Your Daily Phil: Yael Foundation to significantly increase school giving due to rising needs post-Oct. 7

Good Tuesday morning.  

In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on a major expansion of the Yael Foundation’s grant-making budget and on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s itinerary for his Washington trip, which does not currently include a meeting with American Jewish leaders. We look at the new Super Bowl ad created by Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, and examine the negative effects that extended reserve duty is having on the children of reservists in Israel. We feature an opinion piece by Sally Gottesman with behind-the-scenes insights on merging two day schools with different approaches to Jewish education; and one by Naomi Ackerman about the transformative power of mentorship. Also in this newsletter: Stephen SaksRobby Etzkin and Moroccan ambassador to the United States Youssef Amrani.

What We’re Watching

The Birthright Israel Foundation is launching the Birthright Israel Fund for the Jewish Future, which is meant to grow its endowment fund and ensure its long-term viability. Birthright Israel co-founder Charles Bronfman has made a legacy commitment of $25 million to the fund.

The Israeli-Palestinian peace-building group Amal-Tikva is hosting its annual conference today in Jerusalem.

The Yael Foundation’s third annual conference continues today in Limassol, Cyprus. More on this below.

What You Should Know

The Jewish education-focused Yael Foundation plans to give $41.3 million in grants in the coming year, nearly double its current level and a four-fold increase from the previous year, the organization told eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross ahead of its public announcement.

The foundation said the increase was necessary to “meet the growing challenges resulting from the rise in antisemitism over the last year.” It comes as the organization has professionalized and significantly expanded its operations over the past year and a half.

“Against this backdrop, I am proud to announce that we are doubling last year’s annual giving budget to 40 million Euros [$41.3 million] because this is such a crucial time and a moment that we dare not shirk,” Uri Poliavich, the founder of the Yael Foundation, said in a statement. 

The increase was announced at the Yael Foundation Summit, a three-day conference titled “Education and Beyond,” which is being held in Limassol, Cyprus. Some 200 educators and “thought leaders” from 37 countries are attending the conference, which is being held at the island nation’s luxury Parklane Resort and Spa. (The Yael Foundation provided eJP with transportation and accommodation for the conference.)

Since Oct. 7, 2023, the organization has expanded its focus from supporting Jewish schools to also launching a security initiative for Jewish communities in Europe.

“Over the last 15 months since the massacre on Oct. 7, our enemies have physically targeted the Jewish State on seven fronts,” Poliavich said. “In tandem with those attacks on Israel, our global enemies have relentlessly targeted the global Jewish community with unprecedented antisemitism. This assault directly targets Jews and Jewish heritage resulting in large numbers of Jews who have been forced to hide and disengage from their identity and traditions.”

STATE VISIT

Netanyahu not scheduled to meet U.S. Jewish leaders during D.C. trip, office says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes statements at Ben Gurion Airport ahead of his visit to Washington D.C., where he will meet with President Donald Trump on Feb. 2, 2025.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes statements at Ben Gurion Airport ahead of his visit to Washington D.C., where he will meet with President Donald Trump on Feb. 2, 2025. Avi Ohayon/Israeli Government Press Office

During Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United States this week, he will meet with President Donald Trump and top White House officials, congressional leaders, Israeli journalists and evangelical leaders — but not with American Jewish leaders, according to the Prime Minister’s Office, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross.

Meeting maybe?: Netanyahu, who arrived in Washington on Sunday and was initially scheduled to return to Israel on Thursday, has extended his trip through Saturday night, his office said. So a meeting with American Jewish leaders could be added on Friday. Netanyahu has maintained an at-times strained relationship with American Jewish leaders for years, reflecting both broad political differences as well as specific disagreements with him over issues such as the Western Wall compromise. The premier met with Christian leaders last night, including  Christians United For Israel leader Pastor John Hagee and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, President Donald Trump’s pick to be U.S. ambassador to Israel.

Read the full report here.

MESSAGE EXPANSION

In new Foundation to Combat Antisemitism Super Bowl ad, Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady ask viewers to ‘Stand Up to All Hate’

Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady appear in a new Foundation to Combat Antisemitism Super Bowl ad. Screenshot

Last Super Bowl Sunday, Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism called out the perils of silence in the face of rising antisemitism with an ad featuring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speechwriter and Civil Rights Movement icon, Dr. Clarence Jones. The $7 million ad concluded with FCAS’s signature blue square and the tag line “Stand Up to Jewish Hate.” FCAS will be running a star-studded follow-up during this year’s Super Bowl, on Feb. 9, featuring rapper Snoop Dogg and former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. This year, FCAS’s blue square features a different, expanded message at the end of the ad: “Stand Up to All Hate,” reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim.

Broad appeal: Kraft told CNBC yesterday that both Snoop Dogg and Brady agreed to do the ad pro bono when he presented them with the idea. The Patriots owner said he selected the two figures because of their “different backgrounds,” hoping that seeing the two figures with large followings in their independent spheres would connect the message to a broad audience. “They feel like I do that there’s something going on in this country,” said Kraft. “They both thanked me for putting them together in this situation so they could share this message with the American people.”

Read the full report here.

SURVEY SAYS

New study finds extended reserve service taking major toll on Israeli children, as is displacement

Children visit their father, who is on reserve duty, in southern Israel after returning from Gaza on Dec. 17, 2023.
Children visit their father, who is on reserve duty, in southern Israel after returning from Gaza on Dec. 17, 2023. Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Immediately following the Oct. 7 terror attacks, the Israel Defense Forces called up an unprecedented 300,000 reservists, who were pressed into duty for extended stretches. More than a third of them — 120,000 — are parents, and approximately 36,000 are parents of children under the age of nine. A new survey by the Israeli Taub Center for Social Policy Studies think tank examines the effects of this reserve duty on the spouses and the young children — ages 1 to 6 — of those reservists, finding that their extended absences have had a major deleterious effect on both with long-term implications for their children’s emotional and mental development, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross.

Needing more, getting less: One of the researchers behind the study, Yael Navon, told eJP that these negative effects on the children come amid a shortage of resources in Israel’s educational frameworks, particularly in early childhood education and early elementary school. “There are few staff for too many children, and far too little training for early childhood educators,” she told eJP. The non-reservist parent is also less able to provide the emotional support that their child needs as they are focused on “dealing with daily survival,” according to Navon. The result: “Kids need more [help] because of the situation, and the adults can give less,” she said.

Read the full report here.

MAKING A MERGER

Education as a bridge: Uniting Jewish philosophies through shared programming

Shira Jacobson (center), Makor program director, and Ruth Servi (right), Hebrew and Jewish studies teacher, both formerly of Schechter Manhattan, discuss a Makor lesson with Rodeph Sholom School students. Rodeph Sholom School

Can two Jewish day schools with very different roots come together to create something greater, or is the divide in their philosophies and practices just too wide? That was the question hanging in the air as a group of us lay and professional leaders from Rodeph Sholom School and Schechter Manhattan sat down to talk,” writes strategist and funder Sally Gottesman in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.

High stakes: “Both schools [on Manhattan’s Upper West Side] were academically strong, but we were facing the same storm. Enrollment was shrinking. Families were leaving Manhattan for Brooklyn. Public schools were getting better. And the financial reality of running a day school, costing close to $60,000 per child per year, was daunting… For me, this wasn’t just a professional conversation. I was there as a Schechter board member and a former parent, but I also wore another hat: I was a donor. I’ve spent years supporting Jewish education because I believe we need to raise a generation of non-Orthodox, egalitarian Jewish leaders who feel a strong obligation to community, both Jewish and non-Jewish; who have the ability to seriously engage with and find meaning in Jewish texts and practice; and who are committed to creating a more peaceful world. I felt it was important to step in and support these two incredible schools, ensuring they had a chance to find common ground and avoid any potential hurdles along the way.”

Read the full piece here.

TRANSFORMING LIVES

Mentorship is a quiet revolution

Members of the Advot team huddle up. Mika Larson

“Consider this: Youth who benefit from the support and guidance from adult mentors are 46% less likely to use illegal drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking; 55% more likely to enroll in college; 78% more likely to volunteer in their communities; and 130% more likely to hold leadership positions as adults,” writes Naomi Ackerman, founder and executive director of Advot, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “These are not just statistics; they are lives — and communities — irrevocably changed.” 

Your attention is valuable: “[M]entorship isn’t about doing everything for someone, but about connecting: building a village around someone who needs support; opening doors and bridging gaps… Sometimes mentorship involves addressing small but meaningful needs: providing a specific deodorant after release from a lock-up facility; helping navigate a job interview process; or something as seemingly trivial as showing up with red licorice instead of black. As my executive coach, mentor and friend Taylor Epstein says, ‘Change happens when you pay attention; by paying attention, you make change.’ These seemingly mundane acts create the space for profound transformation.”

Read the full piece here.

Worthy Reads

Math Problem: In The New York Times, Hans Taparia and Bruce Buchanan examine why, despite billions in donations from individuals and corporations, the problems they aim to address with those funds still persist. “Americans typically understand charities as organizations that pick up where the government leaves off — championing the poor, the environment, the sick and the marginalized. But this framing is incomplete, and frankly misleading. More often than not, charities work to mitigate harms caused by business. Every year, corporations externalize trillions in costs to society and the planet. Nonprofits form to absorb those costs, but have at their disposal only a tiny portion of the profits that corporations were able to generate by externalizing those costs in the first place… These calculations reveal why so many good and seemingly well-funded causes fail to move the needle. The health and environmental costs from the food industry exceed the revenue it generates. The cost in the United States of health care from smoking is several times the revenue of the cigarette industry. The costs of mental illness, misinformation and political discord created by the social media industry are immeasurable. Nonprofits that work to reverse obesity, prevent addiction or treat anxiety will never have anywhere near the resources they need to fully meet their missions. Building a more equitable world would require addressing the damage that for-profit companies cause at the root.” [NYTimes]

Big Tent Time: In The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Diana Aviv and Allison K. Ralph encourage funders aiming to counter the actions of the Trump administration to seek partners among what at first might seem like a counterintuitive crowd: conservative and/or religious organizations. “[T]here is a much larger group of people of faith, many of whom voted for President Trump out of concerns about illegal immigration, inflation, or fear of widespread secularization, but who support a robust democracy and recognize the importance of a pluralistic society. These groups and others like them are uniquely positioned to speak with faith-minded people — both in the pews and in high office — and potentially change minds and hearts… Thanks to hyper-polarization, however, such organizations struggle for support. Many foundations have long had an awkward relationship with religion. Nineteenth- and 20th-century philanthropy held it at arm’s length for a variety of reasons. Some grant makers believed religious groups were not as professional as secular organizations. It became common for funders to avoid granting even to faith-inspired organizations. This dissociation suggests that the field of philanthropy views itself as secular, despite the more than 25% of all private grant makers who are faith-inspired funders… Part of the challenge is also that democracy funders themselves are ideologically siloed. Partnerships and potential solutions rarely involve a broad ideological spectrum of groups. These silos further divide Americans rather than promote policy change.” [ChronicleofPhilanthropy]

Word on the Street

Miami-based philanthropist Stephen Saks donated $20 million to local nonprofits, with the majority going toward Jewish organizations; this includes a $10 million endowment to the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples (Fla.), the largest donation in the organization’s history; $1 million to the local PJ Library initiative; and grants to Naples’ Holocaust Museum & Cohen Educational Center, the Jewish National Fund and congregation Temple Shalom’s youth programs…

Philanthropist Michael Bloomberg visited the Israeli restaurant Miriam in Brooklyn in a show of solidarity after it was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti last month…

Robby Etzkin has started his tenure as the next CEO of Jewish Adoption & Family Care Options, succeeding founding CEO Sarah Franco, who retired on Jan. 31…

Jewish Insider examines the controversial appointment of Darren Beattie, a former White House speechwriter in the first Trump administration who was fired for attending a white nationalist gathering, to a top public diplomacy position in the State Department

Blue Star Families, a nonprofit that supports military families, has launched a new initiative providing grants to organizations across the country so they can serve as hubs of support for military families; the initiative was made possible by a recent $25 million grant from Craig Newmark Philanthropies

The New York Jewish Week profiles rabbinical student Arielle Krule, a licensed social worker who is working to train members of the Jewish community to administer Narcan, a medication that can reverse opioid overdoses…

Moroccan Ambassador to the United States Youssef Amrani attended an event on Sunday at the Boca Raton Synagogue in honor of the yahrtzeit — or hilula — of famed Moroccan Rabbi Israel Abuhatzeira, better known as the Baba Sali

The Jewish Chronicle spotlights American rabbis whose political leanings do not necessarily align with the majority of their congregants or their denomination…

Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris said the team would keep its current name, which it adopted in 2022, despite its unpopularity among its Washington-area fan base… 

A new pilot program launched by the Israeli pluralistic beit midrash Elul is offering Israelis over the age of 50 a chance to do a year of service…

A Jewish professor at Columbia University’s business school submitted his resignation last week, citing “systematic” anti-Israel bias at the school…

The Department of Education is launching five new investigations into alleged antisemitic discrimination at Columbia University; the University of California, Berkeley; Portland State University; Northwestern University and University of Minnesota, Twin Cities…

The Jewish Institute for Liberal Values is rebranding — dropping both “Jewish” and “liberal” from its name to become the North American Values Institute — and shifting its focus to focus full-time on countering what its founder, David Bernstein, calls “radical ideology” and antisemitism in K-12 education…

Pic of the Day

Courtesy

Pakistani Sufi religious leader Peer Syed Mudassir Shah (center) visits Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the hardest hit communities in the Oct. 7 attacks, last week with Rabbi Aharon Ariel Lavi (left), managing director of Ohr Torah Stone’s Interfaith Center, and Aviram Bellaishe, vice president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.

The two organizations coordinated Mudassir’s trip, which they said was the “first time a significant Pakistani religious leader has publicly engaged with Israel.”

“Pakistan and Israel are on the same side in the fight against extremism,” Peer Mudassir said in a statement about his trip. “This is not about doing favors — it is about standing together against forces that threaten peace, stability and our shared values.”

Birthdays

Jason Koerner/Getty Images for Concordia Summit

Attorney, bank executive and philanthropist, donor of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, Adrienne Arsht

Actor best known for his work as Herman “Hesh” Rabkin on HBO’s “The Sopranos” and as Howard Lyman on CBS’s “The Good Wife,” Jerry Adler… One of the founders of the Jewish Community of Greater Stowe (Vermont), Barbara Gould Stern… Co-founder and chair of Sage Publications, an academic publishing company, she was international president of B’nai B’rith Girls at the age of 19, Sara Miller McCune… Torrance, Calif., resident, Patrick B. Leek… Senior counsel at the global law firm Dentons, Evan Wolfson… Director of English-language programming at Herzog College in Alon Shvut, Israel, Shalom Berger… Actress, best known for her award-winning role in the 1986 science fiction action film “Aliens,” Jenette Elise Goldstein… Member of the state Senate of Maryland, Brian J. Feldman… Former mayor of Anchorage, Alaska, Ethan Avram Berkowitz… Former kickboxing champion, ultra-distance cycling champion and IDF soldier, Leah Goldstein… President and COO of Blackstone Group and chairman of the board of Hilton Worldwide, Jonathan D. “Jon” Gray… The first elected Jewish mayor of Los Angeles, he then served as the U.S. ambassador to India until two weeks ago, Eric Garcetti… Television writer and producer, Edward Lawrence “Eddy” Kitsis… Executive director of the Baltimore Jewish Council, Howard Libit… Director of Jewish outreach and policy advisor for the Kamala Harris presidential campaign, Ilan Goldenberg… Author, psychotherapist and group fitness instructor, Rebecca Alexander… Washington-based economic policy reporter for The New York Times since 2014, Alan Rappeport… CEO at Aeris Medical Group PLLC in Minneapolis, Noson “Nelson” Weisbord… Senior manager in the New York City office of Monitor Deloitte, Justin Meservie… Client operations and legal project manager at Ropes & Gray, Abigail Dana Cable… Professor emeritus at Northeast Forestry University in Harbin, China, Dan Ben-Canaan… Jan Winnick… Project lead at Rosov Consulting, Yaakov Malomet