The Laszlo N. Tauber Family Foundation is a private foundation established in 2003 that donates to causes including Holocaust education, mental health, and left-of-center organizations that support left-progressive advocacy in the United States and Israel. [1] The foundation donates millions to the New Israel Fund which Israeli based media critics[2] claim is anti-Israel and opposed to Zionism. [3]
Background
The foundation is named after Laszlo N. Tauber, a physician who during World War II was instrumental in saving fellow European Jewish people during the Holocaust through his medical practice and by forging documents to prevent them from deportation to concentration camps. [4] Tauber immigrated to the United States in 1947 and continued his profession as a surgeon. He gained significant wealth through real estate investments and became a philanthropist who donated generously to health care and Holocaust remembrances, becoming one of the pivotal funders for the Washington D.C. based United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. [5]
After Tauber passed away, his daughter and son created the Laszlo N. Tauber Family Foundation. The donation strategies transitioned from the father’s focus on healthcare and Jewish causes to include left-leaning political positions. [6]
In 2018, the foundation had $8.9 million in revenue and $82 million in assets. [7]
Leadership
The foundation is led by the descendants of Laszlo N. Tauber, chiefly his daughter, Ingrid Tauber and son, Alfred Tauber. Ingrid Tauber has donated thousands to Democratic candidates[8] including President Barack Obama. [9]
Cheri Pies is a staff consultant for the foundation,[10] and her background includes financially supporting and sitting on the board of the National Women’s Health Network, an ardent supporter of abortion rights and Obamacare. [11] Pies is also the author of several books, including Considering Parenthood: a Workbook for Lesbians and the Teacher’s Curriculum Guide on AIDS. [12]
Funding Recipients
New Israel Fund
The foundation donates millions to the left-leaning New Israel Fund (NIF). [13] It believes donations to the New Israel Fund will help educate Jewish people on how to combat racism and discrimination. [14] Israeli critics argue that the New Israel Fund funds the de-legitimization of Israel. These media sources claim that the New Israel Fund donates to anti-Israel organizations that support Palestinian terrorist groups like Hamas. [15]
Both NIF and its subsidiary SHATIL received a grants from the U.S. State Department during President Barack Obama’s administration. Both NIF and SHATIL are alleged to fund groups that support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and have been labeled as a “left-wing political lobby.” [16]
Molad
The Laszlo N. Tauber Family Foundation supports the progressive Israeli organization Molad: the Center for the Renewal of Israeli Democracy. [17] Molad authored an article claiming that the American. Christian Right is harming Israel, citing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s relationship with American evangelical conservatives. Molad criticized Netanyahu for aligning with Republicans against President Obama over his Iran policy. [18] Ami Ayalon is a board member for Molad and authored an article for Politico describing President Trump’s Israeli—Palestinian peace talks as impractical and immoral, suggesting they threaten a war in the Middle East. [19]
Alliance for Israel’s Future
Another recipient of Tauber funding is the left-progressive organization Alliance for Israel’s Future. [20] Mikhael Manekin is their Israel director and authored an article proposing that an alliance between Israel’s left and Arabs in Israel can topple Prime Minister Netanyahu of the right-leaning Likud Party. [21]
International Rescue Committee
Another left-of-center grantee[22] is the International Rescue Committee (IRC) which claims President Donald Trump’s policies have ripped families apart and endangered refugees. [23] The IRC’s website features an article criticizing Israel’s policy of expelling African refugees. [24]
Jewish Family Children’s Service
A charity that has received millions from Tauber[25] and offers many services including services for LGBT people. [26]