A few weeks ago, I went to Sixth & I to hear Brené Brown speak about her new book, Strong Ground. She opened her talk the same way she begins the book, with a story about a recent pickleball injury. Her physical therapist explained that the injury happened because she’d been overcompensating with secondary muscles because her core wasn’t strong enough.

As Brené worked to heal her body, she realized that this same pattern shows up in so many of the organizations she consults with. Too often, instead of strengthening the core, organizations rely on “minor muscles” to get by, short-term fixes masking deeper weaknesses. They overcompensate by building on top of existing dysfunction rather than addressing what’s truly fragile at the center: the organizational core.

That idea struck a deep chord with me. I wondered: as a Jewish nonprofit sector, what is truly our core? What keeps us strong enough to sustain the fights worth fighting, to build flourishing communities, and to keep our people healthy, respected, and safe?

The sacred High Holiday season invited us to return to our deepest truths and to strengthen what is essential so that we can move forward with resilience and inspiration. Yet this year, the Days of Awe have felt clouded by the shaky world around us. The constant hum of fear, anxiety, and grief can feel unbearable.

And now, we are in a moment of both hope and heartbreak. Our hearts fill with relief and gratitude that the living hostages have finally, finally returned home. We also mourn deeply for the lives cut short, for those who will never return home — and for all the suffering, violence, and hatred that have brought us to this moment.

As we finally take a collective exhale, we have the space to ask:

• How do we find the strength to move forward?
• How do we lean further into hope and compassion?

For me, the answer always comes back to our Jewish core: our values of safety, respect, equity, kindness, and humility. As I’ve said before, these aren’t “nice-to-haves.” These values must be our core. Perhaps we can begin to think of these values as the six-pack muscles of our Jewish workplaces and communal spaces — the ones that protect us from injury and enable us to move with strength and stability.

Engaging our Jewish core means living these values out loud. It means pausing to listen when we’re tempted to react. It means building cultures of trust where staff feel comfortable asking questions. It means ensuring policies match our principles, pay structures are equitable, and belonging isn’t just a nice word on a website but a daily practice. It means leading from a place of curiosity, humility, and accountability.

Yes, we need innovation, community, and the courage and resilience to meet each new moment. But as we evolve, we can’t forget to engage our core. What injuries do we continually risk, to ourselves and our communities, when we neglect the primary muscles that support everything else?

In 5779, we called for “The Year of the Jewish Woman and Allies.” Today, almost nothing looks the same (except, unfortunately, the pay gap). But maybe this year, it’s not just about women and allies. Maybe it’s about all of us getting back to the gym and remembering what our healthy foundations look like: engage our core, lift from our legs, breathe in and out.

By strengthening these essential muscles, we can be more ready — organizationally and communally — for both the hard work and the joy ahead.

So, as we begin 5786, I ask: can this be The Year of Engaging Our Core? May this be the year we return, recommit, and reengage what truly holds us together.

Shana Tova,