How can American Jews help revive a community beset by assimilation and a declining sense of Jewish peoplehood among so many of its members? The answers to that have long been apparent, says JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin.
Support for Jewish education, especially day schools, summer camps and trips to Israel, is essential. But how can support for this effort be mobilized and energized?
One answer is the Jewish Future Promise, a nationwide effort to get people to make a non-binding pledge that if there are any charitable contributions made upon their passing that 50% of it will be left to Jewish causes. Tobin is joined in this week’s episode by Mike Leven, founder of Jewish Future Promise, and Hadara Ishak, its CEO.
According to Leven, who is a successful businessman in the hospitality industry, his hope for the project involves more than money. He wants parents to have conversations with children about the importance of supporting Jewish causes and, in so doing, help reinforce a sense of continuity and their obligations to their fellow Jews, both in the United States and in Israel.
Ishak noted that of the $6.3 trillion being donated to charitable causes in the United States, some 18 to 20% of that total comes from Jews. Yet only 11% of all the money given by Jews went to Jewish causes. They figured that if that could be changed, then resources for all of the most vital needs of the Jewish people could be found. And that is what Jewish Future Promise hopes to achieve.
They say the pledge isn’t about trying to persuade people not to give to non-Jewish causes but rather to remind them of the importance of investing in the Jewish future. While many people value acceptance by the non-Jewish world, Leven argues that such acceptance can’t be counted upon and that they need to remember that Israel is the “insurance” of the Jewish people’s survival. He said this is even more true than ever after the Hamas-led Palestinian terror attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. He wants Americans to take pride in the accomplishments of the Jewish people, especially in Israel.
One of the more encouraging developments is that the Jewish Future Promise is also attracting support from non-Jews, such as actress Patricia Heaton, a passionate supporter of Israel, who just became the 100,000th promiser. The group is also sponsoring a program for young people called Jewish Youth Promise, involving them in writing a letter to their future selves about their commitment to the Jewish people.
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This episode of “Think Twice” is sponsored by The Jewish Future Promise—ensuring a vibrant and thriving future for Jews and Israel.
Sign the promise: https://jewishfuturepromise.org/jns/