Your Daily Phil: Jewish leaders, German ex-minister awarded Israel’s top honors
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we attend last night’s Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor ceremony. We look at how the Los Angeles Jewish community is responding to the wildfires that have devastated the city, and report on Leading Edge’s acquisition of JPro. We feature an opinion piece by Naomi Kovitz about the role Jewish education should play in fostering long-term communal engagement and responsibility; and one by David Bryfman calling on educators to resist the impulse to avoid teaching about the plight of the hostages in Gaza. Also in this newsletter: Rachel Hillman, Greg Yawitz and Izhar Shay.
What We’re Watching
Writer Ruth Wisse will speak tonight at the Levy Forum for Open Discussion at Palm Beach Synagogue in South Florida.
What You Should Know
Israeli President Isaac Herzog presented the Presidential Medal of Honor — the country’s highest civilian honor — yesterday evening to seven Jewish and non-Jewish leaders from across the globe, acknowledging their enduring contributions to the State of Israel and the Jewish community. This year the recipients were selected for their long-term dedication and service to Israel and the Jewish people especially following Oct. 7, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judith Sudilovsky from the event at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.
This year’s honorees were: Malcolm Hoenlein, longtime leader of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations; Julie Platt, chair of the Jewish Federations of North America; Maurice Lévy, a French-Moroccan businessman and social activist whom Herzog credited with assuring that Israel participated in last year’s Eurovision contest; Sir Frank Lowy, an Australian-Israeli Holocaust survivor and philanthropist; Sir Trevor Chinn, former chairman of the British Joint Israel Appeal (now the UJIA) and founder of the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre; Mark Leibler, an Australian attorney who serves on the boards of both the Jewish Agency for Israel and Keren Hayesod of Australia; and Brigitte Zypries, a former German minister of economic affairs and justice and president of the Israel-Germany Association, who was recognized for her efforts in combating antisemitism and opposing anti-Israel boycotts.
An eighth medal was meant to be awarded to philanthropist Ronald Lauder, but he was unable to attend and will receive his medal at a later time. Chinn was also unable to attend the ceremony but watched virtually as his son, David, accepted the medal in his place.
As they shook hands, took selfies and exchanged pleasantries and bon mots, the attendees — honorees and their families, foreign dignitaries, Jewish community leaders and journalists — dined on pastry delicacies from Tel Aviv’s famed Lehamim Bakery, where pastry chef Yaki Sagi from Kibbutz Be’eri has set up shop after his Lalush Bakery on the kibbutz was closed down after the Oct. 7 attacks. Cheeses in some of the pastries as well as those served separately were from the Be’eri dairy, whose manager, Dror Or, and his son and daughter were among those kidnapped in the Oct. 7 attacks. (The children were released in November 2023 cease-fire deal but Or was killed in captivity and his body is still being held by Hamas.) Spinach and eggplant used in the savory pastries came from the southern Israeli towns of Ein Habasor and Yakhini, both of which have been severely affected by the ongoing war.
Wine from Dalton Winery in the Upper Galilee, which has sustained overwhelming damage from Hezbollah attacks since Oct. 8, including the complete destruction of its vineyards growing Pinot Gris grapes, was also served.
In a sober opening to the award ceremony, Herzog announced the recovery of the body of Israeli hostage Youssef Ziyadne, 53, and “remnants” of his 22-year-old son, Hamaz. The two were residents of the Bedouin town of Rahat and were kidnapped from Kibbutz Holit where they worked in the dairy. In his remarks, Herzog highlighted the remaining hostages that were still being held captive and called for their release, while also emphasizing the increasing international antisemitism.
“Our lungs cannot fully exhale until our people are safe, and until our hostages are back, every single one. Failure to bring them home will leave our nation hemorrhaging and scarred for generations,” he said.
He also emphasized the importance of the award as a way of “sending a message” to Israelis that Israel is a reality being built together with Diaspora Jewry.
Speaking on behalf of the recipients, Platt quoted from the prophet Isaiah in Hebrew: “Nachamu, Nachamu, Ami,” (Comfort, comfort, my people), thanking the Herzogs for providing comfort to Jews in Israel and worldwide in the past difficult year.
“I know each of us has been enriched beyond measure by the opportunity to lead – to support Israel, of course, since Oct. 7, but for all of us, in fact, decades of love and devotion to Am Yisrael [the Jewish people]. President Herzog, thank you for extending this award to those of us in the Diaspora – it reflects my second sentiment, that we are all one people. We feel the pain of a Jew in Ukraine, Montreal, Crown Heights, the same as we feel the pain of a Jew in Be’eri, Metula or Hostage Square. And we feel the joy of a celebration of our heritage in all the corners of this globe as if it were in our own backyard,” said Platt.
L.A. FIRES
As wildfires engulf Los Angeles, Jewish community rallies to save members — and Torah scrolls
As wildfires fueled by high winds swept through the Los Angeles area on Tuesday morning, the teachers and director of Chabad’s Palisades Jewish Early Childhood Center scrambled to evacuate as conditions grew worse. They began calling the parents of over 100 children, telling them to come and pick up their kids due to growing concerns about the fires that were first sparked in the Palisades Highlands not far from the center. “We decided to self-evacuate, we didn’t feel good about the smoke that was there,” Rabbi Zushe Cunin told Ayala Or-El for eJewishPhilanthropy in Los Angeles. “We safely walked [the children] across the street through [the Pacific Coast Highway]. It was very congested, but we managed to get there safely and reunite the children with their parents.”
‘Been through this before’: As of this morning, at least five people have been killed in the fires, some 25,000 acres have burned, more than 2,000 structures have been destroyed and at least 37,000 people were ordered to evacuate Pacific Palisades. The fast-moving fires, whipped up by strong Santa Ana winds, caused additional fires in Sylmar and Altadena and destroyed the historic 84-year-old Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center on Tuesday night. The fire has since spread to Hollywood Hills. The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles’ president and CEO, Rabbi Noah Farkas, has also been working with his staff to support evacuees. “We have seven staff members who were evacuated,” Farkas said. “We’ve been through this before. We’re coordinating with elected officials, community leaders, emergency response teams and the school district, including the fire and police departments.”
BETTER TOGETHER
Leading Edge acquires JPro, creating ‘central address’ for professional development
With heightened demands on Jewish communal leaders due to the “Surge” in Jewish engagement — and antisemitism — Leading Edge has acquired JPro, creating a “central address” for development and support of Jewish community professionals and volunteers, the firm told eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim.
One-stop shop: “The idea is to create one central address for the people who are working within the ecosystem of Jewish organizations,” Gali Cooks, president and CEO of Leading Edge, told eJP of the merger, which took effect on Jan. 1. “There’s been a 10-year history of deep partnership [between JPro and Leading Edge]. And there’s been, especially in light of post-COVID and post-Oct. 7, a real understanding that we do need to invest more and better and more strategically.”
UNTAPPED POTENTIAL
Is Jewish education cultivating a sense of responsibility in the Jewish communities of tomorrow?
“Education plays a crucial role in shaping not only the minds of young people but also their hearts and sense of responsibility toward the greater community. If our schools are to truly prepare the next generation for communal leadership, they must go beyond teaching facts and figures and focus on imparting a sense of responsibility and ownership over the Jewish future,” writes Naomi Kovitz, deputy director of the Yael Foundation, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Start young: “This means that educators, both in schools and within the community at large, must be intentional about shaping a mindset of active participation. Teaching about Jewish values, identity, history and culture should be accompanied by opportunities for real-world application, where young people are empowered to take on roles, solve problems, volunteer and contribute to communal life from an early age. They need to feel that their involvement isn’t just important, but essential. Jewish youth need to see and feel their potential for impact. This needs to become second nature, not just an afterthought or something to consider once they reach adulthood.”
A CALL TO EDUCATORS
Redeeming the hostages is the Jewish educational imperative of our lifetime
“As someone whose personal and professional Jewish journeys were emboldened by the movements to free Soviet and Ethiopian Jewry, I know full well, largely through hindsight and reflection, the significance of being a Jewish educator at a critical moment in time for the Jewish people,” writes David Bryfman, CEO of The Jewish Education Project, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Teaching about tough stuff: “As disturbing as it is to admit, despite their personal sorrow and professional dedication, many Jewish educators are avoiding educating about the fate of our hostages… [S]everal recent interactions with Jewish educators from around the world, including some in Israel, compelled me to consider why many are struggling with this educational campaign specifically now… Of course and unfortunately, Jewish educators know how to teach about sad things. We teach about the Holocaust and commemorate Tisha B’Av. But these are historical events, and it is difficult to know exactly how to teach about significant events when living through history. Here’s why.”
Worthy Reads
We’re Mr. Lonely: In the cover story for this month’s Atlantic, Derek Thompson examines how Americans have been spending more time apart and the ramifications of it. “Americans are spending less time with other people than in any other period for which we have trustworthy data, going back to 1965. Between that year and the end of the 20th century, in-person socializing slowly declined. From 2003 to 2023, it plunged by more than 20 percent, according to the American Time Use Survey, an annual study conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Among unmarried men and people younger than 25, the decline was more than 35 percent. Alone time predictably spiked during the pandemic. But the trend had started long before most people had ever heard of a novel coronavirus and continued after the pandemic was declared over… Self-imposed solitude might just be the most important social fact of the 21st century in America… All of this time alone, at home, on the phone, is not just affecting us as individuals. It’s making society weaker, meaner, and more delusional… The anti-social century is the result of one such cascade, of chosen solitude, accelerated by digital-world progress and physical-world regress. But if one cascade brought us into an anti-social century, another can bring about a social century. New norms are possible; they’re being created all the time.” [TheAtlantic]
Don’t Just Survive — Thrive: In the Jewish Journal, Shanni Suissa reflects on the importance of not letting life contract to “survival mode” in the face of antisemitism, war and uncertainty. “I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the generations who came before me. Millions of Jews — countless souls whose names we may never know — sacrificed everything to ensure I could stand here today, boldly declaring: I am Jewish. I am proud. And I will not let our story be reduced to a tragedy. Because here’s the truth: We owe them more than survival. We owe them vibrancy. Yes, we live in a time when antisemitism is on the rise, when the Jewish people are once again being vilified, and when standing tall can feel like an act of defiance. But if 2025 is going to mean anything, it cannot be the year we let ourselves be defined by our enemies. Fighting hate is necessary, but it cannot be the entirety of our identity. If the only reason to fight for the Jewish people is to stop them from being erased, then we have already failed.” [JewishJournal]
Breaking the Cycle: In Inside Philanthropy, Wendy Paris reports on innovative programs that aim to end generational violence and use input from the people they serve. “‘Who gets to innovate? Now, it’s for-profits. We want it to be people in the system. They know where the holes are,’ said Sara Kriksciun, a senior advisor for Futures Without Violence, a national nonprofit with offices in San Francisco, Boston and Washington, D.C. ‘In the for-profit sector, a lot of money goes to R&D — innovation, in essence. In the public sector, where the most vulnerable kids get served, there is not money going toward innovation, toward the ideas that make big changes.’… When it comes to preventing gender-based violence, early investment has a huge ripple effect. ‘The trauma that results in some of the most expensive problems for America can be addressed earlier so we don’t have to spend so much later,’ said Esta Soler, founder and president of Futures Without Violence.” [InsidePhilanthropy]
Word on the Street
Jewish Insider speaks with Canadian Jewish leaders about the community’s deteriorating relationship with the country’s Liberal Party…
A group of funders, led by the New York Community Trust and Robin Hood, issued $5.6 million in grants to 22 frontline nonprofits assisting new immigrants to New York City; UJA-Federation of New York contributed $1 million to the endeavor, which was dubbed “The Funds for the Newest New Yorkers”…
New York State Assemblymembers Aron Wieder, Simcha Eichenstein, Kalman Yeger and Sam Berger were sworn in yesterday in Albany; the Met Council’s David Greenfield jokingly referred to the group of religious lawmakers as the “Yarmulke Caucus”…
Rabbi Brian Lurie blessed his son, Daniel Lurie, on Tuesday night at San Francisco’s Congregation Emanu-El, at an event held the night before his inauguration as the city’s mayor…
Rachel Hillman is joining the Jewish education nonprofit M² as senior program director…
The Eisner Foundation awarded just over $1.3 million in grants to seven Los Angeles-area organizations, including $150,000 to support a program at the Holocaust Museum LA for older adult volunteers – including 40 Holocaust survivors – who work with young visitors…
Greg Yawitz was elected the new chair of the board of directors of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, succeeding Carol Staenberg, who will remain on the board as past chair; Nancy Keyser, Matt Berman, Dave Hageman, Craig Rosenthal and Cheryle Atkin also joined the board…
The Lake Placid (N.Y.) Synagogue made a $25,000 donation to Thrive & Thrift, a new local food pantry and thrift shop, bringing the synagogue’s total contributions to the initiative up to $50,000…
Amnesty International suspended its Israel branch after it came out against the organization’s report accusing Israel of genocide…
Iron Nation, a venture capital firm created after the Oct. 7 terror attacks to support Israeli startups, has added Izhar Shay, a former Israeli minister of science and technology, to its investment committee; Shay’s son, Yaron, was killed by terrorists while defending Kibbutz Kerem Shalom in the attacks…
Robert Levine, a longtime lay leader of the Jewish National Fund-USA, died this week at 94…
Pic of the Day
Portraits of the four victims of the terror attack at the Hypercacher Supermarket in Paris — François-Michel Saada, Philippe Braham, Yoav Hattab and Yohan Cohen — are seen this morning outside the store during a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Islamist attack; the commemoration was organized by the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF).
Birthdays
Australian author of more than 40 books of children’s and young adult fiction, including a five-book series about a 10-year-old Jewish boy in Nazi-occupied Poland, Morris Gleitzman…
Law professor at Georgetown University, he is a founder of New Israel Fund and board member of Americans for Peace Now, Peter Edelman… Former member of the Swiss Federal Council and president of the Swiss Confederation in 1999, she is the first woman to ever hold this position, Ruth Dreifuss… Rabbi emeritus of Kehilath Israel Synagogue in Overland Park, Kan., Herbert Jay Mandl… Vice chairman of the private equity firm Gilbert Global Equity Partners, Steven Kotler… Pulitzer Prize-winning Supreme Court reporter for The New York Times for 40 years, she is now a lecturer and senior research scholar at Yale Law School, Linda Greenhouse… Retired MLB umpire, he worked in 3,392 major league games in his 26-year career, his family name was Sklarz, Al Clark… Presidential historian, university lecturer, and spokesman for the 9/11 Commission, Alvin S. Felzenberg… Composer and singer who has released seven albums under the name “Country Yossi,” Yossi Toiv… Actress, singer and songwriter, she is the half-sister of Barbra Streisand, Roslyn Kind… Former governor of the Bank of Israel, she served from 2013 to 2018 and was the first woman to hold this post, Karnit Flug… Dean of the Bar-Ilan University law school, Michal Alberstein… Investment banker, Joel Darren Plasco… Justice of the High Court of Australia, James Joshua Edelman… Russian-born American novelist, journalist and literary translator, Keith A. Gessen… Filmmaker, she is the second lady of New York State, Lacey Schwartz Delgado… NFL insider and reporter for the NFL Network, Ian Rapoport… Film producer and the founder and CEO of Skydance Media, David Ellison… Israeli actress and model, best known for her role as Nurit in “Fauda,” Rona-Lee Shimon… Director of development and community relations at Manhattan Day School, Allison Liebman Rubin… Pulitzer Prize-winning staff writer at The New Yorker, Ben Taub… MBA candidate at University of Virginia, Madeline Peterson… Television and film actress, Nicola Anne Peltz Beckham…
