Your Daily Phil: New study sheds light on Jewish poverty
Good Wednesday morning.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on the largest gifts of 2024, a new survey of Jewish poverty and a recent discussion about antisemitism in the medical system. We feature an opinion piece by Robert Lichtman about the foundational role one particular institution plays in sustaining a thriving Jewish community. Also in this newsletter: Christen Broecker, Ned Segal, and Naomi Feiner and Amit Granek.
What We’re Watching
The Jewish Federation Los Angeles is hosting its annual “Shine A Light” Hanukkah celebration today, inviting federal, state, and local elected officials as well as civic and community leaders from across Los Angeles.
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington is holding its annual “Lox and Legislators” Maryland legislative breakfast this morning. Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, Sen. Ben Cardin, Sen.-elect Angela Alsobrooks, Rep. Jamie Raskin and other state and local officials are expected to attend.
What You Should Know
Two of the three largest philanthropic gifts that were given this year came from Jewish donors — and both were to make medical school free, writes eJewishPhilanthropy Managing Editor Judah Ari Gross. The Jewish doctor jokes write themselves.
In February, Ruth Gottesman donated $1 billion to New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine, making the school tuition-free. At the time, this was the largest donation ever made to a medical school. It was matched a few months later when former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged the same amount to Johns Hopkins University in July through his Bloomberg Philanthropies to give a full scholarship to all but the school’s wealthiest students. (The largest philanthropic donation of 2024 was by Netflix founder Reed Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, who gave stock worth $1.2 billion to their own foundation.)
While no other gifts by Jewish philanthropists made the top 10 list compiled by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, at least one more could have: In June, the estate of an anonymous American funder donated $260 million to Israel’s Bar-Ilan University for science research. This posthumous donation did not make the list as it was made anonymously. The identity of the donor remains a secret, though Bar-Ilan officials have told eJP that he was “an ardent Zionist,” “active in World War II” and a graduate of Columbia University. He also set up the donation before his death, including it in his will after visiting the university and meeting with its current president, Arie Zaban.
Other large donations by Jewish philanthropists this year include: $75 million that Marvin and Jeffrey Levy, brothers and University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni, donated to their alma mater in honor of their brother, Phillip, who died in 2021; The Marcus Foundation’s $60 million donation to RootOne last month; and — the latest addition — a $50 million gift to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association by Helen and Sam Zell.
Q&A
New study sheds light on Jewish poverty, finding general disconnect from fellow Jews, communal organizations
Jews who have experienced economic vulnerability come from all denominations, ages, family backgrounds, geographical locations, sexual preferences and races, but one thing that characterizes them on the whole is weaker relationships with fellow Jews and the Jewish community, according to a new study, “On the Edge: Voices of Economic Vulnerability in U.S. Jewish Communities,” conducted by Tulane University and Rosov Consulting. The survey, which was commissioned by The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, found that this disconnect with the Jewish community leads to alienation and a lack of awareness of the programs and initiatives that are offered by Jewish organizations, which could help them out of their financial situation.
To better understand the report’s findings, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross spoke with the study’s lead author, Ilana Horwitz, and with Rachel Sumekh, who leads the Jewish Funders Network’s TEN: Together Ending Need program and contributed to the report.
JAG: As people who have been involved in the field of Jewish poverty for several years, were there any findings that took you by surprise?
IH & RS: The most interesting/surprising take away was that of the low-income Jews the research team spoke to, 61% face situational poverty — temporary financial hardship triggered by three common life events: Death of a family member, physical and mental health challenge or job loss. This as opposed to generational poverty. As the study emphasizes, proactive measures — such as reducing financial barriers to Jewish communal life and destigmatizing economic struggles — can prevent further decline.
JAG: Is this an area of concern for groups focused on Jewish poverty in the U.S. (and outside of Israel in general)? How can these groups address these post-Oct. 7 priority shifts?
IH & RS: More than half of JFN members surveyed this summer support their local Jewish family services or other human services organization. It’s an area that receives essential dollars — but we don’t talk about it! … Jewish Federations of North America’s study this spring showed that after Oct. 7, economically vulnerable Jews desired community more than other groups and yet reported feeling more distant. Talk about a ‘Surge’ not being met!
The same study showed that low-income Jews are less likely to know of the resources available to them, reminding us that it is essential to bring the conversation about supporting low-income Jews into our board rooms, and, as funders, to give more than we did last year.
DOCTOR DOOM
Lawmakers, healthcare providers raise alarm about growing antisemitism in medical field
Lawmakers, medical professionals and Jewish community advocates sounded the alarm about the spread of antisemitism in the healthcare field, both within medical schools and in clinical settings, in a panel on Capitol Hill yesterday organized by the Jewish Federations of North America, Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, the American Jewish Medical Association and Hadassah, reports Marc Rod for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider.
Everyone’s concern: JFNA has been bringing groups of medical professionals to the Hill to raise awareness about the crisis in the healthcare field. “I commend you all for blowing the whistle on this and insisting that it stop, because the next step is people begin to say that the Jews are in a different biological category… this leads us down a very dangerous road,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) said at the session. “I do believe that antisemitism is the pathway to destruction of liberal democracy, and so it’s not just a concern of the Jewish community, it should concern everybody.”
Read the full report here and sign up for Jewish Insider’s Daily Kickoff here.
SHIFT THE MINDSET
A Tree of Life: Root Jewish community in day schools
“In making the case for day schools as the keystone that upholds a community, I am not suggesting that the day school community comprises the majority of the Jews. Rather, I am asserting that the robustness or fragility of a Jewish community’s day schools is both a reflection and determinant of the health of that community,” writes Robert Lichtman in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
A significant factor: “[C]onsider this: Even when a synagogue’s children attend their own congregational school (which often but not always employs day school educators), it is the presence of the local day school population that serves as the catalyst for the communal amenities that characterize a vibrant Jewish community — characteristics that may have drawn those synagogue families to the community in the first place. And for both Orthodox and non-Orthodox clergy with school-age children, even those who run their own congregational school, the vitality — sometimes even the mere presence — of a Jewish day school for their own children to attend is a significant factor in their decision to put down roots.”
Worthy Reads
A Collective Responsibility: In Forward, Coby Schoffman calls on Diaspora Jewry, and specifically Jewish philanthropy, to address the issue of Israeli Jewish extremists. “The threats posed by Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran are real and pressing. Yet so are the existential dangers posed by internal extremism within Israel. Numerous respected national security experts have highlighted this peril, which threatens to unravel the democratic fabric of our nation, physically harm Israeli civilians, IDF soldiers and Palestinian civilians alike, and tarnish Israel’s global reputation as a beacon of hope and democracy in a volatile region… Historically, Israel-focused diaspora philanthropy has focused on supporting vital organizations like Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces and United Hatzalah, both worthy and high-impact organizations. However, while this work is essential, we must also address the more complex and uncomfortable challenge of combating extremism within our own ranks through strategic philanthropy. The American Jewish philanthropic community has long been at the forefront of combating hate and extremism in all its forms, exemplified by the establishment of transformative organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and the American Civil Liberties Union. It is time for the international Jewish community to step forward, incubating solutions and funding initiatives that tackle this issue head-on.” [Forward]
A Holistic Approach: In The New York Times, Catrin Einhorn examines the findings of a recent report, commissioned by 147 countries, that looks at the connections between biodiversity, climate change, food security, water and health. “‘Our current approaches to dealing with these crises have tended to be fragmented or siloed,’ said Paula Harrison, a co-chair of the assessment and an environmental scientist who focuses on land and water modeling at the UK Center for Ecology & Hydrology, a research organization. ‘That’s led to inefficiencies and has often been counterproductive.’ … The report, by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, an independent panel that advises governments on biodiversity issues, focuses heavily on solutions. It includes scores of potential interventions along with their cascading effects… Not all situations will have multiple wins. Often, negative consequences are unavoidable. But people should be aware of the trade-offs and make them deliberately, from national governments all the way to local communities, the authors said.” [NYTimes]
Word on the Street
The Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Graduate Organization announced a new partnership to support Jewish graduate students on campus, which will include enhanced antisemitism reporting tools for graduate students, Jewish Insider‘s Haley Cohen has learned…
Christen Broecker has been named the next director of the American Jewish Committee’s Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights. Broecker, who has served as deputy director, succeeds Felice Gaer, who died last month after leading the institute for more than 30 years…
San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie has tapped ex-Twitter CFO Ned Segal to be the city’s first chief of housing and economic development…
The Chronicle of Philanthropy looks at how a commitment of $25 million of philanthropic gifts by New York financier David Golub and his brother, Lawrence Golub to leading business schools is helping nonprofits find qualified and committed board members by integrating nonprofit board training into MBA programs…
The Russell Berrie Foundation has appointed Naomi Feiner and Amit Granek as co-directors of their Israel office as longtime director Binny Shalev retires at the end of 2024…
A dozen House Republicans voted against legislation extending Holocaust education programming through the Never Again Education Act, a bill that passed the House by a 402-12 vote. The legislation already passed the Senate by unanimous consent and now heads to the president’s desk for signing…
Ivanka Trump and family hosted a holiday food box giveaway for Hanukkah at the JCS Kosher Food Bank in Miami with food from The Planet Harvest…
American Bridge, which includes a progressive super PAC and several nonprofits, is bringing some 150 Democratic donors and potential donors to a “Democracy Matters” gathering at a luxury hotel in Palm Beach, Fla., to set out plans for the party for the 2026 and 2028 elections…
The San Francisco-based Walter and Elise Haas Fund, once a major grantmaker to local and national Jewish nonprofits, awarded a $100,000 grant to the anti-Zionist Arab Resource and Organizing Center, apparently marking a final split from the mainstream Jewish community…
A new study by the Americans for the Arts conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs reveals that while most Americans feel that arts and culture are essential and a majority supports government funding for the arts and non-profit organizations and community-based arts programs, only 51% believe that everyone has equal access to the arts…
Pic of the Day
The Jewish Federations of North America’s Moed Leadership Mission to Israel meets with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.
Birthdays
Founder and chief executive of Third Point LLC, Daniel S. Loeb…
Founder of supply chain firm HAVI, active in over 100 countries, in 2019 he and his wife Harriette pledged $25 million to BBYO, Theodore F. Perlman… Professor emeritus of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies at the Hebrew University, Moshe Sharon… Winner of the 1989 Nobel Prize in Medicine, he served as director of NIH for seven years and then director of the National Cancer Institute for 15 years, Harold Eliot Varmus… Office manager in the D.C. office of Kator, Parks, Weiser & Wright, Ramona Cohen… Co-founder of DreamWorks Studios, Academy Award-winning director of “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan” plus many other box-office record-setters like “E.T.” and “Jaws,” Steven Spielberg… Member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 2009 (R-FL), he did not run for re-election in 2024, William Joseph (Bill) Posey… Former CFO of the Pentagon in the Bush 43 administration, he is presently a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Dov S. Zakheim… Film critic, historian and author of 15 books on cinema, Leonard Maltin… Winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Economics, he is a professor at Stanford and professor emeritus at Harvard, Alvin Eliot Roth… Network engineer sometimes called “the mother of the Internet” for her inventions of the spanning-tree protocol (STP) and the TRILL protocol, Radia Joy Perlman… Diplomat and ambassador, until April he served as President Biden’s special envoy for humanitarian issues in Gaza, David Michael Satterfield… Television writer, producer and director, best known as the co-creator and executive producer of the award-winning series “24” which ran for eight seasons on Fox, Joel Surnow… Labor leader and president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten… Retired editor of The Jewish Chronicle, Stephen Pollard… Member of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Gael Grunewald… Associate director of development at Ohel Children’s Home, Erica Skolnick… Partner at the communications firm 30 Point Strategies, formerly a speechwriter and Jewish liaison in the Bush 43 White House, Noam Neusner… Special envoy of Israel’s Foreign Ministry to combat antisemitism, former member of the Knesset, Michal Cotler-Wunsh… Motivational speaker and teacher, his book about his own coping with Tourette syndrome was made into a Hallmark movie, Brad Cohen… Member of the House of Representatives (D-FL) since 2023, he was re-elected in 2024, Jared Moskowitz… Director of policy for New York’s Governor Kathy Hochul until earlier this year when he successfully ran for the State Assembly, Micah Lasher… Manager of public policy and government relations for Wing Australia at Google, he was a White House aide in the Bush 43 administration, Jesse Suskin… Executive producer at CNN’s State of the Union, Rachel Streitfeld… Multi-instrumentalist, composer and educator, known for his double bass performances, Adam Ben Ezra… Winner of four straight NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championships while at UCLA, Jillian Amaris Kraus… Assistant vice president of external affairs at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, Marc Ashed… Eliezer H. (Elie) Peltz… Consultant at Brussels-based Trinomics, Jessica Glicker… Intelligence lead at ActiveFence, Emily Cooper…
