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Good Thursday morning!

In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we speak with Abi Dauber Sterne, co-founder of For the Sake of Argument, about her organization’s new qualitative study of anti-Zionist Jews, and report on yesterday’s announced closure of the Israel education-focused iCenter. We feature opinion pieces by Andrés Spokoiny and Laura Kam offering their takes on the recent Jewish Federations of North America survey looking at how American Jews define and relate to Zionism. Also in this issue: DZ Kalman, Seth Pinsky and Jason Friedman.

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The boundaries of communal life — particularly as it relates to Israel and Zionism — have always been a topic of fraught debate in the Jewish world. But in the wake of the Oct. 7 terror attacks and Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, that debate has taken on increased urgency, often splitting families. What manner of criticism of Israel is acceptable? How and where can those critiques be expressed? Is anti-Zionism acceptable? What about non-Zionism? 

These questions are also not just relevant for communities and organizations but for families as well, with a growing body of anecdotal evidence indicating sometimes insurmountable rifts on these issues along generational lines. 

In a sign of their growing significance in communal discourse, two studies have recently been published — one quantitative, one qualitative — seeking to shed light on the issues. Last week, the Jewish Federations of North America released survey findings indicating that a minority of American Jews — 37% — actively identify as Zionists, compared to 8% who identify as non-Zionists and 7% who say they are anti-Zionists. At the same time, significant majorities of respondents said that they believe that Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish, democratic state (88%); that they feel emotionally attached to Israel (71%); and that Israel makes them proud to be Jewish (60%). These findings have given rise to fresh debate about the significance of nomenclature and terminology as opposed to ideology and belief. More on this below.

Today, the Israel-based nonprofit For the Sake of Argument (FSA), which encourages and facilitates open debate, has released a new study, “The Journeys and Destinations of Young Jewish Anti-Zionists,” examining the beliefs and backgrounds of anti-Zionists and offering recommendations to Israel educators about what to do with this group. 

Abi Dauber Sterne, one of the co-founders of FSA, told eJewishPhilanthropy that the study came out of repeated questions and requests for help from parents about their anti-Zionist children. “I cannot tell you how many people have said to me, in a sort of embarrassed and pained way, ‘I have an anti-Zionist child.’ So many people. And they sort of look at [FSA co-founder Robbie Gringras] and me and say… ’You're experts in dialogue. Do you have any way of helping us?’” Dauber Sterne said.

She and Gringras realized that they couldn’t offer recommendations without first better understanding anti-Zionists, but found that — as two avowed Zionists living in Israel — it was not easy to reach them. By working through intermediaries, they eventually reached some 30 anti-Zionist Jews from across the United States, most of whom were under 40, and conducted a “listening tour.” According to FSA, their responses challenged several of the assumptions that many in the Jewish world hold about anti-Zionist Jews. They found that contrary to the belief that their anti-Zionism stems from ignorance, most of the respondents “were extremely knowledgeable.” Many respondents also acknowledged that there is a problem of antisemitism in progressive non-Jewish spaces, and they thus did not believe that they were “looking to ‘make nice with the goyim’” by being anti-Zionist.

In general, Dauber Sterne said that FSA is not looking to propose a solution to the rift between Zionists and anti-Zionists in the Jewish community but to shed further light on the problem and to encourage organizations and families to acknowledge that some of the actions that they take are alienating anti-Zionist Jews. She stressed that acknowledging this fact is not the same as opposing those actions. There is nothing wrong with a congregational Hebrew school striving to educate its students to be Zionists, even if that means anti-Zionist parents will not send their child there. “If that's what communities want, it's fine,’” Dauber Sterne said. “I just think it’s a fallacy to pretend they're welcome when they are not.”

According to FSA, the path forward is uncertain. Dauber Sterne and Gringras see clear merits to the desires both to refrain from excluding people from the Jewish community and to “reject jettisoning Israel from the Jewish community for the sake of inclusion.” Until a viable third option arrives, the group recommends “holding” the community together despite the frictions — and to “keep arguing with each other” in the meantime. 

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

With the field of Israel education in a state of flux after Oct. 7, The iCenter, formed 17 years ago to bolster the field, announced Wednesday that it will be shutting down most of its operations, save for a few core programs, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross. Its already scheduled programs will take place as planned, the group’s board said in an email to stakeholders. “This decision is not taken lightly but rather as part of a broader, coordinated effort to align future investments in Israel education with emerging needs and opportunities,” the board wrote.

Lasting impact: Last March, The iCenter’s founding CEO, Anne Lanski, stepped down from her role. After a few months without a chief executive, Dan Tatar was named interim CEO of the organization last September and has been leading the organization since. In a joint statement shared with eJP, The iCenter’s main funders — The Jim Joseph Foundation, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Crown Family Philanthropies and The Marcus Foundation — thanked the organization’s board and professional team. “We are proud to have partnered in that journey, and we remain fully committed to supporting and investing in Israel education in ways that honor this legacy and strengthen the field in the years ahead.”

Read the full report here.

The marked disparities among American Jews’ definitions of Zionism revealed by a recent Jewish Federations of North America survey “should serve as a wake-up call to radically expand Jewish and Zionist education,” writes Andrés Spokoiny, president and CEO of the Jewish Funders Network, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. 

A critical vulnerability: “[Zionism] has been emptied of its original meaning and refilled with a jumble of ideas that have little to do with Zionism. … If most anti-Zionists cannot accurately define Zionism, neither can many so-called Zionists. This knowledge vacuum leaves many Jews outsourcing the definition of Zionism to the loudest group in the room — antisemites — representing a catastrophic failure of Jewish education at every level. … True Zionism — not the antisemitic caricature — can be a source of pride and joy for Jews. For that to happen, Jews must know its history and intellectual depth. When ‘Talmudist’ became a slur, Jews didn’t abandon the Talmud; they doubled down on it. The same must be true of Zionism.” 

Read the full piece here.

“A new Jewish Federations of North America survey delivers an uncomfortable truth communications experts have known for decades: most American Jews do not identify as ‘Zionists,’ even when they support Israel. This is not a collapse of commitment to Israel. It is a collapse of language,” writes Laura Kam, the president of Kam Global Strategies, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “Communications strategist Frank Luntz saw this problem years ago, long before today’s campus upheavals and social media wars.”

Explain Israel, don’t litigate Zionism: “Luntz explicitly and repeatedly warned pro-Israel advocates not to use the word ‘Zionism’ on college campuses. … Luntz’s insight was not ideological; it was tactical. He was not arguing against Israel or Jewish self-determination — nor am I, having moved to Israel and raised a family here. He was arguing that clinging to language that alienates persuadable audiences is self-defeating. … The data has not really changed, but JFNA has brought the issue into the open at a moment when it can no longer be ignored. The question is whether the pro-Israel community is willing to stop fighting yesterday’s language battles — and start communicating for the world as it is.”

Read the full piece here.

Zachor v’Shamor: In a blog post for OneTable, President and CEO Sarah Abramson addresses recent news coverage highlighting the organization’s unequivocal stance against anti-Israel advocacy in its Core Commitments. “We do not litmus test individuals who attend dinners posted on our platform, nor do we ask hosts to do so at the door. Anyone is welcome at the table. … At the same time, organizations, like people, must be clear about their values and boundaries. … Judaism has always understood that openness without boundaries is not inclusion, it is erosion. And boundaries without openness are not strength, they are fear. Shabbat teaches us that both are necessary. Zachor fills the day with holiness. Shamor makes space for that holiness to exist. In that same tradition, our Core Commitments affirm pluralism and belonging alongside responsibility and care. They reflect a belief that Jewish community can be expansive without being unmoored, principled without being punitive, and clear without being cruel.” [OneTable]

The Human Element: In his Substack “Jello Menorah,” DZ Kalman predicts that emphasis on the personal and interpersonal experience of Jewish learning (if we retain it) will increasingly stand out amid widespread AI use. “Today, ‘Jewish learning’ means the learning of Jewish subjects, which typically happens in a particular manner. In the future, ‘Jewish learning’ may come to mean a *style* of learning: to learn in the Jewish style. People might take a ‘Jewish learning’ approach to studying Russian literature, or history. Jewish-style learning as human learning, as a learning to be savored rather than optimized.” [JelloMenorah]

Choosing a Different Route: In The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Tim Krause posits why aspiring Gen Z changemakers are not seeking jobs in the nonprofit sector. “The problem isn’t a lack of commitment or access to entry points. It’s not unstable student-loan forgiveness and low salaries. Instead, growing numbers of young people refuse to pass through the same narrow gates that have defined social change for the past 40 years — gates designed to manage inequity rather than challenge the systems that produce it.” [ChronicleofPhilanthropy]

Gimme Shelter: In The Free Press, 92nd Street Y CEO Seth Pinsky calls on state and local officials to protect the Jewish community in response to protests last week targeting the venue’s State of World Jewry address. “The protesters outside illustrated one of the challenges plainly: In today’s New York City, Jewish conversations — on any topic — are treated as legitimate targets for protest and disruption. ... Even a neighboring store was targeted, with one protester explaining that it ‘had Zionists inside.’ … [W]hat we need from our progressive leaders is to demand the same clarity and consistency from their allies when it comes to Jews and Israel that they and their allies regularly demand of the MAGA right on a host of other topics.” [FreePress]

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COURTESY/HADASSAH

Israeli government officials and representatives from Hadassah attend the opening today of the Hadassah-Helmsley Medical Center in the southern Israeli town of Netivot. The new medical center is intended to significantly expand medical access in southern Israel, including advanced imaging technology such as a CT and MRI (seen above), to address the disparity in health care services between Israel’s center and its geographic periphery. Read more about the Netivot facility in eJewishPhilanthropy’s interview with Dr. Yoram Weiss, the director-general of the Hadassah Medical Organization, from last year.

“Expanding healthcare services to the periphery is not a one-time initiative, but part of a deep commitment to Israeli society as a whole, to strengthening the south and reducing disparities,” Carol Ann Schwartz, the president of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, said in a statement. 

The Helmsley Charitable Trust donated more than $5.2 million for medical equipment for the center, as well as nearly $1 million to help recruit medical professionals. “Whether you live in the north or south of Israel should not limit your ability to access the same quality of healthcare as in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv,” Sandor Frankel, one of Helmsley’s trustees, said. “We are pleased to play a role in supporting Hadassah-Helmsley Netivot, this vital extension of one of Israel’s premier hospitals, so that the people of Netivot and the surrounding areas will now have access to the medical innovation and care that they deserve.”

DANIELE VENTURELLI/GETTY IMAGES FOR THE RED SEA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

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