Dear Friends,

We live in a world dominated by sound bites and tweets, the verbal equivalents of flashing hazard lights. They are designed to provoke, to catch our attention and sometimes, to create fear and panic that feed on one another.

Fear is fundamentally important to our survival. We need enough fear to keep us from leaping off a cliff, but not so much that we never get to see the view.

There’s a teaching (and a famous Hebrew song) attributed to Rabbi Nachman of Breslov: Kol ha’olam kulo gesher tzar me’od — the whole world is a very narrow bridge. Veha’ikar lo lefached klal — often translated as “the most important thing is not to be afraid at all”.

Recently, I went back to the original text and some of the commentary and noticed there’s another possible translation of this phrase: “the most important thing is not to make ourselves afraid at all”.

Rabbi Nachman is not saying that we should engage in some kind of magical thinking. He acknowledges that there are real risks. We need to pay attention. We must be thoughtful and careful. But we should not frighten ourselves into believing that we cannot cross the bridge.

In these few words, we should not make ourselves afraid, we can find the power to think more boldly, assess risk with a clearer lens, and create a better community. That distinction has profound implications for philanthropy.

At JCF, we sit with philanthropists — sometimes across multiple generations — who dream about and work toward a better today and a vibrant tomorrow. We stay deeply connected to organizations in the field so we can spot trends and understand what motivates, enriches and strengthens our community.

We take risk seriously. We are data-informed and experience-led. We believe in testing our new ideas for a lighter investment first while we iterate and learn. We work closely with our community organizations and leaders to help them plan strategically; strengthen financial stability; achieve best-practice governance and oversight and think intentionally about how risk can be mitigated.

But we also work to ensure that we think boldly, adapt quickly to rapidly changing needs and times, make full use of our special community position, and work in partnership as much as possible.

Our Jewish tradition reminds us that when we build a fence around our home, the fence cannot be so high that it separates us from the world outside. If it is, we can become insulated, out of touch, and fearful. We may no longer hear the cries of those in need, or the voices of those seeking friendship, protection, and connection.

Fear is a powerful force. It protects us, but it can also paralyze us. Our community has always been at our best when we channel fear into action: when concern becomes generosity, uncertainty becomes curiosity, and vulnerability becomes connection.

We are now in the traditional Jewish period of the Ten Days of Awe. This is the time after the judgement of Rosh Hashanah but before the sealing of the judgement of Yom Kippur. And this is the time, our Sages tell us, that we have the ability to set the course for our year. We are urged to look at these days not as a time of fear but rather an opportunity for radical personal and communal transformation. A time where we truly have the power to shape the future. A time of hope.

We do not ignore the risks of the world we are living in. But neither do we allow fear to determine the future we create. The bridge before us is narrow. These are volatile times, but they are also filled with abundant possibility and opportunity. At such moments, caution may be wise, but fear becomes a choice.

With much gratitude for all you do for our community, I wish you and your families a sweet, healthy, and meaningful new year.

Shana Tova and G’mar Chatima Tova!
May you have a sweet new year and a good “seal” to the Book of Life,