View this email in your browser 

Good Thursday morning!

In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on the presentation of the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor in Jerusalem last night. We examine how seven Jewish foundations injected $13 million into Repair the World for a post-Oct. 7 expansion, and interview Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch about what’s at stake in the upcoming New York City mayoral election. We feature an opinion piece by Shuli Karkowsky and Elizabeth Mandel with lessons to share about navigating a nonprofit acquisition and merger, and Dammara Markowitz and Rabbi Leon A. Morris remind us that we need wells as well as walls. Also in this issue: Harley Finkelstein, Daniel S. Mariaschin and Tara Brown.

Spread the word! Invite your friends to sign up.👇

Israeli President Isaac Herzog bestowed the country’s highest civic honor, the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor, on eight Israeli citizens and a German publisher last night for their contributions to the country.

“Each and every one of our honorees tonight is a person of spirit and action, of vision and purpose,” Herzog said at the event, which was hosted at the President’s Residence. “They refused to accept the world as it is and chose instead to work for the world as it can and should be. Each of them, in their own way, has changed a corner of our reality and made it better, and for that, our gratitude and appreciation will endure forever.”

The medal, which was created in 2012 by then-President Shimon Peres, was awarded to: philanthropist Dr. Miriam Adelson, tech entrepreneur Yossi Vardi, Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif, Arab Israeli jurist George Costa Karra, Israeli Andalusian Orchestra founder Moti Malka, rehabilitation expert Dr. Avi Ohry, Yad Vashem chief historian Dina Porat, journalist Galila Ron-Feder Amit and Mathias Döpfner, CEO of the German media conglomerate Axel Springer SE.

Speaking on behalf of the recipients, Adelson noted her efforts on behalf of the hostages taken captive by terrorists during the Oct. 7 terror attacks. The Israeli-born GOP donor has been credited with encouraging President Donald Trump to take on the issue of the captives, facilitating regular meetings between the White House and hostage families. 

“I had the privilege to help raise awareness in America about the real humanitarian crisis — the hostages. Like everyone, alongside the deep grief over those we lost and those who weren’t saved, I had the immense pleasure in seeing [the captives] come out one after another from the hell of the tunnels of captivity to the Garden of Eden,” Adelson said, adding with a wry smile, “the Garden of Eden, even if not perfect, that is called the Land of Israel.”

Adelson added that while the living hostages have all returned and the remains of the slain ones have started to come back, “our mission to return our 13 captive boys has not been completed. We will not be silent, we will not rest, until they all return.”

Two recently released hostages — Matan Angrest and Segev Kalfon — were also honored at the event and called up to the stage, where they embraced Adelson.

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

SCREENSHOT

Repair the World didn’t experience a “Surge” in participation post-Oct. 7 — it was a flood. Its attendance numbers have more than doubled, and they’re still rising. “Repair was built to be a meaningful entry point to Jewish life for young people who are looking for a way to live their Jewish values outside of traditional institutional Judaism, so it made sense that when there was a ‘Surge,’ that the ‘Surge’ was really felt with us,” Cindy Greenberg, president and CEO of Repair the World, told eJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitcher. To meet the increased demand, the organization is expanding its programming, supported by a more than $13 million investment by a collaborative of seven Jewish philanthropic foundations.

Power in numbers: “It was really moving to see how many people felt a calling to return to Jewish life and immediately turned to Repair,” Lindsey Spindle, president of the Samueli Family Philanthropies, a member of the collaborative, told eJP. “There’s a practical element here that if we want to scale some proven organizations, it takes capital beyond what we have as one organization,” Spindle said. Other foundations supporting the expansion include the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Crimson Lion/Lavine Family Foundation, Einhorn Collaborative, The Marcus Foundation, Anthony Pritzker Family Foundation and The Tepper Foundation. 

Read the full report here.

SCREENSHOT

As the New York City mayoral race nears its end, Manhattan Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch has a message for his colleagues: It’s not too late to provide “leadership and clarity of perspective” to voters to oppose Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, citing the candidate’s hostility towards Israel and refusal to recognize it as a Jewish state. In an interview with Haley Cohen for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider yesterday, the senior rabbi of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, said there is still time for left-wing Jewish leaders to find their voice. Even without initiatives and statements from the Reform movement, progressive Jewish leaders can still “make a difference” by “laying out the stakes” — even as early voting begins this Saturday. 

Sense of duty: “We’ve been slow to respond to widespread, pervasive, global anti-Zionism and we’ve been slow inside the Jewish community in countering Jewish voices who are anti-Zionist,” Hirsch told JI. “We, the mainstream of the Jewish community, have an obligation to counter that ideology. If it’s not countered, it intensifies and exacerbates the problem and that relates to public candidates as well. It’s imperative for the American Jewish community to stand up and express the kinds of views that I expressed. I think more are doing so. It is a responsibility at this historic moment in time for Jewish leadership to do so.” 

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

Rabbinic rebuke: Over 800 rabbis from around the country signed on to an open letter on Wednesday voicing concern that, if elected New York City mayor, Mamdani would threaten “the safety and dignity of Jews in every city,” citing the Democratic nominee and front-runner’s antagonistic views towards Israel, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.

 LYNN RENEE PHOTOGRAPHY FOR MOVING TRADITIONS 

“Both of us have had the unfortunate experience of working with or for people who espoused feminist values — who talked the talk of empowerment and decentralizing authority — but then failed to act in alignment with those values. They hoarded power, distrusted the judgment of those around them and exercised inflexibility around how and when work was done,” write Shuli Karkowsky, CEO at Moving Traditions, and Elizabeth Mandel is the vice president of feminist programs at Moving Traditions and the founder of jGirls+ Magazine, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. 

Choosing a different approach: “In February 2025, Moving Traditions acquired jGirls+. It was a coming together of two Jewish, youth-serving, feminist organizations… Something we each tried to bring to the acquisition was a desire to learn from one another, acknowledge areas of growth and use that growth to support one another. That orientation toward continuous learning and introspection is hard, but it cemented our understanding that we would be collaborative colleagues who would always enjoy and grow from each other’s thought partnership. … We hope sharing our own paths to success will serve as a powerful example, not only for the Jewish feminist ecosystem, but for all curious and ethical organizations that want to grow sustainably and in pursuit of a stronger Jewish community.”

Read the full piece here.

JIMMY CHANG/UNSPLASH 

“For over 50 years, the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem has witnessed the transformative power of Jewish education. Alumni of Pardes now lead synagogues, schools, Hillels, federations and organizations across North America. What unites them is not a defensive crouch against antisemitism, but a deep confidence born of literacy and rootedness,” write Rabbi Leon A. Morris, the Pardes Institute’s president and CEO, and Dammara Markowitz, chair of its Israel Board of Directors, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.  

What lies at the core: “Since Oct. 7, 2023 Jewish philanthropy has surged to meet the crisis of antisemitism. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been mobilized for campus advocacy, security and public messaging campaigns designed to combat hatred and misinformation. With the release of the living hostages, Jonathan Greenblatt rightly reminds us that ‘the existential crisis that the Jewish Diaspora has experienced over these last 24 months is not going away’ (‘The hostages are home. The fight is far from over,’ eJP, Oct. 16). … Our community’s survival cannot rest solely on building stronger walls. It must also depend on filling the well at the center, cultivating Jews who are confident, literate and inspired by the richness of their tradition. … If all we can do is declare our Jewishness to the outside world but cannot articulate its content, values or meaning to ourselves, we will have safeguarded the shell but not the substance of Jewish life.”

Read the full piece here.

Stop Projecting Victimhood: In the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent, Paul Goldenberg, one of the co-founders of the Secure Community Network, calls for a different approach to the scourge of antisemitism in the U.S. today. “Antisemitism has risen in rhetoric and action, but responding with endless warnings, often linked to blanket fundraising appeals to support the battle against antisemitism, projects a posture of helplessness, which serves to deepen the problem. True security comes not from isolation, but from integration and being recognized not as pitiful victims but as indispensable participants in the civic and democratic fabric of America. Jews have been woven deeply into American business, politics, culture and civic life. We were seen not as beggars for acceptance, but as builders of America’s success. That identity must be reclaimed.” [JewishExponent]

Health Care On Wheels: In the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Andrew Bendheim explores how scaling mobile health care can address issues like health-care deserts and underutilization of preventative medicine in the United States. “There are a few thousand mobile health care efforts scattered across the country, supported by a mix of funding, primarily from philanthropy. … But investments like these can easily go to waste if mobile health care does not thrive and scale as a sector. Changing health-care systems requires dedicated, long-term, collaborative commitment. We need sector convenings where mobile health care, philanthropy, state and local government, community organizations, health-care providers, insurers, and equipment providers can gather and partner.” [SSIR]

Communicate to Connect: In The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Matt Watkins shares advice for funders and nonprofits focused on strengthening democracy. “The field talks about ‘strengthening institutions,’ ‘fortifying civic infrastructure,’ and ‘defending democratic norms,’ careful phrases that rarely sound human and root democracy in offices and courtrooms instead of classrooms, clinics, or grocery stores. … Philanthropy’s language does not stay within its walls. It travels through grantees, campaigns, and media statements, becoming the voice the public hears when democracy is defended. Philanthropy’s purpose has always been to fill gaps where the market cannot or the state will not. Today, one of the greatest gaps is linguistic. In a time when many Americans question whether democracy still works for them, the sector has both the chance and the responsibility to make it feel real again.” [ChronicleofPhilanthropy]

Deepen your knowledge and pursue advanced Jewish learning with purpose. Spertus Institute’s Jewish Studies programs offer flexible MA and Doctoral programs for those seeking meaningful, advanced study. Begin your academic journey – Learn More Here! 

Curious about a future where AI becomes part of end-of-life and grief support? Join the Shomer Collective Convening Nov 5 to explore this and more as we connect, learn, and talk Jewishly about death.

Be featured: Email us to sponsor content with the eJP readership of your upcoming event, job opening or other communication.

Time magazine interviews President Donald Trump about how he pushed through the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas earlier this month… 

The California Faculty Association, which opposed a recent effort to to combat antisemitism in California schools, is distributing a questionnaire to political candidates in the state asking them if they had ever accepted money from AIPAC or the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California, the latter of which is a coalition of nonprofits and progressive associations and does not make political contributions…

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attended the opening yesterday of the Finkelstein Chabad Jewish Centre in Ottawa, which was built with support from Shopify President Harley Finkelstein…

The Times of Israel does a deep dive into how Israelis’ relationships with religion and spirituality have — and haven’t — shifted in response to the Oct. 7 attacks and the resulting two years of war…

The Financial Times examines the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s efforts to carve out a postwar role for itself in the Strip…

Liberty University launched a Center for Israel to deepen its Christian students’ relationships with Israel; the center will be led by Troy W. Temple, with former Gaza Humanitarian Foundation chair Rev. Johnnie Moore serving as its senior founding fellow…

The British nonprofit Jewish Sexual Abuse Support, also known as Migdal Emunah, is shutting down due to financial insolvency after assisting more than 300 people over its 12 years of operations…

Puck looks into the $100 million lawsuit between YouTube philanthropist Jimmy Donaldson, better known as Mr. Beast, and restaurateur Robert Earl…

The International Olympic Committee recommended that global sporting events no longer be held in Indonesia, following Jakarta’s decision to refuse visas to Israeli athletes who qualified for this week’s World Artistic Gymnastics Championships… 

Rabbi Louis Scheiner was spotted speaking with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) at a wedding in Los Angeles…

Apple executive Philip Schiller donated $9 million to the New England Aquarium to support its efforts to “increase environmentally responsible practices in a rapidly growing ocean (blue) economy”...

Tara Brown has been named the next CEO of Momentum, succeeding Ben Pery, who has served in the role for 13 years…

The Jewish Home & Care Center Foundation, which operates a number of assisted-living facilities in the Milwaukee area, hired Chad Tessmer as its next president…

CHAIM GOLDBERG/FLASH90

Former hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, with his arm in a sling, attends the funeral ceremony today of slain hostage Tamir Adar at Kibbutz Nir Oz.

SCREENSHOT/KAN

Israeli journalist who has written for Davar and Yedioth Ahronoth, he won the Israel Prize in 2007, Nahum Barnea turns 81... 

Chairman emeritus of the shopping mall developer Simon Property Group and the principal owner of the NBA's Indiana Pacers, Herbert "Herb" Simon turns 91... Distinguished university professor of American and Jewish studies at the State University of New York at New Paltz, Gerald Sorin turns 85... Attorney best known for his role as special master for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund and for similar roles in a number of mass torts, Kenneth Feinberg turns 80... Neuro-ophthalmologist, academic, author and researcher, he is vice-chair of ophthalmology at UCLA, Alfredo Arrigo Sadun, M.D. turns 75... Screenwriter and television producer, best known for his work on “Star Trek,” Ira Steven Behr turns 72... Filmmaker, actor and producer famous for creating the cult horror “Evil Dead” series, as well as directing the original “Spider-Man” trilogy, Sam Raimi turns 66… Founder and CEO of global outsourcing company TeleTech (now TTEC) with over 50,000 employees on six continents, Kenneth D. Tuchman turns 66... Founder of the New Democrat Network in 1996, he closed it down in 2024, Simon Rosenberg turns 62... Author of 100 children's and young adult fiction books that have sold more than 35 million copies worldwide, Gordon Korman turns 62... Former editor-in-chief of The New York Observer, Kenneth Kurson turns 57... Member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors until her surprise retirement this past August, she is a tenured professor of public policy at Georgetown, Adriana Debora Kugler turns 56... President of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine and vice president of the World Jewish Congress, Boris Lozhkin turns 54... Film director, producer and talent agent, best known for his two-year marriage to Meghan Markle starting in 2011, Trevor Engelson turns 49... Senior director of strategic operations at SRE Network, following 8 years at J Street, Shaina Wasserman... President of Renco Group, a family-owned private holding company founded by his father, Ira Rennert, Ari Rennert turns 47... Communications consultant, she was a senior advisor to Rohit Chopra, the former director at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Allison Preiss... Minister delegate for European Affairs in the French government, Benjamin Haddad turns 40... Cartoonist for The New Yorker, Amy Kurzweil turns 39... Director of development at Mabua Israeli Beit Midrash, Ayelet Kahane... Senior associate in the Washington office of Hogan Lovells, Annika Lichtenbaum... Former speechwriter and special assistant at the U.S. Department of Labor, now a sales manager at Orangetheory Fitness, Rachel Shabad... Vice president of content marketing and partnerships at SiriusXM, Allison Rachesky... Richard Rubenstein...