Everywhere you look these days it seems that you see division, fractiousness, and conflict. War in Europe. Political brawls in the US. Tensions in places around the world that have been peaceful until recent years. Extremists of all kinds intimidating vulnerable communities. And we are all anxious.
Even the wildfires in Canada are divided, so many small ones rather than one big conflagration. (Sorry.)
It wasn’t always this way. Even 10-15 years ago, there was what many of us could consider a ‘manageable’ level of anxiety even through the threat of terrorism, and the reality of recession. Now, though, it seems overwhelming to many.
We can discuss and debate about what has changed. Some will blame social media, others will insist it is how we have or have not dealt with larger issues such as social injustices, climate change, or racism. All of these may be right, to one degree or another.
I think that what may be getting to us all is change itself. It is accelerating, and has been doing so for an entire generation. In every way. Technology makes our communications instantaneous, and also shows us evidence of things we’ve long suspected. We know and feel we must respond to things we haven’t had time to fully comprehend, but we also resist acknowledging things that have been staring us in the face for a while. Hear that a prominent person has aggrieved us? We must respond, even before determining if it's true. Not sure about climate issues? It’s hard to ignore the evidence this summer has brought us, as much as we want to.
So change is pushing at us both in the short and long term.
What can we do about it? Well, we can slow down. We can think critically. We can ensure our own environment and our own community reflects values and meets needs that are tangible to us. We can thoughtfully analyze and strategically respond to the issues that affect us directly. And having been deliberate and intentional in our analysis, we can take steps to make our community more secure - addressing food insecurity, protecting our institutions, and meeting the needs we identify.
Your Federation has developed and deployed a strategic plan to address a changed and changing landscape. We’ve listened to hundreds in our community who shared their concerns; we’ve consulted with teachers, Rabbis, agency leaders, seniors and young families. It may not relieve our collective anxieties in these strange times, but it will give us all an opportunity to be partners in addressing change, meeting needs, and controlling how we as a Jewish community respond to a changing world.
As we begin our Annual Campaign, we invite each of you to renew your partnership with us, to
Build. Support. Secure. Together, for Good