| Over the past couple of months, the JCC Leadership Team has been spending time exploring the idea of compassionate accountability – how we hold ourselves and one another to high standards while leading with empathy, curiosity, and care. During that learning, I was introduced to a few concepts that have really piqued my interest. Many of us are familiar with the Golden Rule: Treat others as you want to be treated. But there is also the Platinum Rule, which invites a subtle yet powerful shift: Treat others as they want to be treated. Alongside that distinction is the difference between affective empathy – feeling what someone else feels – and cognitive empathy – seeking to understand another person’s perspective, needs, and experiences. This slight shift in thinking, from centering ourselves to intentionally asking what others need, is deeply representative of the spirit of curiosity we encourage our staff to bring to work each and every day. When we pause to ask not “What would I want?” but rather “What would they want or need in this moment?”, we open the door to deeper understanding and more meaningful impact. And wouldn’t you know it, we recently saw a powerful real-life example of the Platinum Rule in action. This fall, Maria Carson from our Second Floor team developed the Visions of Shalom Fellowship in response to hearing from teens who were feeling distressed and helpless amid so much unrest in the world. During five sessions, generously funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, 14 teen participants explored Jewish texts centered on the idea of peace and considered how they could bring more peace into their own lives, their community, and the broader world. Their capstone “assignment” was simple but profound: Take one concrete action to do just that. One participant, Ender Lin, chose to write a letter to the CEO of Kellogg’s. That letter resulted in a donation of 19,648 pounds of cereal, in eight different varieties, enough to provide more than 16,000 meals for patrons of the Squirrel Hill Food Pantry and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. |
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| As Ender’s mother so beautifully shared, “Hunger is the first step for peace. If you are hungry, how can you think about anything else?” And when asked why he requested cereal, Ender explained, “Cereal is important because it helps people start their day. It is part of people’s breakfast routines, and it’s good to be able to keep your routine – especially when you are struggling with finances and feeding your family.” Ender didn’t assume what he would want if he were in someone else’s shoes. He asked what would help others preserve dignity, routine, and a sense of normalcy during difficult times. That is the Platinum Rule in action.Thank you, Ender, and thank you to the entire Visions of Shalom cohort for reminding us what it looks like to lead with curiosity, empathy, and intention and for showing us how small shifts in thinking can lead to extraordinary impact. Feel free to learn more about Ender and the impact he has made HERE. Wishing you and your families a Shabbat shalom, Jason Be sure to join us on the evening of January 14 at the Homewood-Brushton YMCA as we get curious and kick off our Unity in Community partnership with the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh. John Wallace, University of Pittsburgh Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement and Leadership Development, and Kathleen Blee, University of Pittsburgh Distinguished Professor of Sociology will lead us in a conversation, Growing Love in a Loud World, around what shapes both love and hate, from the forces that can pull people toward division and extremism, to the actions, relationships, and shared values that help empathy, care, and trust take root. Click HERE to register. |
