In a recent round of “war games” convened by a group of Jewish philanthropists, nonprofit execs and thought leaders, leaders and experts from across the spectrum of American Jewry explored what the next 25 years could hold for our community. The exercise considered both utopian and dystopian scenarios, ranging from revival through innovation and coalition-building to isolation driven by social fracture and rising antisemitism. At the heart of the experience was one central question, one that previous generations might have found unthinkable: Can we exercise agency in shaping our own future? 

This question, both timely and existential, deserves more than speculative treatment. It demands an honest reckoning with what is within our power, what is beyond it and what it means to act with intent even when the future seems uncertain.

Olga Yastremska/Getty Images

Illustrative. Family portrait of parents with children waving USA flags outdoors.

Historical forces and human agency

Today’s cultural climate feels uniquely disempowering. The fracturing of political discourse, fueled by algorithms that reward outrage, has left many American Jews feeling like passengers rather than drivers. Social media accelerates the intensity of political events, both domestic and international, making already fast-moving developments feel even more urgent and overwhelming. The rise of artificial intelligence, meanwhile, accelerates trends we scarcely understand and seldom control. In a world where ideas can go viral in seconds and where online mobs form faster than thoughtful coalitions, how can any group, let alone a relatively small community like the American Jewish population, expect to shape its trajectory? 

To some degree, our community has no choice but to think strategically about its future and try its best to identify the tools and resources required to sustain and grow its influence and to help shape American democracy and society. We may not be able to slow history’s pace, but we can still steer. As the war games’ implicit message suggested, acting with agency does not guarantee success; but failing to act guarantees irrelevance.

A sobering threat assessment

To act wisely, we must first understand the threats — both external and internal — that shape our moment.

Externally, the American Jewish community faces intensifying political polarization and radicalization. On both the far right and far left, Jews are increasingly being cast as villains in someone else’s morality tale: privileged insiders, global conspirators, Zionist colonizers, coastal elites. This dual-fronted antisemitism is amplified by social media platforms that privilege hot takes over nuance.

The rapid spread of misinformation, conspiracy theories and antisemitic tropes once confined to fringe publications is now frictionless. The digital velocity of hate is not only overwhelming — it also bypasses traditional gatekeepers, rendering old strategies of community relations and media response less effective.

In keeping with these trends, the Jewish community has experienced a notable decline in political influence across both major parties. Once viewed as a critical swing constituency with bipartisan respect, American Jews are now more politically isolated. On the left, some progressive movements increasingly frame Jewish concerns — especially those related to Israel — as incompatible with their broader social justice agendas. On the right, elements of the populist movement embrace conspiracy theories that paint Jews as globalist elites. Meanwhile, the institutions that once served as bastions of liberal protection — universities, the media, civic organizations — are losing credibility within American society. In some cases, they are even turning hostile toward the Jewish community. The erosion of these pillars of liberal democracy weakens the traditional pathways through which American Jews have advocated for their rights and values.

Grounds for hope

Despite these headwinds, reasons for hope still abound. American Jewish life has never lacked for creativity or resilience, and this moment is no exception.

The American Jewish community is blessed with extraordinary philanthropic capacity. In 2022 alone, Jewish foundations and federations gave an estimated $7 billion in charitable donations, much of it directed toward education, social services and Israel. We need to commit a higher percentage of our overall philanthropy, most of which is going to non-Jewish causes, to solve Jewish problems and to secure our security and wellbeing in the US. We have the material resources not just to weather storms, but to build new vessels for the journey.

Furthermore, the American Jewish community still holds significant social capital. Jews remain among the most civically engaged populations in the U.S., voting, volunteering and leading at disproportionately high rates. These assets can be marshaled for common-good coalitions, especially with communities who similarly reject the excesses of ideological extremism.

Additionally, technology, for all its pitfalls, is not our enemy. AI tools, if used judiciously, can revolutionize Jewish learning, philanthropy and communal engagement. Imagine personalized Jewish education programs that adapt to learners’ interests and fluency levels; think of real-time data helping communities understand and meet the needs of their members. AI can also help combat online antisemitism by identifying hate speech more quickly and organizing rapid response networks. 

AI is also the new frontier of economic development. Jews have long gravitated toward creative and innovative fields, often leading the way. As a community, we should be at the forefront of this one too. Our focus on education and tech innovation and our connections to Israel’s tech community give us tremendous advantage.

Finally, we should draw inspiration from our people’s historical adaptability. From Babylonian exile to Spanish expulsion to the American experiment, Jews have repeatedly reimagined our communal life to fit new realities without surrendering core commitments. That same spirit of reinvention can guide us now.  Our penchant for adapting to changing circumstances allows us to chart not only the outcomes we as a communal system may require but also to plan and prioritize how we can best achieve the desired results.

Planning the future

So, what does it look like to act with agency today?

First, it means investing in serious Jewish education — not just for children but across the lifecycle. We must cultivate Jewish fluency as a prerequisite for continuity and thriving. That means more funding for Hebrew literacy, Jewish history and ethical teachings that resonate in modern times.

Second, we must demand agility from our institutions. The challenges of 2025 cannot be met with 1995 tool kits. This will require bold experimentation: supporting startups, decentralizing programming, empowering new leadership models and making more room for younger voices. We need to build infrastructure that enables long-term strategic vision and execution; and rather than having our most talented leaders spend their time competing for donor attention and justifying their work, they should be doing their work.

Third, we must broaden our coalition-building instincts. That means reaching across religious, ethnic, and ideological lines — not just when defending against antisemitism, but when building constructive civic partnerships meant to strengthen the center of American politics and society. The search for common ground is not a sign of weakness. It’s a strategy for sustainability.

Fourth, we need our philanthropists to give time and brainpower, not just money, to our institutions; and we need institutional leaders capable of receiving their expertise. We need more of our smartest businesspeople to bring their attention and acumen to the thorniest challenges we face. While they’re giving tens of billions to their favorite causes, we would all do well if they dedicated five hours a week of expertise and guidance.

And finally, we need to recenter our collective vision. The American Jewish community should not merely strive to survive. We should aim to flourish: to deepen our commitments, widen our circles and bring Jewish wisdom to bear on the moral challenges of the age. For American Jews to secure their future, they must help secure America’s. Jews have not only benefited from the American Dream. We helped write it. As that dream is increasingly questioned and redefined, the Jewish community must offer a clear and inspiring vision: for itself, for America and for the interconnected world beyond. 

This vision includes embracing the Abraham Accords not just as a diplomatic success or foreign policy arrangement, but as a paradigm for pluralistic cooperation. The Accords offer a hopeful blueprint for a global Jewish future anchored in mutual recognition, economic collaboration, and regional stability. They point toward a new era in which Jews thrive not in isolation or toleration, but through integrated partnerships across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. If nurtured, this alliance could form the backbone of a values-based network committed to freedom, prosperity and peace.

The future is never fully knowable; but the effort to shape it is a question of will, not prophecy. We cannot control every variable. Still, as we learned in the war games exercise, both the positive and negative versions of the future are plausible. If we act with agency and intentionality, we can chart the course. We can educate a new generation of proud and literate Jews. We can modernize our institutions. We can build strategic alliances based on common values. We can invest in technology and harness its promise rather than only fear its perils.

The question is not whether we can plan for an American Jewish future. The question is whether we will.

Phil Siegel is a serial for-profit and nonprofit entrepreneur, private equity investor and philanthropist out of Austin, Texas.

David Bernstein is the CEO of the North American Values Institute (NAVI).

Barak Sella is a fellow at the Harvard Middle East Initiative and an Elson Israel Fellow at the Jewish Federation of Tulsa, Okla.

Steven Windmueller is professor emeritus of Jewish communal studies at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles.