A recap of the first day of the JFN International Conference.

The opening day of the 2026 JFN International Conference set a clear tone for the days ahead: this is a moment that calls for seriousness, solidarity, and ambition from Jewish philanthropy.

Conference Co-Chair Elaine Galinson reflected on the enduring vision that helped shape JFN in its early years: funders learning from one another and working together in pursuit of greater impact. She welcomed attendees to San Diego as a community marked by creativity, civic life, and strong Jewish leadership, grounding the gathering in both place and purpose.

Fellow Conference Co-Chair Ronny Douek spoke powerfully about the reality that Jews in Israel and around the world are not separate communities, but one people bound by shared responsibility. “There is no separation between the Diaspora and Israel,” he said. “What happens in Israel affects the entire Jewish world, and vice versa.” His remarks were made all the more poignant by the personal circumstances in which he joined us, as his son was being deployed to Lebanon. He reminded us that this period demands long-term investment in the fabric of Jewish life and the well-being of the next generation.

JFN Chair Zoya Raynes then delivered a powerful call to action. She argued that Jewish philanthropy is operating in a moment when history is moving quickly and expectations are higher than ever. Reflecting on the scale of mobilization since October 7, she noted that Jewish philanthropy has demonstrated remarkable capacity, but the question now is what comes next.

As she told the room, “If you are in this room, you are not observers. You are capital allocators. You are institutional architects. You shape what Jewish life becomes.” She urged funders to move beyond comfortable routines and incremental thinking, arguing that extraordinary moments require extraordinary leadership. “In normal times, incrementalism is prudent,” she said. “But these are not normal times, and business as usual is neither effective nor morally defensible.”

That same spirit ran through the day’s workshops and smaller conversations. Across sessions, participants returned to a few shared ideas: the need for greater collaboration rather than duplication, the importance of making space for emerging leaders and next-generation voices, the urgency of meeting this moment with strategies that are practical, responsive, and grounded in real human needs. Topics spanned security, education, economic vulnerability, and civic resilience. The message was consistent: this is a time to work across differences and translate concern into coordinated action.

That challenge carried into a panel conversation with Jonah Platt, Mandana Dayani, and Marc Rowan, who reflected on how their own giving has changed since October 7. They spoke about the need to lead with clarity about what we stand for, rather than allowing our public voice to be defined only by opposition to others. They emphasized the importance of inviting people into real encounters with Jewish life, values, and community, meeting them through authentic experience rather than relying only on messaging or rebuttal. They also encouraged funders to experiment with confidence, noting that criticism will come regardless, so fear of attack cannot be what determines our strategy.

Martin Gutmann offered a different but connected leadership lesson. He focused on qualities that are often undervalued, especially humility. Rather than a sign of weakness, he described humility as a leadership strength that makes it possible to acknowledge mistakes, change course when needed, build trust, and create stronger teams. He also underscored the importance of pairing big vision with careful attention to practical execution.

A common theme emerged: this is a time for Jewish philanthropy to be thoughtful but not timid, values-driven but also adaptive, and deeply rooted in peoplehood, responsibility, and action.

Stay tuned as we share more from the conference.