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Good Monday morning.

In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we consider the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks and the state of Jewish philanthropy. We report on the significance of the FBI cutting ties with the Anti-Defamation League, and interview Jewish communal leaders about the ways in which the the Jewish community and the wider world have changed over the past two years. We feature opinion pieces reflecting on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks and where we go from here by First Lady of Israel Michal Herzog, Rabbi Doron Perez and Mike Leven. Also in this issue: Henry Hamra, Sheila Katz and Orna and Ronen Neutra.

Ed’s note: In observance of Sukkot, the next edition of Your Daily Phil will be back in your inboxes on Thursday. Chag sameach! 

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There is a sign outside a cafe in my northern Israeli town, a sign like many others across the country: A bright yellow poster affixed with laminated sheets of 11x17 paper showing the number of days of captivity of 48 hostages, living and dead, in Gaza. Yesterday, it read 730. Today, it reads 731. And tomorrow, barring a miracle, it will read 732. 

There is hope in Israel that the ceasefire proposal put forward last week by President Donald Trump will soon render these signs unnecessary; but as multiple hostage families have said since the plan was announced, they’ll believe it when they’re hugging their loved ones or giving them a proper burial, and not a moment sooner. 

And even when the numbers stop going up, we’ll still be left with the fact that two years ago tomorrow, all of Israel’s best-laid national security plans came crashing down with the steel fence separating the Gaza Strip and southern Israel. We’ll still be left with the horrors that followed: with the wholesale slaughter of some 1,200 people; the injury — physical and mental — of thousands; the destruction of entire communities, some of which have not yet been fully reconstructed; and the kidnapping of more than 250 people, at least 20 of whom are believed to have, somehow, survived these past 731 days.

The Oct. 7 attacks have fundamentally reshaped the world in general, the Middle East, the State of Israel and the Jewish People in ways that we can not yet fully grasp. 

We know that the Jewish philanthropy world responded profoundly to the Oct. 7 attacks and their aftermath. Though there has yet to be a comprehensive, definitive accounting of the funds sent to Israel post-Oct. 7, a rough back-of-the-envelope tally shows that they easily exceeded $2 billion and likely surpassed $3 billion. Even a cursory glance at the 990 forms of the various fundraising vehicles for Israeli organizations connected in some way to the Oct. 7 attacks and Israeli civil society’s response to them shows the massive increase in financial support that they received compared to previous years, in some cases several times higher. 

But while the fundraising figures that have so far been disclosed and other anecdotal information show us what has happened over the past two years, we do not know what comes next. Does “the Surge” in philanthropic giving mark the start of increased donations from Jewish donors to Jewish and Israeli causes? Or was it a one-off event, an outlier data point amid a wider trend of disaffiliation and disconnection? 

The answer matters not only as an indicator of the strength of Jewish identity and the Israel-Diaspora connection, but also in practical terms. While the renewed diplomatic push may spell an end to the war in Gaza, the increased needs of Israeli society will remain long after the guns stop firing. As we have discussed in these pages, Israeli social services are not expected to receive the government funding that they require for the foreseeable future, leaving philanthropy to fill in the gaps — or not. 

Read the rest of ‘What You Should Know’ here.

WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES

For the Anti-Defamation League, striking a balance between the left and the right has been critical in allowing the organization to maintain its ties with a wide array of government bodies and civil groups. That effort sustained a major blow last week as the FBI announced that it was cutting ties with the group, denying the ADL a significant mechanism for reporting threats and undermining its standing as a widely regarded authority on extremism. Some are concerned this leaves the Jewish community more open to threats, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitcher.

Help wanted: “At a time when antisemitism is skyrocketing, including violent attacks, we must strengthen our partnerships and deepen our engagement with communities committed to confronting hate in all its forms. Only through these efforts can we advance a safer, more inclusive society for all,” Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, told eJP. Victor Asal, professor in the Department of Political Science at University at Albany, who studies insurgency and terrorism, told eJP that while the ADL can still report threats to the FBI, they may not be treated as seriously. “By cutting ties with [the ADL], they're going to be losing access to information and resources that can sometimes, maybe not all the time, but sometimes help them,” he said. 

Read the full report here.

Bonus: A majority of Jewish Americans see antisemitism as a common Jewish experience, according to a new joint study, released today, which was commissioned by the Jewish Federations of North America and the ADL. According to the “Portrait of Antisemitic Experiences in the U.S.,” which relied on two nationally representative surveys of Jewish Americans, 55% of those surveyed experienced at least one form of antisemitism over the past year, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports…

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To mark the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 terror attacks, eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider has published a special project examining five key areas that have been utterly transformed by the massacres and their aftermath: American politics, the U.S.-Israel relationship, higher education, Jewish advocacy and Israel’s relations with the world. They asked dozens of leading thinkers and practitioners to offer their thoughts on the biggest changes that have taken place in Jewish life over the last two years. 

Some of the dozens of reflections they received:

BETSY BERNS KORN: “In my conversations around the world, we are speaking less about Jews living in Israel and Jews living in the Diaspora as separate peoples but as one community with common goals and aspirations.”

ERIC GOLDSTEIN: “Among the greatest challenges confronting American Jewry before Oct. 7 were apathy and complacency. No longer.”

LISA EISEN: “Through the pain of Oct. 7, the Jewish community strengthened its resolve to show up as proud Jews, to stand with and support the Israeli people and to fight antisemitism. … It has included reimagining Israel education, supporting organizations who embrace humanity, nuance and complexity in their work on these issues, and building alliances with those who seek spaces of unity and solidarity while moving past the extremes on both sides.”

ROBERT KRAFT: “The surge in antisemitism — and the fear, concern and vulnerability it has created — has reached levels most of us have never experienced in our lifetimes and is reminiscent of Germany in the late 1930s. … We must continue to educate Americans to the hate around us, to the hate that is directed at Jews, and non-Jews. Hate is the fuel that can ultimately lead to the destruction of our society if it is not addressed.”

See the whole project here.

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“As we mark the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks in the days of Sukkot, I am drawn to the imagery of the Arba Minim, the Four Species. Each has its own form, taste and fragrance. Alone, none can fulfill the mitzvah. Only when they are held together do they become whole,” writes First Lady of Israel Michal Herzog in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.  

Philanthropy’s role: “We are a people of many voices, backgrounds and beliefs, yet in the wake of Oct. 7, we have been bound together, like the Arba Minim, in shared responsibility. Philanthropy is the cord that ties us, binding different strands of our people — and even those beyond our people — into a unified expression of care and solidarity. … It is how we survive tragedy, how we preserve continuity and how we shape a future built on unity and hope. Just as the Arba Minim must be bound together to fulfill their purpose, so too must we. Bound together in memory, in responsibility and in philanthropy, we can heal, rebuild and carry our people forward.”

Read the full piece here.

COURTESY

On Oct. 7, 2023, “when the system failed and froze, individuals fought and rose,” writes Rabbi Doron Perez, executive chairman of the World Mizrahi movement, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy; Rabbi Perez’s son, Daniel, died in combat that day and his body was taken into Gaza, where it is still being held hostage by Hamas. “Thousands upon thousands of soldiers and civilians alike left their homes and altruistically put their lives on the line to stem the tide of terror.”

The challenge today: “The superhuman self-sacrifice shown on that Oct. 7 has continued uninterrupted for two whole years. Reservists — many of them parents and even grandparents — have left their families for repeated tours of duty, some serving their eighth tour. The spirit of service displayed by them and their families, who are paying a terrible price, reflects the best of what it means to be a Jew. … Our enemies today wish to weaken us in two ways – to weaken the internal bonds of Jewish solidarity that bind us together and to sever the connection between Judaism and the Jewish state. And it is precisely these connections that we must strengthen – courageously and heroically – wherever we find ourselves in the year 5786.”

Read the full piece here.

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“Two years have passed since Oct. 7, 2023, but the wounds of that day have not healed and the lessons cannot be forgotten,” writes Mike Leven, founder of the Jewish Future Promise, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “For me, it crystallized a painful truth: the Jewish future is not guaranteed. Not in Israel. Not in America. Not anywhere.”

A different approach to ‘Never Again’: “The days after the Oct. 7 attacks exposed something even more chilling than Hamas’s brutality. It was the silence. The hesitation. The equivocation of so many who should have been our allies. … For Jews of my generation, that silence echoed another era. We had believed that ‘Never Again’ was settled history, a vow etched into the conscience of humanity. Instead, we discovered that ‘Never Again’ is only as strong as the will to enforce it. … We cannot rely on history books or annual ceremonies to carry us forward. Memory must become action. Commitment. Investment.”

Read the full piece here.

‘Big Sukkah’ Judaism: In The Times of Israel, Noah Efron spotlights “the Israeli Sukkah,” an art-bedecked 600-meter sukkah in the port of Tel Aviv set to host 68 public events — discussions and plays, prayer and study, meals, poetry, dance and music — over the course of the holiday. “The sukkah was thought up and carried out by a new organization in the city called ‘Yahaduta,’ a portmanteau of Yahadut (Judaism) and the acronym for Tel Aviv. … Anyone who lives in Tel Aviv-Jaffa knows that in recent years, especially in this season, the city has been roiled by fights over religion in the public square. The Israeli Sukkah in the port is an answer to that. It is a demonstration of how there can rise not just different streams of Judaism — Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Renewal, secular; egalitarian and traditional; Ashkenazi and Mizrahi — but something we can all call ‘Israeli Judaism.’ It shows that, in Tel Aviv, Judaism can unite us rather than divide us.” [TOI]

An Underutilized Asset: In The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Noel Martin Rubio makes a case for nonprofits to involve their fundraising professionals in strategic discussions beyond fundraising. “Fundamentally, nonprofit development isn’t just about bringing in dollars — it’s the act of translating from the liminal space between community and capital. Every day, fundraisers frame policy debates, bridge the different ways communities and funders speak, and help people on both sides of a gift see each other more clearly. … Too often, however, nonprofits underutilize fundraisers’ unique code-switching ability. Many of us find ourselves siloed as tacticians rather than engaged as strategists. We’re routinely asked to write a case for support of a particular program after strategy for that program is already finalized — limiting our ability to translate community insights into narratives that appeal to donors.” [ChronicleofPhilanthropy]

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Thousands of people gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square yesterday for a memorial ceremony marking both the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks and the deadly terror attack at a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, in which two people were killed…

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli is clashing with the Board of Deputies of British Jews over his decision to host far-right U.K. activist Tommy Robinson in Israel this week against the objections of British Jewish leaders, who described Robinson as a “thug”…

Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan and Abraham Accords Peace Institute CEO Aryeh Lightstone are being considered for senior roles in President Donald Trump’s proposed Gaza International Transitional Authority that will administer the enclave in a post-war scenario…

Henry Hamra, a Syrian-born Jew who fled to the U.S. in 1992, is running for a seat on in Syria’s first parliamentary elections since former leader Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in December; if he wins, Hamra would be the first Jew in the legislature since 1947…

The Chronicle of Philanthropy examines the legal challenges that the Trump administration faces in its crackdown on progressive philanthropic groups…

The Washington Post talks to Israeli reservists and mental health professionals about the rise in cases of post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from the Oct. 7 attacks and ensuing war in Gaza…

The Daily Mail interviewed former Israeli hostages Daniella Gilboa and Karina Ariev about their experiences during the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks and ensuing 15 months in captivity…

David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance named Bari Weiss the editor-in-chief of CBS News this week as part of the acquisition of Weiss’ Free Press for $150 million…

Leaders at a Brookline, Mass., synagogue said an incident last week in which a Harvard Law School visiting professor shot a pellet gun near the synagogue was not fueled by antisemitism; the professor said he was shooting at rats near his home, which he was unaware was in close proximity to a synagogue…

The Montreal Jewish community has raised CAD 40 million ($28.7 million) for a communal security fund to provide greater protection to local synagogues and Jewish day schools… 

The Maryland Legislative Jewish Caucus slammed the decision by student government officials at the University of Maryland to hold a vote on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel on Yom Kippur…

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the country would withdraw from the Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is banned from the competition; France, Austria and Australia have voiced opposition to the effort to ban Israel from participating, which participating countries will vote on next month…

In The Wall Street Journal, Yeshiva University’s Stuart Halpern reviews Michael Hoberman’s Imagining Early American Jews, which dives into the Jewish American experience in the first decades following the establishment of the United States…

Czech writer Ivan Klima, whose writings recounted his childhood experiences in the Treblinka death camp, died at 94…

The Eisner Foundation awarded grants totaling $2.4 million to 17 nonprofits across the country for intergenerational programs…

Marshall Cohen, the creator of the Greater Pittsburgh Book Festival, donated his collection of more than 3,500 tomes to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh…

The National Council of Jewish Women announced on Friday that CEO Sheila Katz will step down after six years in the role. NCJW will be led in the interim by Executive Vice President Jody Rabhan… 

The Mandel Jewish Community Center of the Palm Beaches (Fla.) appointed Samantha Klein as its next CEO…

COURTESY/UJA-FEDERATION OF NEW YORK

Orna and Ronen Neutra, the parents of Cpt. Omer Neutra — whose remains were taken captive on Oct. 7, 2023, and are still being held by Hamas in Gaza — speak at a memorial event yesterday marking two years since the deadly attacks at The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Cultural Center in Manhattan. 

The event was organized by the UJA-Federation of New York, Jewish Community Relations Council of New York and Hostages and Missing Families Forum, and featured a number of freed hostages, family members of captives and representatives of local Jewish and interfaith communities.

COURTESY

Vice president of community relations at Jewish Federations of North America, following a stint as CEO of Community Security Service, Evan R. Bernstein turns 51... 

Owner of Lancaster, Pa.-based industrial supplier Samuel Miller & Son, she is a past president of Women of Reform Judaism, Rosanne Selfon... Former chairman and CEO of CBS, he is a great-nephew of David Ben-Gurion, Leslie Moonves turns 76... Awarded a Ph.D. at UCSD in space science, consultant to NASA and author of many science fiction novels, David Brin turns 75… Retired justice of the Supreme Court of Israel, Uzi Vogelman turns 71... Director of philanthropy at Temple Emanu-El of Westfield (N.J.), Elliot B. Karp... Bexley, Ohio-based real estate agent, Jan Kanas... Correspondent on the networks of NBC and author of best-selling books on Presidents Obama, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Jimmy Carter, Jonathan Alter turns 68... Spiritual leader emeritus of Congregation Ner Tamid in the Las Vegas suburbs since 1988, Rabbi Sanford Akselrad... Former member of the New Jersey General Assembly, he is now the managing director of Quest Associates, Joel M. Weingarten turns 66... Mayor of Jerusalem since 2018, Moshe Lion turns 64... Founder and CEO of Coalition Strategy Group and community relations specialist at JFNA, Jeffrey Mendelsohn... Attorney in Lakewood, N.J., where he is active on the boards of many local businesses, civic organizations and charitable institutions, Samuel Zev Brown... Member of the New York City Council representing Yorkville, Lenox Hill and Roosevelt Island, Julie Menin turns 58... Member of the Florida Senate until 2020, now an insurance agent in Boca Raton, Kevin J.G. Rader turns 57... Former member of the Arizona House of Representatives, now founder and CEO of Buzze, Aaron Lieberman turns 54... Director of sales at Convergence Workforce, Sean "Shmop" Weisbord... Actor and comedian, Brett Gelman turns 49... Senior vice president of community strategy and external relations at UJA-Federation of New York, Hindy Poupko... Senior advisor for Israel strategies at the William Davidson Foundation, Deena Eisenberg Pulitzer... and her twin sister, global event planner, Elisheva Eisenberg Goldman... Actress best known for her role in “Dredd” and more recently in “Oppenheimer,” Olivia Thirlby turns 39... Legislative director for the governor of Nevada, Madeline S. Burak...