Jewish Philanthropy Podcast

Topic: Looking Outwards   Guest: Rabbi Erica Gerson   Bio:    Rabbi Erica Gerson graduated from Amherst College, magna cum laude, and received both rabbinical ordination and a Masters in Religious Education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Erica served as the inaugural Director of Jewish Life at JCP Downtown in Manhattan before relocating to NJ, where she taught in the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of Rodeph Sholom School, a Reform Jewish day school. Erica is also a member of the international board of United Hatzalah of Israel. She and her husband are the co-founders of the Rabbi Erica and Mark Gerson L’Chaim Prize, an annual $500,000 award for Outstanding Christian Medical Missionary Service. It is administered by the African Mission Healthcare Foundation, of which Mark is a co-founder. *In this episode we hear a very unique perspective on Jewish philanthropy including

Topic: Leading in Challenging Times   Guest: Maayan Aviv   Bio:    Israel is facing multi-generational trauma. NATAL, based in Israel, is a non-profit organization founded 25 years ago. The organization specializes in the field of war-and-terror-related trauma, PTSD and resiliency-building among civil society.   American Friends of NATAL (AFN), supports the efforts in Israel. It also engages in innovative collaborations, partnering with US organizations who seek NATAL’s expertise in the field of trauma preparedness and recovery. For example, work is being done in Chicago and Ukraine.   Maayan Aviv is CEO of AFN, was in the IDF, and has dedicated her life to Jewish non-profits.     *In this episode we learn about balance and how to manage those around us including board members & volunteers. We also hear about having flexibility in leadership and managing expectations.  

Topic:A Thoughtful Leader   Guest: Arnon Kraft   Bio:    Arnon Kraft's most recent job was Chief Operating Officer at Payoneer, Inc.  He previously served as the Chief Executive Officer at Big 4 Strategic Consulting Ltd. from 2019 to 2021. Prior to that, he worked at Microsoft Corp. as the GM-Partner Management & Strategic Sourcing from 2012 to 2018. From 2008 to 2011, he held the position of Vice President-Operations at Modu Ltd. Prior to that he worked at SanDisk. Mr. Kraft obtained an MBA from Tel-Aviv University in 2000 and completed his undergraduate studies at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in 1996.   *In this episode we learn the skills necessary to become an impactful manager and skillful worker plus how to multitask effectively.  

Topic: Fundraising Strategy   Guest: Elizabeth Abel   Bio:    Elizabeth is a thought leader in philanthropy and expert in fundraising. She has led capital campaigns and development initiatives that have collectively raised nearly one billion dollars for education, healthcare, arts and culture, and advocacy organizations. She is a Senior Vice President at CCS Fundraising, a global fundraising consulting firm for nonprofits. Since joining CCS in 2013, Elizabeth has partnered with institutions to plan and implement multi-million-to-billion-dollar campaigns. In this role, she provides counsel on strategic planning, major gifts fundraising, and board engagement. Elizabeth has directed campaign planning studies, served in interim development roles, and managed annual campaigns and special fundraising events. Elizabeth is an Instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches a fundraising course to graduate students in the Nonprofit Leadership Program. Elizabeth serves on the Board of the

Topic: Global Jewry   Guest: Sandy Cardin   Bio:    Sanford “Sandy” Cardin is the founder of Global Jewry. A graduate of Harvard University, Sandy is a member of the bar of DC, Florida, Maryland and the United States Supreme Court, as well as the Senior Consultant for Philanthropy and Impact at Cresset Capital. After a short stint practicing law, Sandy shifted into the NGO world. He started as the Mid-Atlantic Director of the Jerusalem Foundation before moving to Tulsa, OK in 1994 to become the first executive director, then first president, of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. Sandy spent 25 years guiding the CLSFF before leaving to become the CEO of Our Common Destiny, a global effort to bridge the widening gap between the Jews in Israel and those living elsewhere. Sandy has served on many Jewish boards, and is currently involved in the JCC Association of North America. He has also held leadership posts at the Council on Foundations and National Center for Family Philanthropy.

Topic: Learning from a Master   Guest: Richard M. Joel   Bio:    Richard M. Joel became Yeshiva University’s fourth president on September 21, 2003, and was named Bravmann Family University Professor in April 2010. Over his tenure, President Joel built upon the illustrious tradition of this storied institution by placing a renewed emphasis on the student experience, academic excellence, Torah scholarship and communal involvement. Under his helm, Yeshiva University has built the Jacob and Dreizel Glueck Center for Jewish Study, established the Center for Jewish Future, established the Katz School of Graduate and Professional Studies, and developed programs in order to obtain an EMBA, Masters in Accounting, Masters in Quantitative Economics, Masters and PhD in Applied Mathematics, Masters in Marketing, and Masters in SLP. These initiatives have kept YU in the forefront of leading universities, along with expanding the use of technology by launching online education programs on the high school, colle

Topic: Diaspora Jewry   Guest: Chaya Yosovich   Bio:    Chaya is the CEO of the Yael Foundation, a private charitable foundation, established by Uri and Yael Poliavich, dedicated to maintaining and developing Jewish educational institutions around the world. The foundation is committed to enabling Jewish children everywhere to receive a good general education including Jewish values and traditions for the betterment and future of our communities.   Chaya has throughout her illustrious career made big things happen at the intersection of philanthropy and large-scale impact investment.    Her main areas of focus have been: 1. Beit Shemesh- urban-social development. 2. Shema Yisroel FSU- education & community building in the former Soviet bloc and Eastern Europe, and supporting refugees-émigrés in Israel. 3. Israeli Ministry of the Diaspora - building smart strategies for the implementation of a broad program to strengthen Jewish identity and nurture deeper connections between the Jewish Diaspora

Topic: Columbia University & Antisemitism   Guest: David Schizer   Bio:    David M. Schizer served as a dean of the Law School from 2004 to 2014 and is one of the nation’s leading tax scholars. His research also focuses on nonprofits, energy law, and corporate governance.He is the author of How to Save the World in Six (Not So Easy) Steps: Bringing Out the Best in Nonprofits. He is a founder and co-director of the Richard Paul Richman Center for Business, Law, and Public Policy, a founder and co-chair of the Center for Israeli Legal Studies, and a founder and co-chair of the Charles Evans Gerber Transactional Studies Center.  At 35, Schizer was the youngest dean in the Law School’s history and the longest serving dean since 1971. During his tenure as dean, Schizer recruited 43 new faculty members, doubled the school’s annual fundraising, led a $353 million capital campaign, helped the Law School navigate the financial crisis, oversaw the construction of Jerome Greene Hall’s ninth floor, signif

Topic: Senator Joseph Lieberman OBM   Guest: Rabbi Daniel Cohen   Bio:    Rabbi Cohen has served in the rabbinate for over thirty years and currently serves as senior Rabbi at Congregation Agudath Sholom in Stamford, CT, the largest modern orthodox synagogue in New England. Rabbi Cohen is author of What Will They Say About You When You Are Gone? Creating a Life of Legacy, and the newly released book The Secret of the Light, published by Union Square Publishing. He is in the midst of writing another book with former NBA All Star and Olympic Gold medalist Allan Houston. Engaging in hundreds of end of life conversations and delivering thousands of eulogies provide him with a unique perspective on the essence of a meaningful life, Rabbi Cohen speaks nationally on leading a life of legacy. He is co-host with Reverend Greg Doll of the nationally syndicated Radio Show, The Rabbi and the Reverend. He enjoys doing magic shows, playing sports, writing, searching for God, and living life with joy and ever-pr

Topic: Sports & Philanthropy   Guest: Saul Garlick   Bio:    Saul Garlick’s career has been dedicated to how technology and human connection can intersect to drive engagement and progress in live experiences and education. His interest in merging digital solutions with the power of personal interactions has not only redefined educational models but has also elevated fan experiences at major sports events. As Co-founder & CEO at Fabric, Saul has built Fabric into a fast-emerging leader in the mixed-reality space for live events. Fabric's platform allows teams, leagues, venues, and events to publish and deliver gamified mixed-reality experiences instantly at live events while collecting real-time data and analytics from fans. Fabric’s customers can easily launch loyalty and rewards programs, payment integrations, social interactions, and much more at any time and any place. Fabric is currently working with NBA, MLB, and NHL among others. Fabric underscores the potential of harnessing techno

Topic: Comedy & Philanthropy   Guest: Modi Rosenfeld   Bio:    Voted one of the top 10 comedians in New York City by The Hollywood Reporter, Modi is one of the comedy circuit’s most sought after performers. Featured on HBO, CBS, NBC, ABC, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, and E! Entertainment, Modi has received rave reviews in The New York Times, Time Out NY and The New York Post. Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Modi emigrated with his family to the United States at the age of seven and was raised on Long Island. After graduating from Boston University, he worked as an investment banker until his first open-mic night made him realize that stand-up was his true calling. Equipped with a sharp wit and a knack for reading an audience, Modi has gone on to become a successful fixture in New York's vibrant comedy scene, often doing bits that incorporate his heritage, and he is a hit with diverse Jewish audiences as well as fans of all backgrounds and beliefs. Now a regular performer at the New York and Los

Topic: Philanthropy in Challenging Times   Guest: Michael Bloch   Bio:    Michael Bloch was a senior partner at McKinsey & Company for 23 years where he worked with senior executives and boards of large corporations in more than 10 countries to accelerate their growth, leverage technology for competitive advantage, and transform their support functions.   In parallel, Michael has worked for over a decade with non-profit organizations, helping them define their strategy and implement growth initiatives. Over the years Michael worked on the employment of weaker populations, a new museum, immigration for highly skilled olim, food rescue, woman entrepreneurship, the integration of Haredim into high-tech, the scale-up of educational programs, etc.   Prior to McKinsey, Michael was a researcher at the University of California (Berkeley) and at New York University. Before that, he worked for Unicible (a Swiss outsourcer for the banking industry) where he managed business process redesign and software

Topic: The JPP 2023 Year in Review   Rabbi Cohen highlights the top episodes of this past season.   Looking forward to 2024 on the JPP!  

Topic: A Concierge Rabbi   Guest: Rabbi Yehuda Albin   Bio:   Yehuda's story is genuinely remarkable.  He grew up as a Reform Jew in Scarsdale, NY, his father was a successful entrepreneur that ran a secular Jewish camp called Ken-Mont and Ken-Wood.  He became religious in Jerusalem, after graduating Bowdoin College with the highest honors.  Then he studied the Torah and the Talmud for nearly a decade in Jerusalem, before returning to the states, and moving to Chicago. In Chicago he established a Torah teaching and counseling practice, focused on successful business people and professionals. He has been doing this for 30 years wearing two different hats in the process.     Yehuda's experience, education, and wisdom, melding the best of two worlds, provide a unique perspective helping people manage business, family and every type of unique  problem.  His unique, spiritually based, approach to life is a fresh alternative to more traditional counselling and coaching.     To get a feel for Yehuda's en

Topic: Israel at War #4: The Capitalist Kibbutz   Guest: Oded Hermoni   Bio:   General Partner & Co-Founder; J-Ventures, J-Angels In the past 15 years Oded has invested in many industries as a partner in Rhodium VC, J-Ventures and J-Angel. Most of the investments were in Silicon Valley NYC and Israel. Oded has been an Entrepreneur, Investor and experienced High Tech Executive and over 40 companies in Silicon Valley and Tel Aviv as a board member, observer, founder, consultant, and manager. Investments include Face.com (FB) Outbrain, Hopstop ( Apple), Hexatier ( Huawei), Storedot, Compass ( Sage), Cabin, AFresh, Yieldmo, Yotpo, Zooz ( PayU), IMGN, MDGO, Phylagen, Macheye, Swiftmile, Home365, Physera. Oded Hermoni is a leader in connecting the American Jewish community and the many Israelis working in Silicon Valley. Jerusalem-born Oded began his career as a journalist covering the country’s flourishing technology sector. He soon took an active role in the technology sector himself by found

Topic: Israel at War #3: Raising Funds for the State of Israel   Guest: Howard L. Goldstein   Bio:   Howard is the Chair of the National & International Boards of Israel Bonds. He is senior partner at Citrin Cooperman, one of the nation's largest professional services firms. With more than 50 years of experience as a certified public accountant, Howard has broad knowledge in all tax strategies and planning for corporations, partnerships, individuals and start-up companies. Howard is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants, New Jersey Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and State of New Jersey Board of Certified Public Accountants.   In this episode we discuss the importance of Israel bonds at this critical juncture as well as the $1 billion plus raised for Israel since October 7th.

Topic: Israel at War #2: The Battle for our College Campuses   Guest: Daniel Lowy   Bio:   Daniel is a seasoned financial expert with a track record for identifying underperforming businesses and executing successful business turnarounds. He received his MBA in Finance & Entrepreneurial Management from The Wharton School and his Bachelor’s in Economics & Finance and Master’s in Commerce from the University of New South Wales. Daniel has a broad range of executive and investment experience in the U.S. and international marketplace, with a particular focus on healthcare. He serves on the board of the Orthodox Union (OU) & CUNY graduate school of public health.   In this episode we discuss Daniel's letter to the President of U of Penn withdrawing his support due to blatant failures of the university to condemn antisemitism & failure to condemn the Hamas atrocities of 10/7.  This was in tandem with other noted philanthropists withdrawing support from the Ivy league.

Topic: Israel at War: How Can We Help?   Guest: Michal (Miki) Leon   Bio:   Miki is the CEO & Director of her family foundation in Israel.   In 'regular times' the foundation focuses on fortifying home-room teachers in Israel to ensure the education of the next generation of Israelis and to ensure nobody is forgotten.   In this episode we have a raw heart to heart conversation about recent events in Israel including using philanthropy as a tool to help on the front-lines and in the emergency crisis we find ourselves in.   Learn More at this link: https://lionff.com/

Topic: Technology & Philanthropy   Guest: Adam Nash   Bio:   Adam is the co-founder and CEO of Daffy.org, a not-for-profit community built around a new, modern platform for giving. He is a seasoned executive, investor, and advisor with a long career at companies like Apple, eBay, LinkedIn, Dropbox, and Wealthfront, where he was CEO. He is also an adjunct lecturer at Stanford, where he teaches “Personal Finance for Engineers”. In this episode we discuss:   1) Contradictions-Humility & Hubris 2) Impact of AI 3) Developing a Career: How to Grow 4) Tracking Charitable Giving 5) Helping to become the Ideal Philanthropic Version of Yourself  6) Coaching Personal Finance and so much more!

Topic: Family Offices & Societal Change    Guest: Daniel Goldman   Bio:   Daniel is the founder and Managing Partner at Goldrock Capital. Born in London, Daniel emigrated to Israel in 1992. He now lives in Beit Shemesh, where he was very involved in building and shaping the city. Daniel is active in many organizations that promote understanding and tolerance among all sectors of society. He lives with his wife and five children.   In this episode we discuss:   1) Growing up in New Castle 2) A thirty-year story of Rags to Riches 3) Helping High-Net Worth Families 4) Diverse Sources of Inspiration 5) Changing the sociological landscape in Israel 6) Difference between Tzedaka (Charity & Philanthropy) and so much more!Topic