One Mitzvah A Day with Mandana Dayani
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This morning, I received a text message stating: “Gal Gadot is one star you can’t stop from shining! Thank the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for honoring Gal Gadot with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and standing strong against anti-Israel protesters who tried to bully them out of it.”
A quick link opened up an email for me to send my thanks to a person at the Chamber for their support.
We are all aware of the incredible rise of antisemitism across America. With Jews making up roughly 2% of the United States population, combating antisemitism will take a lot more of the population to be mobilized into action to create change. We need help!
In 2019, Robert Kraft established the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism to reach unengaged non-Jewish Americans and move them to be our allies against hate. The American Jewish Committee has an initiative to urge non-Jewish organizations to publicly support the Jewish community. The ADL, the Jewish Community Foundation, the Jewish Federation and many other organizations have created campaigns to fight antisemitism and hate locally, at colleges, and wherever it rears its head.
But have we ever thought of saying thank you to those who support us? That is the inspiration behind One Mitzvah a Day. This initiative encourages individuals to express gratitude to those who take a stand against antisemitism and support Israel.
JLiving spoke with founder Mandana Dayani about the inspiration for One Mitzvah A Day and her power of grassroots organizing and philanthropy.
Mandana Dayani: After October 7, it became even clearer how vital it is to focus on long-term advocacy and building allies. There are obstacles on both sides — those standing up for the Jewish people are met with harassment and intimidation, while many Jews feel uncertain about what they can do or powerless to make a difference.
It made me realize even more that, as Jews, we need to build stronger grassroots networks to organize more effectively.
JL: That angst is common, but most of us just accept it. What was your inspiration?
Mandana Dayani: Our goal was to create an army of supporters who show up when people show courage. One Mitzvah a Day is built on the proven behavioral science of saying “thank you.” This simple act fosters reciprocity, encourages long-term engagement, and boosts the likelihood of our allies continuing to take action. It also helps put the Jewish community in a positive light.
JL: Was there a triggering moment?
Mandana Dayani: I’ll never forget a conversation with a member of Congress, who told me, “Mandana, we can be as supportive as possible, but my team is flooded with complaints and harassment, and we rarely get a thank you.”
That really stuck with me. I believe in rewarding good actors, strengthening our allies, and making sure doing the right thing feels rewarding. Too often, those who stand up to antisemitism or support Israel face harassment. It’s crucial that their support is met with our gratitude and appreciation. They are taking a stand against terrorism, extremism and hate — and we need to ensure that they know how deeply thankful we are for their courage.
JL: How does the program work?
Mandana Dayani: One Mitzvah a Day is a text platform that messages you every morning with a simple, powerful action you can take in less than three minutes! By signing up, participants receive daily text messages suggesting simple actions such as sending thank-you notes or making supportive phone calls, aiming to foster positive relationships and encourage allyship.
Together, we are sending thousands of emails every day. For example, we thanked the Department of Education’s investigation into antisemitism at Sarah Lawrence College, Netflix for continuing to stream Israeli shows, and Trader Joe’s for proudly supporting Israeli products despite controversy. We applauded Shopify and Apple for parting ways with Kanye, and we honor the politicians advocating for the safe return of hostages. With our words of encouragement, we can strengthen our allies’ commitment to bravely doing what is right — and create a movement of mitzvah-makers committed to daily positive action.
It is so important that our allies know we have their backs and that by standing up for Israel and combating antisemitism, they are unequivocally doing the right thing. And it is critical that we are building grassroots tools to organize globally and locally.
JL: How was the reception of the program?
Mandana Dayani: One Mitzvah a Day launched with over 1,000 subscribers, 750,000 impressions on X, and 1.4 million impressions on Instagram in just one single day! And with notable endorsements from Hen Mazzig, Montana Tucker, Debra Messing, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jonathan Greenblatt, Noa Tishby, Jonah Platt and Emmanuelle Chriqui. Since then, we have collectively sent over 145,000 actions.
JL: Is the program working?
Mandana Dayani: The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and what’s even more incredible is that it’s coming from people of all ages. The concept is deeply rooted in Jewish values — it feels good to do something good, and right now, many Jews feel helpless. This simple act provides a meaningful way to start the day with impact. And it’s working! We’re hearing from congresspeople, business leaders and authors who are receiving our messages of gratitude.
What’s truly amazing is that they’re taking the time to send heartfelt responses to every thankyou email they receive. This further proves our hypothesis: Rewarding good actors really does make a difference. People are sharing our social assets and our Mitzvahs. They are excited to be able to have an opportunity to do something and be part of a community of other people who are coming together in something positive.
JL: What is One Mitzvah a Day’s goal for the future?
Mandana Dayani: Long-term, our goal is to foster an environment where being an ally and supporter of the Jewish community and Israel feels meaningful and rewarding. A simple “thank you” can have a lasting impact — it fosters reciprocity and motivates our allies to continue their vital work when they can feel our gratitude.
We also aim to mobilize a community of like-minded individuals who are committed to taking meaningful action — individuals who show up, pick up the phone, set up tables and get on buses. There is so much that can come from all of us working together and creating the infrastructures for us all to advocate on a daily basis. Grassroots work is essential! I have seen firsthand the impact it can have with organizations like Moms Demand Action, which has always been a huge inspiration for me.
As the One Mitzvah community continues to grow, we also hope to shift our focus to more localized efforts, sharing Mitzvah suggestions from our members and partners to further engage and inspire our network — creating local chapters and showing up in local efforts to combat antisemitism and anti-Israel efforts and to stand in solidarity with our community.
DM us at @onemitzvahaday or email us at info@ onemitzvahaday.org if you’d like to get involved or start a local chapter in your community!
We also have some exciting events and partnerships coming up, so stay tuned!
The Mishnah reminds us “mitzvah goreret mitzvah” — one righteous act leads to another. So, let’s all make it so by joining @1mitzvahaday. You can join by texting “Mitzvah” to (844) 384-6240. It’s not enough to be an anti-antisemite. Let’s fill the world with a mitzvah a day! — Rabbi Steve Leder
JL: You have had an incredible impact ranging from fashion to philanthropy. What from your past led you to establish the two grassroots movements, I Am a Voter and One Mitzvah a Day?
Mandana Dayani: My earliest memory of activism dates back to fourth grade. Growing up, I always felt an immense sense of gratitude for escaping the circumstances I did. I developed a deep responsibility to help others, especially those whose voices are not heard — particularly women in Iran. I wanted to use every space, skill and platform I had to give back. It was always a passion of mine, but as my career progressed — building brands, working with celebrities, creating platforms and producing TV shows — I began to realize how valuable those skills were when applied in the grassroots space.
I leveraged my experience building brands — breaking through, connecting with consumers, crafting narratives and telling stories, with decades of working with the best creatives in the world. This shift in perspective made me realize that treating impact like a brand — getting people to engage with both your product and your mission — is the key to creating real engagement and driving change.
JL: Do you remember your first mitzvah or act of philanthropy?
Mandana Dayani: The Shabbat dinner table has undoubtedly been the most formative in shaping who I am today and fostering my deep commitment to building community. So many of the values of our culture — welcoming the stranger, tikkun olam, compassion, curiosity, hope and resilience have all defined my activism. My advocacy has always tried to perpetuate these values and bring in others to do the same — to advocate for humanity as a collective. I sort of see advocacy like a Shabbat dinner table — we always leave the door open and seats available at the table so others can feel welcome and join in.
JL: What is the best simple advice you can give to someone?
Mandana Dayani: If you feel a calling to do something good or give back, don’t wait to start. You don’t need a professional background in activism or any special expertise. Just show up. If you don’t know what to do, just support the leaders who are fighting for the causes you believe in.
Find your purpose, follow whatever keeps you up at night — that will always guide you to what you are meant to do. And when you do that work — you will find your people. It is life-changing!
JL: Since it’s Passover, we have to ask, what is your favorite Passover food?
Mandana Dayani: Every year, my cousins and I have a pretty intense matzah pizza competition, and we send each other photos of how we try and one-up each other. It’s a really fun annual tradition. I’m not going to say I always win, but I’m not not going to say that either.
