It’s Time for Us to Stop Playing Whack-A-Mole

Our collective arms are tired and weakening from spending the last two years — and most of the last decade — playing the carnival game whack-a-mole. Almost every Jewish organization today is combating antisemitism and fighting from a constant state of reaction.

It is time to invest significant communal energy and resources, proactively focusing on what we are fighting for.  We must be open to self-reflection and bold and fearless in acknowledging and addressing our challenges.  We need to be ready to embrace new and unforeseen opportunities.

Six months ago, after a three-year planned hiatus from Jewish communal leadership, I became the president of American Jewish University (AJU) with only one goal: to reimagine and rebuild the foundation of Jewish life in North America.  A dear friend and major Jewish leader implored me to be true to myself and my reputation as a disruptor who doesn’t mince words.  So here it goes: We are facing major challenges we were not prepared for and it’s clear that we are investing many of our resources on the present at the expense of the future.

AJU is an institution with a rich history inspired by two giants, Drs. Mordecai Kaplan and Shlomo Bardin.  These two had one thing in common.  They were committed to reimagination, creativity, and communal transformation.  Today, AJU is leaning back into those roots to propel ourselves and the community forward.  

We are embracing our hybrid model as both a university of higher education and a living laboratory — where Jewish wisdom meets innovation, and experiential education connects timeless tradition with the world we are shaping today.  

We’re building something entirely new — an educational model that lives in the classroom, online and in residence at our 2,700-acre Brandeis-Bardin Campus — one of the largest pieces of land that is Jewish-owned outside of Israel. As a living laboratory, we are bringing together the most influential and thoughtful leaders, thinkers, creators, practitioners and philanthropists to turn bold ideas into action for the future of Jewish life in North America.

AJU transformed Jewish learning when it launched the first intensive class for interfaith couples and individuals exploring conversion — helping countless people build Jewish homes and families.  Today, we’re expanding that vision, creating more welcoming pathways for anyone Jewish, Jew-ish and Jew-curious and nurturing the earliest steps of every Jewish journey. 

We are singularly focused on the Jewish future.

This is not just a new catch phrase.  It is our mission.  We are devoting ourselves to our own reimagination process, to disrupting the Jewish communal world, and to identifying, inspiring and educating our next generation of leaders while creating innovative and engaging pathways to learning and living Jewishly.

For too long, Jewish institutions have been selling rotary phones on a stoop while the world waits in line for the newest generation iPhone — no longer. We can’t expect people to reconnect with Jewish life if what we offer feels outdated or disconnected from their lives. It’s time to win them back—with something rooted in our deepest traditions but designed for the future.

We must stop lecturing and expecting — instead, we need to begin listening and learning from those in our community who care and those we fear may be drifting away.

We must stop searching for a mythical “best and brightest” and start engaging the passionate, the committed, and the curious.

We need a new generation to lead us.  We need leaders who are capable of dreaming about a rich, meaningful, open and engaging Jewish future and have the tools, knowledge and creativity to make that dream come true.

So, it’s time to put down the mallet, grab some cotton candy and play a different carnival game — one where we don’t just react to what pops up, but build something enduring, hopeful, and deeply Jewish.

Jay Sanderson is the president of American Jewish University.