The Time Is Now to Share the Blanket

A call to action for all Jews who appreciate the beauty of our heritage.

At the recent Agudath Israel Convention, as well as the Project Inspire Convention, I noted that in my 30 years of involvement in Jewish outreach and pursuing research connected to Jewish demography and sociological trends, there has never been such a profound spiritual reevaluation by tens of thousands of Jews following the horrific Hamas attack of innocent people on 10/7/2023. Unlike the spiritual awakening that followed the 1967 Six Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the underlying emotion since the global upsurge in antisemitism – as a reaction to Israel’s right to protect its citizens from inevitable future attacks – is more of an identity crisis.

The random violent attacks on innocent Jews on university campuses and on streets in broad daylight has caused secular Jews of all ages to press pause and to question what it means to be a Jew that has caused such hatred to be spewed from former classmates and roommates.

The results of the recently published Survey of Jewish Life Since October 7^th (“the Survey”) under the auspices of The Jewish Federation of North America corroborates my thesis with empirical data.

The Survey, conducted via text message from March 5^th to March 25^th of this year, included responses from 1,877 people who identified as Jewish, as part of a larger survey of 5,798 adults around the USA. Briefly stated, the conclusion of the Survey Report was the fact there has been a precipitous increase in Jewish engagement because of the response to the war and rising threats of antisemitism.

More specifically, of those who were not engaged before October 7, the Survey indicated that 28% now feel part of a Jewish community, 16% said they are becoming part of a community, and 26% said they have attended events but still seek a Jewish community that is right for them. This sudden desire to understand more about a heritage that hundreds of thousands of protesters find unconscionable is referred to in the Survey Report as “the Surge.”

Some 79% of Jewish respondents said they were deeply concerned with rising antisemitism, and 73% expressed a desire to learn more about Israel and general Jewish knowledge.  The Survey identified three demographic groups leading the Surge, each with unique needs and expectations.

According to the Survey Report, mid-life adults without kids at home said they seek spiritual or cultural meaning and frequently reported a lack of age-appropriate Jewish experiences. Young adults indicated they are looking for nonpolitical, inclusive communities, and frequently feel isolated from their secular peers due to differing views on Israel. Meanwhile, parents with kids at home are focused on finding supportive environments for their families, with rising concerns about their children’s exposure to antisemitism.

The Survey found that people who were previously unengaged Jewishly cited three main entry points for increasing their Jewish engagement: spending time with Jewish friends, attending programs at a local synagogue, and communicating with other Jews on social media or WhatsApp groups.

The conclusion of the Survey Report is a phenomenon we have seen in every cycle of spiritual awakening – i.e. – “the Surge continues, but is not going to last forever,” perforce, the Survey Report continues “if we are going to meet people’s needs, we must respond now.”

The call-to-action articulate by the Survey Report is the responsibility of all of us who care about our disenfranchised brothers and sisters following the shocking events of 10/7. At a time when thousands of beautiful Jewish souls are seeking a new solid footing since the carpet has been pulled from underneath them, this is not the time for bystander apathy.

This call-to-action reminds me of a seminal moment in the life of former Chairman and CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz that I was privileged to play a small role in.  In the mid-1990s, I was approached by the Director of Development of the famous Mir Yeshiva, Rabbi Mordechai Grunwald, with an ambitious request.  I will never forget the confident and clear instructions I was given – “Chanan, we need to have a meeting with Howard Schultz.”

At that time, Mr. Schultz was serving as the CEO and Chairman of Starbucks. Although I did not have a personal relationship with him, as Divine Providence would have it, my roommate in Yeshiva in Israel was Rabbi Chaim Levine, who was overseeing Aish Seattle at the time.  Rabbi Levine was very close to Schultz’ partner Dan Levitan, the Co-Founder of the Venture Capital firm Maveron.

The details are not as important as the result which culminated in a now famous exchange between Howard Schultz and the renown former Rosh Yeshiva of The Mir, Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, zt” l.

The oft-quoted marching orders the late Rabbi Finkel gave to Howard Schultz and other prominent executives in Jerusalem about twenty-five years ago, would make the perfect campaign slogan for the call to action during this unique time in history.

The revered Rosh Yeshiva shared with Mr. Schultz a profound life lesson that we can learn from the Holocaust.  Rabbi Finkel, zt”l explained the horrific sleeping conditions in Auschwitz, where only one person was given a blanket for every six people. As The Mir Rosh Yeshiva pointed out, the person who received the blanket had to decide, ‘am I going to push the blanket to the five other people who did not get one, or am I going to pull it toward myself to stay warm?’ ”

Rabbi Finkel continued that “it was during this defining moment that we learned the power of the human spirit, because the person who had possession of the blanket pushed the blanket to five others“.

With that The Mir Rosh Yeshiva stood up and gave Howard Schultz marching orders – “take your blanket. Take it back to America and push it to five other people“.

This is a unique time in Jewish History, where those of us who have had the opportunity to receive a traditional Jewish education are kept warm with the security and wisdom to remain sane in a world that seems to have gone off the tracks.  For every one of us that has such a ‘blanket,’ there are at least five who are coming in from the cold disappointment and betrayal of a world blaming everything on the Jewish People and are thirsting for warmth.

It is time to share the blanket!

Antony Gordon is a Fulbright Scholar and graduate of Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School.  Antony’s TEDxTalk achieved over one million views and was selected as one of the most impactful TED Talks of the decade. He is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author and the host of the critically acclaimed podcast, The Antony Gordon Show.  Antony has become one of the most sought-after speakers in the Jewish world for several leading organizations.

Antony is Managing Director of Adeptus Advisors, a leading professional services firm which represents some of the most prominent public personalities in the sports, entertainment, music, and Influencer industries.