Since its passage in December, UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which framed Israel′s settlement activity and sovereignty over the Western Wall as “flagrant violations” of international law, has Jews around the world concerned. We are apprehensive about its impact on Israel’s enduring security and ability to negotiate a durable and lasting peace.
I have long believed that Israeli-Palestinian tensions cannot be meaningfully understood without experiencing Israel firsthand. That’s why I was honored to bring then-freshman U.S. Congressman Tom Emmer (R-MN) and a delegation of Jewish community leaders to Israel this past June for a weeklong leadership mission. Our six days in Israel focused on Israel’s geopolitical and security realities and the historical connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel.
Over the course of one fascinating and deeply inspiring week, we met with members of Knesset and government ministers, toured military installations with IDF generals, and dialogued with the mayors and citizens of numerous Israeli cities. We met with a wide array of Israeli residents, both Jews and Arabs, to gain a deeper and more profound understanding of Israeli society.
On the final day of the mission, Congressman Emmer, who is a religious Roman Catholic, and I met with the chief rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Lau. Toward the end of a powerful and emotional hour-long meeting, the congressman asked the chief rabbi what message he should bring back to the United States.
While the chief rabbi could have spoken about our countries’ shared ethos and commitment to protecting religious freedom, or even the need to collaborate in our shared fight against terrorism, he took a different route entirely.
Rabi Lau turned to Congressman Emmer and said: “Congressman, you have spent the past week in Israel, learning about the Jewish people’s near-4,000 year connection to the Land of Israel. You see how integral Israel is to the Jewish people’s past, present, and future. But there is one thing even more important to the Jewish people: Jewish education.”
Having piqued the congressman’s interest, the chief rabbi continued: “For nearly 2,000 years the Jewish people survived in exile from its homeland, but we as a people cannot survive for even a single generation without Jewish study, without Torah. When you return to Washington, remember that the chief rabbi asked you to do everything in your power to strengthen Jewish education in America.”
Spending just one day on any U.S. college campus will convince you of the accuracy of Chief Rabbi Lau’s statement and the urgency of his plea. Across the country, Jewish students are becoming disengaged from their people. Virulent and often violent anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism compound the problem, discouraging Jewish identification and affiliation. And though there are more ways than ever before to “do Jewish” on campus, the constant badgering by anti-Israel student groups makes Jewish expression unattractive and even dangerous.
While UN Security Council Resolution 2334 should concern us, we should be considerably more distressed by the dire state of Jewish education and affiliation. As concerned citizens and proud Jews, our Jewish advocacy work should first and foremost focus on strengthening Jewish education and empowering our youth by helping them feel connected to their Jewish heritage.
To secure the Jewish future, we need to engage the next generation of Jewish leaders, providing them with opportunities to discover their own heritage and identity, and encouraging them to connect with Judaism – on their own terms and in their own time.
As executive director of MEOR, I have the opportunity to meet with hundreds of young and idealistic Jewish students at top universities across the U.S. each year. Our young people are passionate about their academic pursuits and social lives, but are rarely as deeply passionate about their Judaism, because a positive, authentic, and empowering Judaism has never been presented to them.
We cannot take the next generation’s connection to Judaism or the Jewish people for granted. As we begin a new year, let us redouble our efforts to advocate for a strong Israel and a strong American Jewish community.
But we cannot limit our advocacy to the political arena. We must turn our focus inward and commit ourselves to educating and inspiring our Jewish youth. When our ranks are replete with young and ambitious leaders who value their Jewish identities and understand exactly what they are fighting for, our broader advocacy efforts will take on a whole new meaning and our Jewish future will be brighter and more vibrant than ever before.