OF STRENGTH’
In Jerusalem, Ethiopian Israelis mark 40 years since Operation Moses, recalling the perilous trek to the Holy Land
Becky Sereche has only vague memories of the trek she made, barefoot, from Ethiopia to Sudan as an 8-year-old with her family to reach the airlift that brought them to Israel as part of Operation Moses. “The mind hides the most terrible parts,” Sereche said on Tuesday at a reception before a ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the operation, hosted by the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption at the Jerusalem International Convention Center, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judith Sudilovsky from the event. “It was when Jews of Ethiopian descent somewhere there in Africa decided it was enough waiting to get to Jerusalem and got up and started walking,” she said. “My parents got us ready and we left. Sometimes I can’t believe that these feet made that journey. Now sometimes when I get tired, I tell myself: Those feet made that journey, I can do this too.”
A story of strength, not pity: Mulu Desta, who had two siblings die on the trek to Sudan, said her children grew up on the retelling of her family’s trek and have recounted the stories in their schools as well, but said it should be better known by the Israeli population at large. In Israel, the immigration of Ethiopian Jews is often seen as a story of Israel saving or rescuing a vulnerable population; to the Ethiopian community, however, the narrative is one of a group of people who were determined to make aliyah despite intense challenges. “Israelis need to see this other view, and give this story center stage, not to pity us. It is a story of strength and shows how strong our community is. We survived the most difficult situations in Sudan,” said Desta.
EJP INTERVIEW SERIES
‘Get Your Phil’ with Dyonna Ginsburg
The past 16 months have been particularly challenging for the universalist interpretation of the concept of tikkun olam in the wake of the Oct. 7 terror attacks, as the Jewish world’s attention focused inward and began more warily eyeing international human rights organizations as many adopted potently anti-Israel stances. Add to that the decision by the White House last month to freeze funding for USAID, the largest financial supporter of international development programs in the world. To better understand the field of Jewish and Israeli humanitarian relief work, eJewishPhilanthropy Managing Editor Judah Ari Gross spoke with Dyonna Ginsburg, CEO of Olam, a network of Jewish and Israeli organizations and individuals in the fields of aid and development in the latest installment of the web series “Get Your Phil.”
JAG: What have you been seeing over the past 16 months, and what is this doing for the field overall?
DG: Like most of Israeli society, our network was deeply impacted [by the Oct. 7 attacks]. Within our network, one of the founders of one of our partner organizations, Vivian Silver, was killed on Oct. 7 in her home in Kibbutz Beeri. She was a personal friend and colleague of mine. Another partner, [Fair Planet, which assists African farmers,] their founder and president [Shoshan Haran], was taken hostage and was released in November 2023… In terms of our Jewish world partners, we also saw them face a lot of challenges as a result of Oct. 7. In certain cases, there were partnerships that they had that were strained with local partners.
We also have seen major philanthropic shifts. As you said yourself, Jewish philanthropy has shifted mostly to supporting Israel and combating antisemitism… And then in tandem, we were seeing examples of general philanthropy, non-Jewish philanthropy, that was distancing itself from Israeli organizations or even Jewish organizations that are not Israeli. Some may call that antisemitism, others may see that as just wanting to keep out of the political fray, but we saw both of those things happen at the same time.
For many Jews who are working in the broader sector and secular organizations, the past 16 months have been a time of isolation, a strange relationship with colleagues, of feeling out of sync with the communications that were coming out of their organizations, that even putting aside their own politics or loyalty or allegiance to Israel, they felt violated some basic tenets of humanitarian principles around impartiality and neutrality. And so we saw a major growth in Jews who were working in the broader sector and secular organizations looking for a Jewish space where they could brainstorm with others and seek support and be in community with others who were facing similar challenges.
CONSIDERATE CASH
JLens launches pro-Israel fund on New York Stock Exchange
With the launch on Thursday of a new stock fund from JLens, individual investors will, for the first time, be able to invest in companies on the New York Stock Exchange that support Israel and combat antisemitism, Haley Cohen for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider has learned. Under the ticker symbol “TOV” — the Hebrew word for “good” — investors will have access to the JLens 500 Jewish Advocacy U.S. Index, which is comprised of the 500 largest U.S. public companies and screens out companies whose activities do not align with Jewish values, including supporting the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement, according to the investor advocacy organization. JLens was acquired by the Anti-Defamation League in 2022.
Personal finance: Several U.S. Jewish organizations — including the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Atlanta Jewish Foundation and Jewish Community Partners (Memphis) — have committed to invest over $100 million in seed capital to launch the new fund. The initiative is groundbreaking in that individuals, not just federations or other communal organizations, can invest, Ari Hoffnung, JLens managing director and ADL’s senior advisor on corporate advocacy, told JI. “Until now there’s been institutional investment vehicles,” Hofnung said. “These have minimums of $1 million and above, which is fine for a federation which has an endowment of $100 million, but most regular investors don’t have a million dollars or more to put into this.”
Read the full report here and sign up for Jewish Insider’s Daily Kickoff here.
REAL INCLUSION
The right initiative can make a serious difference in the special needs landscape
“[W]hile the general culture of chesed (lovingkindness) is certainly laudable — how could it not be? — individuals with disabilities are too often the objects of someone else’s pursuit of kindness rather than seen for their own characteristics, talents and contributions. Read that again: They are treated as objects,” writes Avi Ganz, program director of the Elaine and Norm Brodsky Yeshivat Darkaynu in Efrat, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Time for a change: “This paradigm, however unintentional, is actually holding back those with disabilities. If we respect the agency of people with disabilities and have real expectations of them, then I believe we would see higher rates of employment and community engagement even without the dedicated Shabbatons and the chesed projects… While it is a blessed reality that takes inclusion for granted, the current situation neglects to truly see the population as individuals and offer them the opportunities and resources they need to reach their individual potential. Educational efforts can help communities make this essential shift in mindset to see those with disabilities not just as part of the chesed landscape but as individuals who, like everyone, have strengths and weaknesses, struggles and successes. The right messaging from leaders in our communities can have a trickle-down effect that can truly lead the way for the next step in disability awareness and inclusion.”
SUPPORTING THE BEREAVED
We’re channeling 23 years of experience into this moment
“In the Israel of 2025, resilience is no longer just another word. It has become our national theme and promise, and it’s the cornerstone of our work at the Koby Mandell Foundation,” writes Eliana Mandell Braner, the foundation’s executive director, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Bereaved but not defeated: “We spend a lot of time in the homes of the bereaved… Families are so grateful to be part of the Koby Mandell family — because we ourselves are a bereaved family, they know we get it. They know that my brother was brutally murdered in a terror attack all those years ago. They know my parents found the courage to help themselves, our family and others, and we decided that our personal tragedy would not allow us to be defeated. In the coming months and years, as we hope and pray that Israeli society will be able to return to some sort of ‘normalcy,’ we also know that for those most directly affected by this war life will never be the same. Yet a life changed by tragedy need not be a life not lived. That is our message of resilience — one that can become the true calling card of our nation, bereaved and challenged, as we move into a new and better period ahead.”
STOP THE BRAIN DRAIN
A 360-degree approach to strengthening Israel’s scientific future
“Israel has long been recognized as a powerhouse of innovation, with its strength deeply rooted in the minds of its scientists. However, one of the greatest challenges facing the country today is the global dispersion of its brightest talent pool. Every year, a significant number of Israeli scientists and researchers leave the country to pursue academic and professional opportunities abroad,” writes Nadav Douani, chief executive of ScienceAbroad, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
A support system: “ScienceAbroad, an Israeli nonprofit and global network for Israeli scientists, has developed a 360-degree model designed to support Israeli researchers at every stage of their international journey: before they leave Israel, while they are abroad and after they return home. This holistic approach aims to ensure that Israeli scientists remain connected to their homeland and are given the resources they need to transition seamlessly back into Israeli academia and industry when the time is right.”
Worthy Reads
Hotel for Healing: In The Telegraph, Nicole Lampert visits the hotel where several recently freed Israeli hostages and their loved ones have stayed following their release from captivity in Gaza as they undergo rehabilitation and reentry into Israeli society. “The hotel has a special dining room for the hostages where each family has their own table and they can choose when to eat — giving the hostages choice is a huge part of their rehabilitation. On Friday nights, the beginning of the Sabbath, a tradition has begun where all the families eat together… It is a sort of halfway house where they can continue their recovery — with physiotherapists, psychologists, nutritionists and all manner of other specialists — in privacy, alongside other people who understand exactly what they are going through.” [Telegraph]
Til Your Well Runs Dry: In The New York Times, three former heads of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warn of the potential consequences if the Trump administration slashes the agency’s staff. “While there are opportunities to make the agency more efficient and better at enforcing laws, Americans across every state, city and local community would suffer the effects of deep staff cuts. E.P.A. public servants defend us and the environment from harmful pollution every day, not in hopes of attention or bigger paychecks, or to execute the wishes, wants or needs of billionaires looking to play on a bigger stage. They do it for all Americans and because of laws such as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act… Most of E.P.A.’s work happens behind the scenes, like when one of its enforcement teams raided a warehouse in Colorado full of mislabeled oil barrels that had been prepared for a landfill and discovered they contained nuclear waste. When acid rain was contaminating forests and water bodies throughout the Northeast, E.P.A. staff members located the sources and reduced the pollution. Asbestos, lead and copper in the water went undetected before agency scientists tested it. Without this arm of the executive branch, most of these problems would never have been remedied. Threats like these will recur, but if Mr. Trump guts the agency, no one will be there to step in.“ [NYTimes]
Word on the Street
Jews are less likely to pray regularly or believe in God than other religious groups, according to the latest Religious Landscape Study conducted by the Pew Research Center. They are also more inclined to marry people of other faiths and to support abortion and gay rights compared to the majority of other Americans. Jews, who the survey found represent 2% of the American population, also have higher earning levels than most religious groups, second only to Hindus…
Bipartisan support for Israel appears to be a thing of the past, according to a new Gallup poll, which found that 83% of Republican respondents said they support the country compared to 33% of Democrats — pushing Israel’s overall favorability rating (54%) to its lowest level in 25 years…
Israel confirmed the identities of four bodies that were repatriated from Gaza overnight as being hostages Ohad Yahalomi, Tsachi Idan, Itzik Elgarat and Shlomo Mantzur; the government said that Mantzur was killed on Oct. 7, 2023, and his body brought to Gaza, while the other three men had been killed in captivity…
A report published by the Israel Association of University Heads this week found that Israeli researchers are facing hundreds of instances of academic boycotts and challenges in collaborating with international institutions in recent months…
Yoram Elgrabli has been appointed tourism commissioner for North America by the Israel Ministry of Tourism…
A study by Louis Shekhtman of Bar-Ilan University and two fellow data scientists, Albert Laszlo Barabasi and Alexander J. Gates, found that foundations that make charitable donations to support scientific and health research typically contribute to institutions within their home states…
The Chronicle of Philanthropy looks at how major philanthropies are responding to President Donald Trump’s DEI order, noting that most big grant makers have not closed their diversity, equity and inclusion programs, with the exception of Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan’s CZI Initiative. However, there is little sign that any are increasing funding for the cause, and some are withdrawing entirely…
Israeli Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Kalman Ber will visit Russia on Thursday with the aim of strengthening ties with the country’s Jewish community. The announcement comes just a day after Israel aligned with the United States in casting a vote against a U.N. resolution that reiterated its condemnation of Russia for the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022…
Representatives from a dozen Jewish organizations met with Manitoba Finance Minister Adrian Sala on Feb. 20 in what Gustavo Zentner, Manitoba and Saskatchewan vice president for the Centre for Israel Jewish Affairs, called a “milestone” for pre-budget consultations to urge the government to enhance safety and security amid rising antisemitism and attacks targeting Jews. This marked the first time that the Jewish community participated in provincial budget discussions…
Daniel Schwammenthal addresses readers for the first time upon taking the reins of the U.K.’s Jewish Chronicle…
The Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts has established a three-year partnership with the Secure Community Network, committing $200,000 annually to enhance security at congregations, schools and organizations across the region. Andrew Hoffman will serve as deputy regional security advisor…
Actress Michelle Trachtenberg, known for her roles in “Harriet the Spy,” “Gossip Girl” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” has died at 39. She was found Wednesday in a Manhattan apartment complex and the cause of death has not yet been determined…
Renen Schorr, Israeli director and founder of Jerusalem’s Sam Spiegel Film School, died yesterday at 72…
Rose Girone, believed to be the world’s oldest Holocaust survivor, died on Monday in New York at 113…
Pic of the Day
Visitors sit inside one of the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Mobile Museums of Tolerance on Tuesday at the State Attorney’s Office in Palm Beach County, Fla., as the initiative launches in Florida.
The mobile museums, which the organization has been rolling out across the country since 2021, are meant to “facilitate meaningful dialogue and guide students… to confront hate, embrace tolerance and act for social change,” according to the center.
Birthdays
Member of the British House of Lords, she is a retired rabbi and the chair of University College London Hospitals, Baroness Julia Neuberger…
Performance artist and filmmaker, she is a professor emerita at UCSD, Eleanor Antin… Writer and illustrator of children’s books, Uri Shulevitz… Investor and trader, he is the chair of Juilliard, vice chair of Lincoln Center and on the board of the Metropolitan Opera, Bruce Kovner… Haverford, Pennsylvania-based attorney, mediator and arbitrator, Judith Meyer… New York City-based real estate developer, Michael Gervis… Professor of physics at MIT, Alan Harvey Guth… Historian, syndicated columnist, investigative journalist and talk show host, Edwin Black… U.S. senator (D-NH), Maggie Hassan… Head of the international relations unit and foreign policy advisor to the chairman at the Jewish Agency for Israel, Yigal Palmor… Stand-up comedian, Wendy Liebman… Suzanne “Suzy” Appelbaum… Writer and producer for television and film, David Krinsky… President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, David S. Waren… Film and television actor, he starred as FBI Agent Stan Beeman on the FX series “The Americans,” Noah Emmerich… Founder of Spanx, she is also a part owner of the Atlanta Hawks, Sara Blakely… Founder and executive director of Toldot Yisrael, Aryeh Halivni… Director of Georgetown University’s journalism program, Rebecca Sinderbrand… Singer-songwriter, composer and prayer leader, Sam Benjamin “Shir Yaakov” Feinstein-Feit… Finance minister of Israel, he is the leader of the Religious Zionist party, Bezalel Smotrich… A historian of Israel and the Jewish people, now at the University of Haifa and the Jewish People Policy Institute, Sara Yael Hirschhorn… Named as president of baseball operations for the St. Louis Cardinals to take effect following the 2025 season, Chaim Bloom… Senior counsel at WilmerHale, he is a former Obama White House aide where he was one of the originators of the White House Seder, Eric P. Lesser… Video journalist for The Daily Wire, Kassy Akiva… Alana Berkowitz… British doctor-in-training and registered nurse, Ayelet Besso-Cowan…
