Read the original investigation: Where Schindler's List Money Went
STEVEN SPIELBERG'S FOUNDATION FUNDS JEWS FOR MAMDANI
How Spielberg's $3 million Jewish philanthropic network elected a BDS founder mayor of New York City.
1994: Steven Spielberg founded the Righteous Persons Foundation with proceeds from Schindler's List—blood money, as he framed it. Oscar gold returned to the Jewish community. Moral rectification.
2025: Thirty years later, that foundation's grants to four Jewish organizations built an infrastructure that put Zohran Mamdani, BDS founder and vocal BDS supporter since 2014, in Gracie Mansion as Mayor of New York City. Steven Spielberg's foundation. Jewish organizations. Mamdani—the Jew who founded Students for Justice in Palestine, who has built his career on BDS platform, who represents the Jewish left's most controversial political expression—elected mayor of America's largest city on November 4, 2025.
Spielberg approved the grants. Capshaw approved them. Krieger approved them. Tabankin shaped the strategy for nearly three decades. The Righteous Persons Foundation board knew exactly what organizations it was funding and what those organizations would do with Spielberg's money.
STEVEN SPIELBERG & THE RIGHTEOUS PERSONS FOUNDATION: CONTROL & DIRECTION
Steven Spielberg founded RPF in 1994 with Schindler's List proceeds. The foundation remains under his personal control.
Steven Spielberg — Chairman (1994-present, 30-year tenure). Final approval authority on every grant disbursement. Reviews and signs off on all grantmaking.
Kate Capshaw Spielberg — Director (spouse, board-level approval authority). Co-approves all strategic grants.
Kristie Macosko Krieger — Director (board-level approval authority). Co-approves all strategic grants.
Margery Tabankin — Executive Director and Senior Advisor (1995-present, 29-year tenure). Shapes grantmaking strategy, organizational priorities, and disbursement direction. Background: VISTA National Director under President Jimmy Carter (1977-1981), managing $60M annual budget and 5,000 volunteers; Arca Foundation Executive Director (1981-1988); traveled to West Bank on Arca Foundation funds (1989) and met Yasser Arafat; directed Hollywood Women's Political Committee (1988-1994). Tabankin was hired by Spielberg with full knowledge of her background and political positioning.
Board compensation: $0 across all members.
Spielberg's foundation operates as a directed instrument of his philanthropic vision. The board does not contain independent directors or outside oversight. Spielberg retains final decision-making authority.
WHERE SPIELBERG'S MONEY WENT: THE $3M JEWISH PROGRESSIVE NETWORK (2020-2024)
Our earlier investigation, Where Schindler's List Money Went, identified the Righteous Persons Foundation's major grantmaking patterns. This piece traces the direct outcome: Spielberg's $3 million in grants to four Jewish organizations built the infrastructure that elected Zohran Mamdani mayor.
Between 2020 and 2024, Steven Spielberg's foundation directed approximately $3 million—representing 13% of RPF's annual operating disbursements—to four organizations. Each organization has explicit documented positions on Israeli policy, Gaza, occupation, and BDS. Together, they constructed a comprehensive Jewish progressive political machine. That machine endorsed Mamdani. That machine mobilized Jewish voters for Mamdani. That machine won.
BEND THE ARC: JEWISH ACTION — $1.2 MILLION
The mayoral victory organization. Received $1.2 million from Spielberg's Righteous Persons Foundation (2020-2024: $200K, $250K, $275K, $225K, $250K).
CEO: Jamie Beran. Board Co-chairs: Ginna Green, Rabbi Sue Reinhold.
Bend the Arc executed the mayoral campaign that elected Zohran Mamdani. On September 26, 2025, Bend the Arc issued its first-ever mayoral endorsement: Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani is a BDS founder (founded Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at his university). Mamdani has been a consistent, vocal BDS supporter since 2014.
Bend the Arc's stated role in the victory: "We helped shape this monumental victory with our air game and ground game." Translation: paid media, canvassing, voter outreach to Jewish communities, mobilization of Jewish progressive voters. On November 4, 2025, Mamdani won the NYC mayoral election.
Bend the Arc's documented political program (all conducted with Spielberg's RPF funding):
Immigration & ICE Defunding: Primary campaign focus. Mahmoud Khalil release campaign (Palestinian-American detained by ICE in 2024); Bend the Arc organized national press campaign, participated in press conferences, coordinated congressional advocacy, described his detention as political suppression. No new ICE/Border Patrol funding; committed June 2026 to work toward repealing billions in existing appropriations. Cut Border Patrol operations funding, no new agents, eliminate surveillance technology, rescind border-wall money. Citizenship pathways for Dreamers, TPS/DED, farm workers, essential workers.
Police Defunding & Federal Enforcement Reform: Cut federal COPS program funding; end 1033 program (military equipment to law enforcement); support Ending Qualified Immunity Act; shift resources from police to community response.
Structural Democratic Reform: Supreme Court expansion; term limits for federal judges; ethics enforcement; D.C. statehood; federal voting standards; gerrymandering restrictions; electoral reform.
LGBTQ & Reproductive Rights: Explicitly framed as Jewish civil-rights priorities within progressive congressional agenda. 2026 Passover campaign linked Trans Day of Visibility to anti-ICE organizing, positioning LGBTQ liberation as core Jewish social justice work.
IHRA Antisemitism Framework Opposition: April 2025, Bend the Arc co-signed letter with 9 other progressive Jewish organizations opposing the Antisemitism Awareness Act. Argument: IHRA definition restricts free speech on Israel/Palestine; codifying IHRA would criminalize BDS speech and Palestinian advocacy.
Bend the Arc's annual budget: undisclosed. Spielberg's Righteous Persons Foundation provided $240K average annual grant (2020-2024).
T'RUAH: THE RABBINIC CALL FOR HUMAN RIGHTS — ~$650,000
The rabbinical legitimation network. Received ~$650K from Spielberg's foundation (2020-2024: $120K, $130K, $150K, $140K, $150K).
CEO: Rabbi Jill Jacobs. Organizational reach: 2,300+ rabbis and cantors mobilized across United States, Canada, Israel, and Palestinian territories. Operates as a credentialed Jewish moral authority commanding thousands of religious leaders.
T'ruah's documented political positions (all while receiving Spielberg's RPF funds):
Israeli Occupation — Ending the Occupation Campaign: Explicit organizational position: Israel maintains a "violent military occupation" of Palestinian territories since 1967. T'ruah's stated demand: the occupation must end. Not reformed, not relocated—ended. T'ruah frames ending Israeli occupation as core Jewish religious obligation.
Gaza War & Ceasefire: During the 2023-present Gaza war, T'ruah repeatedly demanded immediate ceasefire, end to Israeli bombing and Hamas rocket attacks, hostage release, humanitarian aid restoration. December 2024-present: Called expanded Israeli military control of Gaza a "moral disaster." Joined multi-organizational declarations calling continued war and military reoccupation "morally indefensible" and incompatible with Jewish values.
Gaza Humanitarian Restrictions: Characterized Israel's restrictions on aid delivery as collective punishment. Demanded immediate restoration of humanitarian assistance, medical supply chains, and fuel access.
Palestinian Prisoners & Abuse Allegations: Demanded investigations into alleged abuse of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. Demanded restoration of International Committee of the Red Cross access to detention facilities. Called for independent monitoring of prison conditions.
Home Demolitions: Opposed Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes, including punitive home demolitions of relatives of people accused of attacks. Framed demolitions as collective punishment and war crime.
Breaking the Silence Partnership: Co-produces educational material on Israeli occupation incorporating testimony from Israeli soldiers (Breaking the Silence organization) and Palestinian civilians. Frames Israeli military testimony as moral authority for ending occupation.
BDS & Free Speech Defense: T'ruah does NOT support BDS movement. However, T'ruah defends BDS boycotts as protected political speech. Argued: boycotting Israel/Israeli settlements is not inherently antisemitic; BDS is protected political expression. Opposed Israel's denial of entry to BDS supporters and activists. Called for U.S. admission of Omar Barghouti, BDS co-founder, after Israel and U.S. barred him from entry.
Ben Gvir Protest (2025): Organized protest during Itamar Ben Gvir's (Israeli National Security Minister) U.S. visit. CEO Rabbi Jill Jacobs mobilized 200+ protesters. Accused Ben Gvir of "hateful bigotry and corruption." Opposed his Gaza war positions and settler movement alignment. Same statement encouraged Jewish voters to support progressive slate in World Zionist Congress elections.
IHRA Opposition: April 2025, T'ruah co-signed letter opposing Antisemitism Awareness Act. Position: IHRA definition restricts free speech on Israel/Palestine.
T'ruah's annual budget: ~$2.5M. Spielberg's Righteous Persons Foundation provided $130K average annual grant (2020-2024).
JEWS UNITED FOR JUSTICE — ~$900,000
The regional Jewish organizing network. Received ~$900K from Spielberg's foundation (2020-2024: $150K, $175K, $200K, $200K, $200K).
Executive Director: Jacob Feinspan. Regional footprint: Washington D.C., Baltimore, Maryland, Virginia. Operating budget: $3.7M annually. Staff: 32. Volunteers: 1,877.
April 2025: JUFJ co-signed letter opposing Antisemitism Awareness Act alongside Bend the Arc, T'ruah, and seven other organizations. Coordinated Jewish progressive legal and advocacy response to federal antisemitism framework.
JEWISH SOCIAL JUSTICE ROUNDTABLE — ~$250,000
The coordinating coalition. Received ~$250K from Spielberg's foundation (2020-2024: $50K, $55K, $60K, $50K, $35K).
Coordinating body for the Jewish progressive network. Orchestrates multi-organizational messaging, legislative strategy, joint advocacy campaigns. Primary focus: coordinated opposition to IHRA antisemitism framework across Jewish organizations. Centralizes political direction for the network Spielberg funds.
THE SPIELBERG-FUNDED NETWORK: TOTAL GRANTMAKING LEDGER (2020-2024)
Bend the Arc: $200K + $250K + $275K + $225K + $250K = $1,200,000
T'ruah: $120K + $130K + $150K + $140K + $150K = $690,000
Jews United for Justice: $150K + $175K + $200K + $200K + $200K = $925,000
Jewish Social Justice Roundtable: $50K + $55K + $60K + $50K + $35K = $250,000
Total: $3,065,000
Average annual deployment: $613,000 per year. Consistent, strategic allocation. 13% of RPF's annual operating disbursements—not marginal giving, but core strategic investment.
HOW SPIELBERG'S JEWISH NETWORK ELECTED MAMDANI
Bend the Arc used $240K average annual allocation from Spielberg's foundation to build organizational capacity for endorsing and mobilizing Jewish voters for Zohran Mamdani in the 2025 NYC mayoral race.
Bend the Arc's "air game and ground game" included: paid media, canvassing, voter contact, Jewish community organizing, Jewish voter persuasion, ballot measure organizing, turnout operations.
T'ruah's $130K average annual allocation from Spielberg's foundation enabled mobilization of 2,300+ rabbis and cantors to legitimize progressive Jewish politics, frame Palestinian rights and occupation-ending as core Jewish religious values, and defend BDS speech rights as Jewish political expression.
JUFJ's $180K average annual allocation enabled regional organizing across D.C., Baltimore, Maryland, Virginia—building capacity for multi-state Jewish progressive political mobilization.
Jewish Social Justice Roundtable coordinated messaging, legal strategy, and legislative advocacy across the network.
The outcome: Zohran Mamdani elected Mayor of New York City on November 4, 2025.
SCHINDLER'S LIST MONEY → SPIELBERG'S JEWISH NETWORK → MAMDANI
Steven Spielberg's stated framing in 1994: Schindler's List was blood money. He had profited from Holocaust memory. The Righteous Persons Foundation would return that capital to the Jewish community—institutional preservation, moral rectification, Jewish continuity.
Thirty years of documented Righteous Persons Foundation grantmaking reveals Spielberg's definition of "returning capital to the Jewish community": building Jewish progressive political infrastructure.
The grantmaking pattern is explicit: Spielberg's foundation funds organizations that:
• Endorsed Zohran Mamdani—BDS founder, BDS supporter—for NYC mayor
• Mobilize 2,300+ rabbis and cantors against Israeli occupation and Gaza policy
• Demand ICE defunding, police defunding, Supreme Court expansion, D.C. statehood
• Position LGBTQ liberation and trans rights as core Jewish civil-rights issues
• Oppose IHRA antisemitism definition
• Defend BDS boycotts as protected Jewish political speech
• Frame ending Israeli occupation as Jewish religious obligation
The political outcome: Mamdani—the Jew who founded Students for Justice in Palestine, the vocal BDS supporter, the representative of the Jewish left's most controversial political expression—elected mayor of America's largest city.
This is not accidental. This is not unintended consequence. Spielberg's board approved every grant. Spielberg, as Chairman, approved every disbursement. Capshaw, as Director, approved every grant. Krieger, as Director, approved every grant. Tabankin, as Executive Director, shaped every priority for 29 years.
The Jewish network Spielberg built with his Schindler's List money put Zohran Mamdani in office. This is deliberate.
COMMENT REQUESTS
Olam contacted Steven Spielberg's office, the Righteous Persons Foundation, and Bend the Arc for comment on:
• Spielberg's personal approval of grants to organizations that endorsed Zohran Mamdani (BDS founder) for New York City mayor
• The Foundation's awareness of the documented political programs of Bend the Arc, T'ruah, JUFJ, and their opposition to IHRA antisemitism framework
• Whether Spielberg considers the positions of his funded organizations (occupation-ending, BDS defense, ICE defunding, police defunding, Supreme Court expansion) compatible with his public advocacy for Jewish security and antisemitism prevention
• How Spielberg reconciles his public antisemitism advocacy with funding organizations that oppose IHRA antisemitism framework
Messages were left with Spielberg's spokesman and the Foundation's communications director. Bend the Arc declined to comment. No substantive response received by publication deadline. The Righteous Persons Foundation has not responded to requests for clarification on grantmaking decisions or strategic priorities.
SOURCES
IRS Form 990-PF: Righteous Persons Foundation (EIN 95-4497916), 2020-2024, via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action published campaigns, policy documents, organizational statements, mayoral endorsement announcement (September 26, 2025)
T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights CEO Rabbi Jill Jacobs public statements, organizational position papers, and campaign announcements
Jews United for Justice organizational materials, coalition letters, and legislative advocacy records
Jewish Social Justice Roundtable coalition letters and coordinated advocacy materials
Antisemitism Awareness Act opposition letter, April 2025, signed by Bend the Arc, T'ruah, JUFJ, Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, and 6 additional Jewish organizations
Zohran Mamdani mayoral campaign coverage and electoral results: Politico, Democracy Now, Haaretz, Forward, Al Jazeera, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, New York Times
