Months before the heinous Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, alarm bells were already tolling in my mind. They weren’t ringing because I had any inkling of the horror that was about to unfold. Instead, they were drawing my attention to the dangerous rhetoric emanating from the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Never before in my lifetime had the levels of divisiveness, segmentation and fragmentation within Israeli society been so public and combative. Tensions were at an all-time high, and the potential for violence felt tangible.

Equally disturbing was the realization that what we were witnessing in Israel was merely a microcosm of a broader issue. 

Across the Jewish world, it seemed as though our sense of community was unraveling. We were fixating more on our differences rather than what we have in common. I was watching Jewish peoplehood become an abstraction rather than a goal, and I was growing increasingly worried about Jewish unity.

Those concerns prompted me to start Global Jewry with a mission of strengthening the bonds that unite the Jewish family. 

I spent the next several weeks building an advisory board comprised of influential Jewish leaders from all over the world and encouraging a wide range of Jewish organizations to join as partners. 

We also started a planning process to determine how best to achieve our goal and thought we knew most of the challenges we had to overcome.

And then, like everywhere in the Jewish world, the events of October 7 and the subsequent rise of global antisemitism shook us to the core. They also intensified my fears about Jewish peoplehood. 

Even as I watched the impressive solidarity displayed by the global Jewish community in response to the massacre, the kidnappings, and the hate Jews everywhere were experiencing, I worried the unity we were experiencing was more fragile than it appeared. 

3-legged stool

My vision for a hopeful future for the Jewish people isn’t based on fear or opposition to a common enemy. It is founded on a three-legged stool of shared values, collective action and a common destiny. 

These are the elements upon which the foundation of contemporary Jewish life must be built, and we need to start pouring the cement today.

The concept of a three-legged stool is not new to the Jewish world. The Mishnaic tractate Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) teaches that the world stands on three things: Torah (study), avodah (service/worship), and gemilut chasadim (acts of lovingkindness). 

These three elements provide a balanced and holistic approach to Jewish life, supporting both its spiritual and ethical dimensions. They are the foundation of our core values, and it is with one leg of the stool firmly rooted in them that we must focus our attention on collective action and realizing our shared destiny.

True connection

A world where Jews observe Shabbat solely for themselves — both literally and figuratively — is a world devoid of true connection. Such isolation not only fosters loneliness but also undermines our ability to build community and address global challenges collectively. 

This fragmentation leads to wasted resources, duplicated efforts and diminished impact. Only through unified action can the Jewish world effectively fulfill its responsibility to secure a promising future for itself and the broader world.

Despite the events of October 7 and their aftermath, our common destiny remains the same as it was the day before. We must continue to be a light unto the nations, pursue justice with unwavering resolve, and impart Jewish knowledge and pride to our children. 

We must help them understand and embrace the three-legged lesson the sage Hillel taught so long ago and which resonates now more than ever:

If I am not for myself, who shall be for me?
If I am only for myself, who am I?
If not now, when?

Despite my fears, I remain confident in the Jewish people’s ability to emerge from the darkness that descended on October 7 and start building a better world for ourselves and future generations. 

Amid the rubble of lost lives, devastated communities and broken partnerships, there are glimmers of hope: acts of heroism and compassion that exemplify what it means to live as a Jew. 

They remind us that our primary affiliation is with the Jewish family, and it is only after we embrace our collective identity that we should search among the myriad of ways to engage with our Judaism on an individual level.

Renewal and unity

That conviction remains our North Star at Global Jewry. 

With an advisory board of over 700 members and more than 260 partner organizations, we are dedicated to forging meaningful connections across Jewish communities worldwide. Our mission encompasses diverse nations, denominations and perspectives. While the work is challenging, it is profoundly important.

As we move forward, we are committed to transforming October 7 from a day of total sadness into one of mourning as well as a symbol of renewal and unity. 

Our goal is to use that day to foster a deep sense of Jewish peoplehood and solidarity, honoring those we have lost and standing as a testament to our collective strength and resilience, a celebration of a great awakening of our shared identity and unity.

Am Yisrael chai.

Sandy Cardin of Maryland, an attorney, guided the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation for 25 years and then headed of Our Common Destiny, an organization building bridges between Jews in Israel and elsewhere. In addition to other roles in Jewish philanthropy, he founded Global Jewry to foster a sense of belonging and connection among Jews of diverse backgrounds and perspectives around the world. He also is Senior Consultant for Philanthropy and Impact at Cresset Capital.