Your Daily Phil: What Hezbollah attacks have cost northern Israeli farmers
Good Tuesday morning.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on a new initiative launching today by Daniel Lubetzky’s nonprofit, Frontline Builders, to declare May “Frontline Worker Appreciation Month,” and examine a new study estimating the damage caused to northern Israeli agriculture by Hezbollah. We feature an opinion piece by Suzy Bookbinder and Michelle Starkman making a case for the continued relevance of galas, and one by Eran Shayshon about Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik’s concept of “dual covenants” and the evolution of Jewish universalism from the 20th century to today. Also in this newsletter: Yehuda Kurtzer, Jeffrey Herbst and Philip and Sima Needleman.
What We’re Watching
The JPro25 conference continues today in Baltimore. If you’re there, say hi to eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim!
The Orthodox Union is convening its annual Washington mission today and tomorrow. Tonight, they’ll host a kickoff dinner reception honoring Sen. James Lankford (R-OK).
The Israel Allies Foundation, in conjunction with Eagles’ Wings, the Zionist Rabbinic Coalition, American Christian Leaders for Israel and the Combat Antisemitism Movement, is hosting its Israel Advocacy Day and Independence Day Reception today in Washington. The groups will host a reception tonight with the co-chairs and members of the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus.
At the Milken Institute’s Global Conference in Los Angeles, IKAR’s Rabbi Sharon Brous will speak today on a panel titled “What Faith Means to Me,” while Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Ari Berman and Stanford University’s Jonathan Levin will speak in a session on higher education, followed by an on-stage interview with Pershing Square’s Bill Ackman on the same subject.
The Future Summit continues today in Israel.
What You Should Know
KIND bars for kindergarten teachers, Flamingo razors for first responders and all-natural deodorant for nurses are just a few of the gift programs rolling out this month for what’s been dubbed Frontline Worker Appreciation Month — a new initiative launched today by KIND Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky’s nonprofit, Frontline Builders, to make May a time to stop, drop and thank those who serve as the main point of contact between the public and civil services, the organization told eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim.
This month, over 250 mayors and county officials across the country will be participating by issuing proclamations recognizing the month and hosting appreciation events for frontline workers. According to Frontline Builders’ partnership director, Jason Lalak, the idea emerged because five years from the organization’s inception during COVID-19, frontline workers have continued the work they do, but recognition has waned.
“Back in 2020, a lot of people at 7 o’clock every night would be applauding and cheering out their windows, banging pots and pans. They would be dropping off care kits in local hospitals and fire stations and police stations,” Lalak told eJP. “But that attention really has waned while the work that frontline workers do for our communities has never stopped.”
Frontline Builders is hoping to fill that gap, said Lalak. In addition to working with municipal leadership, the organization has selected different frontline communities to donate food and self care items in New York City; Los Angeles; Denver; Indianapolis; San Francisco; Austin, Texas; Portland, Ore.; Evanston, Ill.; DeKalb County, Ga.; and Chandler, Ariz.
Flamingo, Gimme Seaweed, Glossier, KIND Snacks, Nature’s Bakery, Salt & Stone and Starface are among 18 brands who have donated $500,000 worth of inventory for the cause.
According to Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez — chief philanthropy officer for the Lubetzky Family Foundation — Frontline Worker Appreciation Month, and Frontline Builders overall, is part of a broader movement that aims to lift up “builders,” those who — intentionally or just by the nature of their work — are combatting polarization and “work across aisles.” Through a number of projects, including Frontline Builders and Builders of the Middle East, the Lubetzky Family Foundation aims to lift up the voices of those at the societal center, she said.
“There’s a lot of division and polarization and extremism in the nation,” Waldman Rodriguez told eJP. “Builders we see as people who are fighting to keep it together and working across aisles and collaborating with people who they may not agree with. Very often, our frontline workers, our teachers and our nurses and firefighters, are just doing their everyday work without seeing difference.”
FARM AID
Hezbollah attacks caused more than $108 million in damage to northern Israeli agriculture — study
Northern Israel’s agricultural heartland is facing unprecedented devastation, with a partial estimate of more than $108 million in physical damages reported as a result of the ongoing conflict, according to a recent study by the agriculture-focused nonprofit ReGrow Israel, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judith Sudilovsky.
‘Call to action’: “Everyone knows about the disaster of the south,” Danielle Abraham, executive director of ReGrow Israel, told eJP. “The damage in the south happened in one day on Oct. 7. The damage in the north is much larger, more complex, over a much larger area and probably higher damage, not only because of direct attacks and cyber attacks but also because of the longer exposure to war and abandonment.” Abraham said the 41-page report has put some clarity on the complex situation in the north, and what needs to be done and where. The report, she said, is a “call to action.”
DON’T KNOCK IT
Why galas still matter, now more than ever
“In an era dominated by digital efficiency, the power of gathering face-to-face cannot be overstated,” write Suzy Bookbinder and Michelle Starkman, vice president for advancement and vice president of communications at American Jewish University, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “A gala is not merely a celebration — it’s a collective experience. It reminds us that philanthropy is not just transactional; it is deeply human and relational.”
Come together: “For those of us in fundraising, events like these are invaluable. Conversations sparked over dinner and cocktails often blossom into lasting relationships and partnerships. A handshake, a heartfelt story, a look across the room during a standing ovation — these are the intangible moments that build trust and momentum … From a communications standpoint, the gala [is] equally impactful. It [gives] us the rare opportunity to tell our story in real-time, in a space where it could be seen, felt and heard by hundreds simultaneously… We understand the skepticism — galas can feel too long, too formal, too performative — and in a world where almost everything competes with a ‘Couldn’t this have been a Zoom?’ mindset, the bar for in-person engagement is undoubtedly higher. But that’s exactly what makes them so impactful.”
THE DUAL COVENANT
Destiny divided: How Soloveitchik’s vision shaped — and splintered — American Jewry
In 20th-century thinker Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik’s framework of a dual covenant for the Jewish People, “the Covenant of Fate represents what happens to Jews collectively — our shared experiences of persecution and survival — and the Covenant of Destiny represents what we aspire to achieve — our moral purpose and religious commitments,” writes Eran Shayshon, founder of Atchalta, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “This distinction allowed American Jews to move beyond defining themselves merely by their suffering and instead embrace an active, purposeful identity.”
Fast forward: “As Judaism’s particularistic aspects were subordinated to universal ethics, American Jews increasingly diverged in their understanding of what constitutes ‘Jewish values.’ What began as a unifying framework — that we are bound by shared purpose, not just shared suffering — evolved into competing visions of that purpose… The challenge facing American Jewry today is to reclaim a balance between universalism and particularism — to find a way to champion universal values while maintaining Jewish solidarity. This would require rekindling what Rav Soloveitchik called the Covenant of Fate — our shared history and destiny as a people — alongside our commitment to tikkun olam. Without such a rebalancing, American Jews risk finding themselves increasingly isolated in their individual moral pursuits, bereft of the collective strength needed to combat the rising tide of antisemitism.”
Worthy Reads
Let’s Get Unstuck: In the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Yehuda Kurtzer reflects on the ongoing Swords of Iron War and the political morass in Israel. “This is a ‘plastic hour’ — a term coined by the philosopher Gershom Scholem to describe historical moments when new possibilities can emerge and that require human intervention and choice in those moments to influence the course of history… It would have been sufficient, at many moments in the past year, to take pride in the immense military successes of the war as a means of declaring victory, to choose to prioritize the hostages even at the cost of continuing the war to allow Israelis to embrace one another and to resume their lives, and to end the war for the sake of both Israelis and Palestinians to heal and to recover. There is only so much loyalty to the present that can be demanded of people without providing them hope for the future, and we have passed that threshold. This insistence on stuckness is then not just a terrible moral and political choice, but also psychologically corrosive for our people. What will it take for us to get moving again? Those of us who are not in power need to reawaken the possibility of hope — to be the kind of people who will things into being — and we need to ensure the viability of those other possible futures.” [JTA]
Payouts Pour Out: In The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Alex Daniels reports on foundations digging into their endowments to support nonprofits in response to Trump administration grant freezes and other policies. “Many of McGregor Fund’s grantees provide basic needs to some of Detroit’s most vulnerable people. That’s why Kate Levin Markel, the grant maker’s president, was alarmed when some of those nonprofits’ connections to the federal government, in many cases their biggest funder, vaporized. In February, the federal Office on Violence Against Women took down application information for new grants from its website. The following month, the Detroit field office for the department of Housing and Urban Development stopped returning calls. The federal pullback had already begun when Levin Markel met with her board for an already planned early February retreat. Although the foundation, which manages about $210 million in assets, has been in existence for a century, the board was in the process of trying to reinvent its mission. The conversation revolved around some basic questions, Levin Markel recalled. Like, ‘Why are we here?’ ‘What is our purpose?’ and ‘What are our guiding values?’” [ChronicleofPhilanthropy]
Word on the Street
Jeffrey Herbst will step down as president of Los Angeles’ American Jewish University; Jay Sanderson, the former head of the Jewish Federation Los Angeles, will serve as the school’s interim president until a permanent successor is found…
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company was dropping its plan to pivot to a for-profit structure…
New York’s City Park’s Foundation dropped singer Kehlani as a performer at an upcoming Pride concert in Central Park, following pushback over her use of antisemitic and anti-Israel imagery and phrases…
The Blavatnik Family Foundation, New York Academy of Sciences and Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities announced the winners of the 2025 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel: Yonatan Stelzer of the Weizmann Institute of Science; Benjamin Palmer of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev; and Chaim Garfinkel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem…
The Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, in association with the National Library of Israel, announced the finalists for the annual literary prize: Toby Lloyd for Fervor; Benjamin Resnick for Next Stop; Sasha Vasilyuk for Your Presence is Mandatory; and Janice Weizman for Our Little Histories…
The family of Philip Needleman, who died in 2024, presented a $20 million donation to the National Academy of Sciences to establish the Philip and Sima Needleman Family Legacy Fund, which will support the existing NAS Frontiers of Science program and help create a new effort to “rapidly respond to urgent national and global challenges in science, engineering, and medicine”…
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel dropped all charges against seven University of Michigan students arrested last year for their role in anti-Israel protests on the campus; Nessel said the decision was made in part due to the “impropriety” of a letter sent by the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor (Mich.) defending her to the court against allegations of bias…
The Trump administration proposed that Columbia University enter into a consent decree by which the government would have oversight over the school’s efforts to ensure viewpoint diversity and not factor race into admissions decisions; the consent decree was suggested as an alternative to a court battle between the government and the Ivy League school…
The Knesset is debating a bill that would impose an 80% tax on donations from foreign governments to Israeli nonprofits…
Brandeis University is offering full-tuition scholarships for its Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program to former federal employees and contractors who were laid off due to the Trump administration’s cuts…
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy rescinded his offer to fund a trip to Auschwitz for at least one of two men involved in an incident in a Barstool bar in which an antisemitic sign was carried around the premises; Portnoy said one of the individuals, a student at Temple University, “did a 180” and absolved himself of responsibility for the incident…
Gal Gadot and Matthias Schoenaerts will star in the upcoming post-WWII thriller “Ruin” about a Holocaust survivor and German soldier who partner to exact revenge on a Nazi unit…
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, better known as ILGA World, announced that it would lift the suspension it placed on Israel’s largest LGBTQ rights group, The Aguda, in October…
Two upcoming U.K. concerts by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and Israeli singer Dudu Tassa have been cancelled; no reason was given by the venues, which had been targeted by anti-Israel activists who called for a boycott…
Pope Francis, who died last week, had directed for the “popemobile” that transported him during a 2014 trip to the West Bank to be donated to a Catholic charity that operates in the Palestinian territories for use as a mobile children’s aid clinic in Gaza…
Pic of the Day
More than 50 businesses run by new immigrants to Israel (olim) sell their wares yesterday at the first-ever Shuk Olim in Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Center. The event was organized by Nefesh B’Nefesh, Israel’s Ministry of Immigration and Absorption, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, the Tel Aviv municipality and Jewish National Fund-USA.
“Watching these individuals not only build their lives in Israel but also establish thriving businesses is a powerful testament to the vitality and future of our country,” Tony Gelbart, co-founder and chairman of Nefesh B’Nefesh, said in a statement.
Birthdays
Professor of law and philosophy at the University of Chicago, she has been awarded 69 honorary degrees from around the world, Martha Nussbaum…
U.S. senator (R-AL) from 1987 until 2023, Richard Shelby… Senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford, previously a Columbia law professor, a U.S. District Court judge and the State Department legal advisor, Abraham David Sofaer… Novelist, playwright and human rights activist, professor emeritus of Latin American studies at Duke University, Vladimiro Ariel Dorfman… Israeli theoretical physicist and astrophysicist, he is best known for his work on gamma-ray bursts and on numerical relativity, Tsvi Piran… Partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, she was the deputy attorney general of the U.S. in the Clinton administration, Jamie S. Gorelick… President emeritus of the Jerusalem College of Technology / Lev Academic Center, Noah Dana-Picard… Director of the Jewish studies program at Northeastern University, Lori Hope Lefkovitz… Co-founder of Boston-based HighVista Strategies following 23 years at Goldman Sachs, he is the former board chair of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Daniel Jick… Member of the Knesset for Likud between 2003 and 2006, Daniel Benlulu… President and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, he was previously CEO of Hillel and a U.S. congressman, Eric David Fingerhut… Retired attorney and former member of the board of trustees of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ, Sheri Goldberg… Los Angeles-based attorney and real estate entrepreneur, Daniel Todd Gryczman… Israel’s minister of national security since 2025 and leader of the Otzma Yehudit party, Itamar Ben-Gvir… Member of the Knesset for the Yesh Atid party, Shelly Tal Meron… Los Angeles-based television personality, actress, writer and video blogger, Shira Lazar… Partner at Amiti, an early-stage deep tech fund, Brachie Sprung… Conductor, pianist, clarinetist, and composer, he is currently music director of The Louisville Orchestra, Edward “Teddy” Paul Maxwell Abrams… Founder at ALC Hospitality, Alyse Cohen… Senior principal at Alterra climate investment fund, Benjamin Levine… Partner at Courtside Ventures and advisor to the board of directors of the Atlanta Hawks, Oliver Ressler… Head of business development at Seam, she is a conservative commentator across many social media platforms, Arynne Wexler… Actor and singer, Noah Egidi Galvin…
