When I was a freshman football player, I had a coach from South Jersey whose accent sounded more like the Deep South. Whenever he thought we weren’t giving enough effort, he’d bark, “You gotta have a sense of UR-GEN-SEEE!” I’m still not sure if he added or removed a syllable, but the point always landed: urgency is required in both quiet and active times.

That lesson feels especially relevant to the Jewish world right now. We are rejoicing at the return of 20 hostages after two years of captivity and hopeful for the return of the remains of the remaining hostages. The war is “over,” according to President Donald Trump, and we are hopeful to live in times of peace. Nevertheless, we must maintain the sense of urgency that has propelled us even as the acute crisis appears to have abated. 

FANDSrabutan/Getty Images

FANDSrabutan/Getty Images

Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Jewish community has responded with remarkable urgency. Philanthropy rose to meet the moment: emergency funds were launched overnight, billions of dollars were mobilized and communities came together across denominations, politics and continents. We built one of the fastest and most effective Jewish relief operations in modern history.

But as the crisis phase gives way to something that looks like normalcy, we cannot afford to let the urgency fade. Because the truth is: the emergency isn’t over.

The war revealed vulnerabilities that cannot be solved with a single emergency campaign. Israel’s recovery will take years, rebuilding infrastructure, supporting displaced families, caring for veterans and healing the psychological wounds that reach deep into Israeli society.

Meanwhile, outside Israel the burden on Jewish communities has never been greater. Security costs now exceed $800 million annually in the United States. Our synagogues, JCCs, camps and schools have become soft targets in a world where antisemitism is both more open and more sophisticated. Protecting Jewish life cannot remain an unfunded mandate that falls only on Jewish donors. Civil society must share that responsibility, but philanthropy must keep driving the effort until that happens.

From a moment to an era

Paradoxically, this year of trauma also brought new life into Jewish engagement.

Jewish day schools have seen a rise in enrollment, according to Prizmah. Jewish camps have as well: The Foundation for Jewish Camp reports that in 2024, Jewish camps engaged 189,000 youth, teens and young adults — a 5% increase over 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

Campus life, a setting where Jewish students have experienced extraordinary antisemitism, also shows signs of increasing engagement. Hillel International reports record student participation, and 91% of Jewish high school parents now saying they are more likely to encourage their child to engage with Hillel because of the organization’s response to rising antisemitism.

Among young professionals, OneTable saw a 105% surge in Shabbat dinner host applications in the weeks following Oct. 7, 2023, and 45% of all 2023 participation occurred after the attacks. These dinners became havens of solidarity, meaning and Jewish pride for thousands of young Jews. In Israel, Kesher Yehudi saw a significant increase in its chavruta learning that pairs secular and religious Jews.  

When I think of urgency in Jewish engagement, I think of Orthodox kiruv organizations like Aish and Chabad, but it’s time that every Jewish denomination and movement approaches outreach and engagement with that same sense of permanent urgency.

The dominant conversation in the Jewish community prior to the Oct. 7 attacks was about the decline in Jewish engagement and what it meant for the Jewish People. What if the worst atrocity our people have faced since the Shoah becomes the catalyst for more than a “Surge,” but an era of increasing Jewish engagement?

This is the spark we must not lose. Philanthropy must seize this moment. The same urgency that drove donors to fund emergency flights, trauma counseling and protective gear must now fuel long-term investment in Jewish education, engagement and belonging.

Moving from emergency response to emergency endurance

The emergency response model may change, but the urgency of our appeals should not. We need to evolve into a model of emergency endurance, one that sustains urgency even after the crisis recedes from the headlines. That means continuing to fund the professionals and organizations that proved their worth under pressure, keeping emergency infrastructures in place and building the next generation of Jewish connection with the same energy we brought to defending it.

Judaism commands us to remember — not just the tragedy, but the response as well. We must remember the unity we felt, the generosity we witnessed and the speed with which we acted when lives were on the line. That spirit cannot be a relic of wartime.

The coach who demanded “ur-gen-see” wasn’t just talking about football; he was talking about how to live. We cannot wait for another crisis to rediscover our purpose. The emergency may no longer dominate the news, but the work of protecting and rebuilding the Jewish future is far from over.

Now is the time to act like it.

Will Eastman is the chief development officer of NJY Camps, one of North America’s leading Jewish overnight camp networks. He writes frequently about Jewish engagement, philanthropy and the future of Jewish life.