Your Daily Phil: With $1M in microgrants for mini-events, PJ Library connects thousands of families
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In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on the final day of the Jewish Funders Network conference. We spotlight PJ Library’s “Get Together” initiative that is connecting thousands of families through microgrants for small events, and report on an onstage interview by the parents of slain Israeli Embassy employee Sarah Milgrim at the ADL’s Never is Now conference yesterday. We feature an opinion piece by Neri Shotan about meeting the challenges of wartime in the middle of a an Israeli national rehabilitation effort, and one by Abigail Uhrman spotlighting how the Jewish Theological Seminary is choosing to apply lessons from recent research on the needs of Jewish communal professionals. Also in this issue: Yaron and Ilana Moshe, Idan Roll and Ronald Lauder.
What We’re Watching
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will have its confirmation hearing this morning for Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) to be Homeland Security secretary, following Kristi Noem’s departure last week from the role.
The Central Conference of American Rabbis’ annual convention concludes today in San Francisco.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD FROM EJP’S JAY DEITCHER
As the curtain closed on this year’s JFN International Conference yesterday in San Diego, attendees made to-go plates with rice, beans and hummus and hugged each other goodbye. Then, dozens of the roughly 600 attendees didn’t leave. Instead, they lounged on tan couches outside the conference resort, basking in the California sun, leisurely picking at their Israeli salads. The word for this is “lingering,” when a person is reluctant to leave, possibly because he or she is enjoying themselves or because they want to take in more, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitcher from the gathering.
While some lounged outside, over 60 attendees were celebrating the launch of JFN’s Jewish Day School Affinity Group, the idea for which was birthed at last year’s conference in Nashville, Tenn. “Our broader community is increasingly recognizing this extraordinary and life-shaping role and power of Jewish day school education, not only as a path to academic excellence or Jewish literacy, but it’s one of the strongest ways that we can invest in Jewish peoplehood itself,” Amy Schlussel, JFN project manager of the affinity group, said. “Day school leaders, day school professionals, day school investors have been patiently waiting and asking about how philanthropy can help move the entire field forward, and this momentum only matters if everyone in the room carries it forward and translates this energy into action.”
Compared to Monday’s programming, which included JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny’s list of action items for funders to focus on and the announcement of a $2 million matching campaign to heal Israel, yesterday’s programming was intentionally lighter. The conference was attended by funders and representatives from philanthropic foundations, many excited that their investments into day schools were paying off and dreaming up the next chapter in the Jewish narrative.
The closing plenary, which focused on the power of narratives and storytelling, ended with Alon Ohel, a 24-year-old Israeli pianist who was kidnapped on Oct. 7 from the Nova Music Festival and spent 738 days in captivity in Gaza, playing two songs via a taped video. While in captivity, music gave him comfort as he sang music to himself and was transported into another world.
Throughout his ordeal, Ohel said he clung to hope. “I chose life,” he said to the audience after saying that he had contemplated suicide in captivity. Even before seeing the footage, he knew people were protesting and loved ones were fighting for him. “I know Israel. I know my family.”
The session was capped off with the announcement that the JFN conference would return to Israel next year, on March 14-17 in Tel Aviv, three years after the last JFN conference in Israel — just a few months after the Oct. 7 attacks. The weather in Tel Aviv in March is typically in the upper 60s, only slightly below San Diego’s never-changing, not too hot, not too cold temperature. The White City also has many exceptional tan couches overlooking the coast — the perfect setting for some high-quality lingering.
COME TOGETHER
After relaunch, PJ Library’s Get Together microgrant program sees spike in interest
In the midst of a snowstorm in Washington, D.C., shortly after federal layoffs rocked the city, a group of Jewish families teamed up to dig their neighbors out of the snow. When the job was done, they gathered for a hot chocolate party — funded by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. The costs of the “it takes a village” snow-shoveling and the hot chocolate party, and thousands of other small Jewish gatherings, were covered by a PJ Library program providing subscriber families with $100 microgrants to cover hosting expenses for small Jewish-themed gatherings. The Get Together microgrant program has seen a steep spike in interest this year, particularly in smaller cities and rural areas, Jessica McCormick, PJ Library’s director of family experience, told eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim.
Many microgrants: The program was launched in 2016, but was only available in 10 locations across North America. In 2024, the grants were expanded to all PJ Library subscribers, relaunching in fall 2025 with a more streamlined submission process and a bigger team to review submissions and dispense grants. For 2026, the project’s target was to engage approximately 4% of PJ Library’s over 230,000 subscribers throughout the United States and Canada. So far, more than 2,000 grants have been issued. If things continue as they are, said McCormick, they are likely to reach 8% by the end of the year. “It’s moved at a sort of breathtaking speed,” she said.
CARRYING THE TORCH
Parents of slain Israeli Embassy staffer urge Jewish community to carry on her legacy
Ten months after his daughter, Israeli Embassy employee Sarah Milgrim, was shot dead alongside her boyfriend and colleague, Yaron Lischinsky, outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, Bob Milgrim said he feels a “deeper connection to the Jewish community [than] we ever felt before.” On Tuesday evening, at the conclusion of the Anti-Defamation League’s Never is Now conference in Manhattan, Milgrim was joined in conversation with his wife, Nancy Milgrim, and CBS News reporter Jonah Kaplan, reports Haley Cohen for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider.
Turbulent time: The Milgrims spoke days after another Jewish community was rocked by an antisemitic attack last week, in which an assailant drove a truck filled with explosives into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Mich., one of the largest Reform synagogues in the country, while 140 children were inside. Security guards prevented any casualties in the attempted terrorist attack. Two months earlier, an antisemitic arsonist heavily damaged Beth Israel Congregation, the only synagogue in Jackson, Miss. “It’s very easy to lose hope with what’s happening, especially with what happened at Temple Israel … and Mississippi,” said Milgrim. “There’s no end to it. But when you have hope you have to act. Even when you don’t have hope, you have to act.”
Read the full report here and sign up for Jewish Insider’s Daily Kickoff here.
A PARENT’S PERSPECTIVE
Fear in the eyes of a small child
“For the past two and a half years, much of my time has been dedicated to rebuilding the kibbutzim in the western Negev and along Israel’s northern border that were devastated in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack and the war that followed. These communities remain in the midst of a long and painful recovery process, marked by major setbacks alongside small victories, yet we will continue this process for as long as it takes,” writes Neri Shotan, CEO of the Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Getting personal: “The rest of my time is dedicated entirely to my son, Telem, who was born a year and a half ago. In Hebrew, telem is the furrow left behind by a plow. Beyond its agricultural meaning, for us, the plow symbolizes the rebirth of the Jewish People in the Land of Israel. … Since the most recent war with Iran began, he has learned to recognize the sound of the alert on the phone that precedes a siren, and the fear that persists in his eyes is heartbreaking. That look— when he understands that we must stop everything we are doing, even in the middle of a meal or a bath, and run quickly — does not leave me.”
FROM INSIGHTS TO ACTION
Rethinking doctoral studies for Jewish communal leadership
“The challenge facing Jewish communal life is not a lack of talent or commitment; it is the absence of coordinated structures that prepare leaders for complexity and support continued development,” writes Abigail Uhrman, director and associate professor of Jewish education in the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Looking within: “[S]tudies also clarify where that structural gap is most acute. While rabbinic education offers established pathways and infrastructure, other Jewish professionals shoulder comparable intellectual and moral responsibility without equivalent support. The absence of rigorous, professionally relevant advanced degree pathways leaves too many leaders without the preparation they need, whether they are just entering the field or seeking to deepen and sustain careers they have already built. Against this backdrop, we took an honest look at our own programs and whether we were truly meeting the moment. We started with our flagship offering, the Executive Doctoral Program, and undertook a fundamental redesign.”
Worthy Reads
Making Contact: In Haaretz, Avshalom Halutz takes a look at Sabra, a new online magazine with a social mission.“The Hebrew-language online publication takes its name from a word that most Jews immediately associate with Zionism and being born and raised as Israeli, yet the magazine’s writers and subject matter are almost entirely Palestinian. In a reality where a growing number of Palestinians living in Israel opt to forego Hebrew and instead speak English with Jewish Israelis, Sabra is nearly a rebellion: A Palestinian magazine in Hebrew that includes features, political and cultural pieces and op-eds, aimed entirely at Jewish Israelis.” [Haaretz]
Priority Check: In The Hill, the Orthodox Union’s Nathan Diament draws attention to the critical role of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program in protecting Jewish communities in advance Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s (R-OK) confirmation hearing today. “Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security was beset by funding delays, dysfunction and a high level of partisan gamesmanship — even for Washington. Mullin’s nomination is an opportunity for the administration to start anew, and focus on keeping vulnerable communities safe instead of political theatrics. As Mullin begins his confirmation process, members of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on both sides of the aisle should press the nominee on his plans for ending the funding standoff, investing in vital security programs like the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, and prioritizing safety over politics. If last week’s shooting isn’t a wake-up call to Congress to get its act together, I don’t know what is.” [TheHill]
Calling Keystone Actors: In Forbes, Denielle Sachs identifies models for systems change in nature that offer lessons for the nonprofit sector. “For decades, social change efforts have been built around large institutions, carefully engineered programs and highly controlled funding models. But complex systems rarely shift because someone takes control of them. They shift when the right actors restore the relationships that allow the system to rebalance itself. Ecosystems teach another related lesson: systems dominated by a few powerful actors can become surprisingly fragile, while systems composed of many interconnected actors are often far more resilient. … Keystone species do not dominate ecosystems; they recalibrate them by changing relationships within the system.” [Forbes]
Word on the Street
Jewish Insider breaks down AIPAC’s successes and challenges in yesterday’s Illinois Democratic primaries…
Since the start of the current war, roughly 3,500 residents of Israel have been displaced from their homes, and 10,946 have submitted property damage claims…
The Times of Israel examines the heightened risk experienced by disabled and elderly residents of Israel — and their caregivers — in safely reaching shelters under missile and drone attacks by Iran and Hezbollah…
Yaron and Ilana Moshe, an Israeli couple in their 70s, were identified as the couple killed last night in an Iranian cluster bomb strike in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv…
Major U.S. airlines, including United and Delta, are extending suspensions of direct flights to Israel, upending travel plans for thousands hoping to visit the country for Passover, when the country typically sees a surge in visitors, and beyond, JI’s Haley Cohen reports…
The International Jerusalem Winner Marathon, which was scheduled for March 27, has been postponed until April 17 due to the ongoing war with Iran…
The New York Times talks to members of the Dutch Jewish community about antisemitism in the Netherlands following attacks on a religious school in Amsterdam and a synagogue in Rotterdam in the last week…
Canadian philanthropist Sara Vered, who funded the arts, culture and Jewish life, died at 96…
Major Gifts
UNC Charlotte announced a $250,000 gift from the David & Nicole Tepper Foundation to support the university’s Let Me Play initiative, focused on strengthening opportunities for female student-athletes across the school’s athletics program…
Transitions
Former Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Idan Roll is joining Code for Israel — the group backed by Yasmin Lukatz that brings high-tech know-how to Israeli nonprofits — as the group’s new CEO…
Pic of the Day
Philanthropist Ronald Lauder organized a rare dinner last night for leaders of Jewish communities from around the world as well as top officials from the Anti-Defamation League and Conference of Presidents of Jewish Organizations at his New York City home.
Front row (from left): CIJA CEO Noah Shack, ECAJ Chair and WJC VP Daniel Aghion KC, WJC President Ronald Lauder, CRIF President and WJC VP Yonatan Arfi, Chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations Betsy Korn, Board of Deputies Chief Executive Michael Wegier.
Back row (from left): DAIA Vice President Gabriel Salem, WJC American Section Chair J. Philip Rosen, ADL Senior Vice President of International Relations Marina Rosenberg; ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, WJC Governing Board Chair Chella Safra, Conference of Presidents CEO William Daroff, Central Council of Jews in Germany CEO Daniel Botmann, Crif Director of International Affairs and WJC Executive Committee Member Marie-Sarah Seeberger, WJC Israel CEO Sara Friedman, Board of Deputies President and WJC Vice President Phil Rosenberg, DAIA Executive Director Victor Garelik.
Birthdays
French businessman, he was the CEO and chairman of Électricité de France from 2014-2022, Jean-Bernard Lévy turns 71…
Screenwriter, actor, comedian and film executive, he is best known for co-writing the screenplay for “Jaws” and its first two sequels, Carl Gottlieb turns 88… U.S. special envoy for monitoring and combating antisemitism during the Biden administration, Ambassador Deborah Esther Lipstadt turns 79… National columnist with Creators Syndicate and contributor to CNN Opinion, Froma Harrop turns 76… One-half of the eponymous Ben & Jerry’s ice cream (Jerry is four days older), Bennett “Ben” Cohen turns 75… Professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Howard E. Gendelman, MD turns 72… Former crisis response team manager for the City of Los Angeles and now a consultant for nonprofit organizations, Jeffrey Zimerman, MSW… Former head coach of the Auburn Tigers men’s basketball team, his Hebrew name is Mordechai as he was born in the week of Purim, Bruce Pearl turns 66… Senior rabbi-elect at the New North London Synagogue, Rabbi Daniel S. Nevins turns 60… Filmmaker, writer and stand-up comedian, Jake David Shapiro turns 57… Identical twin brothers and former yeshiva students, both singers and songwriters who recorded as “Evan and Jaron,” Evan Lowenstein and Jaron Lowenstein turn 52… Lead vocalist for the pop rock band Maroon 5, Adam Levine turns 47… Actor, comedian and writer, Adam Pally turns 44… COO at Roofmart, Ariel Koschitzky… Actor known for his roles in “24” and “House of Sand and Fog,” Jonathan Ahdout turns 37… COO and chief of staff at the Jewish Democratic Council of America, Samuel Crystal… Senior business transformation consultant at EY, Michael Schapiro… Actor and television producer, best known for his role on the Netflix original series “Orange Is the New Black,” Alan Aisenberg turns 33… Israeli actor, singer and television presenter, Shahar Tavoch turns 27…
