Good Friday morning!

In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we examine the key takeaways from the Israel Democracy Institute’s conference on the Israeli economy in Jerusalem. We spotlight the Reform movement’s push to bring a record 570 Israelis to its 14 summer camps this season, report on Yad Vashem's new partnership with Germany to establish a new educational facility in Munich and speak with Jewish leaders on the opportunities and challenges offered by AI. We feature an opinion piece by IDF Brig. Gen. (res.) Yoni Shimshoni urging Diaspora Jewry’s leaders to stop censoring themselves about the current Israeli government, and Rabbis David-Seth Kirshner, Erez Sherman and Neil Zuckerman react to the decision of T’ruah to feature New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at its annual gala this week. Also in this issue: Melissa Rivkin, Rabbi Rachel Timoner and Jacqueline Kott-Wolle.

Shabbat shalom!

Today’s Your Daily Phil was curated by eJP Managing Editor Judah Ari Gross, Opinion Editor Rachel Kohn and Israel Editor Justin Hayet. Have a tip? Email us here.

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Artificial intelligence, its promise and peril, served as the throughline for the Israel Democracy Institute’s conference on the Israeli economy this week, connecting many of the discussions throughout the two-day event in Jerusalem. 

Unlike most gatherings of this sort, in which heavily credentialed speakers address the crowd from a raised platform, the IDI’s Eli Hurvitz Conference — named for the late Israeli industrialist and organized by IDI since 1993 — was held in a horseshoe format, with participants facing each other at eye level. This unorthodox, egalitarian arrangement fit the spirit of the convening — no lofty debates by disconnected experts but discussions, and even open disagreements, among peers who are in the proverbial trenches of the Israeli economy, setting policy, funding companies, running institutions and studying outcomes.

“This conference is unique in bringing together the different sectors of society and economy in one sphere. Israel is small enough to move the needle, and we can do this very quietly if we come together,” Eli Hurvitz, CEO of the Trump Foundation — who has no relation to the conference’s namesake and whose foundation has no relation to the U.S. president — told eJP on the sidelines of the gathering. 

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

More than 570 Israelis will call a Union for Reform Judaism camp home this summer — nearly double the number who came in 2024 — as the movement is “doubling down on Israel at a critical moment for Israelis, for North American Jewry, and for the sometimes challenging bridge between these two communities," Melissa Frey, the URJ's executive director of camps and immersive Israel experiences, told eJewishPhilanthropy’s Justin Hayet. 

Mixing it up: This summer, 9,000 URJ campers are registered across camps and Israel programs. As the URJ sees it, Frey said, it all comes back to one core goal: "bringing Israeli and Diaspora peers together in authentic relationships in joyfully Jewish spaces."

Read the full report here.

Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, is set to open a new educational center in Munich, with support from the German government. At a time of rising antisemitism, the initiative aims to deepen Holocaust education by providing a unique Jewish and victim-centric perspective, complementing Germany's existing focus on perpetrator responsibility, reports Judith Sudilovsky for eJewishPhilanthropy.

Shifting perspective: “How can we teach the Holocaust in a way that actually arouses sympathy and empathy for the Jews? We don't want this pitiful view of this skeleton that you see in liberation [photographs]. We really want to try to ask the question, ‘Who was this person?’ So this is one thing that we very strongly bring into the picture,” Noa Mkayton, director of Yad Vashem’s overseas education and training department, told eJP.

Read the full report here.

A group of rabbis, educators and thinkers in the Jewish world is deeply engaged in examining questions related to Judaism’s approach to artificial intelligence, reports Gabby Deutch for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider. Some of them are theological, almost halachic: Should rabbis be allowed to use AI to write sermons? Can an AI chatbot be considered a havruta, or study partner, in place of an actual human? Should AI even be used for serious Jewish study?

Keeping it human: David Zvi Kalman, a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute who studies Judaism and technology, argued strongly against AI being used to write sermons. “I think people in religious communities would like to know that there's at least one space in their lives when they are able to be free of machines, when they can actually just be humans interacting with other humans,” he said. The Orthodox Union faced criticism from within its ranks after releasing a new app in March that uses AI to help people study Torah.

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

“Lovers of Israel, leaders and donors: The time for silent hedging is past. Your voice is desperately important, especially this year when Israelis will vote on their next government,” writes retired IDF Brig. Gen. (res.) Yoni Shimshoni, a leader of Commanders for Israel’s Security, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. 

You of all people: “The American government tells Israel what to do. So do the Europeans, the Qataris, the Turks, the far left and the far right. Why, then, should American Jews — and particularly their leaders — who have an enormous stake in Israel’s future, voluntarily take themselves out of this important conversation?”

Read the full piece here.

“When it comes to Israel, there are disagreements within the Jewish community that are healthy and necessary,” write Rabbis David-Seth Kirshner, Erez Sherman and Neil Zuckerman in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “Those arguments are meaningful because they begin from a shared assumption: that Israel must exist as a Jewish and democratic state.”

A bridge too far: “That is why the decision of T’ruah, a human rights organization that claims to represent more than 2,300 rabbis, to invite New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to address its recent gala felt like such a profound rupture.” 

Read the full piece here.

Showing Promise: In the latest edition of HaYidion: The Prizmah Journal, Melissa Rivkin highlights findings from a recent report on how to lower Jewish day school tuition costs to Catholic school levels. “The report examines two examples of unified philanthropic interventions that are already delivering real results: the Crown Family Philanthropies Tuition Accessibility Partnership in Chicago and the Samis Foundation Day School Affordability Initiative in Seattle. … Alongside other emerging affordability models across the field, the fact that these are two of the cities in the dataset where Jewish day school tuition is approaching parity with Catholic schools suggests this type of approach can meaningfully move the needle.” [HaYidion]

Renewing Temple Israel: In the Detroit News, Max Bryan reports on the aftermath of the terror attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Mich., detailing the congregation's deep trauma and physical displacement as they gut and rebuild the synagogue. “An incident like this reminds us that vigilance matters, but so does community," [Township Supervisor Jonathan Warshay, a member of Temple Israel,] said. ‘Our strongest safeguard against hatred and violence is a community where people know one another, communicate openly, and are willing to stand together even when they come from different backgrounds or perspectives.” [Detroit News] 

Shifting Power: In the Chronicle of Philanthropy, the Stupski Foundation’s Glen Galaich argues that foundation leaders must challenge donors’ beliefs that they know best. “Many nonprofits assume foundation leaders can change the way their organizations fund. In reality, our power is limited when donors or boards believe they can call the shots. If you doubt that fear of living donors is pervasive, just try to get a foundation executive to talk candidly.”[ChronicleofPhilanthropy]

Market Failure: In The New York Times, Rabbi Rachel Timoner explains why she resigned from the Park Slope Coop following the institution’s member vote to boycott Israeli products. “BDS weakens and undermines the fragile Israeli left, made up of people working for equality and justice for all in Israel and Palestine. … In the case of the Park Slope Food Co-op, a member was able to use the rules to block all discussion of the boycott proposal, so that no argument could be made during last week’s meeting — not one word could be spoken — against the boycott before the vote.” [NYTimes]

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Israeli startup Salignostics secured a $1.87 million Gates Foundation grant to develop noninvasive, saliva-based diagnostics for HIV and maternal health in developing countries…

Asaf Elia-Shalev joined J. The Jewish News of Northern California as its editor-in-chief…

Ben Samuels was promoted to be Haaretz’s U.S. bureau chief…

Anne Neuberger announced her transition from senior advisor to a full-time general partner and head of global affairs at Andreessen Horowitz…

eJewishPhilanthropy took home two first-place Simon Rockower Awards at the American Jewish Press Associations ceremony last night, with Jay Deitcher winning the Michael Staenberg Award for Excellence in Writing about Jewish Philanthropy for his article, “25 years after launching, the now-shuttered Joshua Venture still making waves through Jewish world,” and Judah Ari Gross and Deitcher winning the award for excellence in news writing for their article “Atra study provides rare, caveated glimpse into the U.S. rabbinate, offering insight and concern”... 

A new House Republican budget plan designates $315 million for the federal protection of faith-based institutions in 2027, with Jewish Federations of North America maintaining that the minor funding boost leaves vulnerable communities underprotected amid a surge in antisemitic threats, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports…

Members of the Galzer family are internally debating whether to sell their stake in Manchester United after more than two decades of ownership…

The Jewish Community Center of the East Bay announced plans to open a three-acre regional community campus in Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood by the fall, which will serve as a collaborative central hub for 20 Jewish organizations…

A new report by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies details how Qatar has directed an estimated $400 billion into the United States since 2000 across the defense, higher education, real estate and tech sectors…

Yeah That’s Kosher spotlights Kosher Square Pizza, the Oakhurst, N.J., outpost of Brooklyn Square Pizza, which kosher restaurateur David Mizrahi opened in partnership with Brooklyn Square owner Peter Grippo…

Rabbi Arthur Bielfeld, an Order of Canada recipient and longtime spiritual leader of Toronto's Temple Emanu-El, died on May 11 at 90…

Donna Yanowitz, board life trustee of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland who co-led early fact-finding missions to support Ethiopian Jewry, died on May 4 at 101…

HALEY COHEN/JEWISH INSIDER

Attendees examine paintings from the new art exhibition, “Golden Age: Nostalgia for the American Jewish Century,” which opened this week at The Altneu synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The exhibit, which features the works of seven artists, examines the so-called “golden age” of American Jewry, which some fear may be coming to an end.

“I grew up in the golden age [of North American Jewry], the '70s, '80s and '90s. It was an easy time,” Jacqueline Kott-Wolle, one of the seven artists whose work is highlighted in the exhibit, told Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen on Wednesday at the gallery’s opening. “My memories of growing up Jewish [in Toronto] were very positive. Everybody was Jewish — even the people at my high school who weren’t Jewish were Jewish. It was a good time to be alive. [Today,] antisemitism slammed into us so hard. It shocked us.” 

SCREENSHOT/TOLDOT YISRAEL/YOUTUBE

Chicago- and Aspen-based businessman, he owns large stakes in Hilton Hotels, the New York Yankees and the Chicago Bulls, Lester Crown turns 101 on Sunday... 

FRIDAY: Lithuanian-born Holocaust survivor, co-founder of the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond, Va., known for his ever-present cowboy hat, Jay M. Ipson turns 91... Sales associate of the Santa Monica, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services branch, Saul Bubis... Owner of the NFL's New England Patriots, Robert Kraft turns 85... The first woman to serve as international president of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Judy Yudof turns 81... Senior project manager in tech product development, Dan Yurman... Israeli politician, diplomat and businessperson, he served as consul general of Israel in Philadelphia from 1988 to 1992, Israel Peleg turns 77... VP of new business development at Maresco & Partners, Linda Greenfield... Author of several personal finance books, financial advisor, motivational speaker and television host, Susan Lynn "Suze" Orman turns 75... Staff member at Burbank Temple Emanu El, Audrey Freedman-Habush... Portrait photographer and visual anthropologist, she is the author of The Jews of Wyoming: Fringe of the Diaspora, Penny Diane Wolin turns 73... Former commissioner on the U.S. International Trade Commission, now a consultant, Dean A. Pinkert turns 70... Best-selling instrumental musician, the saxophonist "Kenny G," Kenneth Bruce Gorelick turns 70... Columnist for the New York Post, Andrea Peyser turns 67... Senior associate general counsel at Compass real estate, Sam Kraemer... Executive vice president and managing director at D.C.'s Burson, Michael Heimowitz... Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament for eight years until 2022, Gila Deborah Martow turns 65... President of Weprin Public Affairs, Mark S. Weprin turns 65... First-ever Jewish speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, she served from 2020 until 2022, Eileen R. Filler-Corn turns 62... Manager of the Jeff Astor Legacy Fund, Beth Astor Freeman... Member of Congress (D-PA), her father is a Jewish Holocaust survivor from Poland, Christina Jampoler Houlahan turns 59... Member of the British House of Commons for 15 years, now a member of the House of Lords, Baron Ed Vaizey turns 58... Entrepreneur, venture capitalist and author, he holds approximately 100 granted and pending patents, Nova Spivack turns 57... Professor of Israel studies at UCLA, Dov Morris Waxman turns 52... Film and television actor, Liza Rebecca Weil turns 49... Actor, voice actor, comedian, writer and producer, Nicholas Kroll turns 48... Co-founder of BlueLabs and director of analytics for the campaigns of both Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Barack Obama in 2012, his father and grandfather were both rabbis, Elan Alter Kriegel... Senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, he was previously a member of the New Hampshire state legislature, Jason Bedrick turns 43... Humorist, novelist and screenwriter, Simon Rich turns 42... Partner relationship manager at Voyant, Arielle Levy Marschark... Vice president on the corporate PR team at M Booth, Maya Bronstein... Clara Moskowitz... Susan Stein... State and federal political fundraiser in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Ashley Barth... 

SATURDAY: One-half of the husband-wife screenwriting and television production team, Esther June Shapiro turns 98... Senior judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Frederic Block turns 92... Real estate entrepreneur, member of the Pritzker family and former executive chairman of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Thomas Pritzker turns 76... Diplomat who has served as Israel's ambassador to South Sudan and then Egypt, Haim Koren turns 73... Five-time Tony Award winner, he is an actor, playwright and screenwriter, Harvey Fierstein turns 72... Comedian, political critic, musician and author, Sandra Bernhard turns 71... Radio news personality known as "Lisa G," Lisa Glasberg turns 70... Former chair of the board of Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools and president at Micah Philanthropies, Ann Baidack Pava... CEO of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks and the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Steve Koonin turns 69... Israeli conductor and musician, Nir Brand turns 65... Former majority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives and now vice chairman of investment bank Moelis & Company, Eric Cantor turns 63... Partner in the strategic communications division of FGS Global, Jonathan Kopp turns 60... Israeli American behavioral economics professor at UCSD, Uri Hezkia Gneezy turns 59... Bestselling author, journalist and television personality, she has focused on addiction and recovery as well as relationships, Anna Benjamin David turns 56... Chairman of Israeli fintech entrio (formerly The Floor), he is the only child of Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, Elisha Wiesel turns 54... Hedge fund manager and founder of Saba Capital Management, he is also a skilled chess player, Boaz Weinstein turns 53... Producer of 11 network television programs, Jennie Snyder Urman turns 51... 2019 Trump impeachment witness, now Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in Florida, Lt. Colonel (ret.) Alexander Semyon Vindman... and his twin brother, Lt. Col. (ret.) Yevgeny Vindman, a member of Congress from Virginia's 7th district, both turn 51... Pundit, political activist and lobbyist, founder and chairman of The Washington Free Beacon, Michael L. Goldfarb turns 46... Washington managing editor at ABC News, Katherine B. Faulders... Director at FGS Global, Anna Epstein... White House staffer during the Biden administration, Jordan G. Finkelstein... Communications manager at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Allie Freedman... 

SUNDAY: Rehoboth Beach, Del., resident, Dennis B. Berlin... Former five-term Democratic congressman from California, he now serves as counsel in the Century City office of Gibson Dunn, Mel Levine turns 83... Professor of linguistics at Georgetown University, and author of 13 books, Deborah Tannen turns 81... Epidemiologist, toxicologist and author of three books about environmental hazards, Devra Davis turns 80... Deputy secretary of state of the U.S. during the first half of the Biden administration, Wendy Ruth Sherman turns 77... Retired senior advisor at the State Department's Office of the Inspector General, Hillel Weinberg... President of Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art in Israel, he is a grandson of former Israeli PM Levi Eshkol, Sheizaf Rafaeli turns 71... Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-PA) until 2025, Susan Ellis Wild turns 69... Former vice president of the United States, Mike Pence turns 67... Jerusalem resident, Deborah Lee Renert... Founder chairman and CEO of the Naftali Group, Miki Naftali turns 64... U.S. district judge for the Southern District of New York, Jesse Matthew Furman turns 54... U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) turns 54... Brooklyn rapper better known by his stage name Necro, Ron Raphael Braunstein turns 50... One-half of the Arab-Jewish electronic music duo Chromeo, David "Dave 1" Macklovitch turns 48... Israeli actor, singer and pianist, she performs in Hebrew, Russian, French and English, Ania Bukstein turns 44... Senior director of strategic initiatives at the Nathan Cummings Foundation, he was an early J Street activist, born Isaac Goldstein, Isaac Luria... Editor of The New York Review of Books, Emily S. Greenhouse... Actor and model, Emily Ratajkowski turns 35... Chinese-Canadian ice hockey forward, he played for China in the 2022 Winter Olympics, now a free agent, Ethan Werek turns 35... Andrea Gonzales...