THE
Jewish
OBSERVER www.jewishobservernashville.org
Vol. 91 No. 2
FEBRUARY 2026 14 Sh’vat - 11 Adar 5786
No History Lesson, Just What’s Next: Miri Eisin Looks Toward 2026 By BARBARA DAB
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ome would say there is no such thing as a crystal ball. But retired IDF Colonel Miri Eisin is going to try and use one when she comes to Nashville on February 10th as part of Jewish Federations of North America’s Israel in Focus speaker series. Eisin’s plan is not to revisit recent history, but to look forward. “I’m going to open my crystal ball, which I don’t own, and I’m not going to give a history lesson, we’ve just lived through that. I’m going to try and describe where it takes us looking into 2026.” The focus on Israel, says Eisin, is threefold. “One aspect is looking at Israel and the Palestinian arena in general. It’s not just the Gaza strip, it’s not just Judea and Samaria, because it immediately takes us into the world of, ‘From the river to the sea,’ and ‘Globalize the intifada.’” The second aspect is looking at what
Retired IDF colonel Miri Eisin will be in Nashville as part of the Israel in Focus series, discussing the future of the Middle East in 2026.
Eisin calls, “the new Middle East.” She says it is a direct result of the Hamas’s war. “When I say Hamas’s war, Hamas started it and immediately a lot of additional elements joined in.” She says as a result the Middle East is completely changed. “It’s leaderships, alliances. And looking into 2026, one odd example is that the United Arab Emirates announced that they’re not going to fund UAE citizens’ studies in the UK because in the UK they may be radicalized in a way that won’t happen in UAE.” Eisin plans to view the Israeli/ Palestinian challenges through both Israeli eyes, her own perspective, and through Palestinian eyes. And in her view of the new Middle East, she says it is important to also consider the broader impact. “It’s no question that the Shiite Crescent has been hurt. Look at what’s happening in Iran right now. It’s not just because of what went on in the last two and a half years. But that certainly ampli-
fied voices where the voices inside Iran are saying we don’t have water, we don’t have electricity. All you’re doing right now is nuclear Gaza and Hezbollah.” This is all part of what she describes as changing alliances in the region in ways not seen before. “Now we’re talking about the very challenging Turkey and Qatar that we never talked about like that before. And the hinge in between Turkey and Quatar, there are two of them. One is Gaza. The second is Syria.” Eisin says the regime change in Syria is one she looks at with some skepticism, while admitting most people view it as a step in the right direction. “Most people look at regime changes and go, ‘yay,’ and I look at regime changes and go, ‘Yay, but.’” She concedes anything is better than the Assad regime, but that doesn’t mean the new regime is good for Israel in the aftermath of October 7th. Continued on page 15
How Every Dollar Finds Its Purpose: Inside Federation’s Campaign and Grants Process
By BARBARA DAB
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he Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville just closed the books on its 2025 campaign and kicked off the 2026 campaign year. In 2025, the Federation and its Foundation distributed just over $4 million in grants to partners, organizations, and agencies locally and overseas. These grants included both Jewish and non-Jewish organizations. Many in the Nashville Jewish community have asked how those funds are raised and what the process is for distribution. The Observer took a deeper dive into those questions, starting with the Federation’s financial resource development department (FRD). Jason Sparks is chief development officer and is responsible for creating an annual campaign strategic plan and leading the campaign committee’s efforts. He says a successful campaign begins with in depth analysis of current donor capacity. “We use a variety of tools to look at a donor’s giving level A Publication of the
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and determine if they have greater ability to give more.” In some cases, Sparks says, people have stopped giving and it is important to learn why. “That goes back to stewardship. They may be having personal challenges. We had some people like that this year and we thank them for their previous support and ask what we can do to help.” Sparks says these conversations provide opportunities for deeper connections with community members that go beyond fundraising and straight to the heart of the Federation’s mission. “We had someone who at one time could only give a very small amount and then didn’t give for many years. They came to one event this year and became a major donor simply because they felt they had reconnected with the community and that was so powerful.” Of course, the nuts and bolts of FRD is raising money to fund grants and Sparks says early in the year, his team develops a strategy based on what they can historically expect and tries to plan 100 Years, Countless Stories: Eileen Handler Reflects on a Life Well Lived, page 3
for the unexpected, as well. “We expected a large donation to come in recently, and it didn’t. I know that directly impacts our grant allocations.” Another strategic goal for the coming year, says Sparks, is focusing on endof-life planning, also known as legacy giving. “When someone opens an annual campaign endowment fund, that gift sustains us into the future. So, it’s not only a gift for this year, but for years to come.” The next step in the Federation’s fundraising process is grant making, headed by chief impact officer Michal Eskenazi Becker. For her the first step is working with the Federation’s chief financial officer to determine available funds. “The way those numbers work is the total campaign dollars raised, minus our operational budget, plus five percent revenue on our Foundation.” A key to understanding the grant timeline is that the current year’s allocation is based on the campaign results from two years prior. Becker says that is because the complete grant making proWriting the Next Chapter: West End Synagogue Begins a New Torah, page 6
cess is approximately seven months. “We start this coming May on the grants for 2027. We can’t use the funds from 2026, because we are only halfway through this year’s campaign, and we can’t grant money we’re not sure we will have.” In other words, 2026 grants were made using funds donated in 2024. Starting in May, Becker assembles the grants committee, which is typically comprised of 10 to 12 members, each agreeing to serve for two years. At this point deadlines for the grants are set, and meetings are scheduled. There are usually about 14 meetings set over the course of the year. In July, there is an orientation and training, and the committee reviews the financials, reviews its priorities and lessons learned from the previous year. In late July, the applications are open for non-local partners, Israel and overseas, and block grants, which are grants funded for more than ten years. The grants committee begins meeting Continued on page 2 Camps Special Section, page 17