Good Wednesday morning!<\/p>\n
In today\u2019s edition of\u00a0Your Daily Phil, we cover the opening of Israeli President\u00a0Isaac Herzog<\/strong>\u2019s conference aimed at improving dialogue in an increasingly divided Israel, and report on\u00a0UJA-Federation of New York<\/strong>\u2019s selection of educator\u00a0Michael Kay\u00a0<\/strong>to be its next CEO. We spotlight an initiative by basketball player\u00a0Jared Armstrong\u00a0<\/strong>to renovate Israeli courts, and examine the mounting criticism of a controversial\u00a0New York Times\u00a0opinion piece alleging Israeli sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners. We feature an opinion piece by\u00a0Rabbi Arie P. Katz\u00a0<\/strong>about the power of taking a leap (literally) for a Jewish cause, and\u00a0Steven Windmueller\u00a0<\/strong>examines the implications of the U.S. Department of Justice\u2019s indictment of the\u00a0Southern Poverty Law Center<\/strong>\u00a0for Jewish nonprofits focused on advocacy. Also in this issue:\u00a0Noam Bettan<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/strong>Yaakov Glasman\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0<\/strong>Cardinal\u00a0Timothy Dolan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s\u00a0Your Daily Phil\u00a0was curated by eJP Managing Editor Judah Ari Gross, Opinion Editor Rachel Kohn and Israel Editor Justin Hayet. Have a tip?\u00a0Email us here.<\/a><\/p>\n What We\u2019re Watching<\/p>\n The Jewish Service Alliance Israel Service Seminar,\u00a0<\/strong>a partnership between Yahel and Repair the World, which kicked off earlier this week, continues today.\u00a0Read more about the Yahel-Repair the World partnership here.<\/a><\/p>\n COJECO<\/strong>, which supports and represents New York City\u2019s Russian-speaking Jewish community, is hosting its 25th anniversary celebration tonight in Manhattan.\u00a0<\/p>\n Also t<\/strong>onight, the Israeli Embassy in Washington<\/strong>\u00a0is holding a belated\u00a0Yom Ha\u2019atzmaut\u00a0<\/strong>reception.<\/p>\n Tomorrow morning, Israel<\/strong>\u00a0will hold its annual memorial ceremony honoring the roughly 4,000 Ethiopian Jews who died while making\u00a0aliyah, at Mount Herzl National Cemetery in Jerusalem.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n What You Should Know<\/p>\n A QUICK WORD FROM EJP\u2019S JUSTIN HAYET<\/p>\n Israeli President Isaac Herzog brought together<\/strong>\u00a01,400 nonprofit figures, social entrepreneurs, community heads and other grassroots leaders today in Jerusalem to consider the country\u2019s future as it approaches its 80th anniversary and grapples with deep polarization and division.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dubbed the \u201cPresident\u2019s Conference for a Shared Israeli Future,\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0the gathering is part of Herzog\u2019s broader efforts to encourage constructive dialogue and understanding\u00a0within Israel<\/a>\u00a0through an initiative known as \u201cTime to Talk\u201d in English and \u201cMahlifim Mila\u201d (exchanging a word) in Hebrew. Herzog has also launched a separate program,\u00a0Voice of the People<\/a>, aimed at addressing rifts between Israel and Diaspora Jewry.\u00a0<\/p>\n The conference,\u00a0<\/strong>which was held in Jerusalem\u2019s International Conference Center, was sponsored by Maimonides Fund, Boston\u2019s Combined Jewish Philanthropies, Jewish Federations of North America and the Israeli social and environmental responsibility nonprofit Maala.<\/p>\n The conference comes as Israeli society\u00a0<\/strong>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 \u201con life support\u201d earlier this week, and the conflict between Israel and Lebanon\u2019s Hezbollah again heating up, Israel\u2019s brief respite from active fighting may soon end. And Israel\u2019s Knesset\u00a0may soon be dissolved<\/a>, paving the way for an election season that is widely expected to be particularly divisive.\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition to addresses from Herzog and others,\u00a0<\/strong>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.\u00a0<\/p>\n For JFNA and CJP,\u00a0<\/strong>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.<\/p>\n Becky Caspi, director general of JFNA\u2019s Israel Office,<\/strong>\u00a0addressed the strategy behind this next phase, telling eJP today that \u201cour goal is not to return to what was; it\u2019s to help create a stronger, more resilient society, and we are fully committed to that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n