Claim OwnershipWhat Gives? The Jewish Philanthropy Podcast
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The issues, stories, and people changing the world in philanthropy and the Jewish community. If you like "What Gives?" be sure to check out "Outside the Tzedakah Box" (https://honeycomb.org/podcast-outside-tzedakah-box/) a podcast on Jewish youth philanthropy from JFN's Honeycomb.
77 Episodes
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Season 2, Episode 1 of What Gives? The Jewish philanthropy podcast from Jewish Funders Network.
Guest: Barry Finestone, President & CEO of the Jim Joseph Foundation.
Music credits:
• "Believer" by Silent Partner
• "Where I Am From" by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena
• "Wishful Thinking" by Dan Lebowitz
• "To the Top" by Silent Partner
• "Sunday Plans" by Silent Partner
• "Bleeker Street Blues" by Chris Haugen
Episode 11 of What Gives? The Jewish philanthropy podcast from Jewish Funders Network.
Guest: Jodi Rudoren, Editor in Chief of The Forward
Music credits:
• "Believer" by Silent Partner
• "Total Totality" by The 126ers
• "Follow the Shadows" by The 126ers
• "Bit Coin" by Otis McDonald
• "Wish You'd Come True" by The 126ers
• "Black Moon" by The 126ers
• "Don't Turn Back" by Silent Partner
Watch Jodi Rudoren in a JFN webinar on New Models for Funding Jewish Media.
Season 2, Episode 3 of What Gives?, the Jewish philanthropy podcast from Jewish Funders Network.
Guest: Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism
Music credits:
• "Believer" by Silent Partner
• "Wishful Thinking" by Dan Lebowitz
• "Station 22" by The 126ers
• "Heartland" by Silent Partner
• "Jeremiah's Song" by Dan Lebowitz
• "Land of My Fathers" by The 126ers
Episode 6 of What Gives? The Jewish philanthropy podcast from Jewish Funders Network.
Guest: Naomi Adler, President & CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.
Music credits:
"Believer" by Silent Partner
"The Wrong Time" by Silent Partner
"Keep Dreaming" by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena
"Mama's Whisper" by The 126ers
"North" by Silent Partner
"Rainy Sundays" by The 126ers
Episode 5 of What Gives? The Jewish philanthropy podcast from Jewish Funders Network.
Guest: Yossi Prager, executive director of the AVI CHAI Foundation.
Music credits:
"Believer" by Silent Partner
"Bleeker Street Blues" by Chris Haugen
"This is a Jazz Space" by Midnight North
"Quarter Mix" by Freedom Trail Studio
"Bridges" by Dan Lebowitz
"Sunny Looks Good on You" by Midnight North
Episode 4 of What Gives? The Jewish philanthropy podcast from Jewish Funders Network.
Guest: Gali Cooks, inaugural President & CEO of Leading Edge, the Alliance for Excellence in Jewish Leadership.
Music credits:
"Believer" by Silent Partner
"Ex Boxer" by Riot
"No Slope" by Freedom Trail Studio
"Mint Chocolate 2a" by Vibe Mountain
"Grand Avenue" by Text Me Records/Bobby Renz
"Lullaby" by Yung Logos
"Memory Rain" by Yung Logos
"Clover" by Vibe Mountain
Episode 3 of What Gives? The Jewish philanthropy podcast from Jewish Funders Network.
Guest: Rabbi David Wolpe, renowned writer and speaker and senior rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles.
Music credits:
"Believer" by Silent Partner
"Aurora Borealis Expedition" by Asher Fulero
"Bike Sharing to Paradise" by Dan Bodan
"Gymnopedie No. 3" composed by Erik Satie, performed by Wahneta Meixsell
"Little Prelude and Fugue" by Sir Cubworth
"C Major Prelude" composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, performer unknown
Episode 2 of What Gives? The Jewish philanthropy podcast from Jewish Funders Network.
Guest: Ilia Salita, President and CEO of Genesis Philanthropy Group
Music credits:
"Believer" by Silent Partner
"Dream of the Ancestor" by Asher Fulero
"Unknown Longing" by Asher Fulero
"Bike Sharing to Paradise" by Dan Bodan
"Lottery" by Anno Domini Beats
The premiere episode of What Gives? The Jewish philanthropy podcast from Jewish Funders Network.
Guest: Lisa Eisen, President of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation's U.S. Jewish Portfolio.
Music credits:
"Believer" by Silent Partner
"Simon's Song" by Dan Lebowitz
"Oceans" by Text Me Records/Bobby Renz
"Sunny Looks Good on You" by Midnight North
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.
Take a listen.
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.
Take a listen.
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.
Take a listen.
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.
Take a listen.
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.
Take a listen.
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.
Take a listen.
Episode 69 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 Shai Held, President and Dean of the Hadar Institute and author of the new book Judaism Is About Love: Recovering the Heart of Jewish Life. Shai returns for his second appearance on this podcast to talk about the enduring caricature of the “Old Testament God,” and how that distortion has shaped both Jewish and Christian imaginations.
Shai and Andrés explore why many rabbis feel ill-equipped to support spiritual seekers, how the trauma of October 7 has intensified theological yearning, and what role funders can play in revitalizing Jewish conversations about God. You’ll hear why Shai believes that real love, the kind rooted in justice, compassion, and mutual responsibility, is the most powerful force we can bring to a fractured world.
Take a listen.
Episode 68 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 Josh Miller, Chief Program Officer at the Jim Joseph Foundation. Over the past 17 years, Josh has helped shape some of the most significant philanthropic investments in Jewish education and talent development. In this episode, we talk about how the field of Jewish philanthropy has professionalized, why general operating and multi-year grants are smarter bets, and what it really takes to support meaningful innovation, whether inside legacy institutions or bold new ventures.
Josh also reflects on the “accidental” path that led him into Jewish professional life, the critical importance of field experience for funders, and how October 7 has reshaped our sense of urgency, purpose, and possibility.
Take a listen.
Episode 67 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 Simon Greer, a longtime leader in Jewish philanthropy, former CEO of the Nathan Cummings Foundation, now the driving force behind the Viewpoint Diversity Initiative at the University of North Carolina, and the founder of Cambridge Health Ventures
Simon takes us through his three‑part awakening—realizing that America’s crisis is as much spiritual as it is political, recognizing his own part in the problem of tribalism, and discovering that real change happens when we lean into the humanity of “the other.” We’ll explore why “viewpoint diversity” isn’t just an academic buzzword but an urgent practice for our fractured times—from campus debates about Israel and Palestine to retreats that bring correction officers and formerly incarcerated people together to reform our justice system.
Take a listen.
Episode 66 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 William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
With decades of experience navigating Washington and Jerusalem, William offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the Conference builds consensus across a coalition of 50 diverse Jewish organizations. We explore the delicate balance between public statements and quiet diplomacy, how Jewish communal leaders respond to rising antisemitism on campus, and what it means to represent a politically diverse Jewish community in times of division and crisis.
William shares his personal journey from grassroots political campaigns to the highest levels of Jewish leadership, and the lessons he’s learned about relationship-building, advocacy, and the surprising power of passionate moderation. Take a listen.
Episode 65 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 Rabbi Noah Farkas, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. Noah’s career has been shaped by crisis leadership: from his time as a Navy chaplain in Iraq, to rebuilding Jewish life in Biloxi after Hurricane Katrina, to guiding his community through the aftermath of October 7th and the devastating California wildfires.
We explore how his background in trauma care, disaster response, and Jewish values has informed a bold philanthropic strategy in a time of volatility and uncertainty. You’ll hear how the L.A. Federation evacuated 300,000 residents, reopened early childhood centers, and launched new funds to restore Jewish communal life—from preschools to summer camps to professional pipelines. Noah shares why federations are the Jewish community’s “9-1-1,” and how moral clarity and rapid action can build resilience for the long haul. Take a listen.
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