Your Daily Phil: New Jewish Agency fund offers relief for reservist business owners
Good Tuesday morning.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on how Israel trip providers are responding to the concerns of an Iranian attack, and feature an opinion piece by Judith Frankiel offering advice for fundraising professionals in a post-Oct. 7 world. Also in this newsletter: Sara Lomelin, Michael Bloomberg and Reda Mansour. We’ll start with a new grant fund for Israeli reservists who are small business owners.
In the two days since the Jewish Agency and Israel’s banking system launched their new grant program to assist reservists and their spouses who own small businesses, more than 2,400 people have applied for funds, Jewish Agency CEO Amira Ahronoviz told eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross this morning.
In order to qualify for the grants, applicants or their spouses must have performed at least 60 days of reserve duty and their businesses must have seen a 20% reduction in income. The businesses must also have an annual income of less than NIS 10 million ($2.6 million). According to Ahronoviz, the 2,400 applicants have — on average — served 186 days of reserve duty and seen an 80% loss in income. “That shows that the need [for these grants] is tremendous. Tremendous,” Ahronoviz told eJP.
The grant program is dubbed Atzma’imnikim, a Hebrew portmanteau combining the word for independent business owners (atzma’im) and reservists (miluimnikim). The program offers grants worth between NIS 7,000 ($1,820) and NIS 50,000 ($13,010), depending on a variety of factors, namely the size of the business, the amount of reserve duty performed and the business’ needs.
“This will give the business some time to understand what’s next, to receive the benefits they are eligible for from the government and other places, to make some decisions,” Ahronoviz said. “It won’t let them take their business forward, but it will let them prevent a collapse.”
Unlike salaried employees, whose income is provided by Israel’s National Insurance Institute, freelancers and small business owners are generally not fully compensated for their time serving in the reserves, often putting an undue burden on them. The program is open to the spouses of reservists as well, as they may have had to put their businesses on hold in order to care for the family while their husband or wife was away.
“Reservists who are independent business owners were identified as the group that the degree to which they could be affected and the amount they were affected because of the war was the most significant,” Eitan Madmon, the CEO of the Association of the Banks in Israel, said in a statement.
After initially focusing on businesses in southern Israel and then northern Israel, Ahronoviz said the Jewish Agency launched Atzma’imnikim out of recognition of the sacrifices made by reservists throughout the more than 300 days of war. “This population paid the biggest price, not only in putting themselves at risk and making the sacrifice of leaving their homes and families, but also sacrificing their financial standings,” she said. “This initiative is looking to address this at a large scale.”
The funds for the grants now come from a NIS 100 million ($26 million) contribution by the Israeli banking system, specifically the Leumi, Hapoalim, Mizrahi-Tefahot, Discount, Mercantile, Beinleumi, Massad and Yahav banks. According to Ahronoviz, this current level of funding is enough to provide grants to between 5,000 and 7,000 people.
While she hailed the NIS 100 million as “unprecedented” and hailed the banking system’s contribution, she said the Jewish Agency hopes to find additional donors in order to provide additional grants. “NIS 100 million is a good start. We’d be happy for there to be more,” she said, adding in English: “The more the merrier.”
CLOSING SKIES
As Israel braces for Iranian strike and airlines cancel flights, some organizers cut Israel trips short, others press on
Iran and its proxies’ vow to attack Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh has prompted some Israel trip providers to cut their tours short and some participants to opt to leave early out of both security concerns and as most international airlines have halted their flights into and out of Ben Gurion Airport, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross.
Get ‘em home: The more than 100 participants on this year’s Ramah Seminar returned to North America on a chartered flight Sunday night instead of on Wednesday as originally planned. “Our program was supposed to end on Wednesday, but because of the flight cancellations of several airlines, we were forced to move up the conclusion of the program. We chartered a plane to get everyone out together,” Yael Yamin, the recently installed executive director of Ramah Israel, told eJP.
Fewer coming, some leaving: Birthright Israel, which has some 1,500 participants in Israel, did not cut short any of its flagship 10-day trips or have any groups opt to leave Israel early, a spokesman told eJP. However, the organization did see that approximately 15%-20% of the groups that were meant to fly to Israel have decided to hold off on their trips, he said. In addition, most of the participants of the Birthright Israel Excel Fellowship, 39 out of 64, left Israel a few days before the end of the 10-week program, which puts North American university students in internships with Israeli firms. The Birthright Israel spokesman stressed the organization’s dedication to participants’ safety, constantly coordinating the trips’ schedules with Israeli authorities and adapting to security needs.
Up to them: Other trip providers catering to young adults have not altered their programs, leaving the decision to leave early up to participants. “Masa [Israel] hasn’t put out any irregular statements on the subject. Whoever is interested in returning, going early, cutting short their stay is able to do so at any stage,” a Masa representative said.
THE MESSAGE MATTERS
7 tips for impactful fundraising in a post-Oct. 7 world
“Life changed for our Israeli brothers and sisters on Oct. 7, but it’s become clear in the days and months since that life for American and world Jewry has changed as well. As a practicing Jew in my personal life and a fundraising consultant in the Jewish community in my professional life, I have been grappling with what this means for myself and my clients,” writes Judith Frankiel, a senior associate consultant at Evolve Giving Group, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Research shows: “In a recent report on American Jewish philanthropy by Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the Ruderman Family Foundation, data showed that those who have experienced antisemitism are more philanthropic — and we’re not just talking about a slight increase… Even more interesting is that this increased giving extends beyond religious causes. Those affected by antisemitism are donating over six times more to non-religious organizations compared to their unaffected counterparts. This suggests a broader trend of increased philanthropic engagement in the face of adversity.”
Time for a change: “I understand that organizations don’t want to recreate the wheel. As fundraisers, we’re used to reusing (or tweaking) the same High Holidays language and annual campaign messaging year after year. But unfortunately, those solicitations will not work in today’s climate. If your organization has a direct tie to Israel or combating antisemitism, it may be more clear how to adapt your language and highlight the work you’ve done to support the Jewish community in the past ten months. But for many Jewish organizations, it’s not so simple. And even if your work is directly tied, how can you best leverage this moment to continue fundraising effectively?”
Worthy Reads
Less Screen Time: In The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Maria Di Mento discusses a new study that found that donors give less when they’re on their smartphones. “Donors are less likely to give to charity and also give less money when they’re engaging with their smartphones, according to a new report from researchers at the University of Connecticut and the University of Notre Dame. The researchers call this phenomenon the ‘mobile giving gap’… While nonprofits tailor their fundraising appeals for direct mail, personal phone calls, face-to-face meetings, and online communications, they are not adapting their messaging for different types of digital devices. [Kristen Ferguson, an assistant professor of marketing at Notre Dame and one of the authors of the paper] says charities are losing out on bringing in more charitable donations and new donors when they ignore this difference… One key insight: fundraisers should create ‘other-focused’ messaging that highlights the needs of individuals or groups, or spells out that the potential donor can help those who are less fortunate, instead of focusing only on details of the fundraising campaign. The report says this approach leads to increased awareness, which in turn can lead to increased donations.” [ChronicleofPhilanthropy]
… And I Feel Fine: In The Times of Israel, Shayna Goldberg writes about how Israelis are attempting to balance going about their daily lives with the knowledge that an Iranian attack could be imminent. “A week ago, on Saturday night, my son asked me if we could go to Tel Aviv the next day. ‘You know,’ he said, ‘because it might be our last normal day.’ So far, we have managed to have eight ‘might be our last normal day’ days. We made it to Ganei Yehoshua in Tel Aviv, to Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem, to bowling (twice!), to hang out with cousins and to spend time with grandparents. All the time with the threat of major attacks hanging over our heads. On ‘might be our last normal day’ days, everyone is an expert about when ‘something’ might happen: ‘Definitely not today. But today might be our last normal day.’ The malls and cafes are as full as ever. Everyone appears relaxed. But there is an energetic tension in the air. And people jump at the slightest rumble in the sky. On ‘might be our last normal day’ days, Israelis excel at just going about their business. It is a sign of resilience to be able to ponder your existence while sitting on the beach reading a book or sipping an iced coffee next to the pool.” [TOI]
A Historic Shift: In Fortune, Sara Lomelin, CEO of Philanthropy Together, proposes that MacKenzie Scott’s and Melinda Gates’ philanthropic MO could be a hint of things to come as more women gain major philanthropic clout. “For the first time in history, women are on the verge of controlling the majority of personal wealth. The unprecedented transfer of wealth to women is projected to reach $30 trillion in the next decade. What is unprecedented about that figure is certainly how much wealth will be transferred, but even more importantly, how women will direct that wealth. Women spend more money on their families and their households and on socially responsible products. Across income levels and generations, women are more likely to give, and give more than their male counterparts. With women at the helm of financial decision-making, I see a future of philanthropy that is collaborative, joyful, democratic, and rooted in trust.” [Fortune]
Around the Web
After its $1 billion donation to Johns Hopkins University, Michael Bloomberg’s eponymous philanthropic foundation is giving $600 million to the country’s four historically Black medical schools…
In a Times of Israel opinion piece, Reda Mansour recounts a recent meeting between Shaykh Mowafaq ?ar?f,, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, and representatives of American Jewish groups, following the deadly Hezbollah missile strike on the Druze town of Majdal Shams that killed 12 children and injured dozens more…
Penny Pritzker, the Biden administration official tasked with overseeing Ukraine’s economic recovery, will step down from her role as her term ends…
The Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego, Calif., marked the milestone of allocating $2 billion in grants since its inception in 1967…
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland raised $33.1 million in allocatable funds for its annual Campaign for Jewish Needs, an increase of over $1 million from last year’s campaign…
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was named the chairman of United Against Nuclear Iran, succeeding former Sen. Joe Lieberman, who died in March…
The Czech Republic’s Federation of the Jewish Communities reported a major rise in antisemitic incidents since the Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel…
U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt denounced Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro for blaming “international Zionism” for the protests in his country that have broken out since its recent election, which was widely seen as fraudulent…
In Tablet, members of Brooklyn’s FSU Jewish community discuss their memories of Soviet anti-Zionist rhetoric and its resurgence in progressive American circles today…
British Jewish groups have released condemnations against the far-right riots, which have often targeted mosques and housing for migrants, that have erupted in several cities in the country in recent days…
The American Jewish Committee condemned Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s remark yesterday that “nobody will let us cause 2 million civilians to die of hunger even though it might be justified and moral until our hostages are returned.” AJC said that with the comment Smotrich “undermined Israel’s necessary prosecution of its war against terror”…
The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History announced that Jane Weitzman will join its board of trustees. Mark Oster will also serve as its new co-chair, and current trustee Sherrie Savett will serve as board secretary…
Harvard University announced that interim President Alan Garber will serve as the school’s head through the end of the 2026-2027 academic year…
Rabbi Chaim R. Landau, rabbi emeritus of Ner Tamid Greenspring Valley Synagogue in northwest Baltimore, died at 71…
Jerald J. Rotenberg, a local philanthropist and mainstay of the Rochester, N.Y., Jewish community, died yesterday at 93…
Pic of the Day
More than 130 guests attended the fourth annual Youth Renewal Fund in Aspen Summer Cocktail Party, which was sponsored by Karen W. Davidson, the director and executive committee chair of the William Davidson Foundation.
The gathering, in the Colorado mountain town, featured a performance by country musician Rory O’Neill and remarks by YRF board members, as well as Gil Pereg, the founding CEO of Israel’s Darca Schools network, which serves communities in the country’s periphery.
Birthdays
CEO of Elluminate, Melanie Roth Gorelick…
Los Angeles-based partner at the Jaffe Family Law Group, Daniel J. Jaffe… E-sports executive and casino owner, he is a three-time winner of the World Series of Poker bracelet, Lyle Berman… Founder and spiritual leader of The Elijah Minyan in San Diego, Wayne Dosick… Professor emerita and former dean at Bar Ilan University, Malka Elisheva Schaps… Austrian businessman, Martin Schlaff… Former state treasurer of Virginia and then Virginia secretary of finance, Jody Moses Wagner… Professor of public diplomacy at The Fletcher School of Tufts University, she was formerly under secretary of state for public diplomacy, Tara D. Sonenshine… Professor of psychiatry at the George Washington University Medical Center, Alan J. Lipman, Ph.D…. Israeli diplomat, he served as Israel’s consul general in NYC, Alon Pinkas… NASA astronaut who spent 198 days on the International Space Station, he brought bagels from his family’s bagel store in Montreal into space on his first mission into orbit, Gregory Chamitoff… Chair of White & Case’s white collar practice group, Joel M. Cohen… VP of public affairs and strategic communications at the American Council on Education, Jonathan Riskind… Former vice chair of the board of directors at the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, Susie Sorkin… Television and radio sports anchor on ESPN and ABC, he was one-half of the “Mike & Mike” team but now hosts his own ESPN morning program, Mike Greenberg… Chief economist at The Burning Glass Institute, Gad Lebanon, Ph.D. … Former boxing commentator and co-host of ESPN’s “This Just In,” Yiddish-speaking Max Kellerman… Co-founder and former CEO of Uber, Travis Kalanick… Former CEO at a workforce cooperative called Climb Hire, Nitzan Pelman… Actress, director and screenwriter, Soleil Moon Frye… Screenwriter and television producer, Joshua Ian Schwartz… PR consultant, Jeffrey Lerner… Chief creative and culture officer at an eponymous firm, Rachel Gogel… Member of the New York State Assembly, Simcha Eichenstein… Winner of two gold medals in swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Garrett Weber-Gale… Chief of staff to the Department of Defense’s office of strategic capital, Corey A. Jacobson… Communications and leadership consultant, Jessica I. Goldberg… Reporter at San Antonio Express-News, Elizabeth Teitz… School safety activist, brother of Parkland shooting victim Meadow Pollack, Hunter Pollack…
