Episode 79 of What Gives?—the Jewish Philanthropy Podcast from Jewish Funders Network, hosted by JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny. In this episode, Andrés speaks with Naomi Firestone-Teeter and Elisa Spungen Bildner of the Jewish Book Council, an organization that has spent a century championing Jewish books, Jewish writers, and the readers who find themselves through Jewish stories.

In this conversation, Naomi, Elisa, and Andrés talk about why books remain such a powerful entry point into Jewish life, especially at a time when Jewish identity, Jewish culture, and Jewish authorship all feel newly urgent. They explore the history of the Jewish Book Council, from its beginnings as Jewish Book Week in 1925 to its current role as a convener, advocate, and ecosystem-builder for Jewish literature. And they discuss the challenges facing Jewish writers and publishers after October 7, the need to make room for Israeli voices and a wider range of Jewish stories, and why funders should see culture as central to Jewish continuity rather than peripheral to it.

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Want to hear more about Jewish philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Episode 78 of What Gives?—the Jewish Philanthropy Podcast from Jewish Funders Network, hosted by JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny. In this episode, Andrés speaks with Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, Senior Rabbi at Park Avenue Synagogue and a leading voice in American Jewish life. Through his writing and public leadership, Elliot has been deeply engaged in some of the most contentious debates shaping the Jewish community right now.

Andrés and Elliot take a close look at the questions raised about the role of rabbis in political life that arose during last fall's New York City mayoral campaign. They explore how Jewish leaders decide when to speak out, where the boundaries of communal discourse should be drawn, and how questions around Zionism, anti-Zionism, and internal disagreement are playing out across synagogues and campuses. They discuss the pressures facing today's rabbinate, the challenge of holding communities together amid deep division, and what responsible leadership looks like in a moment that resists easy consensus.

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Want to hear more about Jewish philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Episode 77 of What Gives?—the Jewish Philanthropy Podcast from Jewish Funders Network, hosted by JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny. In this episode, Andrés speaks with Mijal Bitton, spiritual leader of the Downtown Minyan in New York City and scholar in residence at Maimonides Fund, and Yehuda Kurtzer, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute. This episode takes on one of the hardest questions facing Jewish communities right now: how we think about boundaries, belonging, and the obligations we owe one another.

Using their two recent essays as a point of departure, Andrés, Mijal, and Yehuda explore the tension between kinship and consent in Jewish life, the legacy of radical inclusion in liberal Jewish institutions, and the ways October 7 forced many American Jews to reconsider what peoplehood actually asks of them. They also get into the difficult questions that follow from there: when disagreement becomes rupture, whether some forms of Jewish dissent cross a line, how institutions should think about red lines without becoming consumed by policing them, and what role funders can play in clarifying values without shrinking the tent beyond recognition.

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Click here to read Mijal's piece.

Click here to read Yehuda's piece.

Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Episode 76 of What Gives?—the Jewish Philanthropy Podcast from Jewish Funders Network, hosted by JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny. In this episode, Andrés speaks with Eugene Kandel, former Chair of Israel’s National Economic Council, chairman of the Board of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, and founder and chairman of the Israel Strategic Futures Institute. Over decades of advising Israeli governments and institutions, Eugene has become one of the leading voices thinking strategically about Israel’s political, economic, and social future.

In this wide ranging conversation, Andrés and Eugene explore the deep internal divisions shaping Israeli society, the tension between Israel’s Jewish and democratic identities, and the demographic and political forces reshaping the country’s trajectory. They reflect on why polarization has become so dangerous, what October 7 revealed about Israel’s vulnerabilities, and why Jews around the world should be paying close attention to what comes next.

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Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Episode 75 of What Gives?—the Jewish Philanthropy Podcast from Jewish Funders Network, hosted by JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny. In this episode, Andrés speaks with Zack Bodner, CEO of the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto and founder of the Z3 Project. Zack has spent more than a decade reimagining what a Jewish community center can be in an era of polarization, loneliness, and rapidly shifting modes of belonging.

Recorded in the aftermath of the Bondi Beach attack in Sydney, the conversation begins with a reflection on communal resilience and leadership in painful moments. Andrés and Zack explore what it means to build “town square” institutions that can hold difference without losing their core values, including how to think about boundaries, platforming, and creating brave spaces for hard conversations. They also discuss Silicon Valley’s culture of experimentation, the evolving role of JCCs, and how projects like Z3 aim to generate ideas, convene diverse voices, and help shape the Jewish future.

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Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Episode 74 of What Gives?—the Jewish Philanthropy Podcast from Jewish Funders Network, hosted by JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny. In this episode, Andrés speaks with Jay Ruderman, President of the Ruderman Family Foundation and author of the book Find Your Fight: Make Your Voice Heard for the Causes that Matter. Jay has spent years pushing institutions, media, and communities to think more seriously about representation, access, and belonging for people with disabilities.

Drawing on Jay's decades of advocacy and the ideas at the heart of his book, he reflects on how leaders and institutions can move from good intentions to meaningful action. Together, Jay and Andrés explore why authentic representation matters, how philanthropy can drive systemic change, and what it really takes to build a more inclusive Jewish and civic life.

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Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Episode 73 of What Gives?—the Jewish Philanthropy Podcast from Jewish Funders Network, hosted by JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny. In this episode, Andrés speaks with Ronen Koehler, a former submarine commander and a leader of Brothers and Sisters in Arms.

We recorded this conversation during Israel’s war with Iran, with Ronen joining us from inside a public shelter in Tel Aviv. He reflects on the urgent, grassroots work of transforming neglected public shelters into safe and humane spaces, the evolution of Brothers and Sisters in Arms since October 7th, and the leadership lessons he carries from military service to civil society. It’s a conversation about resilience, responsibility, and the power of citizens to step up when systems falter.

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Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Episode 72 of What Gives?—the Jewish Philanthropy Podcast from Jewish Funders Network, hosted by JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny. In this episode, Andrés speaks with Dr. Keren Fraiman, Dean and Chief Academic Officer of Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership, and Dr. Sivan Zakai, Professor of Jewish Education at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion and director of the Children’s Learning About Israel Project. Both are leading researchers in Jewish education whose work examines how young people form their understanding of Israel, identity, and Jewish life. And both are recent recipients of the Ilia Salita Excellence in Research Award for the work they’ve done in this field.

In this conversation, we explore their latest findings, what Jewish children are really learning and feeling, and how funders and educators can better support honest, nuanced approaches to Israel education in today’s climate.

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Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Episode 71 of What Gives?—the Jewish Philanthropy Podcast from Jewish Funders Network, hosted by JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny. In this episode, our guest is Sarah Hurwitz, former speechwriter for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, and the author of two widely discussed books about Jewish life and identity. Her newest book, As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us, challenges us to rethink how centuries of prejudice have shaped Jewish self-understanding, and why now is the time for a more confident and substantive embrace of Jewish tradition and peoplehood.

Sarah spoke about what it means to live as a Jew “without apology,” why shallow or self-deprecating Jewish identities aren’t enough in this moment, and how young Jews especially can ground themselves in real content and community.

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Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Episode 70 of What Gives?—the Jewish philanthropy podcast from Jewish Funders Network, hosted by JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny. In this episode, we speak with Elias Saratovsky, President and CEO of the Birthright Israel Foundation. As Birthright turns 25, we reflect not just on the nearly 900,000 young Jews who’ve visited Israel through this transformative program, but on how immersive travel, identity, and belonging are being reimagined for a new generation.

Elias shares his personal story, from growing up in a family of Soviet Jewish immigrants with little Jewish identity, to going on the very first Birthright trip in 1999, to now stewarding the future of the most ambitious Jewish educational initiative of our time. Elias and Andrés explore how Birthright adapted through a pandemic and a war, why pride and not propaganda is its most powerful product, and how a second trip to Israel might be even more important than the first.

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Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Episode 57 of What Gives? the Jewish Philanthropy Podcast from Jewish Funders Network, featuring JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny . In this episode, Andrés sits down with journalist and author Abigail Pogrebin, who takes over as host, placing Andrés in the hot seat to discuss his new book,  Tradition and Transition: Jewish Communities and the Hyper Empowered Individual.

Together, they dive into how Jewish communities can navigate and thrive in today’s evolving world, exploring themes of identity, belonging, and the balance between tradition and modernity. From the existential dilemmas of the individual to the transformative role of Jewish institutions, this thought-provoking conversation will leave you reflecting on the challenges and opportunities for building stronger, more connected communities. Take a listen.

Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.

Want to hear more Jewish about philanthropy? Check out other episodes of JFN's "What Gives?" and listen to "Outside the Tzedakah Box," a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.