Two years have passed since Oct. 7, 2023, but the wounds of that day have not healed and the lessons cannot be forgotten. It was not just a massacre of innocents in Israel but a moment of reckoning for Jews everywhere. For me, it crystallized a painful truth: the Jewish future is not guaranteed. Not in Israel. Not in America. Not anywhere.

The days after the Oct. 7 attacks exposed something even more chilling than Hamas’s brutality. It was the silence. The hesitation. The equivocation of so many who should have been our allies. University leaders who could not find the words. Politicians who parsed their statements. Neighbors who looked away. We expected outrage. Too often, we got indifference; or worse, blame.

For Jews of my generation, that silence echoed another era. We had believed that “Never Again” was settled history, a vow etched into the conscience of humanity. Instead, we discovered that “Never Again” is only as strong as the will to enforce it.

A people at a crossroads

Let’s be clear: the threats we face are not abstract. They are urgent. They are global. And they are multiplying. Firebombs hurled at peaceful rallies in Colorado. Synagogues torched in Australia. Jews beaten on the streets of Europe. The world has grown comfortable excusing hatred when the target wears a kippah or waves an Israeli flag.

And yet, I refuse to despair. Alongside the hate, I see sparks of courage: grandparents who sign the Jewish Future Promise to ensure their values outlive them; parents teaching their children to light Shabbat candles despite fear; young Jews finding their voice on campuses where it would be easier to hide.

These acts matter. But we need more. We need urgency that matches the threats.

Words are not enough

Holocaust education has taught us a bitter truth: remembrance alone does not protect a people. We cannot rely on history books or annual ceremonies to carry us forward. Memory must become action. Commitment. Investment.

That is why I founded the Jewish Future Promise, a movement to ensure that at least half of all charitable giving in Jewish estates will support Jewish causes and Israel. It is not about dollars alone. It is about declaring, in public or in private: “I will not let the Jewish story end with me.”

Over 130,000 individuals, couples and family foundations have joined our movement. It is a milestone to celebrate, but it is also a mirror. For everyone who has signed on, there are many more who have not. If we do not act, who will?

I have spent a lifetime in business and philanthropy, and I know this: passion without action is wasted potential. Speeches and op-eds, no matter how fiery, are not enough. We need strategy. We need resources. And we need boldness.

The enemies of the Jewish people are not waiting. Neither can we.

Every Jewish federation must make Jewish legacy giving a priority, not an afterthought.

Every synagogue and school must teach not only how to remember, but why to commit.

Every Jewish leader must speak with moral clarity: the survival of our people is not negotiable.

The question that matters

So, I ask again, as a father, as a grandfather, as a Jew who has been blessed with nearly nine decades of life: Where are the rest of us? Where are the voices of those who say they care about Jewish continuity but have not yet acted? Where are the families who benefit from Jewish life but have not invested in its future? Where are the leaders who light candles for remembrance but have not spoken up for tomorrow?

This is not about shaming people. This is about responsibility. If “Never Again” is to mean anything, it must mean action now.

The Jewish story has always been fragile. And yet, generation after generation, we choose to build, to give, to believe in tomorrow. That is resilience. That is our inheritance. But it is not automatic. It depends on us.

So let me be blunt: the Jewish future is not guaranteed. But it can be, if we choose it.

Choose it with your words. Choose it with your actions. Choose it with your legacy.

Make the Promise. Pass it on. Because “Never Again” is not a slogan. It is a strategy, and it starts with you.

Mike Leven is a philanthropist, business leader and the founder of the Jewish Future Promise. He currently serves on the boards of the Marcus Foundation, Jewish National Fund and AEPi Fraternity Foundation, and is an honorary board member of the Birthright Israel Foundation.