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My dear friend and fellow traveler in Jewish life, Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein, recently shared some commentary with me that resonated deeply. She said: “Jewish history is always this balancing act of how much energy we spend combating what’s around us versus how much we invest in fortifying and building who we are. The real question isn’t whether we’re fighting antisemitism enough — it’s whether we’re making the right call on how to allocate our limited resources between the two. The outside forces are always going to be larger than us. We can’t control them. But the inside — that’s ours to build.”

We know we are facing a significant rise of antisemitism, which has increased tremendously since Oct. 7, most visibly on college campuses. Our communal organizations have responded to these events, working to counter antisemitism with reporting mechanisms and with safety systems, people, and physical infrastructure. 

Let me be crystal clear: We need organizations that keep us safe and secure and coordinate with local, state and government entities. We must continue to make sure that the safety and wellbeing of every Jew is paramount. At the same time, however, we must dream bigger than safety alone — we must demand, claim and build a Judaism that is vibrant, meaningful and responsive to more than just its greatest threat.

Antisemitism is the world’s original sin, and while it is hard to write and probably harder to read, I believe we are spending too much of our community’s time and dollars on a problem that is not primarily ours to solve. Going big on “anti antisemitism” will only get us so far. 

Antisemitism has ebbed and flowed throughout history over the course of millennia, and it has always occurred as a result of larger complex societal issues that time after time make Jews the scapegoat. It is never about what Jews do or don’t do. That doesn’t mean that we should throw up our hands and stop trying to address it, but I must ask:

Do the expensive and high-profile ad campaigns, brainstorming sessions, tweets and gatherings make a difference?

Are they reaching people who really need to be reached?

If yes, are people’s opinions changing? We don’t have data that says they are, and yet tens of millions of our community’s dollars are being devoted to these efforts.

Communal resources are precious, and certainly limited. I urge us to pour more and more resources into camps, day schools, trips to Israel, youth groups and the many other experiences that all have significant data proving strong outcomes. We know that they work. These programs help their participants understand what it means to be a Jew and why it matters. In the new report from the BeWell initiative, teens specifically cited the relationships they experienced with their peers in Jewish teen programs as being particularly influential in helping them feel like they could be their full, authentic selves. The data does not lie, and yet many grantee organizations have run into funding headwinds as money is being diverted.

This is especially important now as, despite shifts that threaten so many communities, data also shows that Jewish life experienced “the Surge.” More people are seeking out Jewish learning and other forms of Jewish engagement — including people who hadn’t previously engaged at all or in many years. In the wake of tragedy, many Jews are feeling the pull into the community rather than out, and communal leaders are inspired by this new demand. This is what we need to fund.

The Jewish community of the future should be built first and foremost on what Judaism offers, not on what we have to fight against as Jews. If we raise a generation of Jews primarily on fear and survival, we will miss out on the opportunity to give young Jews the tools they need to thrive and contribute to our community and our world. 

My friend, speechwriter and author Sarah Hurwitz, captured some of my thoughts in a very succinct manner while addressing a group of Jewish students on campus. “Antisemitism happens as a result of a lot of conditions,” she said. “Jews don’t control it. We can fight it, and I think that’s great and I respect that; but I think instead of trying to bail out a tsunami with buckets, we should also build an ark.” 

Let’s use communal resources to build the best ark we possibly can. It is needed now more than ever.

Barry Finestone is the president and CEO of the Jim Joseph Foundation.