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Good Monday morning.

In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on the hostage solidarity events held in Boulder, Colo., and across the country yesterday after last week’s terror attack, and on law enforcement’s warnings of growing threats against American Jewish communities. We examine the case of a Los Angeles Jewish day school that lost its primary funder, and interview former Jewish federation executive Walter Levy ahead of his 103rd birthday today. Lisa Eisen tackles Israel education in the latest installment of eJP’s exclusive opinion column “The 501(C) Suite,” and a piece by Amanda Schwartz calls for the creation of Jewish “thought residencies.” Also in this issue: Karli Sherwinter, Michael Lomax and Sara Shapiro-Plevan.

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If the goal of last weekend’s firebombing attack in Boulder, Colo., on the Run for Their Lives event for the hostages still held in Gaza was to terrorize and to dissuade people from attending the weekly solidarity gathering and others like it, it could not have failed more.

Hundreds of people turned out for the march yesterday in the Colorado mountain town, as did thousands more in similar events across the country — albeit with significantly more police presence, including anti-ramming bollards and snipers on rooftops. Thousands of people also attended the nearby Boulder Jewish Festival, which took place alongside the hostage solidarity march. 

“It just seemed important after what happened up here. We needed to show solidarity and support for everybody and for ourselves and show that despite all the things that happen that madness can't stop us from existing and carrying on,” a first-time attendee to the Run for their Lives march who drove from Denver for the event told the local TV station.

After seeing the large turnout for the march, “I got teary-eyed. I got choked up,” he said. “It's just an amazing outpouring of both community support and law enforcement and first responders.”

In New York City, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Central Park to both call for the release of the 55 hostages in Gaza and in solidarity with the victims of the Boulder attack.

Such gatherings have been held weekly across the U.S. and around the world since the Oct. 7 terror attacks, though turnout was notably higher after last Sunday’s attack — along with far greater security amid growing threats. More on this below.

Indeed, the images and the messages were the same in West Hartford, Conn.; Aventura, Fla.; Baltimore; Newton, Mass.; Albany, N.Y.; and many other Jewish communities in the United States that hosted hostage solidarity marches yesterday.

“That group in Boulder was attacked by a person with the worst intentions,” Eilon Baer, one of the organizers of the New York event, told the crowd, according to The Times of Israel. “We will not be stopped by hate, we will not be stopped by violence, we will continue showing up.”

TOM BRENNER FOR THE WASHINGTON POST VIA GETTY IMAGES

The American Jewish community is facing an “elevated threat” following a surge of violent antisemitic attacks across the country in recent weeks, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security warned last week. In a joint statement, the FBI and DHS called for increased vigilance among Jewish communities, noting the possibility of copycat attacks after a shooting in Washington in which two Israeli Embassy employees were killed and an attack in Boulder, Colo., in which 15 people were injured in a firebombing targeting advocates calling for the release of hostages in Gaza, reports Haley Cohen for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider. 

More to come?: “The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict may motivate other violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators with similar grievances to conduct violence against Jewish and Israeli communities and their supporters. Foreign terrorist organizations also may try to exploit narratives related to the conflict to inspire attacks in the United States,” the agencies warned. Jewish organizations that track threats to the community are similarly concerned about online rhetoric following the attacks. The Anti-Defamation League highlighted that, one day after the incident in Boulder, videos allegedly recorded by the assailant shortly before the assault began circulated on a Telegram channel called Taufan al-Ummah, which translates to “Flood of the Ummah,” a reference to the Al-Aqsa Flood, Hamas’ name for its Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel. The circulated posts celebrated the actions of the terror suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman. 

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

Bonus: The House Appropriations Committee’s draft 2026 Homeland Security funding bill includes $305 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, a marginal increase that would restore the program to its 2023 funding levels, which falls far short of the $1 billion requested by Jewish groups, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

COURTESY/KADIMA

What happens when your main donor pulls their support for your organization? The nondenominational Kadima Day School in Los Angeles recently faced that harsh reality when it received an email from its sole major supporter, Shawn Evenhaim. “After a few years of soul-searching and heartfelt conversations, including many with the school’s leadership, we made the extremely difficult decision to inform the Board that we could no longer continue to support the school on our own. No school or community institution should be dependent on a single family for two decades. This decision was not made lightly — it comes with great emotion, deep sorrow, and immense gratitude,” Evanheim wrote in a letter on May 27, reports Ayala Or-El for eJewishPhilanthropy.

Lesson learned?: Rebecca Coen, the principal of Kadima, which runs an early childhood education center and K-8 school, acknowledged that it had become too dependent on a single donor, a situation that can lead to what’s known as donor fatigue. “Unfortunately, our leadership did not do sufficient work in securing additional significant donations,” she said. As word spread out in the community, people started donating money directly, through a GoFundMe, checks to the school and PayPal. The school also enlisted the assistance of Israeli celebrities in their appeals for donations, getting them to record messages of support that Kadima published on its social media platforms. As of Friday, Kadima has raised more than $800,000 in donations, with the goal of reaching $1 million, which the school told stakeholders was enough to keep its doors open.

Read the full report here.

COURTESY/WALTER LEVY

Turning 103 today, Walter Levy is a German-born Holocaust survivor, social worker, father and former Jewish communal professional. This included a stint as the executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, including during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when the American Jewish community was again rapidly mobilized after a surprise invasion devastated Israel. When Levy contacted eJP about including his birthday in our newsletter, we were happy to oblige, but we also wanted to hear more. eJP’s Nira Dayanim spoke with Levy on Sunday, the day before his birthday, about his life’s work, how he sees the Jewish community’s current state of affairs and his excellent taste in news outlets. 

ND: Can you share with me a little bit more about yourself and your journey into the Jewish communal work? What inspired you to take that path?

WL: I’m a Holocaust survivor, and that inspired me to help others. … I started off, really, as administrative assistant here in Dallas in the 1950s. I left and there were other communities, and I worked for what was then the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds, now the Jewish Federations of North America, as a consultant. And then Dallas wanted me back, and we came back. 

During the 1970s, I was the executive director of the federation. I had an interesting but also a very rough time, because during my tenure was the Yom Kippur War, the federation had a fire and burned up, my father died, and I had a heart attack, so that caused my departure. Then I changed specialties in social work and developed a private practice of social work with the elderly — gerontological social work. 

ND: What do you think that today’s funders could learn from earlier generations of Jewish philanthropists? 

WL: I just attended last week the annual meeting of the Dallas Jewish Federation. This is a completely different leadership than what I experienced. There is much commitment also, but they think differently. They are younger people, and we have to be mindful that they are the builders of the community now. It’s a different situation because it’s a different time. People see things a bit differently, and also the needs may be different. For example, we no longer need [to build] a home for the aging. We no longer need [to build] a Jewish Community Center. Because we made homes for the aging, and we have built a Jewish Community Center. 

Now there are new needs. At this time, we are concerned about the physically and mentally impaired. We are concerned about antisemitism. We are concerned about Israel. And these are different needs requiring different emphasis on the problems.

Read the full interview here.

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“This is the time to pursue a new evolution in Israel education — one that sidesteps the extremes and speaks directly to the vast majority of American Jews who believe in an Israeli democracy that respects all its citizens and in a Jewish state living in peace with its neighbors,” writes Lisa Eisen, co-president of Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, in the latest installment of eJewishPhilanthropy’s exclusive opinion column, “The 501(C) Suite.”

What’s next: “Importantly, we need to internalize that what got us here will not get us there. While we alone cannot dispel the division, misinformation and misunderstanding driving much of the Israel discourse, it is within our power to usher in a sweeping mix of educational offerings that are designed to nurture understanding, care, curiosity, nuance and respect for multiple viewpoints; are free from judgement and derision; and honor and help learners to navigate the complexities of Israel’s past and present and to find their place in Israel’s story… I asked six experts to share their recommendations for how we can catalyze a new era of Israel education worthy of this consequential moment in Jewish and American life… I agree with my colleagues that this next phase of Israel education isn’t about what’s wrong — it's about what’s next.”

Read the full piece here.

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“In May, I joined a five-day writing residency at Hedgebrook on Whidbey Island in Washington along with six other women of different ethnicities, religions and ages from various cities. During the day, we had complete autonomy to rise when we were ready, be in nature, visit with one another and, of course, write where we wanted, when we wanted and what we wanted. The absence of pressure and the absence of other responsibilities created an environment where anything was possible,” writes Rabbi Amanda Schwartz in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.

The vision for Jewish professionals: “It may seem counterintuitive that giving Jewish professionals time and space to be alone could offer the key to innovative Jewish ideas. After all, we are a people who believe in davening in a minyan and learning in hevruta. Yet our tradition also recognizes the power that comes from solitude… I imagine at a Jewish thought residency, the majority of the time would be unstructured, where the residents could be in solitude. Perhaps they would read philosophical works they’ve intended to get to for years. Perhaps they would sleep all day the first two days and emerge from their slumber on day three with fresh insights. Perhaps they would wander in the woods and think more clearly thanks to the fresh air and nature’s magical ability to let our brains relax and recharge. In the evening, however, all residents would come together for dinner and dialogue. Organically, the conversation would turn to the light bulbs that went off for them during the day. Hopefully, each light bulb would serve as a catalyst and group brainstorming would begin.”

Read the full piece here.

Proving the Point: In The Atlantic, Yair Rosenberg points out a historical irony: violence against Jews – even purportedly “anti-Zionist” attacks like the ones in Washington and Boulder, Colo. — just ends up drawing more people to Zionism. “As in Herzl’s time, the perpetrators of anti-Jewish acts do more than nearly anyone else to turn Jews who were once indifferent or even hostile to Israel’s fate into reluctant appreciators of its necessity… Given this dynamic, a rational anti-Zionist movement would devote itself to making Jews feel welcome in every facet of life outside of Israel, ruthlessly rooting out any inkling of anti-Semitism in order to convince Jews that they have nothing to fear and certainly no need for a separate state. Such an anti-Zionist movement would overcome Zionism by making it obsolete. But that is not the anti-Zionist movement that currently exists. Instead, Israel’s opposition around the globe — whether groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah or their international apologists and imitators — often seems determined to persuade those Jews who chose differently than Herzl did that he was right all along.” [TheAtlantic]

Hope for the Future: In the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Boulder, Colo., resident Karli Sherwinter reflects on her son’s graduation from an Israeli boarding school last week, just after a terror attack in her home community. “We gathered together with families of students — from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds from all over the world — who earned their IB (International Baccalaureate) diploma at Younited, the boarding school on the shared-society campus of Givat Haviva, founded in 1949 to promote peace between Jews and Arabs in Israel. Graduations are filled with emotion, regardless of the setting, but in the wake of the violent antisemitic attack in our hometown of Boulder, Colorado, I felt a mixture of anger, sadness and confusion. … My son and his best friend, a Palestinian Muslim, were two of the emcees for their graduation. … Many people don’t know how to calmly talk about Israel, but these recent graduates simply spoke of what they hope for the future. … After seeing my son and his friends overcome tremendous challenges to create a community of mutual understanding and respect, I do feel a glimmer of hope in a broken world.” [JTA]

NGOs as Learning Labs: In the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Jennifer Schechter, Emily Bensen and N’Toumbi Tiguida Sissoko propose a partnership model between NGOs and governments for scaling and sustaining health reform in low- and middle-income countries. “Governments hold the mandate for national health care delivery and are accountable to their citizens. While all governments have ambitious national plans, including specific targets around mortality reduction, governments in low- and middle-income countries face significant resource constraints. These constraints across budgets, human resources, and infrastructure make it uniquely challenging for governments to take on the risk of testing new ideas and approaches. With philanthropic money, NGOs can take on this risk, developing innovations useful to governments and serving an essential role in government adaptation and implementation… NGOs who position themselves as learning partners can accompany government with the cost and impact data needed to assess trade-offs and make informed decisions.” [SSIR]

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The body of Thai hostage Nattapong Pinta, kidnapped by Mujahideen Brigades terrorists from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, was recovered in southern Gaza on Friday in a joint operation by the IDF and the Shin Bet, who believe he was killed in captivity early in the war…

NYU Langone Health held a gala event last week celebrating the more than $5.5 billion that has been raised over the past 18 years under the organization’s outgoing leaders: Board of Trustees Chair Kenneth G. Langone and its dean and CEO, Dr. Robert I. Grossman; the event also marked the upcoming appointment of Fiona Druckenmiller and Dr. Alec Kimmelman, as the health system’s board chair and CEO, respectively…

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency profiles the Yiddish Book Center and its founding president, Aaron Lansky, who is retiring from the role this month at the end of a 16-month wind down…

All participating Jewish organizations and synagogues have withdrawn from the 2025 San Diego Pride event after the organizers declined to cancel the appearance of singer Kehlani, who has repeatedly promoted violent antisemitic rhetoric. Longtime supporters and medical operations leaders Dr. Jennifer Anger and Eliyahu Cohen-Mizrahi have also stepped down from their roles in the event. In San Francisco, the R&B singer was dropped from the lineup of performers at a Pride music festival scheduled for June 28… 

After social media campaign by pro-Palestinian activists, Australia's Department of Home Affairs revoked Hillel Fuld’s visa, citing potential risks to public safety; he was set to speak at Magen David Adom fundraisers in Sydney and Melbourne…

A new Georgia historical marker recounting the story of the Congregation Children of Israel synagogue, the state’s oldest standing synagogue building that now houses the Augusta Jewish Museum, was unveiled yesterday…

Michael Lomax, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund, denounced the recent antisemitic terror attacks in Washington and Boulder, Colo. “We stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters, not as newly minted allies, but as partners bound by a shared legacy of resilience and a shared dream of liberation,” he wrote…

The University of California San Francisco fired a professor from its medical school for repeatedly espousing antisemitic rhetoric…

The Montreal Holocaust Museum launched a five-year research project about antisemitism and Holocaust education with a focus on francophone educators in collaboration with Université du Québec à Montréal, Université Laval in Quebec City and Université de Sherbrooke…

The U.S. State Department is considering an Israeli request to contribute $500 million to the newly formed, controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) offering humanitarian assistance in Gaza, potentially deepening U.S. involvement in the troubled aid effort. Some U.S. officials criticize the plan and have raised concerns over deadly shootings near aid sites and question the GHF’s effectiveness…

The Canadian Jewish News spotlights a June 4 event in honor of Canadian Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver, who was killed in the Oct. 7 attacks, in which her sons, Yonatan and Chen Zeigen, spoke about her legacy and emphasized the importance of dialogue and building a better future for the next generation of Israelis and Palestinians. The event was among the first organized by Women Wage Peace Canada East, an offshoot of an Israeli organization co-founded by Silver…

The Chronicle of Philanthropy interviews Susan Goldberg, the CEO of Boston public broadcaster GBH, who was forced to lay off 6% of her staff, 45 people, in light of federal funding cuts…

The Jewish Federation of Tulsa, Okla., has announced a new initiative, the Elson Israel Fellowship, aimed at making the city a center for Israel-related thought. The four inaugural fellows are: World Zionist Organization advisor Avi Gamulka, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross, author and educator Sarah Sassoon and community organizer and researcher Barak Sella…

Jillian Sackler, an arts philanthropist who sought to preserve the reputation of her husband, Arthur, who died before his family’s involvement in the opioid epidemic, died on May 20 at 84…

The Pershing Square Foundation, founded by Giving Pledge signatory Bill Ackman, has awarded $5.25 million in seven grants to launch its Ovarian Cancer Challenge Grant initiative…

Rabbi Dov Linzer will step down as president of New York’s Yeshivat Chovevei Torah while continuing to serve as its rosh yeshiva and as founding director of a new initiative, the YCT Torah Center; the organization’s board has launched a search for the next president…

Elluminate hired Sara Shapiro-Plevan, the former CEO of the Gender Equity in Hiring Project, as its inaugural chief program officer…

Rabbi Bonnie Margulis begins her new position as director of Hillel and Jewish life at Trinity College, in Hartford, Conn., on Aug. 15…

The Jewish Telegraph Agency’s (and before that eJewishPhilanthropy’s) Ben Sales is joining The Times of Israel as news editor…

COURTESY/MAGEN DAVID ADOM

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews donates five armored ambulances — costing nearly $1.7 million — to Magen David Adom in a ceremony at the emergency medical service’s headquarters in Jerusalem last week. 

“The events of the past year-and-a-half have taught us a crucial lesson. In order for our rescue forces to save lives, both they and the wounded Israelis they are saving must be fully protected,” Yael Eckstein, president and CEO of IFCJ, said in a statement. “These ambulances are the cutting-edge vehicles that will enable The Fellowship and its hundreds of thousands of committed donors to fulfill our unshakeable commitment and promise: To save every single Israeli life that we can.”

COURTESY

CEO of Jewish Women’s International, Meredith Jacobs... 

Former executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, Walter Julius Levy turns 103 (see story above)... Journalist for 30 years at CBS who then became the founding director of Harvard's Shorenstein Center, then a fellow at GWU, Marvin Kalb... Retired Israeli diplomat who served as ambassador to Italy and France and world chairman of Keren Hayesod - United Israel Appeal, Aviezer "Avi" Pazner... Author of 12 books, activist, and founding editor of Ms. Magazine, Letty Cottin Pogrebin... British businessman, co-founder with his brother Maurice of advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, Charles Saatchi... Diplomat and Shakespeare historian, Kenneth Adelman... Founder and chairman of Commonwealth Financial Network and chairman of Southworth Development, Joseph Deitch... Professional mediator and advice columnist, Wendy J. Belzberg... Israel's former minister of defense and deputy prime minister, Benny Gantz... Canadian journalist, author, documentary film producer and television personality, Steven Hillel Paikin... Producer, director, playwright and screenwriter, Aaron Benjamin Sorkin... Former lead singer of the Israeli pop rock band Mashina, Yuval Banay... Managing director at Major, Lindsey & Africa, Craig Appelbaum... Executive vice president of Jewish Funders Network, Rabbi Rebecca Sirbu... Screenwriter, director and producer, Hayden Schlossberg... Founder and CEO of Delve LLC, previously a Bush 43 White House Jewish liaison, Jeff Berkowitz... Co-founder of Swish Beverages, David Oliver Cohen... Jerusalem born Academy Award-winning actress, producer and director, Natalie Portman... Online producer, writer and director, Rafi Fine... Multimedia artist Anna Marie Tendler... Composer and lyricist, in 2024 he became the 20th person to complete the EGOT, an acronym for the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards, Benj Pasek... Israeli tech entrepreneur, he is the founder and chairman of Israel Tech Challenge, Raphael Ouzan... Director of the Yale Journalism Initiative, her book, A Flower Traveled In My Blood, is being published next month, Haley Cohen Gilliland... Deputy assistant secretary for strategic communications at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security during the Biden administration, Jeff Solnet... Ice hockey player for the NHL's Edmonton Oilers and best-selling author of children's books, Zachary Martin Hyman... Founder and CEO of The Fine Companies, Daniel Fine... Emilia Levy...

BELATED: Assistant executive director of the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey, Sara Sideman, celebrated her birthday on Friday…