A Call to Action

The last three State of World Jewry addresses have concluded the same way: Jews need to build Jewish identity to fight antisemitism.

Are we listening?

The Jewish community is at an inflection point. The current strategies are broken. A fundamental rebalancing is required. A revolution is needed.

Decades of organizing Jewish life primarily around reaction, defense and crisis management haven’t stopped the world from hating us.

It has actually weakened our self-confidence and resilience.

Jewish continuity has never depended on popularity or approval from others. It has always depended on education, identity and resilience.

Communities that define themselves by what they oppose lose sight of what they truly stand for.

Defense, advocacy and security are essential, of course. But they cannot serve as the organizing principle of Jewish life.

The most durable and effective response to antisemitism isn’t better messaging.  It’s investing more in Jewish life itself.

We teach young Jews to defend themselves and Israel before we teach them to love Jewish civilization.

Because our priorities are inverted. Too many resources flow toward monitoring hate groups.

It’s time for a change.

Jews need to know who they are, where they come from and why it matters. Jewish education, schools, camps and high-impact, deep-engagement formative experiences that shape identity and belonging need far greater investment.

A generation raised on defense will always feel under siege. A generation raised on identity will feel confident and capable.

Rooted like the Kotel.

We cannot retreat from the world with optics and brand recognition. We cannot survive in our current emergency mode. We must invest in our growth.

Antisemitism thrives on insecurity and fragmentation. A grounded, inwardly invested Jewish community doesn’t need to beg for legitimacy.

When Jewish identity is shaped by multiple fears, threats and a sense of victimization, it produces anxiety, exhaustion and disengagement — not strength.

Resilient communities invest relentlessly in continuity. Education, culture, faith, language and community-building neutralizes the haters.

Bravo to Bret Stephens. In his remarks at the 46th annual conference in New York on Feb. 1, Stephens said the hundreds of millions of dollars that fund the ADL, the AJC and the UJA would be better spent on Jewish day schools that promote and strengthen cultural identity.

Leading Jewish organizations have long acted with sincerity, moral clarity and real impact. The challenge today is not intent but alignment. Some missions were built for an earlier moment, and the current landscape demands a recalibration of where our energy and advocacy can be most effective.

Clearly, the current strategies and millions of dollars aimed at combating antisemitism aren’t working. Consider the rising popularity of Tucker Carlson. Or a study that shows one in five millennials in New York state believe that Jews were responsible for the Holocaust.

The path forward is clear: invest less in perpetual reaction. The emphasis on Holocaust education and remembrance just isn’t enough.

Dan Senor, whose podcast shapes much of today’s Jewish conversation, said this clearly at last year’s State of World Jewry address. The message landed. The shift did not. We don’t seem to be listening.

A dear friend, Sarah Hurwitz, who served as a speechwriter for President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, put it plainly: “You don’t fight a tsunami with buckets. Only an ark will do.”

How do we take advantage of these scary times? By embracing our Jewishness. As an Australian by birth, seeing Bondi Beach in this story felt personal, just as the Jew hunt in Amsterdam and the Tree of Life massacre felt communal. The response cannot be fear or withdrawal. It must be a renewed embrace of Jewish identity and purpose.

Oct. 7, 2023 can be its own badge of honor.

Communities endure not by fighting louder but by building deeper. Can our legacy organizations pivot? Or is the future in the hands of a new calibration of educators and philanthropists?

We must reclaim our mission.

We must fortify our Jewish foundation by building more day schools and summer camps that celebrate our heritage and nurture our communal connectiveness.

Let’s spend our resources on programs that cultivate pride, meaning and a lived understanding of what Israel and Jewish civilization represent to our ancestry and our future.

Stephens quoted the composer Philip Glass, who famously said: “If there’s no room at the table, build your own.” Jewish history has never waited for permission. It has advanced through creativity, scholarship, moral courage and the lived vitality of our civilization.

This is truly our moment. A defining moment to move from listening to action. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks reminded us that Shema Yisrael does not mean passive hearing. It means attentive listening that leads to responsibility and action.

We have listened long enough. Now we must act. We need to double down. We need to ramp up. And we must find the courage to change, not defensively, but confidently, by building Jewish life strong enough to carry us forward.

Rabbi Daniel Kraus serves as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at the Birthright Israel Foundation and Director of Community Education at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in New York. An ordained rabbi with an MBA from Yeshiva University, he was named to The Jewish Week’s 36 Under 36 for his leadership in Jewish engagement.