By: Michael Horowitz

Is the glass half empty or half full?  I must confess that I am usually the one who sees it as half empty.  To some, that means I am a pessimist…that, of course, is a matter of perspective.

The story is told of young parents who had identical 10 year old twin boys.  One was always sad, no matter how wonderful things were going.  The other was just the opposite, always bright and cheery no matter what challenges he confronted. Advised by the child psychologist, the parents filled the “sad” child’s bedroom with mountains of toys and electronic games in the hopes of getting him to be happy and fulfilled.  In the bedroom of the eternally happy child, they piled mounds and mounds of horse manure in an attempt to help him understand unpleasant challenges.  Each child was then sent to their rooms.

A short time later, the parent’s went to observe the children.  Walking into the room filled with the toys and games, they saw their son sitting in a corner and sobbing uncontrollably.  When they asked him why he was so sad, he told his parents about how frustrated he was in trying to learn how to use all the new toys and his fear of breaking and ruining them!

Going into the room of the second child, they were shocked to see him flinging horse manure every which way.  “What are you doing?!” they shouted.  Their son looked at them with a big smile on his face:  “With all of this horse poop”, he said, “there must surely be a pony here somewhere!”

The point, of course, is that any mere observation of good and bad circumstances, including half full and half empty glasses, can often distract from both the reality of the situation and the possibilities available.

So it is in our Atlanta Jewish Community as well as the Global Jewish Community.  While Israel, for example, continues to thrive economically, militarily, and culturally, its existence may have never been more at risk than today. As those who are determined to delegitimize Israel’s behavior and destroy its Jewish future have never been stronger, the world’s opinion against this very tiny and special country has swayed dramatically.

And while Jews throughout the world have been able to thrive and excel in so many ways, the rise and threat of Anti-Semitism, particularly in Europe and Latin America, make Jewish survival in these areas more tenuous than at any time since the Holocaust.

In Atlanta, we have one of the finest systems of Jewish Day School options in the country, yet the number of children participating in this opportunity to develop a meaningful Jewish knowledge and identity continues to fall. And while Georgia offers numerous Jewish overnight camping opportunities, another bellwether of Jewish identity, we are, sadly, 50% below the national averages. Compared to other major metropolitan areas, Atlanta-area kids are not choosing to or able to realize this incredible immersive Jewish experience.

The services we provide to our elderly and those in need of basic human services are “best in class”, yet once again, we are leaving so many unserved or under-served because we do not have the capacity to do more. 

While some of our problems can be addressed by securing more financial resources to reduce the participant costs or to provide those in need with additional support, others will need long-term educational and political solutions.  More money will definitely help, and even more so, working together collaboratively and thoughtfully with broad communal awareness and support. When we collaborate our resources, we can leverage our ability to fill our half empty glass so that the question of half full or half empty becomes irrelevant.  And while our challenges often remind us of that room full of manure, we all know that there is not only is a pony, but in fact a championship race horse!

I do see the glass as half empty, never satisfied knowing all we need to do to meet the challenges we face. Yet I also have no doubt that our championship stallion is just waiting to be ridden to the finish line. Join me in finding the stallion, caring for Jews in need and building a strong Jewish future, by working with us and together to make a difference.