Paul Kane, a prominent Jewish fundraiser who steered communal giving through good times and bad, and who helped raise billions of dollars for Jewish needs over a career that spanned decades, was remembered on Monday for his fundraising prowess, his guidance in mentoring “a generation of fundraisers in the Jewish community” and his “deep commitment to Israel.” Kane died suddenly on Friday in Westport, Conn. He was 77, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Haley Cohen.

Raising billions: Kane, who was born in Boston and later resided in Chicago and the New York area, remained passionate about the Jewish community throughout his career, which included more than four decades in the Jewish federation movement, including head of fundraising at the UJA-Federation of New York and senior adviser to the president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America. UJA-Federation of New York eulogized Kane as “a revered professional leader” at the organization, who “helped lead the UJA team in raising over $3 billion during his two decades of leadership and played a key role in shepherding the organization through the 2008 financial crisis.”

Training the next generation: “Paul was a mentor, leader and guide to hundreds of Jewish professionals all over the country today who learned [from him] the art of relationship building and donor stewardship,” Mark Medin, who succeeded Kane as head of fundraising at UJA, told eJP. “Nobody was better than Paul in deepening relationships and understanding how to connect the donor to the work of the Jewish community. Billions of dollars have been raised by Jewish professionals around the country utilizing the sensitivity and skill-set people learned watching and being mentored by Paul.”

Read the full report here.

Even in the best of years, Jewish summer camp is a place laden with emotion — homesick kids alongside cliquey, hormonal teens, under the not-so-watchful eye of underpaid and overeager college-age counselors, all chanting Hebrew songs and seeking genuine connection in a period of four or eight weeks. Put all of this together in the wilderness, and a mythology of curiosity, exploration and Jewish joy will surely follow. This summer, in a year of deep pain for the global Jewish community, the normal, beloved intensity of camp has merged with all the subterranean sadness and anger and division that has bubbled up since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, reports Gabby Deutch for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider. 

A bridge too far: Soon after Oct. 7, a long-serving counselor shared a post to her Instagram page from Jewish Voice for Peace saying that Jews ought to oppose “genocide” in Gaza. Israelis who had worked with her in the past were upset by it, and they told her so (and told others). When the counselor met with Gelb for her job interview in late October, she said that he quickly got down to business, and asked if the sentiment she shared on Instagram accurately reflects her views. When the counselor — who grew up going to camp every summer and spent three years there as a counselor — said yes, she did believe Israel is committing genocide, Gelb responded that she would not be invited back to camp this year.

Dueling letters: The hiring decision prompted an open letter, which has not been previously reported, that was signed by 146 Ramah New England alumni and sent to the camp’s leadership in December. The signatories urged the camp “to hire candidates based on their aptitude and passion for the job at hand, not their personal beliefs about Israel or Zionism.” Camp leadership was not swayed by these points, but the open letter prompted Gelb and Elizabeth Waksman, the president of Ramah New England’s board, to respond to the alumni with a letter of their own. In it, they outlined why they think it is critical to uphold Zionism as a core principle. “The range of acceptable debate is very wide. At the same time, there are limits for all sides and our families trust us to adhere to our principles. They have a right to expect that all staff will promote our publicly stated mission,” they wrote.

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A majority of medical students attending the prestigious Johns Hopkins University will receive a free ride beginning this fall following a $1 billion donation from billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The gift was announced on Monday by Bloomberg Philanthropies, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Haley Cohen.

Free, with benefits, for most: According to the school, which is located in Baltimore, the gift will be used to offer free medical school tuition, which normally costs about $65,000 per year for four years, to any family that earns less than $300,000 per year. Students from families earning less than $175,000 annually will also have their fees and living expenses covered. Financial aid for students in nursing, public health and other non-medical graduate programs will also be increased using the donation.

Health and education: Bloomberg, a 1964 graduate of Johns Hopkins’ department of electrical engineering, has supported the institution with a series of mega-gifts throughout recent years. In 2018, his foundation gifted $1.8 billion to assist undergraduate students in need of financial aid. Bloomberg said the latest gift will help the school “attract more of the nation’s brightest minds and help free more of them to pursue the fields that most inspire them, rather than ones that will best enable them to repay loans.” He added that the gift comes as a result of the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; “while other countries have seen their life expectancy return to (or close to) pre-COVID levels, the United States has lagged behind,” he said in the annual report. The medical school will not bear Bloomberg’s name as a result of the gift, a spokesperson for Bloomberg Philanthropies told eJP.

Read the full report here.

“At a recent conference for leaders of major Jewish organizations, I had the privilege of representing Colel Chabad, Israel’s oldest and largest food security organization. While speaking on a panel about the challenges and opportunities facing ‘legacy’ institutions, I noticed that I was by far the youngest person onstage,” writes Rabbi Zalman Duchman, Colel Chabad’s director of development, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.

Advantages to each: “This juxtaposition got me thinking about the respective benefits of older versus younger leadership. Older leaders offer wisdom and stability gleaned through their years of experience, which is essential for guiding organizations through challenges. They have a more informed perspective that helps them understand the long-term implications of their actions, ensuring stability and continuity within the organization. Young leaders, on the other hand, bring fresh ideas that can jump-start innovation and growth. Their familiarity with new technologies and trends allows them to adapt quickly and implement organizational goals in an ever-changing world. The dynamism and enthusiasm of youth can be a powerful catalyst for change, inspiring others and injecting a renewed sense of mission and excitement into the organization.”

A different approach: “It is clear that we need to combine and leverage both the wisdom of the experienced and the passion of the youth, but the common approach — placing older individuals in top leadership roles while young people merely assist — often results in young leaders feeling sidelined, their enthusiasm going to waste as they are not genuinely empowered to lead… This conventional model is fundamentally flawed, and the solution lies in a paradigm shift that transposes the traditional roles of youth and elders. This is where the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, whose 30th yahrzeit we mark today, offers a profound and revolutionary vision.”

Read the full piece here.