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Good Thursday morning!

In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we reflect on the latest developments at the World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem and report on the sudden collapse of a power-sharing agreement between the center-left and center-right blocs. We also interview Beth Oppenheim, the incoming CEO of the embattled immigration advocacy group HIAS. We feature an opinion piece by Heidi Dormody and Shari Edelstein spotlighting the approach of Boulder, Colo., Jewish organizations to emergency funding allocation following the violent antisemitic attack on the community in June; and one by Anna Langer and Mimi Kravetz about forging new and renewed relationships with Israel. Also in this issue: Rabbi Seth Farber, Alon Ohel and Judge Jerry Orbach.

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Some of the highest ideals and pettiest politics of the World Zionist Congress were on display yesterday at the so-called “parliament of the Jewish people,” as the various factions were on the brink of a power-sharing agreement, which fell apart hours after it was announced over the proposed appointment of the Israeli prime minister’s oft-combative son to a senior ranking position in the World Zionist Organization.

The intention to place Yair Netanyahu, one of the most divisive figures in Israeli politics, at the head of a WZO department was deemed an absolute nonstarter by the centrist Yesh Atid party and the Conservative movement, which had led the negotiations for the center-left bloc.

Though the negotiating teams resumed their work this morning, as of this writing, the congress is left in limbo, without a coalition agreement to determine who leads and controls the sizeable budgets of the so-called National Institutions: Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, which controls more than 10% of the land of Israel; Keren Hayesod, a major international fundraising organization; the Jewish Agency for Israel, which oversees immigration to Israel and runs education programs around the world, among other things; and the WZO, which supports Zionist initiatives in Israel and the Diaspora.

The deal collapsed as hundreds of delegates gathered yesterday in the main auditorium of the Jerusalem International Convention Center, colloquially known as Binyanei Ha’Uma, the “buildings of the nation.” Inside, the more than 700 delegates voted on a range of resolutions and constitutional amendments, from banal affirmations of the importance of Hebrew education and unanimous agreements to help address Israel’s mental health crisis to more controversial topics like a call to allocate WZO resources toward strengthening ties to Christian Zionists (which failed to pass) and a statement opposing a Knesset bill that would heavily tax foreign government funding of Israeli nonprofits (which did pass). 

As news entered the hall that the coalition deal had dissolved, a new resolution was proposed and passed to halt the proceedings and extend the congress by two weeks to allow for further negotiations, though a new agreement may be reached before then. The juxtaposition of the coalition agreement falling apart primarily due to internal Israeli politics while mostly Diaspora Jews voted on largely declaratory gestures exposed the unfulfilled potential of the World Zionist Congress.

For Israelis, the significance of the National Institutions is overwhelmingly — almost solely — practical. It is the land they control, the money they have and the jobs within them that can be awarded to political allies and supporters. For Diaspora Jews, the World Zionist Congress offers a rare venue where they can freely and passionately debate issues related to Israel and Zionism, without consideration for communal unity or the politeness that is expected back home. It is also of practical significance, but one based more on values and high ideals, rather than quotidian concerns.

When the dust settles and a deal is eventually struck, both sides of the Israel-Diaspora equation could learn from one another, for those in Israel to embrace the naive wonder and power of Jewish Peoplehood — and not just the power of the purse — and for those abroad to think far more seriously about how the National Institutions can further their agendas beyond rhetoric. 

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

JUDAH ARI GROSS/EJEWISHPHILANTHROPY

In a dramatic shake-up, a coalition agreement between the center-left and center-right blocs of the World Zionist Congress fell apart suddenly on Wednesday night, hours after it was struck, after the Likud announced that it planned to name the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pugilistic son, Yair, to a top World Zionist Organization post, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross from the plenary.

The deal that was: The power-sharing agreement would have seen the two blocs split control of the WZO and Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, swapping the leadership halfway through the five-year term, a WZO official told eJP. Rabbi Doron Perez, the chair of the religious Zionist World Mizrachi movement and the father of Capt. Daniel Perez, who was killed in the Oct. 7 attacks and whose remains were held captive by Hamas until earlier this month, would have been named WZO chair. Meir Cohen, a Knesset member of the Yesh Atid party, would serve as chair of KKL-JNF. After two and a half years, the WZO would be chaired by an as-yet-undecided representative of Yesh Atid, and KKL-JNF would be chaired by an as-yet-undecided representative of the Likud party.

Read the full report here.

COURTESY/HIAS

After a decade during which HIAS' refugee resettlement work boomed, the last two years have posed a major challenge to the immigration advocacy group. First, a budget discrepancy forced the group to cut 20% of its staff between February 2024 and January 2025. Then, President Donald Trump slashed refugee and foreign aid, canceling contracts with HIAS, the agency laid off hundreds of staff members and shuttered many of its international offices. And the White House has been cracking down on immigration, visa programs and asylum claims. This is the landscape that Beth Oppenheim will now navigate, having been named CEO of HIAS earlier this month.

Oppenheim sat down with eJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitcher for a series of interviews to discuss her goals for the organization as well as how HIAS is maneuvering these tumultuous times. 

JD: How are you weighing funding right now, when it comes to depending on government and philanthropy?

BO: We knew cuts would come. We just didn't know the extent. One of the things that we were thinking through was, how do you create an operating model where you're still doing good and you're actually able to be nimble and not dependent on any one funder. It's not even so much about the U.S. government, just that you don't want to ever be dependent on any one funder. How do we build out our relationships with the Jewish community to make sure that we have a good mix of individual funders, private philanthropy, making sure that people understand the extent to which that the cuts have impacted HIAS?

JD: How do you respond to detractors who say HIAS is not a Jewish organization as it now primarily helps non-Jewish immigrants?

BO: I wouldn't call [the person who said that] a HIAS detractor. We, like any organization, could do a better job of bringing people along [to show] how the identities of displaced people have changed, why that's been the case and the fact that we are still helping Jews. That's a pretty big misconception. We have helped thousands of Jewish Ukrainians extremely recently, including both in Europe as well as here in the United States.

Read the full interview here.

ANDY CROSS/MEDIANEWS GROUP/THE DENVER POST VIA GETTY IMAGES 

“Following the devastating antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colo., on June 1, local Jewish organizations faced the familiar challenge of securing adequate crisis funding. The attack had shaken the community to its core, leaving physical damage, emotional trauma and urgent financial needs in its wake. But rather than engaging in the typical scramble for resources, these organizations chose a different path,” write Heidi Dormody, senior director of development at the Boulder JCC, and Shari Edelstein, a grant writer and member of the Boulder Jewish community, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. 

A profound understanding: “When the needs exceeded available funds, in an extraordinary display of communal responsibility, every organization voluntarily reduced its respective funding request to ensure more equitable distribution. This wasn't mandated by funders or imposed by external pressure. It was a choice, one which reflected a profound understanding that their fates were intertwined — that the strength of each organization depended on the health of the entire ecosystem. … The Boulder example suggests that when communities face their darkest moments, collaborative funding models not only distribute resources more effectively, but they also help rebuild the social fabric that tragedy threatens to tear apart.”

Read the full piece here.

YARON GELLER

“‘The Surge’ we’ve been tracking at Jewish Federations of North America … [has] been marked by emotional intensity and tangible impacts: increased connection to Israel, more time spent with other Jews, greater participation in communal programs and renewed interest in Jewish learning. It’s driven by a powerful mix of care, concern and complexity around Israel and its impacts on us,” write Anna Langer, vice president of North American Israel strategy for JFNA and acting executive director of the Israel Educational Travel Alliance, and Mimi Kravetz, JFNA’s chief impact and growth officer, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. 

At a crossroads: “More than two years later, we face crucial questions: How can we retain, strengthen and deepen these enriched connections to Israel as the fog of war begins to lift? And how can we move forward with education and conversations that forge new and renewed relationships with Israel and Israelis to build the future we wish to see? … The Surge data tells us that the challenge isn’t disengagement: it’s how to hold space for a community that is both deeply connected and deeply divided, and how to give people the confidence to enter learning with all their questions. This moment demands action. So, what can we do now at this critical juncture?”

Read the full piece here.

Something Earned, Not Conferred: In The Jerusalem Post, Rabbi Seth Farber notes that two of America’s most prominent, Israel-supporting rabbis — Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove — are not recognized as rabbis by Israeli authorities. “This moment reminds us that Jewish representation in the world doesn’t always align with institutional authority. The Chief Rabbinate can issue certificates of recognition; the public square awards a different kind of legitimacy — the kind earned by courage, empathy, and clarity. To the average viewer, a rabbi defending Israel on television is not Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform. They are simply ‘a rabbi,’ a Jewish leader. And in that space, denominational boundaries disappear. What matters is not who conferred the ordination, but whether the voice speaks to the conscience.” [JPost]

Relationship Status: It’s Complicated: In the National Catholic Reporter, Rabbi Yehiel E. Poupko considers the past and future of Christian-Jewish relations in light of the 60th anniversary of the Nostra Aetate declaration. “The destruction of European Jewry in the very bosom of Christianity [during World War II] shook the foundation and efficacy of Christian faith. The Jewish return to sovereignty refuted the traditional Christian view of the Jewish people wandering homeless for rejecting Christianity. But this launched extreme end-times eschatologies, where the Jewish people are merely supporting players to a final Christian destiny, or obstacles to radical fundamentalist goals like those of Hamas. ... In this decisive moment, what do the churches have to say to the Jewish people about their standing in our future?” [NationalCatholicReporter]

What Gives?: In The Chronicle of Philanthropy, philanthropic advisor Sofia Michelakis observes that, based on their scores on Forbes’ list of America’s 400 richest people, more than 90% of the most wealthy individuals have deployed less than 10% of their wealth through philanthropy. “I know many ultra-high-net-wealth individuals and families who would like to give more. So why don’t they just write bigger checks? Because as I’ve observed, and as organizations like the National Center for Family Philanthropy have documented, several hurdles related to time, decision making, and behavior stand in the way of giving more. … Fortunately, there’s a simple answer to this problem: Wealthy donors need to behave more like the Forbes 400 outliers. In turn, nonprofits contemplating strategies for reaching this group should consider how these barriers may be standing in the way of giving and what they can do to help knock them down.” [ChronicleofPhilanthropy]

Thoughts and Prayers: In the Jewish Journal, Tevi Troy reflects on the prayers — by his estimate, in the billions — recited by Jews over the past two years for the hostages in Gaza. “The sustaining of hope through prayer is often derided in Western liberal societies. But the hostages themselves have attested to the power of prayer in giving them not only hope, but agency. And that gave them a grasp on life itself. … Even as we prayed for the hostages, most people had little expectation that they would survive the horrors that Hamas had in store for them. I myself wondered whether these prayers would have any effectiveness, even as I dutifully said them, day in and day out, for two years. And while we mourn the 83 who did not make it, we must also celebrate the miracle that 168 of them have survived, an outcome no one would have imagined possible two years ago.” [JewishJournal]

In 1947, most Jewish students in Iran attended Jewish-run schools. By 1977, more than half attended non-Jewish schools. What happened? Learn what accounted for this shift at Spertus Institute’s free online workshop, Interreligious Encounters: Jewish Education in Modern Iran. Thursday, Nov. 6, 12:30-1:30 CST (on Zoom). Reserve your spot.    

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

Responding to historic levels of antisemitism in the U.S., the Anti-Defamation League and Gibson Dunn LLP announced yesterday a new joint network offering pro bono legal assistance to victims of antisemitic incidents. The new initiative joins an already crowded space of Jewish groups offering legal services, including the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, The Lawfare Project and StandWithUs, reports Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen…

Recently freed Israeli hostage Alon Ohel appeared at the end of Israel’s popular sketch comedy show, “Eretz Nehederet,” playing the piano as the cast sang David Broza’s “Under the Sky,” in a widely acclaimed performance…

The Associated Press highlights various nonprofits providing support for those impacted by Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean…

The AP also interviews Habitat for Humanity CEO Jonathan Reckford about his 20 years in the role…

Despite increasing calls to boycott Israeli cultural institutions, two Israeli filmmakers recently won major awards at U.S. film festivals…

In the final Quinnipiac poll before Tuesday’s New York City mayoral election, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo leads Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani by a 44-point margin among Jewish voters…

South Carolina opened a special nonprofit fund, which is normally used for natural disaster relief, to provide food assistance to residents of the state who normally receive SNAP benefits, which are set to expire on Saturday…

The Forward spotlights the efforts of retired Illinois Judge Jerry Orbach to salvage stained glass windows from shuttering synagogues… 

An inquest into the attack on a synagogue in Manchester, U.K., on Yom Kippur found that one of the attack’s two victims was mistakenly killed by a single police bullet as he attempted to hold the synagogue’s door closed, while another congregant died of multiple stab wounds after being attacked by Jihad Al-Shamie…

DAZN is teaming up with FIFA to relaunch FIFA+, a global soccer streaming service; DAZN founder and chair Len Blavatnik and FIFA President Gianni Infantino inked the deal in Riyadh on Wednesday, joined by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman…

The Ballmer Group pledged $150 million to the for-profit Vistria and Avanath investment firms in support of their affordable housing initiatives…

The Edward Fein Charitable Trust donated $100 million to the University of California San Francisco for its memory and aging center, which will be renamed the Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging Center…

Arnold Ventures announced 20 research grants totaling more than $5 million to support criminal justice research…

Following an allocation of nearly $500,000 this summer, the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington is distributing an additional $375,000 to support security for 30 different local Jewish organizations… 

The Marcus Foundation has gifted a three-year grant for an as-yet-undisclosed amount to the Atlanta Rabbinical Association to support the organization’s reinvigoration and expand study opportunities at Emory University…

Billionaire Tom Golisano has pledged more than $250 million to six children’s hospitals throughout the country, which will form an alliance that will be named for the philanthropist…

MacKenzie Scott donated $60 million to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy…

With the New York City mayoral election drawing closer, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has donated $1.5 million to a super PAC supporting Andrew Cuomo’s bid…

COURTESY/JCC ASSOCIATION

Singer Rick Recht performs on Monday at the opening of the JCC Association of North America’s ProCon 2025 gathering in Minneapolis. Nearly 700 Jewish community professionals, thought leaders and partners attended the annual professional development conference, which was titled “Celebrating Our Connection.”

SEAN ZANNI/PATRICK MCMULLAN VIA GETTY IMAGES

President of New York University since July 2023, she is the first Jewish individual and first woman to serve in that role, Linda Gayle Mills turns 68... 

 Winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for his biographies of Robert Moses and Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert Caro turns 90… Former president of the University of Minnesota and chancellor of the University of Texas System and current president of the University of California, Mark Yudof turns 81... Actor, best known for his portrayal of Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli in the "Happy Days" sitcom, Henry Winkler turns 80... NBC anchor, reporter and commentator, she is married to former Fed Chair Alan Greenspan, Andrea Mitchell turns 79... South African-born rabbi, now leading Kehillat Bnei Aharon in Raanana, Israel, David Lapin turns 76... Professor of physics at Syracuse University, Peter Reed Saulson turns 71... Former basketball player for five seasons with the NBA's Phoenix Suns, now a managing director at CBIZ, Joel Bruce Kramer turns 70... Israeli violinist, violist and conductor, Shlomo Mintz turns 68... Meat packing executive, sentenced to 27 years in prison in 2009 for fraud, his sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump in 2017 after serving eight years, Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin turns 66... Former CEO and later executive chairman of Qualcomm, now CEO of Globalstar, he is a co-owner of the NBA's Sacramento Kings, Paul E. Jacobs turns 63... Partner in the D.C. office of Cadwalader, he previously served as the attorney general of Maryland, Douglas F. "Doug" Gansler turns 63... Partner and co-founder of the Irvine, Calif. law firm of Wolfe & Wyman, Stuart B. Wolfe... Global head of public policy at Apollo Global Management, David Krone... White House correspondent for The New York Times and a political analyst for CNN, Maggie Haberman turns 52... Principal in the D.C. office of Korn Ferry, Jeremy Seth Gold... Assistant secretary for investment security at the U.S. Treasury during the Biden administration, now a partner at Latham & Watkins, Paul M. Rosen turns 47... Public information officer of the City and County of Denver, Joshua Eric Rosenblum... Businesswoman, fashion designer, author and former White House advisor, Ivanka 'Yael' Trump turns 44... Magician, author and lecturer, Joshua Jay turns 44... Founding director at Tech Tribe and director of social media for Chabad, Mordechai Lightstone... Bioinformatics scientist at Specifica, she earned a Ph.D in Genetics from Stanford and was on the 2010 U.S. Olympic Biathlon team, Laura Spector turns 38... Senior congressional reporter for Punchbowl News, Ally Mutnick... Vice president of public affairs at the American Petroleum Institute, Rebecca Schieber Brown... Senior spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, Mia Ehrenberg...