Your Daily Phil: Jewish philanthropy and Donald Trump, take two
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on Jewish communal responses to the reelection of Donald Trump. We feature an opinion piece by Misha Galperin and Yossie Hollander about how the Jewish community can better combat antisemitism, and one by Sheri Gross on the role of creativity in Jewish education. Also in this newsletter: Robert Singer, Daniel Lurie and Sheryl Sandberg. We’ll start with an interview with Andrés Spokoiny on the impact of President-elect Trump’s victory on Jewish philanthropy.
After Donald Trump’s victory in 2016, many Jewish donors jumped to fund efforts that they believed would need additional support in light of the incoming administration, such as women’s, immigrant and racial justice groups. This time around, as a second Trump term looms, Jewish Funders Network President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny told eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross that their attention is likely to be fixed elsewhere.
Though he stressed that it is still too early to accurately predict, Spokoiny, who was openly critical of Trump during the campaign, told eJP yesterday that he expects Jewish donors to maintain their focus on the war in Israel and combating antisemitism at home.
Judah Ari Gross: What do you see as the initial impact on the field of Jewish philanthropy?
Andrés Spokoiny: First, it’s really too early to tell. The previous Trump administration saw a diversion of resources to ‘secular causes’: voting rights, reproductive freedom, stuff of that sort. I would assume that we will also see some of that this time, but I would be surprised if it is in the same dimension or at the same level. Antisemitism and the situation in Israel are still top of mind [for many funders].
JAG: Could some of that also be out of regret for how the organizations that were funded after 2016 have responded to the war in Israel and rising antisemitism in the U.S.? Disappointment over how some reproductive groups, such as the D.C. Abortion Fund, and others have been critical of Israel or dismissive of Jewish concerns?
AS: That may play a role. Many [funders] sympathize with those causes, but, given the situation, it may be hard for them to find the right partners. I think that may be an issue here. People may want to fund these things, but will they find the right partners?
But people can only split their attention so many ways, and [the war in Israel] is still going to capture the attention of a lot of American Jews.
JAG: On the financial and tax side of philanthropy, are there any expectations of how a second Trump administration will affect things?
AS: The 2017 Trump tax cuts had a negative impact on philanthropic giving, especially for people who itemized [their tax returns].
When you lower taxes, there’s less of an incentive to give because you get less off. That’s the general idea. On the other hand, Trump also facilitated the accumulation of these massive fortunes, which strengthened the ‘mega-donor’ culture.
I do expect a crackdown on organizations perceived to be hostile to the regime. Whether they’ll get away with it, that I don’t know, but I expect to see the administration try to throw the book at them.
COMMUNAL REACTIONS
Jewish groups congratulate, express concern as Trump reelected
The fault lines in the Jewish community were on full view as groups on the left, right and center reacted to former President Donald Trump’s resounding victory over Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday night, some describing the outcome as “terrifying” and a “dark moment,” and others expressing hope for fruitful collaborations, report eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim and Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen.
Middle of the road: Most Jewish communal groups — such as the Jewish Federations of North America, World Jewish Congress, American Jewish Committee and the Orthodox, Conservative and Reform movements — congratulated Trump on his electoral victory and identified the areas in which they hoped to work with his administration, namely on shoring up U.S. support for Israel and combating antisemitism. But many added that they would oppose any efforts to curtail reproductive and minority rights.
Coming out swinging: The Jewish Council for Public Affairs and other liberal groups expressed alarm at Trump’s victory, with J Street referring to it as a “solid gut punch.” JCPA vowed to oppose the White House’s policy agenda. “We will be on the frontlines of the fights ahead because our values and our safety depend on it,” the group said.
A faithful approach: In a recorded talk, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg, senior rabbi at the Boca Raton Synagogue, urged his congregants and followers to moderate their emotions after the election. “The great people of our history and the great people of our present regulate their emotions… because they realize Hashem’s in charge,” he said. “If there’s one word to describe where we’re going, it’s ‘unpredictable.’ And so anyone who could enter a zone of unpredictability with complete confidence has no faith in who’s really in charge…. [If you feel grateful,] express your gratitude, but be only cautiously optimistic. Don’t have complete confidence. Don’t put faith in people.”
ENTER THE MATRIX
How to win the war being waged against the Jewish people
“We are losing the war against antisemitism. Here’s how the Jewish people should organize to win,” write Misha Galperin, a longtime executive in Jewish communal organizations, and Yossie Hollander, a software entrepreneur and philanthropist, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Disorganized, ineffective: “Hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in our ongoing and new efforts. Some new consortia have been formed in an attempt to pool resources and coordinate actions and communications. However, in contrast to our well-organized opponents, our efforts have been disjointed and competitive, rather than collaborative, and not particularly effective (with some exceptions) if judged by outcomes, i.e. actual measurable changes in the levels of anti-Jewish actions and sentiments, or in pro-Israel support.”
Fronts and strategies: “First, let’s identify or articulate the war’s ‘fronts.’ These include: Governmental/political…Higher education… K-12 education… Business… Jewish communities and organizations… Other current and potential allies and enemies (often former “allies”)… Media… Now to strategies: What are the classes of approaches that can be employed on those fronts? Consider: Intelligence… Legal… Finance… Education… Communications.”
Who’s doing what: “If the focus on outcome measurement is applied across the matrix [of fronts and strategies], evaluation and comparison of various efforts can be achieved. This would allow investments — whether by philanthropists and foundations or by existing organizations — to be rationalized and, one hopes, eventually coordinated… A comprehensive mapping and categorization of existing initiatives and current gaps would be required, as would be the development of rating/evaluative criteria and systems.”
CREATIVE GENIUS
Is it OK to sing and text at the same time?
“[While] a research team of nine seventh and eighth graders, with my support, conducted 11 months of research at Gross Schechter Day School in Cleveland regarding the integration of arts and culture and Jewish text study, we stumbled onto the fact that there is a lack of curriculum that allows for children to use their creativity and imagination in order to delve deeper into Jewish learning,” writes Sheri Gross, the director of arts, culture and creative programs at Gross Schechter Day School, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Raising the level: “Creativity and imagination are critical to truly absorb the meaning behind Jewish texts. So we created our own curriculum… The time is right to create experiential Jewish education in order to grab our students’ by their souls. Giving students the opportunity to tap into their creativity and imagination through arts and culture can not only support and elevate Jewish text study, but it can take the concept of Jewish education to a whole new level.”
Worthy Reads
Country of Immigrants: In a Jerusalem Post opinion piece, Robert Singer warns against the Israeli government’s plans to cut benefits for new immigrants. “As we look ahead to the 2025 Israeli budget, the proposed reductions in benefits for new immigrants raise serious concerns about the long-term implications for our nation. At a time when Israel’s economy requires growth, undermining the support system for new Israelis is not only shortsighted but detrimental to our collective future… New immigrants bring with them a wealth of potential. Each oleh [new immigrant] contributes not only to our workforce but also enriches our society with diverse perspectives, skills, and entrepreneurial spirit… By reducing the financial support and benefits for these individuals, we risk stifling their ability to integrate, thrive, and ultimately contribute to our economy… If we want to build a thriving society, we must invest in every individual who chooses to make Israel their home. The economic potential of each oleh is immense, and it is imperative that we nurture that potential rather than diminish it.” [JPost]
Around the Web
Daniel Lurie, a philanthropist and an heir to the Levi Strauss family fortune, is expected to win the San Francisco mayor’s race as he currently leads incumbent London Breed by 12 points with more than 150,000 votes to be counted…
The Times of Israel examines how the Brothers and Sisters in Arms protest movement rebuilt a neighborhood in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, outpacing the state’s own reconstruction efforts…
Morocco’s foreign minister reasserted the North African country’s ties with Israel for the first time since the Hamas terror attacks on Oct. 7, 2023…
Sheryl Sandberg’s Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Charitable Foundation announced a $5 million donation to West Virginia’s Marshall University for a program aimed at making tuition affordable without the need for onerous student loans…
The Chicago Police Department is investigating an incident in which two Jewish students at DePaul University were attacked as they were “visibly showing their support for Israel”…
Israeli chef Eyal Shani is slated to open his fourth Malka restaurant in West Palm Beach, Fla., by the end of the year; in addition to the original Tel Aviv location, there are two Malka offshoots in New York City…
Haaretz investigates the Israeli government’s failure to install bomb shelters in Arab and Druze towns in northern Israel, where most of the civilians killed by Hezbollah rocket attacks have lived…
Atra: Center for Rabbinic Innovation is launching a series of virtual events for rabbis — in collaboration with a number of other Jewish organizations — to provide them with postelection resources and thoughts…
Pic of the Day
The five recipients (second row) of a prize from the Israeli Immigration and Absorption Ministry for new immigrants who “made a significant contribution to society and [their] community during the war,” stand with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Immigration Minister Ofir Sofer, Jewish Agency Chairman Doron Almog and members of their staffs at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem today.
The five prize winners are: Pavel Ginsburg, an electrical engineer at Tel Aviv University who immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union and led a lab that has improved military technological systems; Dr. Alexander Lerner, an orthopedic surgeon who moved to Israel from Belarus and has spent the war repairing soldiers’ wounded limbs; Adriana Folberg-Blum, who immigrated from Canada and has organized volunteering efforts on Israeli farms throughout the war; Irena Maman, a seamstress who moved to Israel from Ukraine and has spent the war mending soldiers’ uniforms; and Arielle Biton, who immigrated from France and has led several initiatives to raise money and distribute aid to displaced people, soldiers and other affected by the war.
Birthdays
Former U.S. senator from Minnesota, he later served on the boards of AIPAC and JINSA, Rudy Boschwitz…
Neuropsychiatrist, a 1944 graduate of Yeshivah of Flatbush and 2000 Nobel Prize laureate in medicine, Eric Kandel… MIT professor in electrical engineering and computer science, Barbara Liskov… Senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, he was the vice chairman of the Federal Reserve System, Donald Kohn… University professor at Harvard, expert on Shakespeare, he is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Stephen Greenblatt… Founding president of Santa Monica, Calif., synagogue, Kehilat Maarav, and senior partner in the West Los Angeles law firm of Selvin & Weiner, Beryl Weiner… Entrepreneur, bar owner and television personality, Jonathan “Jon” Peter Taffer… Constituent affairs representative and community liaison for Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13), Laurie Tobias Cohen… Volunteer coordinator for the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library, Marcy Meyers… Funeral director at Berkowitz-Kumin-Bookatz in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Michael R. Holub… Director, writer and showrunner of the legal drama series “Suits,” Aaron Thomas Korsh… Former professional racing driver, now CEO of McLaren Racing, Zakary Challen Brown… Chairman and CEO of luxury apparel company Canada Goose, Dani Reiss… European casino owner, art collector and CEO of Vestar Group, Leon Tsoukernik… Deputy mayor of Jerusalem, Aryeh Yitzhak King… EVP of communications at NBC Universal, Jennifer B. Friedman… Reporter for Sportico focused on the business of college sports, Daniel Libit… Baseball outfielder, he won two minor league batting titles, Brian Horwitz… Consultant for family foundations, he holds two graduate degrees in Nursing, Avi Zenilman… Northeast regional deputy director at AIPAC, Alexa Jordan Silverman… National political reporter at Politico, Elena Schneider… Founder and CEO emeritus at Swipe Out Hunger, Rachel Sumekh… Founder and CEO of Count Me In, Shane Feldman… Co-founder and CEO at Moneta Labs Limited, Tomer Aharonovitch…
