Growing up in Jewish day school, one story always stayed with me.

A man is trapped in the rising waters of a flood. The water fills the first floor of his home. A neighbor comes by in a boat and offers to rescue him.

“Not necessary,” he says, “God will save me.”

The water keeps rising, so he goes up another floor. Eventually, he finds himself standing on the roof. A helicopter arrives. A rope is lowered within arm’s reach. “Grab the rope,” his rescuer shouts. Again, he refuses.

It’s okay, I’m waiting for God.”

The waters continue to rise, and the poor man drowns. When he reaches heaven, he asks God why He never saved him.

God replies: “I sent you a boat. I sent you a helicopter. What more did you want?”

Looking at the Jewish communal world today, I can’t stop thinking about that story.

The water is rising, the rope has already been lowered, and we’re still praying for institutions built for a different era to solve problems they were never designed to address. That isn’t an insult. It’s just true.

The institutions that defined the remarkable journey and peak of Jewish communal accomplishment, impact, and influence were built for an America of newspapers, network television, and political parties that acted as gatekeepers. That America is gone.

Gen Z is the least partisan generation in modern American history. 56% of my Gen Z demographic identify as independents,........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)