Last Sunday we were delighted to see three hostages return to their families in Israel. Tomorrow, four women are scheduled to be released. We pray for their safe return and ALL the hostages still being held.

The Atlantic’s cover story this month is titled, The Anti-Social Century. The article by Derek Thompson examines how Americans have been spending more time alone than ever. “Americans are spending less time with other people than in any other period. Self-imposed solitude might just be the most important social fact of the 21st century in America. All of this time alone, at home, on the phone, is not just affecting us as individuals. It’s making society weaker, meaner, and more delusional.”

From the 1960s to the 1990s, Americans became less likely to hang out, join clubs, and invite friends over for dinner. Then came the real crash. In the past 25 years, face-to-face socialization has collapsed for every age, ethnicity, and demographic. The pandemic did not create these trends, but it did exacerbate many of them.

Adults are more likely to take meetings from home, shop from home, be entertained at home, eat at home, and even worship at home. We have created a world where we may never need to leave our homes. Here are some interesting statistics:

• Men who watch TV spend seven hours in front of the tube for every one hour they spend with somebody outside their home. 

• The typical female pet owner spends more time caring for her pet than she spends in face-to-face contact with friends of her own species. 

• Today’s teenagers have fewer friends than previous generations, do not go on dates, are less likely to get their driver’s license, and spend one out of every three minutes of waking life staring at a screen.

• In 2023, 73% of all restaurant traffic was takeout and delivery.

• The share of U.S. adults having dinner or drinks with friends on any given night has declined by more than 30% since 2000.

• Since 1970, there has been a 70% decline in people hosting others in their home.

The article is clear to point out the difference between solitude and loneliness. It is a natural and healthy emotional response to feel lonely. Solitude is a chosen pattern and its levels are surging.

Time had a similar article about Americans spending less time with friends in “third places,” informal spots to gather for socializing outside of home and work. “While social media platforms and online spaces have created communities for some, technology has been linked in far-ranging ways to a loneliness epidemic that prompted a formal warning from the U.S. Surgeon General.”

We seem to live in an age of tremendous fear, anxiety, and reclusion. How can we change that?

To help facilitate that, the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland is launching its new Gather Grant program. Gather Grants will make it easier than ever for people of all ages to connect meaningfully with friends and neighbors on your own terms. The host will receive up to $120 to bring family and friends together for a Jewish gathering. You select the date, location, attendees, the activity, and the Jewish Federation will help reimburse the costs.

The Gather Grants webpage has all the details and the application. We are pleased to make this possible with additional funding support from the Community Endowment Fund at the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation.

When it comes to Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there is a diversity of opinions within the Jewish community. One of the things that was made clear from our 2024 community study is a widespread desire for the creation of “safe spaces” to express our respective views on Israel. In response to this need, the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland is partnering with the national organization Resetting the Table to offer our community an opportunity to learn the tools and skills to transcend the “fault lines” within and across our community.

We are looking for 72 participants (including 24 young adults ages 22-35) who represent a wide range of views on Israel. If you are interested in participating, you must complete this application form. Applicants will be notified of their participation no later than February 15 (filling out the form does not guarantee participation). Learn more here.

Jewish Federation is partnering with the Jewish Grandparents Network (JGN) to explore opportunities for engagement of Portland-area grandparents and their families. JGN is a national organization educating, connecting, and supporting grandparents as essential partners in enriching Jewish family life.

We invite ALL Jewish grandparents (whether your grandchildren are local or elsewhere ) to complete this brief survey by Friday February 14 to help us learn how we can best support you in your Jewish grandparenting. There will also be an opportunity to participate in online focus groups (limited space available) to delve deeper into the “joys and oys” of Jewish grandparenting today.

Monday marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the 80^th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. We hold the memory of six million Jewish victims and millions of other victims of the Holocaust in our hearts. We honor survivors locally (thank you to Jewish Family and Child Service for their love and care of our Survivor community) and everywhere.

In addition, as we continue to see and feel antisemitism around the globe, it is more important than ever for us to recognize the critical lessons of Holocaust history as we commemorate the victims and honor the survivors. We are grateful that our Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education teaches every day about the consequences of hate, oppression, and discrimination to help prevent future atrocities. Zichronam livracha -- may the memory of those murdered in the Holocaust be for a blessing. 

Last week, the ADL shared their Global 100 study that around half of adults across the world hold antisemitic beliefs and deny the historic facts of the Holocaust. The study surveyed more than 58,000 adults from 103 countries and territories representing 94% of the world’s adult population. It found that 46% of them -- or around 2.2 billion people -- display antisemitic attitudes. Amazingly, 20% of the respondents have not heard of the Holocaust, while 21% believe it has either been exaggerated by historians or it never happened.

This study shows that memory of the Holocaust and belief in the veracity of its historical accounts is fading, and we must NEVER FORGET. 

Shabbat shalom and congratulations to my wife’s The Ohio State University national championship football team!