Good Wednesday morning!

In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we cover the opening of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s conference aimed at improving dialogue in an increasingly divided Israel, and report on UJA-Federation of New York’s selection of educator Michael Kay to be its next CEO. We spotlight an initiative by basketball player Jared Armstrong to renovate Israeli courts, and examine the mounting criticism of a controversial New York Times opinion piece alleging Israeli sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners. We feature an opinion piece by Rabbi Arie P. Katz about the power of taking a leap (literally) for a Jewish cause, and Steven Windmueller examines the implications of the U.S. Department of Justice’s indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center for Jewish nonprofits focused on advocacy. Also in this issue: Noam Bettan, Yaakov Glasman and Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

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.

What We’re Watching

The Jewish Service Alliance Israel Service Seminar, a partnership between Yahel and Repair the World, which kicked off earlier this week, continues today. Read more about the Yahel-Repair the World partnership here.

COJECO, which supports and represents New York City’s Russian-speaking Jewish community, is hosting its 25th anniversary celebration tonight in Manhattan. 

Also tonight, the Israeli Embassy in Washington is holding a belated Yom Ha’atzmaut reception.

Tomorrow morning, Israel will hold its annual memorial ceremony honoring the roughly 4,000 Ethiopian Jews who died while making aliyah, at Mount Herzl National Cemetery in Jerusalem. 

What You Should Know

A QUICK WORD FROM EJP’S JUSTIN HAYET

Israeli President Isaac Herzog brought together 1,400 nonprofit figures, social entrepreneurs, community heads and other grassroots leaders today in Jerusalem to consider the country’s future as it approaches its 80th anniversary and grapples with deep polarization and division. 

Dubbed the “President’s Conference for a Shared Israeli Future,” the gathering is part of Herzog’s broader efforts to encourage constructive dialogue and understanding within Israel through an initiative known as “Time to Talk” in English and “Mahlifim Mila” (exchanging a word) in Hebrew. Herzog has also launched a separate program, Voice of the People, aimed at addressing rifts between Israel and Diaspora Jewry. 

The conference, which was held in Jerusalem’s International Conference Center, was sponsored by Maimonides Fund, Boston’s Combined Jewish Philanthropies, Jewish Federations of North America and the Israeli social and environmental responsibility nonprofit Maala.

The conference comes as Israeli society navigates both persistent war and growing political unrest, both of which appear poised to escalate. With President Donald Trump calling the current ceasefire with Iran “on life support” earlier this week, and the conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah again heating up, Israel’s brief respite from active fighting may soon end. And Israel’s Knesset may soon be dissolved, paving the way for an election season that is widely expected to be particularly divisive. 

In addition to addresses from Herzog and others, the conference featured roundtable discussions aimed at building a diverse society, connecting people through sport and culture and envisioning a shared future for Israelis and Diaspora Jews. 

For JFNA and CJP, the conference signified a transition from the crisis grantmaking that has largely defined the past 2 1/2 years to a more collaborative chapter focused on building long-term Israeli resilience.

Becky Caspi, director general of JFNA’s Israel Office, addressed the strategy behind this next phase, telling eJP today that “our goal is not to return to what was; it’s to help create a stronger, more resilient society, and we are fully committed to that.” 

Read the rest of “What You Should Know” here.