David Bryfman at the recent ELI Talks in New York City:

“So congratulations to all of you out there who have managed to get large numbers on your free programs. All you’ve managed to do is prove the point that people will do absolutely anything for free. And the numbers are staggering. But now ask yourselves, why would anyone who has been thrown free Jewish life milestones now think they are valuable enough to pay for others of more or greater significance?… Are we as a community brave enough to hit ‘pause’ if not reset’? Can we take a step back and look at the consequences of free and see if we can utilize its undoubted power, its magnitude, to really transform the Jewish community as a whole?”