"Na’aseh V’Nishma": Launching Our Israel Grantmaking Strategy Through Action and Learning

By Zohar Hahn-Brafman and Hanan Rubin

Following the holiday of Shavuot – the time when the Jewish people stood at Mount Sinai and famously declared "Na’aseh V’Nishma" (We will do, and we will hear) – the Mayberg Foundation's Israel team is embracing this exact philosophy as we shape our upcoming grantmaking strategy.

As we expand and evaluate our philanthropic work in Israel, we look at our framework through what we call the "Renovated House Strategy." There are two structural approaches to this process: one is the "Research Institute" model, which involves sitting down to map out, theorize, and design a perfectly planned house from scratch before ever breaking ground. The second approach – the one we feel deeply aligned with – is to step inside the house, live in it, and learn its unique needs by experiencing it firsthand. In other words, rather than designing a rigid strategy in isolation, we believe the best way to deploy capital most effectively is to put financial resources directly into the field and learn from those dollars at work.

In philanthropy, over-planning can often delay meaningful progress, because learning is infinite. Entrepreneurial philanthropy refines as impact is – or is not – demonstrated. For us, "Na’aseh V’Nishma" means saying "yes" to action. It means engaging directly with organizations in the field, backing them financially, and walking alongside them as invested partners. By empowering grantees with funding, we create a dynamic loop: we evaluate the real-world impact of these investments together, and the insights we gain directly shape and sharpen our broader funding approach moving forward. Through this active doing, we "hear" and comprehend the deeper nuances. We take calculated risks with our capital, knowing some initiatives will succeed and others will require adaptation.

This entrepreneurial spirit of "learning through doing" will guide us across all the strategic areas we are currently exploring for Israel. We are excited to embark on this journey of action, iteration, and continuous growth.