Your Daily Phil: War costs squeezing everyday Israelis
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on the Taub Center think tank’s assessment of the newly approved Israeli budget and on the American Jewish Committee’s annual Ambassadors’ Seder, which this year featured recently released American Israeli hostage Keith Siegel. We feature an opinion piece by Deb Lust Zaluda about how nonprofit boards can strike a healthy balance when it comes to oversight; Warren H. Cohen writes about public relations in the context of Passover; and David B. Marcu proposes that there is a bit of each of the Four Sons from the Hagaddah in every one of us. Also in this newsletter: Mike Huckabee, Danny Laban and Michelle Shapiro Abraham.
What We’re Watching
The Jewish Agency for Israel is launching an international campaign today in which of Jewish organizations around the world will call for the release of the hostages still being held captive in Gaza ahead of Saturday night’s Passover holiday.
What You Should Know
With Israel’s 2025 budget now passed, the massive direct and indirect costs of the wars in Gaza and Lebanon — and how they will affect Israeli society — are coming into sharper view. Israeli social, medical and educational services are all expected to feel the strain, even as these areas have taken on greater importance, in light of a major increase in defense spending as well as growing interest payments on Israeli government debt. That’s the assessment of experts from the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies think tank, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judith Sudilovsky.
Expected budget cuts and budget stagnation for social services, along with rising costs of living — already high in Israel and which is expected to get even higher in the coming two years — will disproportionately affect lower- and middle-class citizens, Nir Kaidar, director-general of the center, said during a webinar on Tuesday evening breaking down the 2025 budget and its ramifications.
According to Kaidar, the number of people living in poverty in Israel may not change significantly as a result of these cuts, but the conditions for those already living in poverty and the middle class are expected to become increasingly challenging. In addition, he said, there remains a severe shortage of social workers and teachers in the country, with over 20% of teachers leaving the profession each year.
Kaidar said the original total budget for 2024 was approximately NIS 450 billion ($118.2 billion), with most of it going to social services, while NIS 100 billion ($26.3 billion) went to defense and security. But by the end of 2024, because of the war, the budget had changed significantly, and the amount spent on security and defense had doubled, with Israel now spending 90-100 NIS billion ($23.6 billion-$26.3 billion) more on defense and security than initially planned, he said. This is expected to decrease next year, but still remain well above pre-war levels.
In addition, Israel’s interest payments on its debt are expected to increase significantly, which will make it hard to retain current expenditures on social services without greatly increasing the deficit, he said. “With the interest payment and with the defense payment, it will be very hard to maintain,” he said.
The overall budget for social services has seen some increases in the 2025 budget, but even these will primarily go to maintaining the same level of service amid rising costs and rising demands. The ability to maintain these levels of funding is also under threat due to rising defense and interest costs. There are potential cuts planned for the 2026 and 2027 budgets.
The Ministry of Health’s budget has increased by roughly NIS 5 billion ($1.3 billion), going mainly to public health-care providers (known in Hebrew as kupot holim), but according to Kaidar, this is not to improve the system but to maintain the status quo amid natural population growth, aging and rising health costs. “It’s mainly in order to maintain the same level of health services in Israel,” he said.
The ministry aims to improve mental health support, which Kaidar said is in dire need of improvement, with the government planning to invest approximately NIS 1.4 billion ($368.9 million) in mental health initiatives. “We have an excellent health system in Israel, but the mental health part is broken… But it is hard to fix structural problems just with money. The mental health system also needs a paradigm change,” he said.
On a positive note, Kaidar said that despite the challenges facing Israel, he was optimistic Israel could still make improvements to the economy that could alter this trajectory.
“If we take steps to better integrate Arabs and Haredim into the labor market, increase the competition in the Israeli economy and improve the quality of public services, these changes are entirely possible,” he said.
Read the full report here.
A SEDER WITHOUT FREEDOM
Keith Siegel recounts his Hamas captivity to foreign diplomats, AJC members
Keith Siegel, the North Carolina-born Israeli-American freed earlier this year from Hamas captivity in Gaza, recounted the horrors he endured while being held by the terror group to a gathering of foreign diplomats, D.C. power players and American Jewish Committee members on Wednesday evening, reports Marc Rod for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider.
About the event: Siegel, 65, spoke at the AJC’s annual Ambassadors’ Seder, attended by envoys from countries around the world to Washington, congressional staff and a range of other D.C. policy hands. The event was AJC’s largest-ever Ambassadors’ Seder in more than 30 years, with more than 400 attendees and diplomats from more than 60 countries registered to attend. “These memories of medieval torture methods still haunt me,” Siegel said. “Every interaction,” Siegel continued, “reinforced this brutal reality” that he was entirely at the terrorists’ mercy.
Read the full story here and sign up for Jewish Insider’s Daily Kickoff here.
LEADERSHIP DYNAMICS
The Jewish values of asking questions and being prepared for the answers
Nonprofit boards play a crucial role in guiding organizations toward their mission, but “[t]he line between effective oversight and counterproductive micromanagement can be thin,” writes Deb Lust Zaluda, president of Jewish National Fund-USA, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “‘Helicopter governance,’ where board members excessively intervene in day-to-day operations, can stifle staff, undermine trust, frustrate leadership and ultimately harm the organization… At the same time, we also know that our Jewish tradition calls on us to ask questions. In fact, questioning is one of the hallmarks of our culture, from the earliest biblical accounts to the modern Passover Seder table. We are taught to dig deeper, probe assumptions and demand clarity.”
Tone and time: “Consider the distinction between asking, ‘Why did you choose this project?,’ which can sound accusatory, versus, ‘Can you share the process you used to select this project?,’ which shows curiosity and respect for the professional’s expertise. Similarly, announcing, ‘I think we should handle fundraising this way’ can shut down dialogue, while asking, ‘What strategies are we considering, and what are the pros and cons of each?’ invites collaboration and honors the knowledge of those who are on the front lines every day. By focusing on long-term goals and the guiding mission — rather than getting stuck in operational details — a board provides the leadership an organization needs without undermining professional staff.”
A NATION OF STORYTELLERS
Passover: The holiday of public relations
“There’s a front line in every generation. For some, it’s on the battlefield. For others, it’s in the courtroom, the classroom or the community boardroom. For those of us in the media, it’s in the narrative: on air, online and in every conversation where truth is tested and identity is debated,” writes Warren H. Cohn, founder and CEO of RocketshipPR, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Narrative continuity: “Passover, the quintessential holiday of Jewish memory, doesn’t just ask us to recall the Exodus. It commands us to retell it, every year, loudly, proudly and across generations. Even the youngest child must be involved. ‘And you shall tell your child on that day’ is not passive memory — it is active legacy-building. The Seder table isn’t just a place for food but a platform for narrative continuity. For millennia, it’s been our press conference to the world: a night when even the child who doesn’t know how to ask is met with answers and care. In our time, that same mission takes shape across the media landscape, in our schools, in our camps and in our communities. Because if we don’t tell our story, someone else will — and they’re already trying.”
LESSONS FROM THE SEDER
‘Diversability’ and the Four Sons
“The narrative of the Four Sons is a highlight in the Pesach Seder often viewed as a metaphor with critical lessons for parents and educators. Within the Wise Son, the Wicked Son, the Simple Son and the Son Who Doesn’t Know to Ask/How to Ask, one can find characteristics inherent within every household or classroom,” writes David B. Marcu, president of the Israeli nonprofit Israel Elwyn, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “Indeed, having spent much of my life working with people with disabilities, I would humbly suggest that the lessons of the Four Sons have particular importance for our appreciation and respect for members of this community.”
Breaking down barriers: “All of us have limitations, and all of us possess certain abilities. It is not about us and them. It is about us all. As Rabbi Ben Zoma is quoted in Ethics of the Fathers: ‘Who is wise? One who learns from every person.’ We each can learn much at the Seder table, just like we can each teach something as well. At this year’s Seder table, perhaps we can pause as we reach the section of the Four Sons and encourage ourselves and our children to learn something from our diversely-abled world. Let us take that moment to recognize that while we are certainly all different, we are also all the same. Let’s make an effort to make this realization a means to a more inclusive Seder — and ultimately, a more inclusive society.”
Worthy Reads
A Never-ending Story: In The Times of Israel, Shira Lankin Sheps notes how certain passages in the Hagaddah resonate differently for her in the context of the post-Oct. 7 world. “In the ancient Haggadah, I found the awe, the fear, the joy, the grief, the hope, the faith of the year 2025/5785. It unlocked something in me, a sense of being known by my ancestors or maybe understanding their experiences of persecution and freedom better than I ever had. I discovered a renewed sense of the future, hope for survival, and dedication to resilience. I felt my spirit refreshed by the promise of the redemptions of the past and future, sung at Seder tables for thousands of years; a true conversation about what it means to be a Jew, the nature of who we are in this world, and the true freedom that is waiting for us.” [TOI]
A Little Help From My Friends: In The Jewish Chronicle, Aharon Ariel Lavi reflects on Pharaoh’s antisemitism and offers his recommendation for how to combat it today — with friends. “The arguments used by Pharaoh to incite hatred against his Hebrew guests (such as accusing them of being a disloyal fifth column), and the measures he took (genocide through the extermination of all baby males) set the standard for countless oppressors who have followed in his footsteps… [Antisemitism] is not going anywhere and will not be eradicated in the foreseeable future. However, we can and should think of new strategies to cope with antisemitism, as the current approaches are obviously failing… [Let] us learn from what Moses did in the face of the first antisemitic tyrant. He did not argue about the facts but rather put forward an alternative story with universal implications [monotheism]; and he did not beg for his people’s lives but rather projected power. No, I do not suggest we pray for plagues to shower upon the heads of those who hate us. In fact, I suggest we spend much less time, money and energy on them… Unlike most nations, we have lost the organisational tradition of working with friends as powerful and equal allies because for so long we had almost no friends. Unfortunately, we are still stuck in that mindset and, as a result, are not allocating adequate resources to the groups seeking our partnership with outstretched hands. Let us reach back to them and fight hatred together.” [JewishChronicle]
Word on the Street
The Senate voted 53-46 yesterday to confirm former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as U.S. ambassador to Israel, with only Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) breaking ranks to support him. Jewish groups have hailed his confirmation, noting Huckabee’s longtime support for Israel, while others have raised concerns over his support for West Bank annexation and opposition to a two-state solution…
The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports on the foundations that are offering grants to offset the Trump administration’s federal funding cuts, including the Skoll Foundation, which launched a $25 million emergency fund in response to the gutting of international aid…
The Associated Press spotlights efforts by former USAID employees and other nonprofits who are responding to the widespread impact of the Trump administration’s decision to abruptly cut most USAID programs by launching emergency funds and fundraising efforts…
The California Department of Education found that two teachers in San Jose’s Campbell Union High School District used one-sided teaching materials on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that “discriminated against Jewish students”…
Danny Laban has been named the next CEO of Southern California’s Jewish Federation of the Desert…
The UJA-Federation of New York’s Midtown headquarters was evacuated on Tuesday morning due to safety concerns over a cracked, collapsing basement wall…
Over the past year, 27,281 people have immigrated to Israel, according to data released for Passover 2025 by the Ministry of Aliya and Integration. Russia was the top country of origin, with 15,188 immigrants, followed by the U.S., France and Ukraine…
Michelle Shapiro Abraham has been named the new executive director of the JBI Library, effective April 21. She succeeds Livia Thompson, who has led JBI since 2022 and is retiring after a nearly 40-year career in the Jewish nonprofit sector…
In The Forward, Emily Kaiman writes an opinion piece about how she was removed from a local Atlanta Jewish moms group because she worked for J Street…
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) rejected the idea of meeting with Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, following a proposal from the hard-line Jewish group Betar; “There is no universe in which I would ever grant an audience to an extremist like Ben Gvir or any organization like yours that embraces his extremism,” Torres said…
The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver (British Columbia), the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the mayor of Vancouver urged new city Councillor Sean Orr to retract a 2021 social media post claiming city planners are controlled by a “secret cabal of Jews,” calling it a harmful antisemitic trope about Jewish control…
Argentine prosecutor Sebastián Basso, who succeeded Alberto Nisman after his murder in 2015, has petitioned the country’s federal court to issue national and international arrest warrants for Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, alleging his direct involvement in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish Center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people…
Colombia appointed as its director of religious affairs an anti-Zionist with rabbinic ordination from a website that sells it for $160…
Prominent Israeli fashion designer Danny Mizrahi died Tuesday at 66 after a long illness…
Michael Tell, the longtime publisher of the Las Vegas Israelite Jewish newspaper, died on Sunday at 80…
Retired British surgeon Norman Rosenbaum, who crowdfunded 16 ambulances for Magen David Adom UK over two decades, died at 90…
British Jewish community and business leader Stanley Kalms died March 30 at 93…
Pic of the Day
Eleven midwives receive Magen David Adom vests recently after they completed a newly expanded training program for midwives by the emergency medical service.
The program was launched by MDA last July — in coordination with the Israel Midwives Organization and local governments and with support from the Jewish Federations of North America — with the goal of providing additional training to local midwives so they could assist with out-of-hospital births before, or alongside, MDA paramedics and ambulance units. Through the program, the midwives are provided with portable ultrasound dopplers, oxygen tanks and full resuscitation gear for both the mother and newborn, among other birth-related hospital equipment.
“Local midwives, who can provide care for out-of-hospital births in their communities, are often the most capable and quickest to respond to these situations,” Yossi Halabi, head of MDA’s First Response Division who is leading the midwives project, said in a statement. “This initiative originated from the urgent wartime need to aid pregnant women in remote or dangerous areas where access to medical facilities was limited. However, it will continue to play a crucial role within the broader MDA and Israeli healthcare systems, which significantly contribute to Israel’s standing as one of the OECD countries with the lowest maternal mortality rates.”
Birthdays
Israeli singer-songwriter, actress and model, she represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, Noa Kirel…
Past president of the U.S. Soccer Federation, he was previously an executive of both the LA Lakers and the LA Clippers, Alan Rothenberg… Author of four novels and two political history books, he is a former senior editor at The New Yorker and a deputy editor of the Outlook Section in The Washington Post, Jeffrey Frank… Author of 265 books, including 56 books in the Cam Jansen series, 68 biographies and books for youth on the Holocaust, David Abraham Adler… Naomi Eisenberger Atlani… Former member of the Knesset for 26 years, he once served as vice prime minister, Haim Ramon… Founder of Gantman Communications, Howard Gantman… Scarsdale, N.Y., resident, Robin Stalbow Samot… Soviet-born Israeli-American pianist, Yefim “Fima” Bronfman… Member of the Knesset for the Likud party for 23 years, now chairman of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Yuval Steinitz… Author and journalist, Lisa Belkin… Dana B. Fishman… CEO of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, Shirley Ann Bloomfield… Tom Kohn… Author of five best-selling memoirs and six novels, she has also written for magazines such as The New Yorker, O, The Oprah Magazine, Vogue and Elle, Dani Shapiro… Host of Radio Atlantic and a senior editor at The Atlantic, she was born in Israel and moved to Queens when she was 5 years old, Hanna Rosin… Governor of Missouri from January 2017 to June 2018, Eric Greitens… President of NJI Media and co-founder of FamousDC blog, Josh Shultz… Movie producer best known for the 2016 musical romantic-drama film “La La Land,” Jordan Horowitz … Israeli journalist, television personality and a political columnist for the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Amit Yitzhak Segal… Senior vice president of entertainment and news media at RespectAbilityUSA, Lauren Appelbaum… Attorney who has clerked for two federal judges, he also served as a fellow in the office of the Solicitor General, Yishai Schwartz… White House liaison to the American Jewish community during the Biden administration, Shelley Greenspan… Associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, Daniel E. Wolman… Basketball player for Hapoel Haifa, he was the 2009 ACC Freshman of the Year for the Virginia Cavaliers, Sylven Landesberg… Phil Hayes… Susie Diamond…
