All Posts by Dov Ben-Shimon
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
Our Strategy Since October 7
June 5, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
The point of Jewish federations is to help more Jews do more Jewish stuff with other Jews in Jewish spaces, Jewishly....
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Where We Stand in Times of Challenge
April 26, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
We call on university administrators to enforce their codes of behavior end the disgraceful bullying and abuse of Jewish students....
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What Really Gives Me Hope
April 18, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
So many Israelis – if not most – are still living through the horrors and pain of that terror attack....
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Update from Jerusalem (Here for Good)
April 15, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
Remember too: Iranians are not Arabs; the language of Iran is Farsi not Arabic; Iran did not launch a war on Israel, the Islamic Republic did - The...
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Wellness and More
April 11, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
First the important stuff. BeWell, the Jewish Federation of North America’s youth mental health and wellness initiative, is partnering with Stanford...
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Highs and Lows
April 8, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
I was asked by someone thoughtful and smart about empathy and how to relate to Palestinian suffering during the Gaza war....
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The Latest
April 4, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
I've been focused this week on the plight of Evan Gershkovich, a United States citizen and journalist who was wrongfully detained by the Government of...
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Where We Are
April 1, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
We convened senior management and our Executive Board leadership last week for a wide-ranging discussion about strategic planning and the path ahead....
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What To Do
March 28, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
I’m extremely pleased that The House Committee on Education and the Workforce is investigating Rutgers University’s response to antisemitism and its...
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The Latest
March 26, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
I want you to know how grateful I am for all the messages of support and love my family has received after the passing of my father z"l....
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Professionals and Firehouses
March 15, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
Israel says that it is now planning to “flood Gaza with humanitarian supplies.”...
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All the News
March 11, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
I want to express my gratitude to Montclair State University President Koppell for doing the right thing, and for a strong statement of standing again...
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The Latest
March 7, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
I’m deeply proud to let you know that Beth El Memorial Park Foundation, a supporting organization of our Jewish Community Foundation (JCF), closed...
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The Latest (Plus Elections)
March 4, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
I’ve spent the last couple of days working with local initiatives on community outreach and dialogue, both inside the Jewish community, and with our...
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Where We Are
February 29, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
It’s been a busy few days. The Israeli delegation that spent the week in our community are on their way back home, and they have been incredible...
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The Latest
February 26, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
We’re hosting the delegation of Israelis from our partnership communities last week and this week. They are an inspiring, wonderful group of amazing...
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There Is Nothing Permanent Except Change
February 20, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
So. Here we are. Yesterday, an IDF soldier died of wounds sustained last week, bringing the total number of soldiers who have been killed since the...
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Fighting Hate in GMW, Supporting Israel
February 15, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
This week, the US Senate passed a Supplemental Aid package that includes approximately $14 billion in aid to Israel and $400 million in funding for...
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The Latest
February 12, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
In what is being described as a “daring and complex operation,” Israeli special forces rescued two hostages from Hamas captivity in Rafah in the south...
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And Then, This Happened…
February 8, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
I was sitting at the back of a meeting of our national Jewish Federations of North America earlier this week, and maybe 150 or so leaders from around...
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Next Steps
February 5, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
I'm in meetings with colleagues from across North America and we're discussing Israel advocacy, security, and community relations....
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A New Week
February 4, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
This week, 400 Federation leaders met with dozens of Members of Congress on Capitol Hill, urging them to hasten the swift passage of this critical...
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The Important Stuff
February 1, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
I always think that missions to Israel are critically important. Never more so than now. So I was moved and grateful to see a note from Assemblyman...
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What We’re Doing and What We’re Seeing
January 31, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
The Latest Numbers: Israel At War. 779 civilians were killed (five on the northern border, the rest in the Gaza region), and 557 Israeli soldiers kill...
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Where We Stand
January 26, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
While fighting has subsided in much of the Gaza Strip, large battles continue in the city of Khan Younis where many believe that the hostages, as well...
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Proving Wrong Hamas’ Assumptions
January 23, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
All of the main assumptions that Hamas had about Israel and its sense of self have been proved wrong. Every single one....
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Lows and Highs
January 18, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
In a sad statement of shameful capitulation to terror-supporters and rape-apologists, Rutgers, our State university has reinstated...
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Fighting Hate and Lifting Up
January 16, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
We hosted more law enforcement professionals, community leaders, and legislators in our offices on Friday for another screening of the Hamas “GoPro”...
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A Badge of Honor
January 12, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
January 14th will mark 100 days since October 7th, when the hostages were abducted by Hamas....
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Flags and Safety
January 8, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
I was interviewed on Friday on PBS about the West Orange flag-raising issue. You can see the piece that they screened here....
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Jersey and Israel
January 4, 2024
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
I’ve spent time these past few days working with our neighboring Jewish federations as we look at our work in Trenton and across the state....
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A Little Piece of Ground
December 29, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
Thanks to our efforts, a deeply troubling and prejudicial book has just been pulled from the Newark Public School curriculum....
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Overhead, Overheard, Overall
December 20, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
I’ve been focused these past few days on our professional staff. I know that the out-facing stuff we do is inspiring and important, but all that...
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Day 73
December 18, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
Thank you to the members of Temple Beth-El Mekor Chayim in Cranford, who hosted me last night for an evening of Solidarity with Israel featuring the...
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Ron hy”d
December 15, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
This morning I hosted several dozen police chiefs, sheriffs, county prosecutors, and rabbis for a screening of the Hamas atrocities documentary here ...
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The Latest
December 14, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
You need to watch this video, a tribute to the heroes of our partner community Ofakim. It’s inspiring and uplifting and has been screening on Israeli...
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Day 68 Updates and Background
December 13, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
In the evening I met with four incredible Israelis, survivors of the October 7th massacre at our wonderful JCC MetroWest: Hila, Shani, Ofir and...
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A Few Quick Updates
December 12, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
I was really proud to see that Students for "Justice in Palestine" was just suspended from our state university, Rutgers....
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Yigal
December 11, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
There’s a lovely initiative to honor the memory of our friend Yigal Iluz (hy”d), who fell in battle against Hamas terrorists during the attack on...
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Day 63
December 8, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
We were blessed to host many community leaders this morning at a beautiful and important celebration of our partner agencies and day schools; together...
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Events, Dear Boy, Events
December 8, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
The running joke around here seems to be that I keep promising to cut down on both the frequency and the length of these updates … and then the world ...
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Shame and Pride
December 6, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
Like many of you, I’m disgusted and deeply disappointed by the testimonies yesterday of the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and...
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Healing
December 5, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
Join me next Tuesday (12th) at our JCC MetroWest for a powerful, moving, and important discussion with four heroes and heroines of light, survivors of...
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The Latest
December 4, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
Our Jewish Federation communities have been actively involved in discussions with the administration of Rutgers University and other universities...
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A Final Briefing Before Shabbat
December 1, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
We’re tracking a wide number of synagogues in the East Coast who have received bomb threats this morning....
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Rutgers University / Call to Action
November 30, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
For the last eight weeks, Jewish students and faculty at Rutgers University have been confronted with a significant and disturbing rise of hate and...
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Day 54 of the War
November 29, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
I’ve spent much of the past couple of days giving briefings, updating community groups about what’s happening in the Israel-Hamas war and about our...
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Fifty-Three Days of War
November 28, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
Mazal tov and nesiya tova (safe travels) to the latest Greater MetroWest Israel Solidarity Mission, chaired by Zev Scherl and currently on the ground...
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What Not to Do
November 27, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
It’s Giving Tuesday tomorrow. I’ve been asked by several people this weekend what my thoughts are about this....
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Hostage Release, and More
November 22, 2023
Dov Ben-Shimon
Federation CEO
We’re spending an increasing amount of time looking at local security threats. Haters, antisemites, well-meaning students who should know better, and...
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