Your Daily Phil |
JULY 14, 2026
GOOD TUESDAY MORNING.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we sit down with World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder in his Manhattan office for an in-depth interview and report on the newly appointed world chairman of Keren Hayesod, Eli Vered Hazan. We feature an opinion piece by Alex Pomson and Allison Magagnosc responding to the collaborative “State of Jewish Education” op-ed published last month in eJP, and a piece by Sarah Rubinson Levy addresses pushback against screens and AI in Jewish schools. Also in this issue: Todd Polikoff, Joan Grayson Cohen and Brad Parscale.
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What We're Watching
The Knesset yesterday passed a contentious Basic Law designating Torah study a “foundational value” of the state, granting it quasi-constitutional status as part of an effort to preserve broad exemptions from military service for Haredi Israelis.
The Congressional Caucus on Black-Jewish Relations is getting a private tour of the National Building Museum today to see two new exhibits, including “A Better Life for Their Children: Julius Rosenwald, Booker T. Washington, and the 4,978 Schools that Changed America,” about the efforts by the Jewish businessman and Black educator to build schools for Black children across the South in the early 20th century.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD FROM eJP'S JUDAH ARI GROSS
Nearly every surface in Ronald Lauder’s office on the 42nd floor of the General Motors Building in Midtown Manhattan has a clock on it. And all of them were ticking away as he spoke with eJewishPhilanthropy about his past, the Jewish community’s troubling present and his hopes for its future, in one of his first extended interviews in years.
The clocks, of course, are also a metaphor. Lauder, 82, announced earlier this year that he will not seek reelection when his term as president of the World Jewish Congress ends in 2029, and his mind is occupied with both finding a specific successor for that role and, more broadly, encouraging the next generation of Jewish leaders to step up, particularly in Jewish education. He was also explicit that this is the reason why he agreed to be interviewed.
“The thing I need most from you is to say to the people in their 30s and 40s, you have to, have to put money into schools. That's your future. These people have billions of dollars, and they're doing bubkes,” he said, using the Yiddish for nothing. “[They have to do] whatever they can do for educating the kids. Because we're losing a whole generation of kids.”
News
TRANSITIONS
Past, present and future tents
Eli Vered Hazan, Israel’s ambassador to Singapore, has been approved to serve as the next world chair of Keren Hayesod, the foreign fundraising arm of Israel’s “National Institutions,” reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross.
Bibi’s buddy: Though now serving in a civil servant role, Hazan has deep ties to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud party, serving as a spokesperson for the party and as Netanyahu’s policy advisor when Netanyahu served as opposition leader in 2021. Hazan also previously served as vice president for public diplomacy at the Jerusalem Institute of Justice.
Opinion
READERS RESPOND
From the treetops to the ground: What educators are carrying now
In an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy, Alex Pomson and Allison Magagnosc of Rosov Consulting offer a different tack following a June 4 op-ed in eJP on the state of the field of Jewish education, penned from the perspective of eight leaders in their sectors (early childhood education, adult learning, on-campus efforts and more).
“Leaders are often best positioned to see the whole forest: the investments, vulnerabilities and opportunities that define the field’s future. But there is another view we need as well. What does the same landscape look like from the ground? What do these field-level challenges manifest when they are carried by educators in classrooms, camps, campuses, early childhood centers, congregations, JCCs, Federations and other communal settings? That question is at the heart of GELS: The Growing Educators and Leaders Study, a longitudinal study of more than 600 Jewish educators across North America, conducted by Rosov Consulting with support from the Jim Joseph Foundation.”
TECH TALK
Fear is not a strategy: Why Jewish education cannot afford a digital retreat
In an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy, educational consultant Sarah Rubinson Levy examines what went wrong with education’s embrace of digital technology in the classroom in recent years.
“We digitized classrooms without fundamentally rethinking instruction. We invested in devices before investing in educators. We measured technology adoption instead of meaningful learning. We confused access with innovation. Now, faced with the unintended consequences of those decisions, some schools are choosing to reverse course entirely. That may feel like progress, but it isn't.”
Worthy Reads
So Long For Now: In an extended Facebook post, American Israeli comedian Benji Lovitt, whose humor largely focuses on explaining life in Israel to an English-speaking audience, announces he is leaving Israel and relocating to Austin, Texas, primarily for financial reasons. “A few months ago, I got stuck in the States during the Iran war, with many of my friends here telling me not to rush to come back. And I asked myself, ‘what tangible things are pulling me back?’ When, for a variety of reasons, it became harder and harder to make a living over the years, it took a toll. And then it just hit me. I need a change. I'm too old to not be happy and as much as I love this place, my life isn't what I want and need.”
Holy Resistance: On her blog, “Life is a Sacred Text,” Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg argues that Jewish law provides legitimate grounds for workers to request religious accommodations exempting them from employer mandates to use generative AI. “For, even if people somehow manage to train AI models out of their biases (please God), it is the humanity, and the pursuit of the right and the good – and tending to the ineffable core of who we are – that is an inextricable part of the Jewish project. As we are commanded in the both literal and figurative center of the Torah: You shall be holy (Leviticus 19:2).”
Canadians Checking Out: National Post interviews Shopify President Harley Finkelstein, who says antisemitism in Canada has become normalized and that some Jewish families are now considering leaving the country. “Councils and frameworks don’t protect anyone on their own. Enforcement does. Consequences do. The test isn’t whether the government describes the problem well. It’s whether a Jewish family feels safer walking into their community centre a year from now.”
Beyond Complaints: In a post on LinkedIn, Aaron Family Jewish Community Center’s Todd Polikoff urges nonprofit leaders to remember that complaining is not a strategy, instead arguing that they should stop dwelling on what's wrong and instead act on smaller and more concrete solutions. “None of this requires abandoning honesty about how hard things are. It requires refusing to let that honesty be the whole strategy.”
Community Comms
SPONSORED | Email us to place an advertisement to the eJP readership of your upcoming event, job opening or other announcement.
Transitions
Jewish Council for Public Affairs appointed Walter E. Spiegel as its new board chair, succeeding Leslie Dannin Rosenthal. In addition, Shawn Landres was named vice chair of the board, which added five new members: John B. Harris, Suellen Kadis, Rabbi Lewis H. Kamrass, Hank Kaplan and Brandon Rattiner…
Joan Grayson Cohen announced her upcoming retirement as CEO of Baltimore’s Jewish Community Services after 32 years. Cohen will step down in June 2027…
Santa Barbara, Calif.-based nonprofit Unite to Light has named Holocaust survivor Eva Haller to its board of directors…
Maya Ruttenberg joined American Friends of Tel Aviv University as its new associate vice president of development…
Gray Aftor has been tapped by AIPAC as a director on its Wall Street team…
Word on the Street
Congregation Sha'ar Zahav, one of San Francisco's LGBTQ synagogues, shifted part of its endowment into impact investing — including a loan to a nonprofit supporting low-income female entrepreneurs — with the goal of driving positive social change while still earning a steady financial return…
The United Kingdom banned Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right after determining both organizations carried out a series of arson and vandalism attacks on Jewish sites in Britain…
Time magazine highlights the work of former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale, who is running a $1.5 million-a-month Israeli-funded influence operation targeting young conservatives online though some U.S. and Israeli officials now believe the effort has backfired…
The Wall Street Journal examines how real estate buyers like Ken Griffin and Larry Ellison are increasingly buying up neighboring properties to assemble large private compounds, resulting in a surge in luxury land searches…
An independent U.K. government-commissioned evaluation found that World Jewish Relief's STEP Ukraine program has supported over 13,000 displaced Ukrainians since its inception, boosting their employment outcomes and generating an estimated £31.5 million ($42 million) in economic and social benefits for the U.K.…
Jewish Federations of North America came out in support of the bipartisan Stop the Fakes Act, which would require labeling AI-generated content to help combat online antisemitism and deepfakes…
The Jewish Federation of Detroit and the Secure Community Network expanded their security partnership following the Temple Israel attack, adding AI-powered threat monitoring and closer coordination with federal law enforcement…
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland released its 2026-2027 allocations, which included an increase in overseas funding to $13.5 million this year, with most going to Jewish Federations of North America and Cleveland's own overseas projects…
Federal prosecutors have charged four men in separate Georgia cases over the past year for antisemitic threats against Jewish individuals and institutions in the Atlanta area, including the local Jewish federation…
Politico examines how Vice President JD Vance's defense of the Iran ceasefire and criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have alienated some pro-Israel Jewish GOP donors, exposing cracks in his coalition ahead of a likely 2028 run — even as other prominent Jewish Republicans continue to back him…
The Trump administration plans to launch a major diplomatic offensive against the International Criminal Court, furthering the White House’s long-running battle against the international organization, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Monday, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports…
Photo of the Day
COURTESY/CAMP SIMCHA
A Camp Simcha counselor (middle left) greets a camper (middle right) surrounded by staff and volunteers at the arrival dance party at the first of four sessions at Camp Simcha Special, a camp for children with serious or debilitating chronic disorders, in Glen Spey, N.Y. The session ended yesterday.
“The warmth, care and energy are felt in every aspect of camp life," Jana Sinclair, a parent whose daughter, Maya, has attended the camp for 10 years, told eJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitcher yesterday. “Arrival day is an experience in and of itself. The few times I dropped off my daughter at camp, I was welcomed by the staff with open arms, hugs, kisses, music, dancing, food and tons of water. Anything to make us relaxed and comfortable. They knew Maya before she even set foot on the premises and were just as eager to meet her as we were to meet them. This unique Simcha energy is what gave Maya hope during her darkest times during the year — knowing that she would be going back to her happy place gave her something to look forward to.”
Birthdays
MIKE MULHOLLAND/GETTY IMAGES
David Lipsky, professional golfer with four tournament wins in the Asian and European tours, turns 38
Sandee Holleb, past president of Congregation B'nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim in Deerfield, Ill.
Moshe Safdie, architect and urban designer, he is identified with Habitat 67, a housing complex built in conjunction with Expo 67 (the 1967 Montreal World's Fair), turns 88
Steve Stone, MLB pitcher for 11 seasons, now a sportscaster and author, he won the Cy Young Award and was an MLB All Star in 1980, turns 79
Susan Farrell, Los Angeles resident
Joel Silver, film producer, best known for the “Lethal Weapon” series, the first two “Die Hard” movies and the “Matrix” trilogy, turns 74
Scott Rudin, film and theatrical producer, in 2012 he became the first producer to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award, turns 68
Scott M. Shagrin, co-founder and managing director of Beverly Hills Private Wealth
Howard Lutnick, U.S. secretary of commerce, turns 65
Phil Rosenthal, media columnist for the Chicago Tribune until 2021, turns 63
Michèle Taylor, U.S. representative to the U.N. Human Rights Council during the last three years of the Biden administration, she is the daughter and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, Ambassador, turns 60
Brian Selznick, illustrator and author best known as the writer of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, turns 60
Daniel Eli Cohen, principal at Oakland, Calif.-based Full Court Press Communications and a past president of the Oakland Hebrew Day School
David S. Frockt, member of the Washington State Senate until 2023, turns 57
Renee Wizig-Barrios, president and CEO at the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston
William "Bill" Braunstein, rapper and record producer from Brooklyn known as “Ill Bill,” he is the producer, founder and CEO of Uncle Howie Records, turns 54
David Emil Reich, professor in the department of genetics at the Harvard Medical School, turns 52
Elliot Mathias, COO at Aish Global
Dorit Kemsley, fashion designer and cast member on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” turns 50
Emily Peters-Kagan, retired mixed martial artist, now a life coach, turns 45
Ben Silbermann, co-founder and executive chairman of Pinterest, turns 44
Tehillah Braun, interior designer and owner of Tribe By Design
Daniel B. Jeydel, founder at Bashert Group and head of a NYC-based family office
Rachel Giattino, associate vice president for grantmaking at Hillel International, she is on the board of the Siegel JCC of Delaware
Nicole Friedman, reporter covering housing and the home building industry for The Wall Street Journal
Rabbi Menachem Shemtov, director of Chabad Georgetown and rabbi at the Pentagon, turns 36
Elizabeth Morgan “Lizzy” Brenner, creator of the Instagram feed called Second Date Shadchan
Abby Meyers, collegiate basketball star for Princeton and Maryland, now playing for Perfumerías Avenida of Spain's Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, turns 27
David Rosenberg-Wohl, attorney and founder of In Every Generation
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