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The Role of Jewish Students Today

The Most Powerful Jewish Weapon

9 min

Class Summary:

Rabbi YY Jacobson at a Q & A with Jewish Students on Campus, Thursday, 18 Cheshvon, 5784, November 2, 2023

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  • EG

    Eve Goldberg -6 months ago

    So glad I listened. Loved your responses to the questions and was particularly moved by your description of how our soldiers go into battle with confidence, courage and passion. 
    Also, when people express fear, especially young people, in regard to how bleak the odds of success truly are, I haven't heard a response that I feel really hits the mark. We are told that after 4,000 years the Jews are still here, while those who tried to destroy us are gone. All true. But what is really being asked is not will the Jewish people ultimately survive, but rather will I survive. Will life as I know it survive. The fear is of the immediate danger that we will not prevail given the pressure on Israel and deep hatred in full display by the world. I believe that's the struggle. 

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  • SG

    Shulim Goldring -6 months ago

    Jewish niceness

    Boring part: I voted today. End of boring part. One poll worker was wearing a COVID mask (Date: November 2023) and a Birthright Israel neck thing. I commented on it, and he started to talk about going there – I saw that he was interested in talking. Meanwhile the other poll worker lectured me officiously about the voting procedure, so I quickly took care of that. I then returned and said “I just wanted to finish our conversation,” prompting the other worker to escape.I asked whether he was Jewish, and he said “No, but my parents are.”I said, “Well, that means you’re Jewish.”He did not blink. “I don’t believe in that, I’m an atheist.”“Well, I respect your right to your opinions, but I’m telling you what you are to me. To me you’re a brother.”We talked about our visits to Israel and he made it clear that he did not visit for yeshiva, the way I did. We schmoozed about how Birthright selects their customers based on whether they are religious and non-religious Jews. I then asked him if he wanted to put on tefillin.He stabbed me right in the heart: “I haven’t had good experiences with religious Jews. The ones I’ve met have been angry and nasty. One asked me to put on tefillin, and I said I would do it for $100. He got really nasty.”I paused with my mouth slightly open. I was getting angry indeed, as well as devastated. I did not have an answer, so I just muttered something about how terrible that was. “Am I like that?” I asked.“No, you’ve been pretty nice so far.”I smiled. “Just give me five minutes and I’ll explode.” He returned a cautious smile, accepted my fist bump, and I left.Lesson? If you’re religious and you’re not nasty, please speak up to these people or they will think you want nothing to do with them. I think us nice religious people just walk past them, and they only get to hear from the others. If you get one person to feel more accepted by religious Jews, I think you’ve given him a place to escape from an increasingly anti-Semitic society.Other lessons? Go ahead, share yours.

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  • MK

    Mitchell Krasnerman -6 months ago

    I heard that our strong prayers can turn fake news into real news - I hope all of can display the same courage as Captain America and avenge the fallen 

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Conversation With Campus Students

Rabbi YY Jacobson

  • November 5, 2023
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  • 21 Cheshvan 5784
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  • 1453 views

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