Discussions abound—including in the pages of Jewish Action—using phrases like the “Great Jewish Awakening,” the “Surge in Jewish Engagement,” or “Welcoming October 8th Jews Home” to describe the exciting phenomenon of Jews re-engaging with Judaism and the Jewish community post-October 7. But there is a darker piece of the story we must also consider, that of the October 8th dropouts, the Jews of Shame. We do not have reliable numbers with which to measure the relative strength of this trend, but it is there, it is a threat, and it can and must be addressed in ways that will uplift us all.
Threats to the Jewish people are often categorized as either physical or spiritual.1 Does the enemy du jour seek to annihilate us or to assimilate us, to destroy us physically or religiously? In the current frame, we face both categories of threat, though they are not necessarily intended as such.
Category I includes those who are pro-Hamas, the haters who have consistently attacked Israel before, during and since October 7. They clearly seek our physical destruction, aspiring for Palestine to be Free (of Jews) from the River to the Sea, extending the judenrein (Jew-free) zone that they have already established in the areas they currently “control” in Gaza and the West Bank. Their aspirations are evidently shared by those stateside who celebrate the October 7 attackers and pledge to globalize the intifada, believing—in the words of Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) student leader Khymani James—that “Zionists don’t deserve to live” and that we should “be grateful that [I’m] not just going out and murdering Zionists.” This group poses a real and present danger to the Jewish people in Israel, and, as we have learned from Jewish history, they must be confronted in this country before their words can, Heaven forbid, translate into a serious physical threat to American Jews. But they do not pose a spiritual threat to our people; if anything, they have driven many Jews back home.
Category II comprises countless others who are pro-Palestinian but not pro-Hamas, who reject outright seeking the destruction of Jews but have nevertheless joined in fierce opposition to Israel and its actions. Some in this category may be fiercely antisemitic but guarded enough to publicly denounce the brutality of Hamas, while others are genuinely horrified by Hamas’s actions but place them “in the context” of the conditions of “the occupation.” In this latter category are some who challenge Israel’s very existence, as well as others who are declared Zionists but whose concerns for the Palestinians lead them to challenge Israel’s behavior to the extent that they may deny Israel the practical ability to defend itself from mortal threats. In their alternative reality, the army that strives to define and uphold as its central value tohar haneshek, “purity of arms,” and risks its own soldiers’ lives in its effort to limit collateral damage and civilian casualties, stands accused of indiscriminate bombing.
This group unwittingly threatens the Jewish people on two fronts, physically—by depriving Israel of the means and the right to defend itself—and spiritually, by their narrative that isn’t couched in hatred and racism but in the high language of morality and principle and of standing up for the oppressed, undermining the moral standing of Israel and the Jewish people and creating Jews of Shame.
Amazon may be able to tell us how many people bought Magen David necklaces in the past year, but it cannot tell us how many put them away. It certainly cannot tell us how many of those people hid their Magen David to avoid perceived danger or because they were ashamed to identify with the nation being cast by the media, international courts and university faculty, as well as by many of their peers, as the contemporary font of immorality and cruelty. When everyone in your bubble is telling you how terrible and cruel Israel is, you become ashamed to be associated with it—and you walk.
Those are the October 8th dropouts, those who have turned away from Judaism and Jewish community not because they are afraid but because they are ashamed.
. . . their narrative isn’t couched in hatred and racism but in the high language of morality and principle and of standing up for the oppressed, undermining the moral standing of Israel and the Jewish people and creating Jews of Shame.
Efforts to bring shame upon Jews and Jewish values precede the events of October 7. Traditional Judaism has been cast as unenlightened, cruel and insensitive for its insistence on upholding traditional halachah even when it conflicts with the ethos of personal autonomy or with numerous other modern cultural trends and values. We find ourselves struggling against this new morality that finds much public sympathy as it seeks to claim the moral high ground. Furthermore, while antisemitic tropes are off-limits in polite company, all bets are off regarding anti-Orthodox tropes, rendering it perfectly acceptable for the story of Orthodoxy to be told to the world almost exclusively by those who have abandoned it and who broadly portray it through the prism of their own traumatic experiences, creating a caricature of an abusive, joyless, greedy and misogynistic community.
The response to all these trends is one and the same. We must proudly take ownership of our own narrative, the story and values of the Jewish people and of Judaism, and zero in on the simple words that serve as the mandate that G-d provided the Jewish people: Ve’heyei berachah, and you shall be a source of blessing.2 We Jews are driven to be a blessing for our families, for our communities and for the world. That is our mission. That is our purpose. And that must be our narrative: that we are not content to live and let live, but are driven to help others thrive.
Heyei berachah, be a source of blessing. Nothing will be achieved by softening our principles to score public relations victories. Instead, we need to be a community that is loud and proud about its commitment to being a blessing to all. This commitment should drive us to be faithful to the timeless and eternal practices and values of the Torah and to have those values define our personal lives and our familial relationships in a manner that serves as the ultimate generator of connection to and admiration for Klal Yisrael, chochmatchem u’vinatchem l’einei ha’amim.3
Rather than back off, we need to elevate Torah principles further and ensure that the language of its values infuses and envelops every aspect of our lives so that we avoid the anger, frustration, vengefulness, vindictiveness and the verbal exchanges of fire that characterize our opponents. Our words and tone will reflect our loyalty to principle and to darchei noam, the pleasant pathway of the values of goodness, life and blessing that drive us.
Heyei berachah, be a source of blessing. As Jews everywhere confront a spike in antisemitism that is driven by conspiracy theories and falsehoods against them, we uphold the steadfast and ongoing commitment of the Jewish community to making this country healthier, stronger and kinder as we endeavor to improve society with charity, education and the pursuit of justice for the weak.
Heyei berachah, be a source of blessing. As the world refuses to understand Israel and its just war, we maintain that we will approach all our battles exactly as that original battle was fought by our forefather Avraham. What drove Avraham—the paragon of chesed, whose kindness was extended to every wandering stranger, who prayed to G-d to spare even the evil city of Sodom—to go to war? Avraham, who treasured life, waged war to save life, not to destroy it. He went to battle to rescue Lot,4 to save a hostage, to sanctify Hashem’s Name by standing up in defense of the oppressed.5 That value of saving lives drove him to battle and made him successful, and it is the very same value that drives our beloved chayalei Tzahal to this day.
The Jewish people will do what we have to, justly and fairly, to secure the State of Israel. How we wish we did not have to fight this war! We yearn for this war to end, for us to be able to be the source of blessing to all, which is our mission and purpose. We want the reservists to go back to their work developing medical breakthroughs and technological advances. We want the IDF soldiers to return to their jobs, to their universities and to their Torah studies, and to go back to assisting those facing disaster around the world. We want to help others thrive. We so wish we could live in peace with all and that the gift of Israel be felt by all, allowing us to be a source of blessing to all.
That is our narrative. We are not ashamed and will never be ashamed of the blessing that is Judaism and Israel. We must become experts at saying it, repeating it, making it clear loudly and proudly, and—most of all—living it, personifying the Talmud’s6 portrayal of the Jew of Torah whose interactions with all people are characterized by integrity and pleasantness. When our faith is reflected in our exquisite character and values and we champion those values, the Jews of Shame will be transformed into proud Jews, generating love and admiration for G-d and His Torah. “Avdi atah, Yisrael asher becha etpaeir. You are My servant, Israel, through whom I am glorified.”7
Heyei berachah.
Notes
1. Ta”z (Turei Zahav), OC 570:3.
2. Bereishit 12:2.
3. Devarim 4:6.
4. Bereishit 14:14.
5. Bereishit Rabbah 43:2, Yefei To’ar.
6. Yoma 86a.
7. Yeshayahu 49:3
Rabbi Moshe Hauer is executive vice president of the Orthodox Union.