There is an important and under-discussed topic in the Orthodox community that needs to be brought to attention. Israel advocacy should not and cannot only be a reaction to crisis. As observant Jews, Israel advocacy, along with Torah study and keeping tradition, should be an integral part of our identity. We need to care just as much about the modern State of Israel as we care about the Land of Israel and Torat Israel.
If we truly believe in the future of the Jewish state and the Jewish people, then we cannot afford to retreat into silence when the immediate danger ceases. If this advocacy is important now, wasn’t it just as important before?
I still remember sitting in an Israel related political science class during my first year in YU, when someone asked the teacher what the Six-Day War was. Months later, in another class, someone asked me who Theodor Herzl was.
These aren’t bad questions. In fact, no one should ever be afraid to ask anything. They were honest, sincere, and exactly the types of questions that should be asked in an academic environment. But these questions revealed something deeper. Something that still bothers me.
I attend an Orthodox Jewish university. We grew up singing songs about Israel, praying towards Jerusalem, most of us spent a year there after high school, and some of us even plan to move there and live the rest of our lives there. But how much do we really know about it?
This is a question I think about a lot, specifically in my role as Head of Education at YU’s Political Action Club (YUPAC).
Some assume that in a space like YU, Israel advocacy isn’t needed. This belief is due to the mindset that since we all already love and support Israel, we have what we need, and we don’t need any more. Some may wonder who we are impacting or convincing with our activism in our small, safe bubble. But October 7 shattered that illusion.
Loving Israel is not the same as knowing how to advocate for it. It shouldn’t have taken a war and a subsequent increase in Antisemitism for us to come to this realization.
Since October 7, the Jewish world – especially the Orthodox community – has mobilized in ways we never have before. Students who had never lobbied a congressman were suddenly making calls and visiting Capitol Hill, a large rally in Washington was attended by thousands, massive donations were made, people who once avoided social media were sharing pro-Israel content daily, and students found their voices in avenues that felt unprecedented. All of this is valuable and admirable, but why weren’t we doing things like this before the war?
I truly believe that we have the best intentions. We are very passionate about Israel, just not always as proactive. As observant Jews, Torah and tradition has largely been a primary concern, but in the shifting, and now threatening climate of today, political activism and advocacy cannot be a secondary concern.
If anything, the past year and a half has shown us that we are not safe from harm’s way in America or the West, and I believe the only way to strengthen ourselves, and bring a small amount of safety to our community is through activism and political engagement.
We cannot rely on the insularity we once thought protected us. We must be proactive, not reactive.
We learn in Kohelet (2:14) the importance of foresight and preparation. ‘Ha’Chacham Einav B’rosho.’ This verse is conventionally understood as meaning ‘an intelligent person uses his eyes and his head to anticipate the likely consequences of events that are occurring now.’¹ Simply put, a wise man looks ahead. We must embody this and realize that we cannot wait for a crisis to occur in order for us to step up to the plate and put our values in motion through advocacy.
Supporting Israel in the public sphere is part of our religious identity.
We must do our part as Zionist students in Orthodox spaces to better educate our communities, and the Orthodox world at large on the pressing need for more voices and strong, young leaders in the Israel advocacy world.
We as observant Jews who love Israel need to be properly versed in its history, its politics and its diversity. We need to use our intellect and knowledge instead of our emotion when fighting for the state and its right to exist.
Looking ahead, we need to equip ourselves and our institutions with more resources. We must acknowledge that Israel education and advocacy need to come not just during times of crisis or upticks in the conflict, but during those quiet times as well. Advocacy skills and their importance should be integrated into Jewish education, just as much as Torah is.
Students should be encouraged to step out of the bubbles of their communities and be more engaged in advocacy through organizations like CAMERA, StandWithUs, JNF and AIPAC, amongst others. They should not be afraid to be the only Orthodox Jew in the room. Their presence is needed.
On an individual level, knowing how to defend Israel and counter disinformation is extremely necessary, even when there is no war or seeming threat to the Jewish people.
The Jewish people have never survived by being passive. Our history, our faith and our connection to Israel demand action – not just when we are under attack, but always. October 7 was a wakeup call, but it should not have taken that for us to recognize the importance of advocacy and education.
If we want to secure the future of the Jewish people and the Jewish state, we must commit to something greater than reactionary activism. It needs to be part of our everyday lives if we value Israel as much as we claim to.
If we only speak up when Israel is in crisis, we are already too late. The true test of our commitment is what we do when the world isn’t watching – when the protests die down, when the news cycle moves on. Will we stay engaged, or will we let ourselves forget?
This article was originally published in The Times of Israel.
