Opinion | Reader Say Israel-Hamas War Coverage Lacks Balance

To the Editor:

I am deeply disturbed by and disappointed in the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s coverage of Israel’s assault on millions of Gazan civilians and its longstanding illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.

Despite ongoing targeted assaults on civilian neighborhoods, schools, and hospitals, your coverage continues to center American Jews — particularly wealthy Jewish-American donors. It conflates criticisms of Israel with antisemitism and proposes facile solutions, such as a “campus pluralism center,” to a crisis borne of the abuse of the Palestinian people on their own land.

The latest entry by Craig Kennedy, (“An Unlikely Event — the Israel-Hamas War — Could Finally Spark DAF Reform,” December 6) dares to suggest that DAFs must be subject to further scrutiny because they’ve funded groups that are critical of Israel, including Jewish organizations such as IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace.

Against this endless tide of pro-Israel propaganda and hollow gestures towards “pluralism,” just one piece has spoken to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza— “What Palestine Needs From U.S. Philanthropy” by Muhi Khwaja.

I would cancel my subscription, but my job pays for it anyway. I beg you to reflect on your moral and ethical responsibilities as a representative of a field that claims to work towards the betterment of humanity.

Shannon Clark, CFRE
Development Manager
Atlanta, Georgia