Your Daily Phil: Lobbying bears fruit as applications (finally) open for security grants
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In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on the Federal Emergency Management Agency opening applications for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program after months of delays and on the death of Los Angeles-based philanthropist Wallis Annenberg. We speak with New York Jewish leaders about the community’s hesitancy to openly oppose Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani in the upcoming mayoral race. We feature an opinion piece by Rabba Daphne Lazar Price about interfaith allies — those who faded into obscurity in a post-Oct. 7 world, and those who stood firm — and one by Nati Glass highlighting the impact of supporting small Israeli businesses during the ongoing war. Also in this issue: Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt, Benjamin Berger and Becca Strober.
What We’re Watching
The Israel on Campus Coalition’s National Leadership Conference wraps up today in Washington. Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) are slated to speak at the confab’s closing session.
The Israeli Modern Orthodox Tzohar organization is hosting its annual summer conference in Tel Aviv tomorrow morning, in both Hebrew and English, titled “For the Sake of Heaven and Earth,” focused on contemporary religious issues.
What You Should Know
The Federal Emergency Management Agency opened applications yesterday for 2025 Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding, months after the applications traditionally open and amid pressure from lawmakers and community stakeholders, reports Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Applications for the funding round are due Aug. 11. This application round pertains to the $274.5 million in funding that Congress appropriated for the 2025 grant cycle.
An additional $126 million in funding for the NSGP remains outstanding from the national security supplemental bill Congress passed last year. Organizations have already applied for that funding tranche. FEMA did not respond to a request for comment on when that funding will be allocated.
Delays in opening the application had been a source of frustration among both Jewish groups and the program’s advocates on Capitol Hill.
“The Nonprofit Security Grant Program is a vital resource for faith-based and community institutions facing growing security threats,” Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), who has been pressing the administration to release the funding, told Jewish Insider yesterday. “As Jewish communities have endured a surge in antisemitic threats and violence and now prepare for the High Holidays, this funding could not come at a more critical time.” Lankford said last month that the funding had “already been held up too long.”
Lauren Wolman, the senior director of government relations and policy for the Anti-Defamation League, highlighted the need for the outstanding funds from the supplemental bill to be released.
“We appreciate the Administration’s release of $274.5 million in urgently needed Nonprofit Security Grant Program funds, which will help protect at-risk communities facing real threats. But the job isn’t done,” Wolman said in a statement. “FEMA must urgently release the NSGP supplemental funds Congress appropriated to meet overwhelming demand. Every day of delay puts lives at risk.”
Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, linked the announcement to JFNA’s advocacy on the issue last month.
“This is an important step for our community’s safety, and it is the direct result of the collective advocacy work that we carried out in June during the United for Security mission and our presentation of the Six-Point Policy on Security Plan,” Fingerhut said. “We should all be proud to see that our work moved the Administration to act.”
Amy Spitalnick, the CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, who said she had raised the issue at a meeting with House Homeland Security Committee members last week, said that the delays have “cost Jewish and other communities precious time at a dire moment for our security.”
Spitalnick added: “We also cannot simply barricade or prosecute our way out of this crisis of violent hate — and measures like this must go hand-in-hand with the broader policies aimed at building resiliency to hate and extremism in the first place.”
BARUCH DAYAN EMET
Wallis Annenberg, a ‘force for good’ in her adopted Los Angeles, dies at 86
Wallis Annenberg, whose philanthropic work for more than two decades as the head of the Annenberg Foundation made both her and the charity synonymous with the City of Los Angeles, died Monday at her home in L.A. after battling lung cancer. She was 86, reports Ayala Or-El for eJewishPhilanthropy.
‘Voice and vision’: Hailing from one of the country’s most prominent media families, Annenberg left a legacy of giving that enriched the cultural life of Los Angeles, as well as the city’s Jewish community, and sought to ease the scourge of homelessness gripping the city. “Wallis Annenberg was a remarkable and steadfast partner to the USC Shoah Foundation, lending her voice and vision to ensure that survivor testimony educates and inspires future generations,” CEO Robert Williams told eJP. After news of her death spread, the City of Beverly Hills, where Annenberg lived, lowered the city flag to half-staff in tribute. The mayor of Beverly Hills, Sharona Nazarian, told eJP that Annenberg was more than a resident of the city. “She was a force for good whose generosity and vision helped shape our city and beyond,” Nazarian said. “Her commitment to the arts brought us The Wallis, a vibrant cultural landmark that has become a cornerstone of our community.”
Presidential condolence: Former President Joe Biden eulogized Annenberg describing her as a “remarkable person who transformed philanthropy in our Nation,” in a social media post last night. “Her support for the arts, education, the environment, medical research, and social justice transformed countless lives by advancing, healing, and inspiring communities across America,” he wrote.
WAIT-AND-SEE APPROACH
New York Jewish leaders reluctant to fight against Mamdani
In recent weeks, a creeping sense of frustration has settled in among many Jewish leaders in New York City as they have reckoned with the dawning reality that no one is stepping up to organize opposition to Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor, reports Matthew Kassel for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider. Without a well-funded outside effort, Mamdani faces few obstacles in the general election despite numerous political vulnerabilities.
‘Just grasping’: The complacency comes even as top Democratic leaders in New York have so far declined to endorse Mamdani, whose antagonistic views on Israel and democratic socialist affiliation have engendered criticism. But with a divided field of warring and baggage-laden candidates, Jewish leaders have privately voiced disappointment at the current state of the race. “Big-money people are talking every week about how we have to do something, but I haven’t seen a real plan,” said one Jewish leader. “People are just grasping,” he added. “There’s a sense of frustration out there and fear of a letdown.”
Read the full report here and sign up for Jewish Insider’s Daily Kickoff here.
MEANINGFUL EMBRACE
Faith-driven feminism after Oct. 7, 2023: Showing up when it’s hard
“As an Orthodox Jewish woman, I’ve often found kindred spirits among Muslim women. We both navigate religious traditions that are frequently misunderstood by the secular mainstream. We both face scrutiny — over modesty, piety, leadership. We’re often told we are too conservative and too radical, sometimes in the same breath,” writes Rabba Daphne Lazar Price, executive director of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance and an adjunct professor of Jewish law at Georgetown University Law Center, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Don’t give up: “That shared space of faith-driven feminism has been one of the most profound parts of my life. Since the Oct. 7 attacks, I have mourned its unraveling. That’s why I attended [the American Muslim & Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council’s] National Conference of Women Changemakers Uniting Against Hate in Washington last week… In a single day, about 100 women and men did something rare: We came together for honest dialogue, truth-telling and the hard work of trust-building. … For me, the conference brought a flicker of possibility back to life… The Muslim and Jewish feminists who are still emailing, still organizing healing circles, still refusing to give up on each other — they are my hope. Because if we can’t speak across this divide even now, what was all our bridge-building for?”
ZIONISM IN ACTION
‘To everything there is a season,’ and now is the time for business
Michael GiladiFlash90
“Today I’m reminded of a conversation I once had with the late visionary industrialist, Stef Wertheimer, z”l, who passed away this year. He spoke of ‘Zionism Stage C,’ a new era for Israel when strength would come not just from survival, but from prosperity. ‘The Zionism of the next generation,’ he told me, ‘is about jobs and economic strength,’” writes Nati Glass, chairman of Israel Employment Innovations, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “Today, as war casts a long shadow, his words echo like a call to action.”
The Diaspora’s pivotal role: “Every synagogue tour, every solidarity mission, every family that chooses to visit Israel despite the headlines — you are the lifeblood of businesses fighting to survive… Support businesses that tell Israel’s story of resilience, like Piccolino, a small restaurant in Jerusalem, or Arie Herrman, a tour guide from the north who keeps going despite the odds. Share their stories, book a trip, send a group. As Stef Wertheimer believed, jobs are the backbone of Zionism. Every dollar you spend in Israel is a vote for hope, a brick in the foundation of a stronger future. It’s time to show up, to spend, to build. Because when we do, we’re not just saving businesses, we’re sustaining dreams, families, and the soul of a nation.”
Worthy Reads
Stop Piling On: In The Times of Israel, Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt chastises his fellow rabbis for heaping one-sided anti-Israel rhetoric into the public discourse as a means of virtue signaling. “What is needed is a reminder that every day the hostages are not released is a war crime. What is needed is condemnation of the silence and indifference of the world to the plight of the hostages. What is needed is rabbis who will stand up for their fellow Jews. Rabbis, of all people, should know that Israel must be constantly vigilant and on guard against the very real and constant threats to its existence. With all the external pressures on Israel, now is a time for rabbis to garner support for Israel and help to explain its plight and the justness of its cause.” [TOI]
The Sword in the Stone: In Sources, Benjamin Berger reflects on a Talmudic tale in which a sword is stabbed into the ground and the students of Beit Shammai massacre the students of their rival Beit Hillel. “Lately, this story feels all too familiar. No sword may be visible in our sanctuaries or our houses of learning, but all too often we can sense it hovering at the entrances of too many of our communal spaces. … In our post-October 7 reality, the language of ‘bridge building’ has taken on new urgency. … Bridge building is not about erasing conflict or pretending away difference. It is about choosing connection where we might otherwise choose withdrawal. It is not a performance of tolerance. It is the practice of responsibility. … In the story from the Talmud that opened this essay, even with the sword at the entrance of the beit midrash, people still entered. They still argued. They still stayed. So must we.” [Sources]
It Hits Different: In Kveller, Jamie Simon reflects on the transition from reassuring concerned parents about their young campers to being a concerned camp parent herself. “This summer, my 8-year-old went off to overnight camp for the first time. My 11-year-old is spending three weeks away — the longest we’ve ever been apart. And even though I’m the CEO of Foundation for Jewish Camp and a former camper, counselor and camp director, I still find myself asking the same questions I once answered: Will they make friends? Will they feel seen? In today’s world, where we’re used to texting our kids at any hour and tracking them in real time, it’s hard to let go… This summer, in the wake of tragic events that have shaken the camping world, the worry feels heavier. The what-ifs are real. I feel them too. But especially now, I believe camp is essential in building our kids’ character, resilience and Jewish identity.” [Kveller]
Word on the Street
Wesley LePatner, 43, a Blackstone executive who served on the boards of New York City’s Heschel School and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and an NYPD officer were among four people killed in a shooting at Blackstone’s Park Avenue headquarters in Manhattan; the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound…
Harvard University is reportedly open to spending as much as $500 million to resolve its legal disputes with the Trump administration, following an agreement between the government and Columbia University last week in which the New York school agreed to pay $200 million and undertake a series of steps to address campus antisemitism…
Yesterday, Harvard announced a new undergraduate study abroad program with Israel’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, as well as a postdoctoral fellowship for Israeli scientists at Harvard Medical School…
British Chief Rabbi Efraim Mirvis has joined the chorus of prominent Jewish voices decrying the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip…
The European Union has proposed limiting Israeli access to a program funding startups involved in fields that include drone technology, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence due to the humanitarian situation in Gaza…
Prominent Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen, who was featured recently in the film “No Other Land” and was invited to speak to two American Jewish groups last month, was shot dead yesterday during clashes with Israeli settlers near the West Bank village of Umm al-Kheir; the Trump White House recently lifted sanctions that had been imposed by the previous administration on Hathaleen’s alleged assailant, Yinon Levi…
Two members of the Boulder, Colo., City Council accused a colleague of posting content on social media that “crossed a serious line into antisemitism”…
An Oregon man was sentenced to 60 months in prison over a series of bomb threats to Jewish institutions in the New York area dating back to 2021…
The Baltimore Banner spotlights a local Chabad-affiliated initiative, the Spark Program, a summer day camp for adults with disabilities…
Two U.S. citizens are reportedly among the five members of the Iranian Jewish community who remain in regime custody following last month’s Israel-Iran war…
A shuttered pharmacy has been donated to Akiva Academy in Youngstown, Ohio, which will be turned into a middle school for the Jewish day school, allowing it to expand…
Brazil withdrew from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, where it held observer status, citing — among other things — a recommendation from Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories who has been accused of antisemitism; the move has been denounced by Israel and by international Jewish organizations…
The Associated Press interviews outgoing Ford Foundation President Darren Walker ahead of the publication of his new book, The Idea of America…
Starting in 2026, the Israeli government will cut funding for part-time yeshivas whose students do not enlist in mandatory military service…
Master Sgt. (res.) Ariel Meir Taman, a reservist who identified many of the bodies of those killed on Oct. 7, 2023, was found dead in his home yesterday in a suspected suicide; Taman, who leaves behind a wife and four children, is the latest soldier or reservist to apparently kill themselves, amid growing concerns about Israel’s mental health support for troops…
Alon Aboutboul, an Israeli actor who also had roles in Hollywood films, including “Munich” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” died today at 60 after he collapsed on the beach…
Major Gifts
The Tepper Foundation awarded a $70,000 early childhood security grant to JEWISHcolorado through the Jewish Federations of North America…
Google has announced grants totaling some $37 million to boost artificial intelligence initiatives across Africa…
Transitions
Pic of the Day
Israeli Ambassador to Hungary Maya Kadosh takes a selfie with participants at Chabad’s CTeen’s camp in Balaton, Hungary, which opened last week. Some 250 Jewish teens from 14 countries, including Israelis, are taking part in the two-week camp, one of several European-based summer programs to receive RootOne funding as an alternative for Israel travel programs.
“Many of these teens are the only Jews in their schools,” Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, who leads many of Chabad’s outreach programs, said in a statement. “They spend a lot of time defending their Jewish identity and connection to the Holy Land to their peers. The experience of being surrounded by fellow Jewish teens from around the world fills them with the pride, knowledge and confidence to be ambassadors of their people back home.”
Birthdays
Chairman of BOK Financial Corporation in Tulsa, Okla., George Bruce Kaiser…
Shoe designer, entrepreneur and founder of an eponymous shoe company, Stuart A. Weitzman… Denver-based trial lawyer, film producer and author of both fiction and nonfiction, Kenneth Eichner… Israeli electrical engineer and inventor, he is best known as the inventor of the USB memory stick, Dov Moran… Former deputy health and science editor at The Washington Post, Carol Eisenberg… Attorney general of Israel from 2016 to 2022, Avichai Mandelblit… Global economics and geopolitical correspondent for The New York Times, Peter S. Goodman… Actor and comedian, best known for his voice work in animation and video games, Richard Steven Horvitz… Twin brothers, Los Angeles-based philanthropists and businessmen, Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz and Yisroel Zev Rechnitz… Actor, filmmaker and musician, he is best known for his role in the CBS sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” Joshua Radnor… Chief White House correspondent for NBC News, Peter Alexander… Senior vice president of philanthropic engagement at BBYO, Jayme David… Director of the Straus Center at Yeshiva University, he is also the Rabbi of NYC’s Congregation Shearith Israel (The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue), Rabbi Meir Yaakov Soloveichik… Data scientist and journalist focused on elections for the Associated Press, Aaron Kessler… Former member of the Canadian Parliament, David de Burgh Graham… Iraq war veteran, political and communications strategist, she is now serving as an adjunct professor at Duke University, Allison Jaslow… Rabbi, writer, educator and physician assistant, Rabbi Levi Welton… White House principal deputy communications director during the Biden administration, Herbie Ziskend… Senior vice president in the Los Angeles office of Edelman, Jason Levin… Israeli actress, model and television presenter, Maya Wertheimer… Tony Award-winning actor, Ari’el Stachel … D.C. attorney, Daniel Ryan Vinik… Uriel Wassner… Broadcaster and media relations manager for the Chicago Dogs and Windy City Bulls, Sam Brief… Quarterback for the NFL’s Washington Commanders, Sam Hartman…
