Your Daily Phil: Where things stand six months after Oct. 7
Good Friday morning.
For less-distracted reading over the weekend, browse this week’s edition of The Weekly Print, a curated print-friendly PDF featuring a selection of recent eJewishPhilanthropy and Jewish Insider stories, including: Hadassah hospital director: Philanthropy is for fostering excellence, not paying salaries — that’s the government’s job; The grassroots efforts to tackle anti-Israel activity as it spreads to communities; How Gaza hospitals have become the front line in Israel’s war against Hamas; Despite war’s challenges, Abraham Accords Peace Institute CEO optimistic about the region’s future. Print the latest edition here.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we interview Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch about the state of Zionism in the Reform movement and report on a $1 million donation by Robert Kraft to the United Negro College Fund to strengthen Black-Jewish ties. We feature an opinion piece by Robin Friedman about the knowledge gap she is observing among Jewish teens about antisemitism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Also in this newsletter: Adele Raemer, Erika Rudin-Luria and Bourn Rich. We’ll start with reflections on Sunday’s six-month anniversary of the Oct. 7 terror attacks.
As we pushed the double-stroller up the path to our synagogue for Simchat Torah, our 3-year-old and not-yet-2-year-old clutching plush Torah scrolls to dance with, we saw the gabbai and two other congregants standing huddled over a cellphone, speaking quietly but animatedly. Their open use of electricity at an Orthodox shul and the looks on their faces made it clear: Something was horribly wrong, recalls eJewishPhilanthropy Managing Editor Judah Ari Gross.
Too far north to be targeted by the initial barrage of rockets and mortar shells, which set off air raid sirens in so many parts of the country, this was how we in the sleepy northern town of Zichron Ya’akov found out about the Oct. 7 terror attacks. We didn’t yet know close to the full extent of the massacres — the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust and the opening shot of a bloody war that continues to rage along Israel’s southern and northern borders — but it was decided to keep the Simchat Torah service to a bare minimum, both in acknowledgement of the tragedy and to get people home as quickly as possible. At lunch that afternoon, one of our guests received a call to report for reserve duty and immediately hurried home to pack his bag and go, leaving behind his wife and three young children.
Six months later, 134 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza, dozens of whom are believed to have been killed either in the initial attack or since, and while many of the roughly 200,000 people who were displaced by the fighting have returned to their homes, mostly those living in the Western Negev, the communities along Israel’s border with Lebanon remain desolate as regular rocket and missile fire by the Hezbollah terror group render them far too dangerous for civilians. Just last night, an Israeli soldier was injured by an anti-tank missile attack near the town of Metulla, and seven rockets were fired toward the Upper Galilee community of Malkia.
Antisemitism has soared around the world in the six months following the attacks, with Jewish communities around the world reporting record-high numbers of antisemitic incidents and growing concern that the alliances and partnerships they had built with other groups were not as strong as they had hoped.
The days and weeks following the Oct. 7 attacks saw unparalleled mobilization of Israel’s citizenry, with grassroots volunteering efforts springing up across the country to help the survivors, the internally displaced people and the families of the hundreds of thousands of reservists who were called up. The political turmoil that had roiled the country since last January suddenly dissipated as groups that once almost violently opposed one another began working together toward a common cause. This extended to Israel’s Arab population, which surveys found identified with the country and its institutions more than any other time in recent decades.
The vast majority of Diaspora Jewry also came together, with groups that often have drastically different visions for Israel expressing unequivocal support for the country and its stated goal of toppling Hamas in Gaza and rescuing the hostages, as well as donating record amounts to Israeli causes. The precise amount has yet to be tallied, but will likely be close to $2 billion, with the Jewish Federations of North America alone raising nearly $800 million.
Six months later and amid growing concerns that toppling Hamas and rescuing the hostages are mutually exclusive goals, those political differences — both in Israel and in the United States — are resurfacing and with renewed vigor. In Israel, this can be seen in growing protests on the street calling for the government to prioritize the release of captives and for new elections to be scheduled. In the U.S., this could be seen in the mixed response to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) criticism of the Israeli government, which parts of the Jewish communal establishment decried while others identified with it.
While most of the immediate relief needs have been met since Oct. 7, planning, fundraising and allocations to address the medium- and long-term needs of both Israelis and Diaspora communities are underway. In Israel, that means economic recovery, reconstruction and repopulation of Western Negev towns, expanded mental health care, improved welfare services; elsewhere, it means more effective efforts to combat antisemitism and protect Jewish communities and more accessible Jewish educational and communal programming, while maintaining existing programs.
The Oct. 7 attacks and their aftermath have also prompted people who were never particularly connected to the Jewish community, including major donors, to suddenly become interested in getting more involved, and those already involved to reevaluate their roles in the Jewish community. See: philanthropist Sylvan Adams shifting his charitable giving from projects highlighting Israel’s “beautiful” side to the world to those that instead strengthen it; Doron Krakow stepping down as president and CEO of the JCC Association of North America in order to focus his attention on Israel; Joe Roberts resigning as chair of the liberal Zionist JSpaceCanada as the response by progressive groups caused him to rethink his political allegiances.
The ties between Israel and the Diaspora, long seen as fraying, have been reinforced over the past six months. Alongside a steady stream of solidarity missions from around the world to Israel, Israeli survivors of the Oct. 7 attacks and their families have been traveling to speak in Jewish communities abroad, particularly to the U.S., a phenomenon only made possible by the fortuitous inclusion of Israel in the Visa Waiver Program days before the attacks.
This Shabbat, we will again push our double-stroller up the path to our synagogue, where we will have a special kiddush in honor of our friend’s 80th birthday, as things settle into a strange and strained new routine. Our lunch guest who dropped everything to report for reserve duty should be there too, though he — and many other reservists — are just waiting for their next call-up date. As we have every week since Oct. 7, we will include in our service Psalm 130, pleading to Hashem “from the depths” to redeem us, as well as a special prayer for the captives and the injured. God willing, it will be the last time we need to.
Shabbat shalom.
Q&A
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch and the crisis facing Reform Judaism
For decades, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch has been an unequivocally pro-Israel voice within the Reform movement, serving as the executive director of its Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA) for more than a decade before moving to a pulpit position in 2004. After authoring several essays, both before and since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, about why the Reform movement is more inclined towards criticizing Israel than other branches of Judaism, Hirsch issued something of a cri de coeur, a cry of the heart, in an article last month in the journal SAPIR.
During a time that Hirsch, fresh off his latest solidarity visit to Israel, calls “a period [that will] be viewed 100 years from now as consequential in Jewish history,” he sat down with eJewishPhilanthropy’s Haley Cohen yesterday to discuss where the Reform movement is now, where it should be and where it is headed. With efforts underway in the Reform movement to enhance Zionist identity, Hirsch warned, “It’s not too late. But it is late.”
HC: Is the Reform movement heading for a split between Zionist and anti-Zionist camps, much like the state of affairs prior to the founding of the State of Israel?
AH: What is happening now is that in segments of liberal, Western Judaism — specifically in our movement — we’re going back to the future. I think that the default position for many liberal American Jews is the original Reform position of the late 19th century and a few decades of the 20th century. But these existential threats [the Holocaust and antisemitism] that kept impacting the Jewish people suppressed that anti-Zionism. Now, two generations of Jews have grown up with no perception of any kind of existential threat to them — notwithstanding the recent rise of antisemitism in our country. They prioritize universal values over particular values.
Their understanding of Judaism is that Jewish peoplehood is an impediment to human progress.
HC: After the recent statement from the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations condemning Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) criticism of the Israeli government, URJ put out a statement that it was deeply disturbed by the conference’s statement. Is it a sign of today’s polarization?
AH: It’s more challenging now to keep the community whole and productive; even in synagogues we have broad opinions.
It goes without saying that most American Jews vote for Democrats and the same goes in New York and for Sen. Schumer. So we consider him an ally, friend and spokesperson… The issue that took many of us by surprise is not that Sen. Schumer and other representatives, across both parties, have criticism of Israeli political leadership or policies. What took us by surprise was the direct intervention in Israel’s internal affairs and its democracy. He spoke not as an analyst, or even as a rabbi —- I might say, ‘Listen, Netanyahu’s time is up’ — but that’s not [Schumer’s] role to say as Senate majority leader.
HC: Are there any “silver linings” to the crisis of antisemitism and anti-Zionism in the U.S. today? Have you seen more energy and commitment on the part of your congregation?
AH: Yes, we have seen across the board, most notably in younger generations, an increased curiosity about Judaism and about their heritage. We’ve seen increased willingness to interact with the community, attend synagogue and learn about Judaism.
But there’s one caveat. I don’t know how deep that development is or how long-lasting it is.
MAJOR GIFTS
Robert Kraft donates $1 million for HBCU programs to strengthen Black-Jewish ties
Robert Kraft donated $1 million to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to support a variety of Black-Jewish partnership programs at historically Black colleges and universities, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross.
Come together: The donation comes as Kraft, through his Foundation to Combat Antisemitism and in his capacity as owner of the New England Patriots, has stepped up his efforts to bring together the country’s Black and Jewish communities. “I am honored to support UNCF in their mission to combat hate and promote unity,” Kraft said in a statement. “It is crucial that we come together as a society to address the root causes of hate and prejudice. By investing in education and awareness programs, we can empower individuals to stand up against hate and create a more inclusive future for all.”
Shared history: The $1 million grant will go toward a UNCF-led initiative that will promote “fellowship and social justice leadership” among Black and Jewish students, as well as strengthen the partnership between the leaders of the Black and Jewish communities, the college fund said. This will include organizing “unity dinners” for Black and Jewish students where they can learn about “their shared history of struggle for social justice in America,” UNCF said. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF, said in a statement: “Together, we can work toward a future where mutual respect, understanding and love eliminate all hate.”
MORE KNOWLEDGE, SOONER
Our kids remain unprepared during this unprecedented time. We need to fix that.
“More emphasis needs to be placed on arming our kids with essential knowledge before they enter the maelstrom on campus. This is ground zero. While seemingly obvious, we must start with the basics: The definition of antisemitism,” writes Robin Friedman, co-founder of TribeTalk, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
For instance: “While speaking to Jewish students at a major university in February, I asked how many had been told by peers that they could support Hamas and not be an antisemite because members of Hamas are Arabs, and therefore ‘Semitic’ people. More than 75% of the students responded that they had heard that claim. Despite the multitude of DEI programs they had attended, no one had shared their awareness that the term ‘antisemitism’ was coined by Wilhelm Marr in 1879 specifically to refer to Jew-hatred, not discrimination against Semitic peoples. A few students approached me after the training and shared that this was a critical piece of information they could have cited in speaking with their peers.”
Israel ed deficits: “We provide [our kids] with advanced-placement everything — calculus, geography, science — but can they even point to Israel on a map or even begin to articulate the intricacies of the geography as it relates to the West Bank and Gaza and the wider region? Do they know where the Rafah Crossing is? Have we discussed with them why Egypt and Jordan and other Arab countries do not want to take in Palestinian refugees?… Our students are also struggling to distinguish between legitimate and necessary criticism of Israel and when that discourse rises to the level of anti-Zionism. Natan Sharansky’s ‘3D test’ — whether the speech demonizes or delegitimizes Israel or uses a double standard — gives students something tangible for evaluating the statements of others.”
Worthy Reads
The Unbearable Loneliness of Israel: In The Washington Post, associate editor Ruth Marcus reflects on a recent visit to Israel on a solidarity mission. “To visit this traumatized country as an American Jew is to begin — just begin — to grasp what one U.S.-born Israel Defense Forces soldier described to me as the ‘existential loneliness of Israel.’ ?Israelis, of all political persuasions and degrees of observance, feel besieged and misunderstood. Six months after a day on which more Jews were murdered than since the Holocaust, Israel finds itself nearing the status of international pariah. How could this have happened?… It is to light yahrzeit memorial candles and recite Kaddish for the dead underneath a grove of olive trees, with the intermittent boom of Israeli artillery shells sounding unnervingly nearby, and to recognize: This threat is not remote — it is palpable and accompanied by anxiety over the potential for an even more dangerous war erupting on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon… At home, I mourn the deaths of innocents, especially children… Here in Israel, my worries remain, but they are tinged by the understanding of how vulnerable this tiny country is and how present the threat… Few other countries have had to worry, for so long and with such new intensity, about their very survival. Few have felt so isolated in that enterprise.” [WashPost]
Make It Personal: In The Times of Israel, Kibbutz Nirim resident Adele Raemer shares her approach to demonstrating on behalf of the hostages still being held in Gaza. “When I can, I go to stand at the junction in front of the Beersheva Theater, to hold the posters of our hostages – so that no one forgets. People stand there from 5-6 pm every weekday. I haven’t been able to join them often, but when I do, I do not just hold the poster. I talk to the commuters as they wait for the light to change… Since I know hostages personally, I tell the passersby about them. Last week I held Yagev Buchshtav’s poster. I told people how I watched him grow up since his parents are my neighbors from behind. I tell them how he is a talented musician and musical instrument maker. An artisan. I tell them about his love Rimon and how they are inseparable, how they were torn from their home on Nirim, their family, their beloved pets by the monsters on October 7th. I tell them how Yagev is still wallowing in the bowels of Gaza, and turned 35 there, alone, without his loved ones, in fear of death every day. People listened. They empathized. One man started crying and offered me sweets. They were all supportive… If you hold someone’s poster, make it personal. If you do not know anyone who has been kidnapped or murdered (and I hope you do not) learn about the person. Take ONE person and learn a bit of their story, so that you can share it with others, preferably not one of those who are high profile already, and help raise their voices. Because they can not. Because these people are so much more than statistics and names and pictures.” [TOI]
The Message is the Message: In The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Alex Daniels examines the importance of foundations having a coherent message about who they are and what they do. “More than two-thirds of Americans hold foundations in high esteem, according to the report, which was based on a survey of 3,557 people conducted last September and October by the Council on Foundations and the University of Florida’s Center for Public Interest Communications. But the majority — more than 86 percent — said they did not have a firm grasp on how foundations operate or make funding decisions. If foundations don’t have a positive, easy-to-grasp story to tell, ‘anybody can throw their own garbage into the narrative,’ said Nicole Bronzan, vice president of communications at the council and a co-author of the report. Too often, Bronzan said, foundation communications revolve around a ‘single-hero’ idea that suggests wealthy benefactors are saving the world. That approach does nothing to dispel the mysteries behind how foundations operate, she said, and perpetuates the idea that people who benefit from charity are not worth mentioning except as recipients of a foundation’s support. What would work better, she says, is for grant makers to explain exactly what foundation money was used for, such as buying textbooks, or filling a staff member’s car with gas so they could attend a training.” [ChronicleofPhilanthropy]
Around the Web
The board of JPro elected Erika Rudin-Luria as its incoming chair, starting in mid-May. Rudin-Luria comes into the role with two decades of experience at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland…
The Zilber Family Foundation donated nearly $1.6 million to The Bridge Project to provide $16,000 in unconditional cash to 100 low-income pregnant women and mothers in Milwaukee (through a lottery system) over the course of two years…
The Times of Israel accompanied 52 children who have lost at least one parent in active military duty as they had their bar or bat mitzvah at the Western Wall with the IDF Orphans and Widows Organization…
A New York federal judge ruled that British billionaire investor Joe Lewis, 87, won’t serve time in prison for his role in an insider-trading scheme, but he will pay a $5 million fine and serve three years of probation. Lewis’ attorneys noted their client’s advanced age and his extensive philanthropic work during the sentencing hearing…
The American Jewish Committee named Rachel Schneider the director of its Houston regional office. Schneider has been AJC’s assistant director of the Houston office since March 2022…
The Altneu, a Modern Orthodox synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side established three years ago, purchased its first permanent location, the Thomas Lamont mansion, for $34.5 million…
The Associated Press considers where MacKenzie Scott might next make donations following her recent $640 million round of grantmaking…
Shlomo Rozenek was hired as the next director of development and communications at Nechama: Jewish Response to Disaster…
Columbia University suspended four students for their alleged involvement in an unauthorized March 24 “Resistance 101” event…
Stanford University named Jonathan Levin, the current dean of its graduate business school who attended Stanford as an undergraduate, as its next president…
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) raised more than $7 million in the first quarter of 2024, apparently because of her grilling of university presidents in December, with much of the funding coming from Jewish Republican donors, including Ronald Lauder, Marc Rowan and Steve Wynn…
Ori Nir is set to retire after 18 years as Americans for Peace Now’s VP for public affairs…
In an opinion piece for the Jerusalem Post, Brian Eglash advocates for the establishment of a dedicated entity singularly focused on advancing the campus activism sector to combat rising antisemitism at universities…
The New York Police Department recorded 43 antisemitic incidents in the city in March, a major jump from February and a break from a downward trend in antisemitic incidents since December…
A group of artists pulled their submissions to an upcoming art exhibition at San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum after the institution refused to agree to their demands, including cutting ties with some of the institution’s funders over their views on Israel…
The Canadian Jewish News spotlights a meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a group of Vancouver rabbis shortly after the country passed a controversial resolution ending arms sales to Israel…
The U.K.-based Jewish Women’s Aid raised £500,000 ($632,000) to care for Jewish women and children affected by domestic and sexual violence, surpassig the goal of its 36-hour fundraising campaign…
British Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lucy Frazer is lobbying her government to change the tax code to encourage more philanthropy from wealthy donors…
The Ballmer Group donated $2.5 million to the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s EdRedesign Lab to create a 18-month, tuition-free fellowship for “senior leaders in the cradle-to-career place-based partnership field”…
Bob Kahn, a Holocaust survivor who worked for Operation Paper Clip, a secret U.S. intelligence and military program that brought German scientists to work for the U.S. government at the end of World War II, died on Tuesday at 100…
Pic of the Day
Street artist Bourn Rich, who is Black and Jewish, stands in front of a recently completed mural created in collaboration with the Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance in West Hollywood, Calif. The piece, intended to showcase the historical bonds between the Black and Jewish performers in the music industry, depicts Run DMC and the Beastie Boys, two hip-hop groups that were close friends and collaborators. “Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and thinkers,” it says, “but most of all, surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you.”
Birthdays
Scholar of piyyut (ancient and medieval Hebrew poetry), head of the Fleischer Institute for the Study of Hebrew Poetry, Shulamit Elizur, celebrates her birthday on Saturday…
FRIDAY: Former vice-provost of the California Institute of Technology, David L. Goodstein… Research scientist and former CEO of the Ontario Genomics Institute, Mark J. Poznansky… Marketing consultant, Eugene Kadish… Professor emeritus in the Department of Jewish thought at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Daniel J. Lasker… Engineer known for his invention of the Segway, Dean Kamen… CEO of Hess Corporation, John Barnett Hess… British novelist, author of over 50 books specializing in mystery and suspense, his Alex Rider series is estimated to have sold 21 million copies worldwide, Anthony Horowitz… Founder of merchant bank Alnitak Capital Partners, chairman of Audiocodes, and president of NORPAC New York, Stanley B. Stern… Russia editor for BBC News, Steven Barnett Rosenberg… Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until last year, Rochelle P. Walensky… Israeli actress and model, Sendi Bar… Writer, producer and co-founder of Quantity Entertainment, Lee Eisenberg… Assistant managing editor for CNN Politics, Dan Berman… Senior director for United Nations and international organizations policy at Microsoft, Howard Wachtel… Singer-songwriter, Marissa Nadler… VP at D.C.-based Porter Group, Benjamin J. Rosenbaum… Senior political correspondent for Jewish Insider, Lahav Harkov… Israeli political activist focused on disability benefits, Alex Fridman… Program director at 2U educational technology company, Adam Maslia… Senior director at Bully Pulpit Interactive, Sarah Horvitz… British Labour party Member of Parliament, Charlotte Louise Nichols… Congressional analyst at GovTrack Insider and box office analyst at BoxOffice Media, Jesse Rifkin… VP at Goldman Sachs, Wilson Shirley… Executive and brand consultant at Creative Artists Agency, Camila Seta… Adam Ross Rubenstein… Harvey Levin…
SATURDAY: Educator often considered the founder of the modern small schools movement, she is a winner of a MacArthur genius fellowship in 1987, Deborah Meier… Holocaust survivor, she moved to Israel in 1978, visual artist, textile designer and art teacher, Helen Berman… Professor emeritus of chemical and biomolecular engineering at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering, Mark Mordecai Green… Head of MTV Documentary Films, she has won 32 individual Primetime Emmy Awards, Sheila Nevins… Academy Award-winning best director for “Rain Man,” produced and directed many films including “Diner, “Good Morning Vietnam,” “Bugsy” and “Wag the Dog,” Barry Levinson… Santa Monica-based poet, critic and teacher, Nancy Shiffrin… Founder and chairman of Cognex Corporation, Robert J. Shillman… Founder and CEO of Emmis Communications, he was the owner of the Seattle Mariners until 1992, Jeff Smulyan… Political activist, artist and author, known for her speeches at the Republican National Conventions in 1992 and 1996, Mary Fisher… Former director of the digital deception project at MapLight, she was chair of the Federal Election Commission during the Obama administration, Ann Ravel… Los Angeles-based playwright, performer and teacher of autobiographical storytelling, Stacie Chaiken… Movie director, producer, writer and editor, winner of two Academy Awards for best documentary feature, Rob Epstein… Philanthropist, Jeanie Schottenstein… Professor of constitutional law at the University of North Carolina School of Law, Michael J. Gerhardt… Senior political analyst for CNN and a senior editor at The Atlantic, Ronald J. Brownstein… Director, screenwriter and producer of television comedies, Steven Levitan… Deborah Granow… CEO of the Motion Picture Association, he was previously the U.S. ambassador to France, Charles Hammerman Rivkin… Reporter for The New York Times covering the USDOJ, Glenn Thrush… Screenwriter, producer, actor, director, best known for creating the HBO television series “Entourage,” Douglas Reed “Doug” Ellin… Serial entrepreneur, Richard Rosenblatt… Israel’s consul general in New York from 2007 to 2010, now CEO of Israeli private equity fund Amelia Investments, Asaf Shariv… Founder and chief investment officer of Hong Kong-based Oasis Management Company, he serves as vice chair of the Ohel Leah Synagogue in Hong Kong, Seth Hillel Fischer… Chief development officer for Friends of the European Leadership Network, Jay Haberman… Actor and filmmaker, he is best known for his role in 175 episodes of the television series “Scrubs,” Zachary Israel “Zach” Braff… Teacher of classical mandolin at Mannes College in NYC, Joseph Brent… Resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute since 2019, he is the founding editor of National Affairs, Yuval Levin… Co-founder and executive editor of Modern Loss and features editor for Chalkbeat, Gabrielle Birkner… Member of the Knesset for Likud since 2019, now serving as the minister of communications, Shlomo Karai… Owner-chef of Ramen Hood in Los Angeles, he was the winner of the second season of Bravo television’s “Top Chef,” Ilan Hall… Executive director of the Jack Miller Family Foundation, Jacob Millner… Head coach of the New York Institute of Technology Division II NCAA men’s basketball team, Evan Conti… Asher Liam Senor…
SUNDAY: Professor emerita of philosophy at Vanderbilt University, Marilyn Ann Friedman… President of Yale University for 20 years, then CEO of Coursera, Richard Charles “Rick” Levin… Consulting research scholar at the Stanford Center on Longevity, Naomi Karp… Software engineer at FlightView, Jonathan Ruby… Professor emeritus at Pennsylvania State University, Simon J. Bronner… Los Angeles-based casting director, Jane Sobo… Director of project staffing at Tower Legal Solutions in Addison, Texas, Ilene Robin Breitbarth… Member of the House of Commons of Canada from the Winnipeg area, Martin B. Morantz… Screenwriter, actress and director, Andrea Berloff… The Congress and campaigns editor for USA Today, Darren Samuelsohn… Co-founder of Project Shema, Oren Jacobson… Author and travel expert now living in Thailand, Justin Ross Lee… Communications director for the national security sector at Leidos, Gregory Hellman… Reporter covering the White House and Washington for Politico, Daniel Lippman… Director of Camp Seneca Lake for the JCC of Greater Rochester, Marissa Wizig Klegman… Professional golfer who joined the PGA Tour in 2015 when he won Rookie of the Year, he has since won four tournaments, Daniel Berger… Managing partner of Reno-based Mazal Capital, David Farahi… Pitcher and first baseman for Team Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Ben Wanger…
