'October 6th Playbooks': The Pathetic Reality of the 'Organized Jewish World'

Enough already. The Jewish world deserves so much better, now, today.

Then-Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett addresses the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in 2022. (photo: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

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This past January, big data analytics firm Palantir Technologies, one of the most vocal supporters of Israel in the hi-tech space, hosted a high-level meeting in support of Israeli hostages at the vaunted World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

Thereafter, when Israel’s Office of the President (not to be confused with its Office of the Prime Minister) wanted to do an event for the Israeli hostages at another high-profile event, they reached out not to a Jewish or Zionistic organization to handle the logistics — but to Palantir.

Think about that for a second: In a matter of weeks, Palantir positioned itself as more trustworthy, credible, competent, and tachles (Hebrew slang for “getting things done”) than all the years (decades?) that hundreds of Jewish organizations have had an opportunity to do so.

More recently, as we watch the “anti-Israel” violent demonstrations sweeping across Europe, Australia, Canada, and the United States, I cannot help but wonder: Where are all the Jewish organizations and their collective billions of dollars? And where are all the “leaders” of these organizations who incessantly boast about their fabulous work?

Where is Hillel? Where is the Anti-Defamation League? Where is Birthright Israel? Where is the Jewish Agency for Israel? Where is the JCC Association? Where is the Jewish National Fund? Where are the Federations? Where is Jewish Funders Network? Where is B’nai B’rith? Where is the American Jewish Committee? Where is the World Jewish Congress? Where is the Jewish Agency for Israel? Where is the World Zionist Organization?

I could go on and on naming dozens more Jewish organizations, some international, others national and regional, but the answer is plainly: They are all “there” — yet fewer and fewer people care about them, fewer and fewer people are paying attention to them, and fewer and fewer people are feeling their increasingly minimal impact.

If you have been following me, then you know that I have been a loud, unapologetic critic for a few years now about what is known as the “organized Jewish world” — the accumulation of Jewish organizations. As one longtime Jewish professional told me, the irony of the “organized Jewish world” is that it is almost entirely unorganized.

And by “unorganized” she meant inefficient, bureaucratic, territorial, egotistical, and mostly just ineffective — while much of the “gatekeepers” act as though none of this is the case, or that it is the case at every other organization, except for theirs.

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Antisemitism and Jew-hatred are major problems that have nothing to do with Jews and Jewish organizations, but two things can be true, and the other is: The “organized Jewish world” on the whole has been hurting the Jewish People and the State of Israel more than it has been helping.

This reality cannot be understated, overlooked, or tolerated any longer — for it is one of the top reasons why many Jews across the world are suffering and confused right now, why so many Jews are Jewishly and Israel-ly illiterate, and why multiple generations of non-Israeli Jews care less and less about Israel and Judaism.

And yet, many of these organizations make a fundraising fortune on the backs of antisemitism and Jew-hatred, while doing little of real, lasting meaning and value in the “fight” against it.

Spoiler: You cannot “fight” antisemitism. It is a weed that inevitably grows back in different forms and functions, yet so many of these organizations continue to directly and/or indirectly fundraise in the name of and thus invest tons of resources into the “fight against antisemitism.”

As one major Hillel fundraiser told me, when she raises money for a Jewish culture event, donations are minimal, but when she fundraises for something about antisemitism, donor checkbooks are wide open.

Meanwhile, when October 7th hit, much of the “organized Jewish world” acted completely caught off guard by this war and its wide-reaching effects — even though it was pretty obvious that something like this was building and frankly inevitable, one way or another.

Let’s recall that previous episodes played out similarly (like the 2014 Israel-Hamas war), albeit not with the same ferocity and magnitude, but many of us saw coming what we have seen during the last six months or so. I, for one, am not in the least bit surprised by any of this mayhem — and I know as a matter of fact that many folks in the “organized Jewish world” also quietly saw it coming, but nonetheless chose something on the spectrum of disregarding, downplaying, sidestepping, or choosing to be ignorant about it.

I reached out to a former executive at a major U.S. Jewish organization this week to get her take on these absurdities, and here is what she told me:

Alas, mainstream or “legacy” organizations have largely failed the Jewish community since October 7th. To be clear, I am not talking about AIPAC. 

It is certainly not for lack of good intentions or commitment to Israel and the fight against antisemitism. Rather, it’s the fact that they are stuck with their October 6th playbooks and just can’t figure out how to make the shift to an October 7th playbook. 

For some, that is because of shock, inertia, bureaucracy, lack of creativity. 

For others, it is an unwillingness to confront stark and painful realities, such as dangerous weak spots in the Democratic Party when it comes to Israel and antisemitism; the unmistakable impact of DEI on higher education; the failure of presumed allies to show up and stand with the community; and the growing political and physical dangers of a rapidly increasing Islamist movement in the U.S.

Meanwhile, we (American Jews) are losing political power in this country, and all the world can see it. Our foes have convinced the White House that the November election depends on Arab/Muslim voters in Michigan.

“Islamophobia” has been elevated to at least the same concern as antisemitism. Hamas has been reimagined as a liberal/progressive cause. The conflict has been “racialized,” turning Israel into a “White supremacist” nation. And we’re being outplayed on social media platforms.

It’s striking that many Jews look to outspoken and courageous individuals like Ritchie Torres, Bari Weiss, Douglas Murray, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Dalia Ziada, and John Fetterman for leadership and inspiration, but rarely, if at all, to Jewish organizational leaders (or, for that matter, rabbis).

Where are these leaders? We’re in a war, but who’s guiding us through the war and on the path to victory here, while Israel has its own existential battle fronts to face?

To me, the last point about Jewish leaders is especially unsurprising. I have personally spoken (in some cases, multiple times) to the heads of Hillel International, Birthright Israel, the Jewish National Fund, the Jewish Funders Network, and several others who run major and smaller Jewish organizations.

In our conversations, every single one of them talks the same game: gloating about how extraordinary their organization’s work is and suggesting that “if only we had more money” — as if they have not already spent enough money, and as if money will deceivingly cure their systemic ills, for it will only exacerbate them.

Moreover, when outsiders come to them with ideas for the Jewish People and/or different Jewish communities, their mentality is ultimately, “What can you do for me and my organization?” as opposed to, “What can you do for the Jewish People and our communities, and how does my organization fit into that?”

To add insult to injury, they pretend like they are wholeheartedly concerned and working tirelessly toward a “better Jewish future.”

Thus it is beyond time that we call BS and tell it like it is: These organizations, both bigger and smaller, newer and older, are narrow-mindedly working for their organizational future and the unsubstantiated salaries that many of these “executives” earn while paying much of their staff average and below-average salaries “because we are a nonprofit.”

To be fair, these “executives” are not exclusively to blame. It is the donors who are equally problematic, having created a siloed game of, “We give you a lot of money and you do what we want you to do!” — irrespective of if “what we want you to do” is actually beneficial for the Jewish People and/or various Jewish communities.

In many cases, it is the exact opposite of achieving these benefits, but we all know that ego and power (a result of having generous amounts of money to donate) make people blind. As one former vice president at Combined Jewish Philanthropies told me: “The main impediment is that donors trump common sense nine out of 10 times.”

I know, I know, I am being extremely harsh in my remarks and “Why can’t we all just get along?” — but this is precisely part of the problems in the “organized Jewish world.” Few folks want to have hard, honest, but ultimately constructive conversations that lead to desperately needed change.

“In cultures of politeness, dissent is a threat to social harmony. People nod and smile even if they disagree, and silence fuels groupthink,” according to organizational psychologist Adam Grant. “In cultures of integrity, dissent is a sign of commitment to quality. People voice their views, and respectful debate improves decisions.”

What’s more, many of those who are willing to engage in these conversations simply do it to check a box and pretend like they are courageous pioneers — only to proceed with “business as usual.”

Enough already. The Jewish world deserves so much better, now, today.

We do not need another conference or digital event to “brainstorm” and “share” ideas, while being all politically correct about it. We do not need more fundraising campaigns. We do not need another book. And we certainly do not need another academic study or poll to remind us how pitiful the “organized Jewish world” has become.

Instead, we need diehard, consistent, relentless action by people who are willing to move fast and break things (proverbially speaking). We need brave leaders, not the wannabe types. We need donors who will finally wake up to the reality that their funds are far, far away from being maximized.

We need “platform” thinking (digital places whereby multiple organizations can simultaneously grow and be amplified), not “channel” thinking (whereby every organization is on their own and in it for themselves). And we need a global incubator for (a) new ideas to be efficiently tested using the “minimum viable product” startup model, and (b) scaling initially successful ideas.

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Now that you know some of the gaping problems, here are some practical solutions:

1) Support new Jewish startups.

There is a variety of Jewish startups (Future of Jewish proudly being one of them) which are not bogged down by bureaucratic, uninventive, old-school thinking and doing.

I would also encourage people to support Jewish and Israeli “content creators.” More and more, these are the truest voices of, in, and for the Jewish world, at least compared to logo-centric, overly polished, and politically correct-obsessed organizations.

2) Hold Jewish organizations more accountable.

Much of what organizational operators are telling their existing and prospective donors is, at best, half-truths. Demand more and better transparency, accountability, and critical results (not vanity metrics) — and if they do not follow suit, take your funds elsewhere.

An easy practice for holding people accountable is the “Five Why’s” exercise, originally developed by Sakichi Toyoda and used within the Toyota Motor Corporation during the evolution of its manufacturing methodologies. Nowadays, it is an iterative technique used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem, issue, or challenge.

The “Five Why’s” goes like this: Ask someone “why” five times, each time after they give you an answer. By the fourth or fifth “why” you will have a much clearer idea of where things stand, and where they could be heading.

3) Push for more young leaders.

Look at the vast majority of Jewish organizations: Their management is excessively aged in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Now look at many of the world-changing businesses and organizations: Much of their management is in their 20s and 30s.

In our hyper-dynamic world, young people understand current and future trends incredibly well, tend to be more agile in their thinking and doing, and are not married to increasingly outdated paradigms.

Ultimately, a healthy balance of younger and older folks — at every level of an organization, notwithstanding its executives — makes for prime effectiveness. And to get many of today’s most talented young people, we need to pay them what they are worth, even if that means lowering upper management’s over-inflated salaries.

4) Spread your funds more widely.

Think like venture capital firms, which take a pool of money and make a lot of relatively small bets to see which ones come to fruition, and then double down on the most successful investments.

5) Refrain from getting too romantic.

Just because an organization has done well in the past does not mean that it is performing well today, or that it is on pace to perform well in the future. What got us here will not necessarily get us there.

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