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Good Monday morning!

In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on the struggles facing the Israeli civil service that were raised at a recent Taub Center conference and spotlight a new Jewish Book Council initiative supporting Jewish authors as they face boycotts and bias. We feature an opinion piece by Avrum Lapin on how to best engage donors ahead of the end-of-year fundraising crunch, and another by Rob Derdiger and Maya Vorobyov on how Jewish college students are continuing to fight for Israel online even as the war in Gaza winds down. Also in this issue: Sydney Altfield, Alyza Lewin and Orna and Ronen Neutra.

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Current and former top Israeli civil servants sounded the alarm last week on what they described as the country’s rapidly deteriorating public sector, which they warned will affect all facets of Israeli society, from the education system to the justice system, welfare services to transportation infrastructure, reports Rachel Gutman for eJewishPhilanthropy.

Speaking at the Taub Center social policy think tank's annual conference in Tel Aviv, titled "The Future of Public Service in Israel: Who Will Serve the Public?,” Col. (res.) Miri Eisin, chair of the Taub Center's board, framed the issue in terms she knows well from her military intelligence career. “After two years of war, when we speak about our national resilience, it's not just the military or diplomatic,” she said on Thursday. “Security is not just the army or diplomacy — it's society, economics, it's our other capacities.”

Emi Palmor, the project coordinator for the rehabilitation of Kibbutz Nir Oz and former director-general of Israel’s Justice Ministry, issued a lengthy diatribe on the subject, highlighting the country’s failure to install permanent heads of major government offices, as well as a lack of diversity among those top officials, which she said prevents young Israelis from joining the civil service in the first place. This is already affecting the quality of government services, she said, and will continue to do so into the future, potentially contributing to the country’s rising rates of emigration."We're already at advanced stages where there simply isn't anyone to teach certain subjects. There are schools dealing with basic services they can't provide. What's happening on our roads today? Who's at the Transportation Ministry planning 10-20 years ahead for this small, crowded country?" She added: "Slowly, slowly, this place will become a place that is not good to live in — not because politics annoys us, but because the most basic things won't be able to function."

Palmor, the fieriest speaker of the day, also took issue with the conference's aim of exploring these issues in the civil service sector without addressing what she described as the elephant in the room: the lack of a person in charge of the field. For nearly a year, the position of civil service commissioner has been vacant due to a political stalemate. The commissioner’s role is to act as a gatekeeper, ensuring professionalism over politicization in the hiring and employment of civil servants. "The civil service commissioner is essential in ensuring that senior professional positions will be excellent, that appointments are good first and foremost, but also equally available to all who deserve them," said Palmor. 

Palmor argued that while this may seem like a niche issue, without the proper oversight, Israel’s civil service cannot function properly. “We all felt what it was like to have a government malfunctioning on Oct. 8," she told attendees of the conference, referring to the uncoordinated displacement of tens of thousands of Israelis in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks. 

The implications for philanthropy in Israel are significant as virtually all fields — from welfare to education to culture — intersect in some way with local and national government. Itzik Shmuli, the Israel director of UJA-Federation of New York and a former Labor MK, warned that "public service has been under threat," pointing to recent examples involving inter alia Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who refuses to recognize the status of Chief Justice Isaac Amit and who changed the locks on the offices of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, as cases of "politicization of public service to corrupt it." Shmuli called for a return to fundamentals: "We need to ask ourselves how we're fulfilling the basics of public service and surround ourselves with partners who can help make good decisions."

Read the full report here.

COURTESY

For Jewish and Israeli authors and the people who enjoy their books, the publishing industry has been a decidedly depressing place over the last two years, with boycotts against the works of authors deemed to be Zionists. A new initiative from the Jewish Book Council, a 100-year-old nonprofit dedicated to promoting Jewish literature, aims to fight back against the torrent of bad news for Jewish writers. This month, JBC unveiled Nu Reads, a subscription service that will deliver selected Jewish books to subscribers bimonthly, reports Gabby Deutch for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider. The first book, Happy New Years, a novel by the Israeli author Maya Arad, has already shipped to Nu Reads’ inaugural subscribers.

Caring for the community: “There’s a chill for our community across the industry,” JBC CEO Naomi Firestone-Teeter told JI in an interview this month. “If we care about Jewish literature and we care about these authors and ideas, we need to buy these books. We need to invest in them and support them.” More than 230,000 Jewish families in the U.S. and Canada receive children’s books each month through PJ Library, a program modeled on Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. It was PJ Library — which has transformed young Jews’ experience with Jewish books in the two decades it has existed — that served as an inspiration to JBC.

Read the full report here and sign up for Jewish Insider’s Daily Kickoff here.

ADOBE STOCK

“As we enter the fourth quarter of 2025, nonprofits enter the most critical fundraising season. It is common knowledge that November and December are often the most important months for donor giving, with 30%-40% of annual contributions arriving in the last few weeks of the year. In this crowded marketplace, organizations must rise above the noise — not only by appealing to generosity, but also by meeting donors where they are, with clarity, transparency and a deep understanding of what motivates them,” writes Avrum Lapin, president of The Lapin Group, LLC, nonprofit consulting firm, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.

The start of something: “Year-end campaigns must not only focus on short-term dollars. They must be seen and embraced as a springboard for long-term relationships. A determined and individualized stewardship program can convert onetime donors into long-term supporters.”

Read the full piece here.

AZAM KAMOLOV/PIXABAY

“The release of the hostages this month and the subsequent fragile peace that has ensued has marked for many the end of the war and the opportunity to move beyond the conflict to focus on other pressing issues. But for us at Alpha Epsilon Pi and TalkIsrael, this moment marks an important inflection point for our work with college students and on campuses. The war may be over but the battle for the hearts and minds of our campus communities is still taking place,” write Rob Derdiger, the CEO of Alpha Epsilon Pi International, and Maya Vorobyov, the executive director of TalkIsrael, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.

Virtual and reality: “Online antisemitism doesn’t stay online: the surge in hateful content correlates with increases in real-world antisemitic incidents — harassment, violence, vandalism — especially among college students. Our task is clear: We need to take our messages of Jewish and Israeli pride to this new digital battlefield.”

Read the full piece here.

These Boots are Made for Walking: In an opinion piece in The Hill, Sydney Altfield warns that states that don’t opt in to the Federal Scholarship Program for private schools can expect to see religious families from those states moving to ones that do. “By turning their demands into action, the message here is clear — parents want the power to choose their child’s education, with options that serve all our families and support all children. Right now, states have that opportunity — and at no cost to their current budgets. Implementing the federal scholarship program will give more parents what the most important choice in parenting may be: their child’s education. Now the choice is in the states’ hands — listen to our parents, or risk losing them forever.” [TheHill]

What About Israel?: In The Wall Street Journal, Pini Dunner suggests that the U.S. accept British Jews as refugees, citing antisemitism in the U.K. that is “marching down the high street, waving flags, shouting slogans,” as well as the recent precedent set by the Trump administration in granting some South Africans a pathway to refugee status. “Yes, the U.S. refugee system is overwhelmed. Yes, immigration is politically toxic. But this is different. This is moral clarity. Every year, the U.S. admits thousands fleeing persecution because of race, religion or politics. British Jews now fit that category. Their persecutors aren’t warlords or terrorists. They’re neighbors, coworkers, teachers, even police officers — and Jews feel unsafe. When a Western democracy fails to protect its Jews, other countries must act. That isn’t interference, it’s conscience.” [WSJ]

Give Peace a Chance: In The Washington Post, Yuval Noah Harari posits that Israel’s peace treaties with its neighbors have been critical to the country’s survival since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and ensuing war. “Hamas hoped that its attack would trigger an all-out Arab onslaught on Israel, but this failed to materialize. The only entities that undertook direct hostile actions against Israel were Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran and various Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Iraq — none of which had ever recognized Israel’s right to exist. In contrast, Egypt did not break the peace treaty it signed with Israel in 1979; Jordan did not break the peace treaty signed in 1994; and the gulf states did not break the treaties signed in 2020. … As we reflect on the terrible events of the past two years, we should not let the silent success of Middle Eastern peace treaties be drowned out by the echoes of violent explosions. ... After years of horrific war, this should encourage people on all sides to give another chance to peace.” [WashPost]

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Israel’s Defense Ministry officially ended the state of emergency that was declared in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023…

Recently freed hostages Segev Kalfon, Bar Kuperstein, Eitan Mor, Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal have been discharged from the hospital and returned home…

Following months of delays, the Knesset Finance Committee approved today the transfer of $308 million for rehabilitation and recovery programs in northern Israel after the area was pummeled by Hezbollah attacks…

Israel’s Mossad alleged that a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps official oversaw a network of more than 11,000 operatives that was behind at least three Iranian plots against Jewish and Israeli targets in Western countries… 

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) decried the “growing cancer” of right-wing antisemitism during his keynote address at Christians United for Israel’s “Night to Honor Israel”…

American Airlines announced on Friday that it would resume direct flights to Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport starting in March, after halting flights in the wake of the Oct. 7 terror attacks, reports Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen…

British Airways paused its sponsorship of Louis Theroux’s podcast, following an episode that featured an interview with punk musician Bob Vylan, who led cheers of “death to the IDF” at the Glastonbury music festival over the summer; in the interview, Vylan said he would lead the chant “again tomorrow, twice on Sundays”…

The Washington Post spotlights the Jewish bubbes who doled out “life advice from a nice Jewish grandma” from a table outside Washington’s Sixth and I Synagogue…

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke denounced boycott, divestment and sanctions activists, who have hounded the band for playing in Israel, but also said that he would not get “5,000 miles anywhere near” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “regime”...

A new report from the United States–Israel Business Alliance found that Israeli-founded companies in New York State generated $19.5 billion in gross economic output in 2024…

The Times of Israel profiles Susan Polgar, the Jewish Hungarian-American who overcame antisemitism and sexism to become the first woman chess grandmaster…

Northwestern University announced that Provost Kathleen Hagerty will depart the Illinois school by the end of the academic year; the announcement comes a month after the resignation of President Michael Schill amid clashes with the Trump administration over the school’s handling of antisemitism…

Katherine Janus Kahn, the illustrator of the Sammy Spider Jewish children’s book series, died earlier this month at 83…

Reclusive billionaire Timothy Mellon donated $130 million to the U.S. government to pay troops during the ongoing shutdown…

The Combat Antisemitism Movement tapped constitutional lawyer Alyza Lewin on Monday to lead its revamped U.S. affairs department, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen has learned; Lewin previously served as president of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law…

LIYA GELDMAN/ONE MILLION LOBBY

Orna and Ronen Neutra, whose New York-born son Omer was killed on Oct. 7 and whose remains are still being held captive, speak at an event yesterday in Tel Aviv's Einav Center honoring the 96 foreign-born soldiers and security personnel who were killed in the past two years of war. 

“We know how much the soldiers… fought for the holy goal of returning the hostages home. We appreciate everything they did, and we know that the people of Israel are behind us. There are still 13 [slain captives] in Gaza, and the state’s responsibility is to bring them home,” the Neutras said.

The event was spearheaded by the One Million Lobby, an organization representing Israelis with roots in the former Soviet Union, and supported by a range of government offices and nonprofits. At the event, the One Million Lobby launched a new initiative to memorialize the 96 fallen immigrant soldiers by producing stickers with their pictures and with a QR code linking to a website that tells their immigration story.

PERRY KNOTTS/GETTY IMAGES

Co-owner of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and English soccer club Manchester United, Bryan Glazer turns 61... 

Treasurer of the Pacific Palisades Residents Association, Gordon Gerson... Senior U.S. district judge in Maine, he was born in a refugee camp following World War II, Judge George Z. Singal turns 80... Rabbi emeritus at Miami Beach's Temple Beth Sholom, Gary Glickstein turns 78... Senior vice president at MarketVision Research, Joel M. Schindler... President emeritus of Jewish Creativity International, Robert Goldfarb… Author, actress and comedian, Fran Lebowitz turns 75... Co-chair of a task force at the Bipartisan Policy Center, he is a former U.S. ambassador to Finland and Turkey, Eric Steven Edelman turns 74... Television writer, director and producer, best known as the co-creator of the 122 episodes of “The Nanny,” Peter Marc Jacobson turns 68... Senior advisor and fellow at the Soufan Group, following 31 years at the Congressional Research Service, Dr. Kenneth Katzman... New York state senator from Manhattan, he serves as chair of the NYS Senate Judiciary Committee, Brad Hoylman-Sigal turns 60... Creator and editor of the Drudge Report, Matt Drudge turns 59... Hasidic cantor and singer known by his first and middle names, Shlomo Simcha Sufrin turns 58... Managing partner of the Los Angeles office of HR&A Advisors, Andrea Batista Schlesinger turns 49... Sportscaster for CBS Sports, Adam Zucker turns 49... Music composer, he is a distinguished senior scholar at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Yotam Haber turns 49... Member of the Netherlands House of Representatives, Gideon "Gidi" Markuszower turns 48... Television meteorologist, currently working for The Weather Channel, Stephanie Abrams turns 47... Writer, attorney and creative writing teacher, she has published two novels and a medical memoir, Elizabeth L. Silver turns 47... Israel's minister of environmental protection, Idit Silman turns 45... Chair of the Open Society Foundations, founded by his father George Soros, Alexander F. G. Soros turns 40... Israeli actress best known for playing Eve in the Netflix series “Lucifer,” Inbar Lavi turns 39... Senior foreign policy and national security advisor for Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Elizabeth (Liz) Leibowitz... Executive producer of online content at WTSP in St. Petersburg, Fla., Theresa Collington... Senior social marketing manager at Amazon, Stephanie Arbetter... Senior director of sales at Arch, Andrew J. Taub... Co-founder of Arch, Ryan Eisenman… Real estate agent and cofounder and president of Bond Companies, Robert J. Bond…