Good Monday morning!
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on a new Israeli-led multinational effort to develop Ivory Coast’s pediatric cardiac surgery capabilities, and feature an op-ed from Rabbi Rachel Putterman and Anita Davis. Also in this newsletter: Susie Gelman, Michael Milken and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. We’ll start with a new donation by the Schneider-Lesser family to Birthright Israel.
The Schneider-Lesser family will fund Birthright Israel’s “Social Diversity Module,” a program that teaches its tens of thousands of participants about Israel’s diverse ethnic makeup and the challenges and benefits that come with it, the Birthright Israel Foundation told eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross on Sunday.
The family declined to reveal the exact amount of the donation, but a Birthright Israel Foundation spokesperson told eJP it was a “seven-figure,” transformational endowment gift.
“The gift is part of a new strategic partnership between Birthright Israel and the Schneider-Lesser family and is emblematic of both sides’ visionary leadership,” the foundation said in a statement. The donation comes after Birthright Israel was forced to scale back its offerings this summer, which it has blamed on higher costs and inflation. The Adelson Family Foundation, one of Birthright Israel’s main funders, recently reduced its financial support for the organization, forcing it to find new donors.
Mindy Schneider, who is making the contribution with her husband, Michael Lesser, said in a statement that the donation is meant to expose people to Israel’s different populations. “Many people don’t understand what Israel is. Israelis actually work together, and to see these people from these distinct communities collaborate is a remarkable thing,” said Schneider, who is best known today for her family’s funding of the Schneider Children’s Medical Center in the central Israeli city of Petach Tikva.
The program includes encounters with Ethiopian Israelis, Arab Israelis, Druze Israelis, LGBTQ+ Israelis, among others, as well as a visit to Schneider Children’s Medical Center.
Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark said the Social Diversity Module is meant to offer deeper insight into Israeli society. “Birthright Israel does not propagate any specific political, religious, or ideological stance. Instead, it introduces and discusses certain key issues vital to understanding the intricate nature of Israel’s overall social reality,” Mark said in a statement. “The Schneider-Lesser family’s generous gift will help Birthright Israel to educate young Jews and strengthen their Jewish communities. They’ll be exposed to people of different cultures throughout Israel, and that will broaden their perspectives and enrich them.”
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