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Do US Jews Care About Israeli
Politics as Much as the State Itself?
J HEATHER M.ROSS | STAFF WRITER
ews living in the United
States profess a strong sense
of care toward Israel, but are
they as deeply invested in Israeli
politics? According to a study conducted
by the Pew Research Center, 80%
of U.S. Jews said that caring about
Israel is an essential or important
part of what being Jewish means to
them. Yet only 57% said they follow
news about Israel somewhat or very
closely. Given the recent turmoil in Israel
— with the coalition government
dissolving and a fifth round of elec-
tions in the past three years on the
horizon, the Jewish Exponent contacted
several Philadelphia Jews and asked a
few general questions to gauge the level
of interest in Israeli politics locally.

“I’m an immigrant, the son of
Holocaust survivors. I know what hap-
pened without Israel,” said Richard
Tems, a Jewish Doylestown resident,
retired business owner and veteran.

Tems expressed concern about
American Jews debating and judging
policy in Israel while being uninformed
and not putting in the energy necessary
to staying up to date.

According to Tems, people don’t
need to look very hard for informa-
tion if they want to stay involved: “It’s
there if you want it. It’s on the internet.

Left and right Israeli newspapers, in
English!” Only one person said they followed
politics in Israel closely, although most
knew and regularly interacted with at
least one person who did so.

But is it a problem if U.S. Jews don’t
follow Israeli politics?
According to Theodore Kosin of
Bucks County, it is.

“If you don’t know history and the
news, the news is history — you’re
destined to repeat it. And knowing our
history, we don’t want that,” said Kosin,
who added that he tries to address the
issue by making sure his own family is
educated and involved.

“Just talk about it (with your fam-
ily),” Kosin said.

Kosin said the way young people
consume news is changing, and many
don’t follow it because they are too
busy. Some news platforms have adapted
to that by adding TikTok — its users
are primarily between the ages of
16 and 24 — to their list of social
media accounts. Videos on TikTok
can be as long as 10 minutes, but
it’s rare for one to be longer than 3
minutes. Why are some Jews in the United
States less attached to Israel?
Research indicates that the level
of attachment to Israel varies pri-
marily by age and religion.

Jews ages 50 and older are more
attached to Israel than younger
Jews are, according to the 2020 Pew
study. Attachment to Israel also
varied by religion, with Orthodox
Jews having the highest number of
participants saying they are very
attached to the Jewish state. About
60% of Jews with no particular denom-
inational affiliation say they are either
“not too” or “not at all” emotionally
attached to Israel.

The same survey reported that
Jewish Americans who were 65 and
older reported the strongest emotional
attachment to Israel. Most (90%) Jews
reporting a very or somewhat strong
attachment to Israel had been there
more than once. JE
hross@midatlanticmedia.com ANDY GOTLIEB | JEWISH EXPONENT EDITOR
F ormer Jewish Exponent Director
of Business Operations Cheryl
Lutts pleaded guilty in federal
court on June 28 to 24 counts of wire and
mail fraud involving both the Exponent
and subsequent employer the Philly Pops,
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Lutts, 43, of Philadelphia, admitted that
8 JULY 7, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
she used the money to pay off thousands
of dollars in credit card debts associated
with travel and lodging, legal services,
and funeral costs, as well as things such
as utility bills and her cellphone.

Lutts, who will be sentenced in
October, faces a maximum punishment
on each count of 20 years in prison, three
years of supervised release, a $250,000
fine and a $100 special assessment.

The Inquirer reported that Lutts
didn’t explain in court what prompted
the embezzlements, but her attorney,
Maranna J. Meehan, said Lutts was
undergoing outpatient treatment for
opioid addiction.

Prosecutors said Lutts siphoned
about $1.19 million from the Exponent
between 2016 and 2019, as well as about
$255,000 from The Philly Pops, where
she worked as controller after being
fired from the Exponent in August 2019.

Lutts, who was an Exponent employee
for 18 years, was fired for poor perfor-
mance before the fraud was discovered.

Her replacement found a fabricated
bank statement in Lutts’ desk drawer on
his first day on the job.

She concealed her actions with doc-
tored bank statements and secretly took
out a corporate credit card in her name. JE
agotlieb@midatlanticmedia.com Anton Litvintsev / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Former Exponent Business Manager
Pleads Guilty to $1.44M Fraud



COMMUNITY NEWS
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia mobilizes
financial and volunteer resources to address the
communities’ most critical priorities locally, in Israel and
around the world.

Setting Course: Tracy Gordon Steers
Women’s Philanthropy Group
N ot afraid to turn away from a challenging role,
Tracy Gordon has been a devoted leader in the
Philadelphia Jewish community for 25 years.

As Gordon attests, it was the encouragement she received
from those close to her that empowered her to take on new
roles with confi dence.

It is with this same confi dence that Gordon enters her
next leadership chapter as chair of Women’s Philanthropy,
an affi nity group of the Jewish Federation of Greater
Philadelphia that brings together and uplift s women
changemakers to create a better world through giving and
hands-on volunteering.

“I am so grateful for all of the extraordinarily talented
women I have met through Women’s Philanthropy, who
Tracy Gordon
have been my role models,” explained Gordon, who was
installed as chair on May 25 during the group’s closing
board meeting at Green Valley Country Club. “Women’s Philanthropy is highly
skilled at identifying leadership opportunities for women which are slightly
outside their comfort zones, and then providing an encouraging and safe space
in which they can inhabit these roles. I was encouraged to take on roles which
seemed daunting at fi rst, but ultimately laid the groundwork for my growth and
development.” Among Gordon’s vast experience within the Jewish Federation, she has served
as the co-chair of the Board for Jewish Life and Learning — now known as the
Committee for Jewish Life and Learning — and as a member of the campaign
team and a member of the board of trustees. Within Women’s Philanthropy,
she has served as the group’s campaign chair, co-chair of Women’s Leadership
Development Program, and vice chair of the Women’s Philanthropy Board. For
the last year, Gordon has served as chair-elect of the affi nity group, learning from
Immediate Past Chair Julie Savitch.

We spoke with Gordon to learn more about her leadership journey and aspira-
tions for Women’s Philanthropy.

My advice to someone looking to get involved with
Women’s Philanthropy is to take the initiative. Please
do not sit back and wait to be asked. I remember when
I was new to Women’s Philanthropy, and I was hoping
to be asked to take on roles in the organization. Aft er
feeling “passed over” a few times, I shared with my hus-
band that maybe I should direct my energies elsewhere.

Fortunately, he gave me the excellent advice to take
the fi rst step and reach out to the lay and professional
Women’s Philanthropy leaders, express my interest in
getting involved, and explore ways in which I could
contribute to the organization. My inquiries were met
with warmth and enthusiasm. As chair, I encourage
anyone interested in deepening their involvement with
Courtesy of Tracy Gordon
Women’s Philanthropy to please reach out to me, Lindsay
Davidman (director of Women’s Philanthropy) or Sarah
Lefk owitz (development associate for NextGen and Women’s Philanthropy). We
are always looking to engage new leaders in our work.

Why do you give to the Jewish Federation?
Although our family supports many diff erent Jewish institutions and agencies,
our gift to the Jewish Federation is a philanthropic priority, largely due to the
breadth of its impact. Th e Jewish Federation provides the infrastructure for the
entire Philadelphia Jewish community and is uniquely positioned to marshal
resources and comprehensively meet the community’s needs at a moment’s
notice. Having worked in allocations for a decade as co-chair and member of the
Board of Jewish Life and Learning, I have a deep respect for the exhaustive vetting
process through which the Jewish Federation’s allocation decisions are made. I
trust that the Jewish Federation values my commitment and will be a responsible
and visionary steward for my investment in Jewish continuity.

What has been one of your most meaningful experiences in Women’s
Philanthropy? One of the most meaningful experiences I have had in Women’s Philanthropy was
being asked to share my “camp story” at a Pomegranate Society event a few years
ago. I shared that I had been the recipient of a scholarship from a Jewish philan-
thropist when I was 10 years old. Th at donor’s generosity enabled me to attend
Jewish overnight camp for nine years, which ultimately changed the course of my
life. At camp, I met my future husband, George, when we were 12. We would go on
to create a Jewish home, and raise four children who attended that same overnight
camp (Camp Harlam) and Jewish day schools. Any contributions I have been able
to make to the Jewish community originated with that single act of philanthropy
45 years ago. Sharing my personal experience was not only profoundly meaningful
in terms of empowering me to “own my own story” but also felt deeply signifi cant
in its potential to inspire others to appreciate the power of their own philanthropy.

As the new chair of Women’s Philanthropy, what do you hope to accom-
plish for the next two years of your term?
My primary objective as chair is re-engagement. Women’s Philanthropy, under
Julie Savitch’s outstanding leadership as past chair, has been impressively
successful in navigating the unique and unprecedented challenges of COVID-
necessitated virtual programming. Nevertheless, over the past few years, we have
become less connected. Our priority moving forward is providing meaningful
opportunities for self-identifying women to connect with one another, hopefully
in person, in supporting the most pressing needs of the Jewish community.

Personally, I am deeply committed to the values of expansiveness and inclu-
sivity. I hope to broaden our tent, and help create a space in which women who
have not felt drawn to Women’s Philanthropy in the past will be inspired by the
relevance, transparency and consequential nature of our work. I have found my
involvement in Women’s Philanthropy to be deeply gratifying and feel blessed to
help galvanize others to join us in building and sustaining a strong and vibrant
Jewish community.

What advice would you give to someone who is looking to get involved
with Women’s Philanthropy?
For more information about Women’s Philanthropy, contact Lindsay Davidman,
director of Women’s Philanthropy, at ldavidman@jewishphilly.org or 215-832-0502.

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