Jason Brenner’s Post

Good Morning Friends. As most of you know, in my professional life, I spend a lot of my time focused on identity and it's uses for ensuring both personal privacy and connecting data to advance business outcomes. However, I am posting today about a more colloquial sense of my identity and one that feels very much under attack both here in the US and globally. I am Jewish. And I consider my heritage to be beautiful, profound, and it has shaped me and my view of the world, morality and purpose. Since the massacre of Jews on Oct 7th 2023, I have felt a profound loss. At just 2% of the US population, and .2% of the world's global population, Jewish people are a minority. However, in the US, I was blessed to live during the Jewish 'golden age' of societal tolerance and a commitment to the value of pluralism. That golden age came to an end when rather than mourn the loss of Jewish life, the barbarous acts against my people were celebrated or explained away as 'resistance.' In the weeks and months that followed, I saw people and institutions that I thought valued human rights, tolerance, and the pursuit of justice, completely fail my people. This is a tragedy and one that I know is shared by most Jewish people. The work of building a more just and tolerant world is ongoing, and at heart, I am an optimist for what can be accomplished when people of good will come together to defend life and liberty for all. On this Giving Tuesday, I am highlighting two organizations that are working in various ways to protect, promote, and celebrate Jewish life: Hillel International does amazing work to build community for Jewish kids on college campuses. With calls at US (and global) college campuses to boycott and/or not hire/give tenure to Jewish professors and to make Jewish life difficult for professors and students alike, their mission is more critical than ever. Here is a link to donate: https://lnkd.in/eFJQf3rN Chabad.org is an international organization whose purpose is to be an anchor for Jewish community and the flourishing of Jewish life all across the globe. Their work sadly can be dangerous as we learned again a few weeks ago when Rabbi Kogan of Chabad was murdered by terrorists in the UAE. Rabbi Kogan was a friend and resource for the 2,000 Jews who are making their home in the UAE and a powerful force countering the radicalism in the Middle East and promoting closer community between Arabs and Jews. Here is a link to donate: https://lnkd.in/ev8AHcXD