At the core of Jewish tradition is a set of interwoven obligations to look after our own while simultaneously working toward a better future for all. We are, as Rabbi Sid Schwarz describes, both “Exodus Jews,” focused on our survival as a tribe, and “Sinai Jews,” bound by our covenantal calling to care for others.

These dual tribal and prophetic roles are a source of continued inspiration for us at the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. They are what drive us to invest in strengthening the Jewish people and Israel, as well as in building more just and inclusive societies.

Indeed, for 35 years we have been helping people connect with their Jewish identity, Jewish peoplehood and Israel. We invest in Israel, Israel on campus and the U.S.-Israel relationship; and we fund efforts in the U.S. to strengthen democracy and voting rights, gender equality and reproductive rights, public education and criminal justice.

But what has typically been a point of pride for many funders working in Jewish and secular spaces now feels like a point of tension. After the horrors of Oct. 7, how can we justify working toward a better world when our own people are in such distress? Shouldn’t we now, in this moment of moments, choose between the universal and particular?

Our answer is no. The impulse to restrict our focus to Israel and Jewish causes is understandable, as is the pull to give in to the ideological forces that would have us recuse ourselves from the fight for a more just world.

But ceding our spot at the table of humanity will not serve us, now or in the future.

Our job as funders and practitioners is not to unravel the sacred bonds of our tribal and prophetic responsibilities, but rather to hold both. To choose both.

Holding Both: Continue reading

‍Lisa Eisen, co-president of Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, serves on the board of OLAM. This article was originally published in eJewishPhilanthropy’s exclusive opinion column “The 501(C) Suite.” The above excerpt has been reprinted with permission.