You Can’t Solve Antisemitism. But You Can Raise a Generation of Vibrant, Proud Young Jews.

My dear friend and fellow traveler in Jewish life, Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein, recently shared some commentary with me that resonated deeply. She said: “Jewish history is always this balancing act of how much energy we spend combating what’s around us versus how much we invest in fortifying and building who we are. The real question isn’t whether we’re fighting antisemitism enough — it’s whether we’re making the right call on how to allocate our limited resources between the two. The outside forces are always going to be larger than us. We can’t control them. But the inside — that’s ours to build.”

We know we are facing a significant rise of antisemitism, which has increased tremendously since Oct. 7, most visibly on college campuses. Our communal organizations have responded to these events, working to counter antisemitism with reporting mechanisms and with safety systems, people, and physical infrastructure.

Read the full piece in eJewish Philanthropy.

Barry Finestone is President and CEO of the Jim Joseph Foundation. Photo courtesy of RootOne.