Celebrating and Honoring Jewish American Heritage Month | Adam Okun

What does Jewish American Heritage Month mean to you??Why is it important and what do you want to share with others?

I was not particularly familiar with Jewish American Heritage month growing up - perhaps it's a more recent creation? But I can tell you that the overwhelming emotion evoked by being a Jewish American is one of gratitude. As a people that has been persecuted throughout history, there is a deep-rooted fear that it’s just a matter of time until the next country kicks us out. America - with all its flaws and imperfections - has been something of a unique experiment in human history; providing an environment for safe, prosperous living for people who were afforded nothing of this sort in other countries and eras. Any personal success I can achieve is directly a consequence of being in an environment that has provided the physical and psychological safety for achieving it and for that I’m eternally grateful to this country.

What are some of your favorite traditions?

One of the great secrets of the Jewish tradition is the observance of Sabbath. Particularly in a modern frenetic world that seemingly demands every ounce of our attention with addictive technological tools, Sabbath is the one day a week we must put everything down and recharge with family and friends. No work. No phone. No cars. No Netflix. Just prayer, eating and conversation. That beautiful, simple, authentic world John Hahn urged us to rediscover in the early days of the pandemic as the world was shutting down, is availed to us each and every Saturday. And I’m fortunate to pass that tradition on to my children.

One other tradition that is very meaningful to me is the covering of the Challah bread on Friday nights as we recite the blessing over the wine. The lesson we are supposed to learn is that although the Challah bread is inanimate and doesn’t have emotions, we don’t want it to be “embarrassed” as we pass over it and recite the blessing on the wine first, hence we cover it with a napkin or cloth. If this is how we are to treat inanimate objects, then how much more so should we be sensitive to the emotions of living objects and most importantly the highest form of life - human beings; to never intentionally hurt another person. This has been a critical guiding value in my career - though, I’m certainly not perfect and have failed at times. Making money is great. Winning is awesome. But if it comes at the cost of another person’s emotions or wellbeing, it needs much more analysis and consideration. I think the leadership at EPIC epitomizes this philosophy with its people-first values and leading with compassion.

Continuing the Legacy - what do you want to leave behind?

The last few years have been really hard on everyone and I’m no different. Isolation.?Racial injustice. Metoo. Political unrest. Loss. Particularly during times of fear, it’s so easy to fall back into aligning with our own tribes and seeing other people as “different” or “lacking”. This is precisely what fuels political, religious and racial divisions. But at the end of the day, we are all just human beings trying to traverse this collective experience on earth, while doing our best and hopefully experiencing moments of joy and happiness from meaningful relationships and achievements. I truly believe that at our core, we are all pursuing the same things. And those that aren’t or intentionally hurt others are probably just acting out from their own hurt and suffering but deep down would want the same. So I’d say the legacy I’d like to leave behind is that you can remain authentic to your values while not demeaning other people or feeling a need to impose your beliefs on them. They are good people too who are also trying their best!