With a new school year upon us, I wanted to address the concerns of many American Jewish parents. As the head of a Jewish and Zionist youth organization, I know that worrying about our kids is part of our collective DNA. It is an integral part of us. Still, this anxiety has reached new levels since October 7.
For centuries, blacksmiths forged metal to make things stronger. The process is deliberate, uncomfortable, and effective. Through wars, famine, and pandemics, people were put through their own “forging” process. Today, our children are being forged by rampant Jew-hatred.
The question facing every American Jewish parent today is not where to go to protect our children but rather how do we ensure that our kids withstand their own forging? This is our sobering reality.
As much as we stress over current events, this is still the best time to be a Jew. Not only do we have a Jewish state and an army, but Diaspora Jews have full rights. We are integrated into the societies where we reside and have freedoms our grandparents could not have dreamed about.
But let’s get back to our anxiety-inducing reality.
Recently, a Jewish mother was shocked when her daughter’s school refused to act after an instructor wore a keffiyeh while teaching; the keffiyeh has become a “symbol of resistance” for pro-Hamas mobs after October 7.
Her daughter courageously brought the matter to the administration, but instead of taking action against the teacher, they gave the Jewish student suggestions on how to “manage her feelings.” Imagine if a school recommended that black students “manage their feelings” after seeing a teacher with a KKK tattoo.
Rutgers University freshman orientation was interrupted last week by pro-jihadists who were yelling and distributing flyers. This is not just happening in higher education; children across the US – even in preschool – are facing antisemitism. Jewish individuals and institutions are being targeted. The proverbial excrement is hitting a very real fan, leaving no one untouched.
With school starting soon, our anxiety is understandable.
However, my experience as a Jewish mother and Jewish professional working with teens has taught me that by teaching kids individual empowerment (allowing teens to have a voice) and communal leadership (training the leaders of our Jewish community) – students feel more secure about their identity and how to handle themselves.
We need to stop expecting our teenagers to stand up for Israel without first inspiring them to speak out and stand up for themselves. We must teach them how to expect and demand respect from authority figures – as Jews!
Only when our children see themselves as proud Jews, as future matriarchs and patriarchs of their own Jewish families, and as future Jewish leaders, will they understand the honor, the privilege, and the blessing of the current times.
This is our mission and yours. Just as metal is forged to become even stronger, Jewish teens are being put to the test and growing stronger daily. This pressure has the potential to transform them into leaders who will create a hopeful and resilient future for us.
I speak to Jewish high school and college students who learn and gain the necessary skills to confront this reality, and they are not afraid because they are confident, proud of their Jewish identity, secure in their place in the Jewish story, and strengthened by their connection to one another. As one of the teens looking forward to his freshman year at an Ivy League school shared, “We don’t find ourselves in that fight. We fight because we found ourselves.”
Our children are no longer ‘deer caught in the headlights.’ They act:
- A New York high school student recently identified inaccuracies and anti-Israel bias in Princeton Review’s AP World History Prep book. She penned a letter to the organization, disproving every false claim. She has yet to receive a response.
- Another group of teens recently addressed a school-wide faculty meeting with 200 people to discuss the antisemitism they have experienced for years, and especially since October 7. Though they were nearing graduation, they wanted to speak up for students who remain voiceless and lay the groundwork for change.
- Remarkable students at UNC-Chapel Hill stood united in protecting the US flag from being removed by pro-Hamas protestors.
These teens have shown that adversity gives them strength and the opportunity to build an identity. It provides them with the unique perspective that they are living through Jewish history, standing on the shoulders of giants who came before them.
My fellow Jewish parents, these are unprecedented times, but look at our history, then look at your kids. Do they know who they are? If not, make Israel and being Jewish a part of your lives. Don’t assume that Hebrew school, Jewish high school, or Jewish summer camp can do it. All these institutions are trying their best, but you cannot outsource identity building - that is on you. Once you’ve raised a strong Jew, they will rise to this challenge and prevail, just as our ancestors did for thousands of years.
Our kids will be better than alright. When we support them with the tools they need and the inspiration they crave, they will become the most glorious generation.
Masha Merkulova is the Chief Zionist Officer of Club Z, an unapologetically proud Jewish Zionist space for teens to connect to each other, Jewish history, and Zionism.
This op-ed is published in partnership with a coalition of organizations that fight antisemitism across the world. Read the previous article by Sacha Roytman Dratwa.