Israel on Trial
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We fear missiles and mobs, but overlook the silent crisis threatening our future. Apathy is claiming more Jews than any external foe. The antidote? Three timeless keys from our forefather Jacob.
I do not fear Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and the rings of evil that surround the Jewish nation.
Nor am I afraid of the openly antisemitic protestors who march with venom on their lips. God has promised that the people of Israel will live forever. This is a sacred vow. Our survival defies human logic, as we have just witnessed with the incredible miracles before our eyes.
There is a different threat that I fear jeopardizes our future, a danger that lies within.
Today we are losing more Jews from apathy than from persecution. This is the generation of the “drop out Jew.” Born into the faith of Abraham but ignorant about the meaning of Judaism, largely through no fault of their own, many Jews are abandoning their Jewish identity. Some are even channeling their drive for meaning through dedicating their formidable talents to causes that harm the Jewish people.
To turn the tide, every Jew needs to be exposed to the three foundations that our forefather Jacob transmitted to his children as they entered the exile of Egypt. These three keys enable Jews to survive the harsh vicissitudes throughout history.
The Jewish People have been scattered throughout the four corners of the earth, dispersed throughout every nation, and yet we have remained a unique people, holding on to the legacy of those who walked before us, despite persecution, crusades, inquisition and the Holocaust.
Jacob’s three keys gives us the secret to our survival through the many exiles we have faced.
Jacob sent his son Judah to Egypt before his arrival. His sole mission was to establish places of learning so that the children would remain strong despite their surroundings. Education is the key to Jewish survival.
Hebrew schools have failed our generation. One cannot discover the richness of their heritage as a sidebar, a forced extracurricular activity that no one enjoys. Jewish education requires time and consistency.
Knowledge is power. Schools that inspire transmit Jewish values, wisdom and understanding. Our children connect to the why’s of being Jewish. A strong next generation of Jews requires strong, effective education.
The Torah tells us that Jacob came to Egypt “each man and his ‘bayit’- home.” A home is a place where family thrives. Home is the greatest classroom. It is the place where children see passion come alive. They watch the light of Shabbat candles dance, traditions flourish, and hope for our nation blossom. Strong Jewish homes teach beyond the four walls that encompass us. A mezuzah adorns the doorpost, whispering welcome to each who enters. We bless our children Friday nights. We know that the world can be going crazy but at home we find peace. We create a space for God in our lives and connect to the sacredness of living higher with Jewish wisdom.
I have spoken to too many parents who are shaking their heads, wondering how their children have lost their bearings. We can’t wake up after 15 or 20 years of absentee Judaism and be shocked that our children are dispirited Jews. How does one combat a lifetime of indifference?
Begin to live your Judaism now.
The Torah lists the names of Jacob’s sons, telling us that our names are crucial to our survival. Jewish pride, love for our people and our land, begins with Jewish identity. Our names remind us that the greats who struggled and forged a path for us, all held onto their Jewish names. Your name tells you who you are.
The first moments in Auschwitz found Jews being stripped of their names and given numbers so that they would hang their heads low. You are nothing. You do not even have a name.
To triumph we must never put our heads down in self-pity or shame. Losing our identity does not cure the haters who scream “Globalize the intifada.” It is our responsibility to pass the torch to the next generation. We can only accomplish this mission as proud Jews who understand that we are each a link in a chain back to Sinai, carrying our vision to fill the world with goodness and light. No apologies.
Now is the time to contemplate how you will transmit these three keys to the next generation.
Your nation is counting on you.
Great article. We definitely need all three of those; strong Jewish Schools, strong Jewish homes, and strong Jewish identities. We also need allies. True allies that do not have an ulterior motives.
It is becoming increasingly evident that people who are not affected by mass hatred and demonization are willing to believe anything that is spread. To me, it is common sense that a minority group of people that make up less than 2% of the world population cannot possible own all the banks, all the media, all the news channels. A country the size of New Jersey, thwarted by foes all around, cannot possibly overpower the world. But yet, I see people considered relatively intelligent, willing to believe just those things, and more.
I quit less lucrative work that I truly loved and went to law school so I could earn the money we would need for day school. I had a solid career for several years. Then I became seriously disabled and could no longer work. We could no longer afford to keep our children in day schools. They are adults, both off the derech. I did everything I could. I pray that they will come back in time.
Wishing you the best. You did fine. G-d's blessings to you.
I went to public school, and I maintained a strong Jewish identity throughout my life. I can still remember in 2nd grade, back in the 1970's. The school was largely Protestant with some Roman Catholics. There were approximately 8 to 10 Jewish students in the school of grade K - 6 at any given time during my enrollment. One day, a group of students standing around me began to complain that because of the Catholics, we would now be forced not to eat meat on Fridays. The complaint obviously originated from their parents. I could not have cared less. Finally, one of the students noticed my silence and asked "Doesn't that make you mad, too?" And I responded "No. I'm just glad you're not trying to get me to eat pork!"
Rachel, I find your life story truly touching and heartbreaking. I truly feel for U!
PLEASE, (I mean this completely and sincerely) let me know if there's anything I can do to help.......
Millions learn to be soldiers then forget it all neither necessary nor interesting. It is easy to read up how to read a prayer book and Bible; what the festivals are about and rites of passage - are an excuse for a party. However somehow education and parental / relatives' / teachers' example has to show a purpose. In an age of telescopes seeing 13 000 light years into space and electron microscopes distinguishing atoms within molecules it is ever trickier to conceive of God; to believe with perfect faith that rites send a message to a real destination.
I outflank problems of faith bby treating observances as memorials and reminders and sripture and halacha are a data bank of human (mis) experience so worth a read because, "Time spent on intelligence is seldom wasted."
Education is important. People roles in Judaism are important. However, parents is questionable. Why? First, parent are resposible for their children's averiah by mistake or intential until Bar/bat mitzvah. When a child make a averiah by mistake, the parent's reaction? They get so upset or freak out! they yell or spank them for these which can be explained calmly. I had an aunt who witenessed a boy who ate non cholov yisroel ice cream and the angry father learned about this and made him throw up just becasue it is non cholov Yisroel ice cream. That irks me so much that i had to deal within my family who reacted like this and interally I left judiacism. why stay only to get betrated unecessarily??????????????
Parents are indeed the foremost educators whether intentionally or not. It’s a pity yours were so rigid.
Sometimes such strict parents turn off their children from Judaism, and then unfortunately they will go off the derech, so it is not good to jump the conclusion, in my opinion this is not good parenting at all
How sad to hear that, maybe you can do like Israelis do be traditional, you don't teach religion by berated someone, you explain careful some people that are religious, feel better to go to school of people to become religious, sometimes this behavior borders on abuse, I hope you went to therapy for your trauma in your life
I respectfully suggest that berating the child over minor mistakes would likely happen in such a family, whether over kashrut, school grades, sporting achievements or whatever. Perhaps you can find a congenial Jewish community where you will be treated with the respect you deserve.
One of the most inspiring classes at Aish is the Discovery seminar. It has inspired people around the world and brought hundreds of people back to Judaism by instilling pride in them and making them see the truth of Judaism over all other religions. Why not "Globalize Discovery"?
The always incomparable Rebbitzen Jungreis-Wolff.
"Muhammad was the top choice for parents naming their baby boys in England and Wales in 2023, with more than 4,600 children registered with the name." (BBC)
Why can't we learn from Muslims who aren't embarrassed to use a Muslim name.
Islam is an imperialist project.
These are worthy goals. I’d add to the list the commitment of your community. I live in a Jewish town where over the past ten years, Friday night bar/bat mitzvah parties where shrimp (and worse) are served have become somewhat routine. Saturday schedules are crowded with sports and the synagogue pews are lonely. The influence of community is strong and kids want to fit in with other kids. Years ago you didn’t have to send your child to Jewish day school to forge a true Jewish identity. The Hebrew school curriculum was more grounded in learning Hebrew, studying Torah and learning the meaning behind prayers and teffilin. Today’s curriculum leaves a lot to be desired. Modeling good practices at home remains essential. Not everyone can or wants to send their kids to Jewish day school.
Is this not what happened in Germany?
German Jews became a part of German society despite the antisemitism and then the antisemitism increased as Jews took better positions in higher education, medicine, and science. Sure there were still those Jews not in the elite but it was really those in the elite that angered the average German.
The same thing has happened in every place we lived.
And that's yet another reason it's best to put Jewish brains to use in our homeland!
Indeed. Make aliyah, go and live in Israel. I really do not understand that half of our people still live in the diaspora.
One day The One Who created all things, the One Whose Word never returns void, but it will accomplish what He has said, He will bring His people back to the land. 🙌 🙌🙌 His timing, He knows the ending before the beginning and He still on the throne. Seek Him now that He can still be found. Seek for His wisdom and understanding. It is He who guides us and He desires good for those who love Him. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
Sometimes it is not so easy to make Aliyah if your a senior with health issues
Many of us have elderly parents who cannot be moved. Furthermore, language barriers and difficulty in finding employment are other factors.
DEFINTELY
THERE ARE A LOT OF VERY VERY GOOD REASONS FOR JEWS TO NOT LIVE IN ISRAEL AND TO NOT MAKE "ALIYAH" --- I for one can fill pages and pages of such reasons, and if you want, I can provide source material from the Torah as well. However, practically speaking, there is not enough space here to do so......
Also a lot of Jews intermarried, and reform Jews took Jerusalem out of their Jewish prayer book, the something is happening in the exile, either way with Jew haters they will hate Jews even a non Jew Douglas Murray mentioned it is a righteous gentile and a evil dictator Hitler( may his name be erased) was Austrian not German then the Holocaust happened but first they had the Nuranburg Laws, and then Kristallnacht, book burning, and anti Jewish cartoons, why are you mentioning Germany did you have relatives in the Holocaust or not I did my mom( obm) was in Auschwitz-Birneau,
EXACTLY RIGHT AND TRUE---אמת ויציב ונכון
RE: Strong Jewish Schools. The education is 100% fantastic. The social environment where snobby rich Jewish kids bully others who aren't well-off; not so much.
Yeah the Jewish education is weak, reformist, the bullying is an issue
That depends on where one sends kids to school!
Besides, bullying is an issue that happens everywhere, probably least so in a traditionally Jewish school. I say that from experience in both public & private settings as a student and as a teacher.
Once I went to the wrong Yeshiva and got very bullied and it was unsafe for me, and I had be put in public school 2 weeks before Passover, after that I went to a Yeshiva day camp and went back to another in 6 grade, which was a better school, any school should have zero tolerance of bullying, being severely can ruin your life
There is a very big problem with society if there is bullying in schools, also how can a victim of bullying learn, also the bystanders should do something to stop the bullying, when I was bullied in a Yeshiva a teacher from France said " if this is a Yeshiva I am working as a secretary in a office"
A lot of schools have school uniforms, also what happened to being a Jew on one foot, what is hurtful to you don't do to others, and some people call it the golden rule, these rich Jewish kids that bully others that are not well off are not behaving like Jews should behave, if you are rich you should help the less fortunate and don't bully those less fortunate, these types of snobby girls have no class at all, a real decent person will not stoop such levels, I hope the less fortunate kids will become rich and snob the rich brats, that come from homes that don't teach the real values of Judaism, I read recently that students have no respect for teachers and talk about material wealth, in a Jewish Day school they should talk about spiritual wealth not being rich
When I was a teenager I read a series of books called " life after life" " reflections of life after life" and "Beyond life after life" by Ramyond Moody by a. non Jewish person about people having near death experiences about going through a tunnel and seeing a light and afterwards your whole life what you did to others will be shown to you, like it says in Judiasm in " Ethics of our Fathers" in another wards these snobby rich kids that bully others will have a rude awakening after going to the next world, they should change their ways before it is to late, because everything a person does is recorded by Hashem, like it is says in the " Ethics of our Father learn in the summer months, also it is written life like a wheel sometimes you are rich sometimes you are not rich
When my mom( obm) was in Auschwitz-Birneau concentration camp she( obm) told me the rich snobby kids fell apart there, the only ones that could handle the situation there were the people that came from poor families, also in that situation you would give away gold or diamonds for food, these girls should get a mustard lesson to change their behavior, I hope the not well off students will do well in life and have successful careers, and these snobby rich girls don't know what life brings in the future,
Thank you for another great article.
A great piece to share.
We also need to pay attention to those students who fir any number of reasons are unable to succeed in a Jewish School. Providing individualized Jewish education to such a student is imo crucial. I wish I had done this for my child instead of sending him toi Hebrew School.
You are right, now they have a organization called P'tach that can help students succeed in Jewish Day School, I wish it was in place when I went to Jewish Day School
very strong article and so true. we need to spread more articles of the importance of the Jews , their high tech and invention . what would the world be without
the high intelligence of the Jews.