Dear JCC Community,
These are profoundly challenging days—in our city, our country, in Israel and Gaza, and for the global Jewish community. And while nothing compares to the seriousness of these events, the constant stream of opinions flooding our social media feeds adds another layer of exhaustion and confusion, making it harder to think clearly and respond with intention.
So much certainty about who or what is to blame!
So much certainty about what the solutions are to problems that are anything but simple!
So much certainty about the morality and motives of people with whom we disagree!
Some of us feel like a ping-pong ball, ricocheting from one firmly held viewpoint to its opposite, depending on the latest podcast we listen to. Others of us are like mice in a lab experiment, compulsively pressing a lever for food that only makes us sicker, except in our case, the "food" is news and commentary that reinforces what we already believe.
Among the distressing outcomes of our ping-pong ball and mouse-like behavior is that our Jewish community turns on itself, waging a growing online proxy war over what is or is not in the best interest of Jews here and in Israel.
My friends, none of this is helping. All of the opinions, content, editorials, and posts in the world are not bringing us closer to understanding and discernment. The constant flood of information is not helping us solve the complex problems we face, nor is it helping any of us, as human beings, to live with more clarity, empathy, or hope. It just makes us angry, overwhelmed, and brittle.
So what's next?
When the world seems terrible, we need to go big. And, conversely, simultaneously, we need to go small.
What does it mean to go big? It means to attach ourselves to narratives of possibility that catapult us from the overwhelming nature of the present to a bigger reality and a more hopeful future.
This week, I was given the gift of a big story. I met with Gidon Bromberg, cofounder of EcoPeace, an Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian NGO working across the Middle East to advance climate security and build a coalition of people committed to peace. Gidon showed me a map of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, an existing trade and diplomacy network stretching from India to Europe through Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the Middle East. He asked me to imagine a future where Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Gaza are key partners in this corridor—each contributing labor, goods, clean energy, or water according to their unique resources and strengths.
An international zone of trade, green energy, and fresh water, which incentivizes political stability—and it's already in motion? As I studied the map, I felt like I'd been given an oxygen mask and a new pair of glasses, allowing me to breathe more deeply and see a more expansive future. Listening to Gidon reminded me that, even in the most challenging times, there are visions worth striving for—and that part of our human mandate is to share these big stories, nurturing hope and possibility in each other.
But we also need to "go small". Each one of us needs bite-sized actions that help us see our agency in improving the state of our world, whether hyperlocal or vastly global. Volunteering our time, giving tzedakah with an open hand, helping those who are vulnerable, opening our homes to guests, and guarding our speech to prevent cruelty or harm. Do something, and do it with intention. We need big, inspiring stories, and we need small, discrete actions.
As we enter Shabbat Nachamu, the Shabbat that follows Tisha B'Av, I wish our whole community comfort and consolation. May we leave aside our reality as ping-pong balls and instead imagine ourselves as the narrators and builders of the world we wish for.
Shabbat Shalom,
