eJewishPhilanthropy

Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office denied that his decision not to attend JTS' graduation ceremony next week, where he was due to receive an honorary degree, was related to a petition by a small number of students protesting his appearance. ejphil.com/54bpr

Your Daily Phil: New book argues for a new take on Jewish education post-Oct. 7 • UJA-Federation of N.Y. sports luncheon raises $1.2 million for youth sports • Herzog’s office denies JTS cancellation tied to controversy over students’ opposition ejphil.com/54bgh

OPINION | "It is our responsibility as rabbis to help our congregants and the broader public understand Israel’s predicament by clarifying and dispelling the falsehoods spread about it and the Jewish people." By Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt ejphil.com/549c3

OPINION | "The era in which Israel could rely on inherited American sympathy is ending. The next era will have to be built — deliberately, institutionally and from the ground up." By Samuel J. Abrams ejphil.com/548vx

OPINION | "The movable middle — both Jewish and non-Jewish Americans who are genuinely trying to make sense of a complicated conflict — is not looking for a spokesperson. They are looking for someone who will engage honestly." By @ReichmanShanie ejphil.com/548dw

The Open Society Foundations, the major philanthropy founded by left-wing billionaire George Soros, announced it had pledged $30 million over three years to combat antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate, directing those funds to a number of progressive groups. ejphil.com/547d6

Your Daily Phil: Shabbat shalom? Jews scramble to mark, fret over new Trump initiative • Open Society pledges millions to progressive Jewish groups to combat antisemitism • The largest generational divide in American politics is about Israel ejphil.com/5474t

While many Jewish groups — predominantly Orthodox and conservative ones — have wholeheartedly embraced “Shabbat 250,” as it was dubbed, other more progressive organizations and congregations have expressed ambivalence and misgivings about it. ejphil.com/546se

OPINION | "Adult Jewish engagement should not feel like medicine people know they are supposed to take. It should feel like something people eagerly choose because it adds meaning, friendship, curiosity, and energy to their lives." By Rabbi Arie P. Katz ejphil.com/544e4

Believing that basketball can provide children with “an outlet to heal in a tough time” of war, American Israeli professional ballplayer Jared Armstrong is repairing courts throughout Israel that have been damaged over the last 2 1/2 years of war. ejphil.com/544be

74.7% of Israelis are pessimistic about the country's social cohesion. President Herzog just convened 1,400 nonprofit and grassroots leaders in Jerusalem — with backing from Maimonides Fund, CJP, and JFNA — to address it. Justin Hayet reports: ejphil.com/543dv

American Israeli ballplayer Jared Armstrong has renovated 17 basketball courts in war-affected Israeli communities, reaching more than 3,000 children — with plans to renovate 18 courts a year as a long-term commitment to healing. Rachel Gutman reports: ejphil.com/532xs

Jewish day schools have never been less affordable — and the need never greater. Michael Kay, the new CEO of UJA-New York, spoke about graduates of Jewish day schools and the need to promote Jewish engagement “in all its forms.” Watch: ejphil.com/53z2i

OPINION | "Legal analysts and former prosecutors are saying that the indictment stretches conventional fraud doctrines in ways rarely used against advocacy nonprofits." By Steven Windmueller ejphil.com/53yvx

“I see a significant overlap between funding a vibrant Jewish life and combating antisemitism,” says Michael Kay, tapped to be the new CEO of UJA-Federation of New York. He speaks about balancing his fundraising priorities. Watch the full interview: ejphil.com/53yrk

OPINION | "We are not supplicants. We are stakeholders. And stakeholders don’t walk out of the boardroom. They use their seat at the table." By Sabrina Braham ejphil.com/53ydj

OPINION | "No program is immune to the competing priorities of a teenager today." By Beth Cooper Benjamin and Laura Hemlock-Schaeffer ejphil.com/53y56

In a show of solidarity, 32 government officials tasked with combating antisemitism and other forms of bigotry around the world released a joint statement decrying the rise in attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions around the world in recent years. ejphil.com/53xqz

When Daniel Septimus took over as CEO of the fledgling digital Torah library Sefaria in 2013, the nonprofit had a library of 8.5 million words. Thirteen years later, as Septimus is stepping down, Sefaria has a library of 383 million words. ejphil.com/53xfj

Your Daily Phil: Antisemitism czars at WJC confab in Geneva press for government action • Daniel Septimus stepping down as Sefaria CEO • How Jewish teen programming can serve as a respite from achievement culture ejphil.com/53wvz ejphil.com/53wvy