Andrés Spokoiny

Oct 2, 2024 | ejewishphilanthropy.com | Andrés Spokoiny

Contemporary philosopher Diego Maradona once had an interaction with a journalist during which he blurted, “Shut up, you don’t exist, muppet!” That phrase, “no existis,” pronounced with an s instead of an x to imitate the great man’s shantytown accent, became a classic Maradona-ism was an archetypical example of his rough but endearing manners.  But Maradona, misunderstood as always, wasn’t being intentionally offensive. He was simply referring to a deep philosophical and scientific truth.

Sep 24, 2024 | alliancemagazine.org | Andrés Spokoiny

Jewish philanthropy has an illustrious history of stepping up in times of crisis and achieving impressive feats. Its response to events on October 7th when Hamas attacked communities and military bases in southern Israel killing 1,200 people was no different. The crisis unleashed by this attack was multifaceted, involving urgent and long-term needs in Israel and an explosion of antisemitism around the world.

Aug 26, 2024 | jewishbookcouncil.org | Carol Ungar |Mira Simon |Andrés Spokoiny |Julia Watts Belser

The motivation for writing a book often falls somewhere between arrogance and generosity. And it’s funny how these two impulses interact. For example, the arrogant part of me thinks that I’m so well-intentioned that I wrote a book only as a selfless exercise in generosity. Compulsion can also be a powerful source of motivation for writers.

Aug 12, 2024 | ejewishphilanthropy.com | Andrés Spokoiny

Back in May, The New York Times reported on a list of “pro-Israel/Zionist writers” circulating through the literary world along with a call to boycott their work: “Titled ‘Is Your Fav Author a Zionist?,’ it reads like a cross between ‘Tiger Beat’ and ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.’” Canadian writer Emily St. John Mandel appears prominently in the list; that’s reason enough to buy her books, but it helps that they tend to be both literary masterpieces and page-turners.

Jun 25, 2024 | fathomjournal.org | Alan Johnson |Calev Ben-Dor |Michael Walzer |Andrés Spokoiny

Andrés Spokoiny is the President and CEO of the Jewish Funders Network. There was a time, not long ago, when societies built their stories around heroes. Now, the victim has dislodged the hero as the center of society’s focus of admiration and desire. We dreamed of being heroes, now we yearn to be considered victims. Heroes and victims are very different. The hero sacrifices herself for the common good. She goes ‘out of herself’ and towards the other. The victim, however, withdraws into herself.