The Jewish Nation: Shattered Yet Unbreakable
4 min read
Shabbos rose to prominence after a Congressional hearing on antisemitism at his alma mater, Harvard University. Now he’s encouraging young Jews to fight for what they believe in.
“I have seldom experienced such disdain for and contempt of a minority group than the way in which Harvard treats its Jewish student population. If antisemitism is a disease, then certainly Harvard University is the Wuhan wet market.”
That’s how Shabbos Kestenbaum, at the time a Harvard University student, closed his speech to the Full Bipartisan Member Roundtable on Antisemitism at Postsecondary Institutions at Congress during a meeting on March 4, 2024. Since then, he has become an outspoken figure for Jewish college students everywhere – though he doesn’t call himself an activist.
“I am not an activist, nor did I seek this role out,” he told Aish.com. “On October 6, I was a regular university student pursuing my academic interests. The horrors of October 7 and the subsequent outbreak of antisemitism on our college campuses forced many of us Jewish students to defend not only the Jewish state, but the Jewish people.”
Shabbos has been doing that ever since – in front of Congress, in the media, and at the Republican National Convention this past July, where he wore a yarmulke and “Bring Them Home” necklace and proclaimed, “I am a proud first-generation American. I am a proud Orthodox Jew. And as of five months ago, I am the proud plaintiff suing Harvard University for its failure to combat antisemitism.”
At Harvard, Shabbos saw pro-Hamas messages spreading on WhatsApp right after October 7. When he planted 1,200 Israeli and American flags on campus, they were vandalized within 24 hours. These were just two incidents among many where antisemitism was allowed to proliferate at Harvard, and he alleges in his lawsuit that Harvard didn’t protect Jews from antisemitism. He’s become one of the most prominent Jewish students taking a stand against their universities.
Now, Shabbos is running on the Aish Ha'Am slate for the World Zionist Congress election – and he’s encouraging young Jews to fight for what they believe in.
Shabbos, who graduated from Harvard Divinity School, decided to pursue the Aish Ha'Am slate because he said, “Much of my theological outlook was shaped by Aish.” He spent two and a half years studying at Aish in Jerusalem.
Aish’s commitment to providing a Jewish education to all, regardless of age, gender, and background, left a lasting impression on me. Although I was offered to be a delegate on numerous slates, I believe in Aish's vision.
“Their commitment to providing a Jewish education to all, regardless of age, gender, and background, left a lasting impression on me,” he said. “Although I was offered to be a delegate on numerous slates, I believe in Aish's vision. In many ways this is a ‘homecoming’ of sorts for me!”
According to Shabbos, the Aish Ha'Am slate is unique because it “is not a political campaign, it is a movement. As a flagship educational institution since the 1970s, Aish has shown itself to be truly and genuinely dedicated to the needs of the Jewish people; it's why I joined them.”
As a delegate in the WZO, Shabbos would pledge to place the emphasis back on young Jewish students.
“They are not tomorrow's leaders, they are today's leaders,” he said. “They are fighting on the ideological frontlines daily and need our support.”
Go to www.aish.com/vote/aishcom to vote. You can also find an opportunity on the website to become an ambassador, actively joining in our efforts.
The Jewish People need Aish’s voice. And Aish needs YOUR voice! Together we can accomplish what might seem impossible.
Shabbos believes the most pressing issue facing the Jewish people is “a lack of education. I have seen firsthand how those with no affiliation with a Jewish synagogue, those who never attended a Jewish day school, or those who have never been to Israel, almost exclusively will end up as our ideological adversaries. It was difficult to see many of the encampment leaders at Harvard protesting for an intifada were actually Jewish.”
This is in direct contrast to Shabbos, who grew up in the Jewish community of Teaneck, New Jersey, went to Jewish day school, and then studied at Aish.
“Judaism is the cornerstone of my identity,” he said. “From when I awake and recite morning prayers, to my interpersonal interactions, and everything in between, my Jewish faith makes me who I am.”
Shabbos has powerful advice for young Jews in a time of rising antisemitism: don’t turn your back on your Judaism.
“Wear your Jewish pride as loudly, publicly, and confidently as ever before,” he said. “I have never been less impressed by a group of people than those who denigrate the Jewish homeland and Jewish students. We truly have nothing to fear from them, and certainly nothing to apologize for.”
Go to www.aish.com/vote/aishcom to vote. You can also find an opportunity on the website to become an ambassador, actively joining in our efforts.
The Jewish People need Aish’s voice. And Aish needs YOUR voice! Together we can accomplish what might seem impossible.
Wonderful, B'H!
If I heard him correctly, he still calls himself a "progressive" and someone who supported Bernie Sanders in the past. It should not have just taken what has happened on college campuses to wake him up (to whatever extent it did) from his being so woke. For example, did he not know that his fellow "progressives" supported the Iran Nuclear Deal, as well as the Biden administration again enabling Iran. I can give other examples--both domestic and foreign. I wish him well, but he is still too woke for me to feel comfortable with him as a spokesman. Moreover, there are various positions of so called "progressives" that are not aligned with true Orthodox Judaism (not so called open-orthodoxy).
Shalom from a retired university professor who knows what goes on in today's academics et al.
i think you misheard Shabbos. He no longer calls himself progressive. He is someone fighting against woke liberalism and very involved in calling Harvard into account for its systemic antisemitism. I believe he lays out some of his journey in his talk at the Republican National Convention. Most importantly, Shabbos is fiercely dedicated to inspiring all Jews on campus, and is someone who knows very well what is happening on today's campuses. He is great asset to the Jewish community.
shabbos is doing a great job! May you go from Chayil to Chayil!
I did hear him still call himself a progressive, and gave examples of it. And, as stated, the fact that he supported Bernie Sanders in the past, while he ought to have known what that meant in terms of Israel et al. While of course I support his activities related to the college campuses, I still believe with what I stated above. Perhaps over time he will grow etc; in the meantime--I think we should at least know where he stands on Israel/Jewish sovereignty over Judea and Samaria (versus a so called two state solution or other). I hope he is reading this comment; and will tell us where he stands on this vital position.