Missouri’s Jewish community was recognized at the Capitol after Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a proclamation naming October as Jewish Heritage Month. The proclamation was officially signed Sept. 15, 2025, but the ceremony celebrating it took place in early November because of scheduling conflicts.

At the Capitol rotunda event, Rep. John Martin, R-Columbia, presented the framed document to Rabbi Ze’ev Smason, chair of the Missouri chapter of the Coalition for Jewish Values, who accepted it on behalf of the state’s Jewish community.

“It was an honor to receive the original proclamation on behalf of Missouri’s Jewish community,” Smason said. “The framed, glass-enclosed copy now hangs in my office.”

Smason explained that while national Jewish American Heritage Month is celebrated in May, Missouri governors including Kehoe and former Gov. Mike Parson have chosen to observe it in the fall out of respect for the Jewish holidays that often occur in September and October. The proclamation remains in effect and will continue to apply in 2026.

Dozens of Jewish community leaders and about 20 legislators attended the ceremony, including Rep. George Hruza and Michael Lourie of the St. Louis Jewish Federation.

Goldie Cohen, an elderly Jewish lady from the Bronx, goes to her travel agent.

“I vant to go to India.” 

The travel agent warns her about the long journey, but Goldie insists. After arriving in India, she joins the long line of people waiting for an audience with the guru. She’s told it will take at least six hours, and she can only say three\words to him.

Finally ushered into the inner sanctum where the wise guru sits in a lotus position, Goldie stands before him, crosses her arms, and says: “Sheldon! Come home!”

Like Goldie’s son, a substantial number of young Jews have left their religious roots in search of spiritual meaning elsewhere. A 2022 Pew survey found that 40% of Jews under 40 describe themselves as religiously unaffiliated.

How did this happen?

We’d be mistaken to dismiss Jewish alienation as mere ignorance. Many Jews genuinely open to finding meaning within their own faith did encounter Judaism at pivotal moments but found it rote, uninspiring or inaccessible.

My bar mitzvah experience as a 12-year-old boy was typical then and remains painfully common today. I prepared diligently,  by memorizing the haftarah from a tape recording. On the big day, I recited it flawlessly. Yet the Hebrew might as well have been Sanskrit; no one explained a single word. When my Uncle Milton proclaimed, “My boy, today you are a man,” I was bewildered, wondering how a 13-year-old could possibly be considered a man.

Afterward, the rabbi asked if I wanted to continue my Jewish education. The lure of after-school sports was far more appealing than a Judaism I had graduated from, not into.

I didn’t reject Judaism that day. I simply concluded there was nothing there for me. Like so many young Jews, I had been shown only the lobby of a magnificent mansion and assumed the entire building was just a waiting room.

And what’s inside that mansion, the one I was privileged to enter in my early 20s? Answers to the deepest questions I’d been carrying: Is there a God? Why religion? What qualities should I seek in a life partner?

I discovered that the Torah, given directly to the entire Jewish people at Sinai, is God’s blueprint for living the richest, most meaningful life possible. It didn’t offer pat answers, but enduring moral truths and timeless questions the greatest Jewish minds have debated for millennia — with intellectual rigor and spiritual depth I’d never imagined existed within Judaism.

But here’s the heartbreak: This wisdom, this spiritual wealth that transformed my life, remains locked away from most young Jews and many older ones as well. Not because they’re uninterested in spirituality; they’re desperately seeking it. The barrier is education — or rather, the lack of deep, immersive Jewish education that makes Torah a native language rather than a foreign text.

When Moses stood before Pharaoh, his demand was clear: “Let my people go.”
Today, we need a new rallying cry for our spiritually wandering youth: “Let my people know.”

The most powerful tool we have is Jewish day school education. As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (z”l) said, To defend a country, you need an army. But to defend an identity, you need a school.”

The evidence bears this out. Day school alumni are more than twice as likely (81%) to say Jewish identity is very important to them compared with those who did not attend (35%).

Day schools don’t just transmit information; they create a relationship — with Judaism and with God. When children learn to decode a Torah text in Hebrew and Aramaic, engage in vigorous yet respectful debate about its meaning, and see Judaism not as a set of rules but as a framework for purposeful living, they come alive spiritually.

Yes, day schools require significant financial investment, and not every family can access them. But research shows they don’t compromise academic excellence, they enhance it. Students from day schools, especially those attracting non-Orthodox families, demonstrate stronger civic responsibility, commitment to social justice and resilience against negative influences on college campuses. They’re getting both worlds: deep Jewish literacy and preparation for top-notch universities.

That’s why communal investment in Jewish day school education must become the St. Louis Jewish community’s highest priority. Consider this sobering reality: St. Louis’s Jewish population was about 61,100 in 2014; the most recent  study in 2024 estimates 45,800, a shocking drop of 25%.

Robust K–12 Jewish day schools give our youth something essential — a compelling answer to the most basic question: “Why be Jewish?”

Today’s spiritual alienation is our desert. But our wandering youth need knowledge, deep, joyful knowledge of who they are and what they possess.

Let my people know – and like Sheldon hearing his mother’s voice, they will come home. Not to obligation, but to heritage. Not to restriction, but to richness. Not because they have to, but because once they truly know what’s there, they’ll want to.

The mansion is waiting, St. Louis Jewish parents and community leaders. Let’s give them the keys.

Photo credit: Jay visits a Jewish Day School in Bellevue by Jay Inslee, with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 license on Wikimedia Commons

Tired of the summer heat? Let’s cool off by stepping into the “treasury of snow,” as described in the Book of Job (38:22). 

Where does one go to learn about snow? The internet, of course. According to SnowCrystals.com, run by some serious snow mavens at the California Institute of Technology, snowflakes are more fascinating than you might think. Would you believe scientists estimate that about a septillion — that’s a 1 with 24 zeros — snowflakes fall each year? And no two are alike.

But scientists love to classify things. So, how does one classify a snowflake? It’s not so easy. The divisions are often arbitrary. True, snowflakes come in different types, and if you’re a meteorologist, you need terms to discuss them. 

But ordinary folks like me should avoid what I call the Snowflake Syndrome: losing sight of a snowflake’s beauty while obsessing over how to classify it. Because, after all, a snowflake is a snowflake is a snowflake.

Similarly, many Jews today identify themselves and others by specific “denominations”: Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist. This practice can cause confusion because, like snowflakes, a Jew is a Jew is a Jew.

Yes, there are Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist institutions. These labels reflect both their theology and their practice. They help identify synagogues, temples and their rabbinic leadership. But when it comes to individual Jews, those labels often reveal very little about what someone actually believes or does.

You might be thinking, “Come on, rabbi, that’s very open-minded, but you’re just being politically correct. I know an Orthodox, Conservative, Reform or Reconstructionist Jew when I see one.” 

And I would politely ask: Do you?

What about a Jew who belongs to an Orthodox synagogue but drives there on Shabbat? Or someone who keeps kosher but attends a Reform temple? What about a Jew who never steps into a synagogue but gives 20% of her income to tzedakah and lives a life of deep chesed (kindness)? Is she “secular” or a “none”?  

See the challenge? It’s not so easy deciding what kind of snowflake — or Jew — someone is. And even if we agree someone is Orthodox, the label tells only part of the story.

Consider this example. SawYouAtSinai, a Jewish dating site that combines online profiles with real matchmakers, offers a dizzying menu under “religious orientation.” Some of the options include:

Carlebachian, Conservative, Conservadox, Hasidic, Lubavitch (Chabad), Modern Orthodox (Liberal), Modern Orthodox (Machmir/strict), Modern Orthodox (Middle of the Road), Modern Yeshivish, Yeshivish, Traditional, Heimish (ultra-Orthodox), Balabatish (upper class), Unaffiliated, Spiritual but not Religious, Cultural Identity, Reconstructionist and Reform.

Nineteen categories of Jews! And that doesn’t even include the St. Louis Cardinals fan (OK, I slipped that one in for fun).

Of course, there are differences between a Hasidic Jew from Williamsburg and a Modern Orthodox scientist at Harvard. Yet “Orthodox” could describe either one.

Labels are supposed to clarify a person’s religious orientation. But often, they do the opposite. They can also shut down meaningful conversations about Jewish ideas and values. As a former congregational rabbi, I can’t tell you how often someone would say, “Rabbi, is it OK for me to visit your synagogue? I’m Jewish, but I’m not Orthodox.”

The reality is that many American Jews belong to synagogues without necessarily sharing the institution’s full beliefs or practices. Using denominational labels to define individual Jews often causes more harm than good. Labels are great for clothing,  but not nearly as helpful for classifying Jews.

If we feel the need to categorize, maybe the better questions are: What is this Jew’s level of moral, spiritual and ethical observance? Is she honest in business? Does he treat others with compassion? Is she charitable? Does he observe Shabbat? What is their relationship with God?

Assigning labels often creates meaningless divisions. Learning to look beyond those labels reveals the soul inside.

If you’re ever asked, “What kind of Jew are you?” the most accurate answer is: “I’m just Jewish.” When I’m asked that question, my response is: “In God’s eyes, I hope I’m a good Jew.”

And of course, the Snowflake Syndrome can lead to awkward moments. A woman goes to the post office to buy stamps for her Hanukkah cards. She asks the clerk, “May I have 50 Hanukkah stamps?” 

The clerk replies, “What denomination?” 

She stares for a moment, then says, “You have to be kidding! OK, has it come to this?  Fine, give me six Orthodox, 12 Conservative and 32 Reform.”

It’s a joke — but also a gentle warning. In this time of rampant antisemitism and global uncertainty, Jewish unity is more important than ever. But unity doesn’t mean melting away our differences. It means allowing each of us to stand side by side, unique yet part of the same tapestry.

So let’s avoid the Snowflake Syndrome: losing sight of the beauty and essence of every Jew while trying to classify them. Because after all, a snowflake is a snowflake is a snowflake. 

And a Jew is a Jew is a Jew.

Photo Credit : Macro Phorography of Snowflake by Egor Kamelev with CC BY-NC-SA 0.0 license on Pexels

To most people, the 2005 movie “Wedding Crashers” is a lighthearted comedy romp in which two lovelorn bachelors crash weddings to meet women. But imagine the following scenario: At your daughter’s 500-person wedding, a concerned friend informs you that 40 people have crashed the wedding. He then points to numerous tables near the back of the wedding hall where the well-dressed, healthy wedding crashers are awaiting a delicious meal. You make a quick calculation; you’re already on the hook for $33,000 — the average wedding cost in the United States — and you’re aware that an unscheduled wedding appearance costs the hosts upward of $268.   

You and your daughter have spent a year planning her dream wedding, and several months mapping out seating arrangements. Will you allow the wedding crashers to stay? 

As Jews, we are keenly aware of the need to seek refuge. Burned into our minds are images like those of the hundreds of refugees on the transatlantic ocean liner St. Louis, seeking to escape Hitler, being refused entrance to the United States and Cuba. Instead of being offered a haven from the storm, these Jews were sent back to Europe. This is something real to us, not just an abstract argument.

But when approaching a topic as sensitive as illegal immigration, it is important to keep in mind that policies cannot be based solely on emotion, however sincere. There must be some criteria by which we can confidently evaluate positions and give a thoughtful, critical response. The Torah offers us just such a set of criteria, based on the obligation to treat the stranger fairly and with compassion, balanced by the strong emphasis placed on justice, lawfulness and the moral imperative to uphold the societal structures that ensure peace and prosperity for all.

Deuteronomy 16:20 instructs us: “Justice, justice shall you pursue.” This repetition underscores the paramount importance of establishing and maintaining a just society. Laws are the backbone of order; they are the agreements that bind us together and allow us to live in harmony. When individuals enter and reside in a country illegally, they circumvent the established legal processes designed to maintain fairness and security. Obeying the laws of the nations where individuals reside is a Jewish principle. 

Some argue for a laissez-faire approach of dealing with illegal immigrants (estimated between 11 and 30 million) currently residing in the United States. They reference a ‘hands-off’ approach quote from Leviticus 19:34: “The stranger residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were strangers in Egypt.”

However, to understand this verse, we must understand that this particular Hebrew word ‘stranger’ is specifically used to describe a foreigner who fully submits to the customs and culture of their country of refuge. Illegal immigrants are not submitting to the laws of the land – they’re defying them.

The Talmud speaks of a case in which people who refused to accept laws seem to be rewarded. This is objected to on the basis of the principle: ein chotei niskar, the sinner should not be rewarded by law for his misdeed. This is a principle which is found in English and American law as well, and is known as the doctrine of ex turpi causa, meaning, as Lord Mansfield put it, “No court will lend its aid to a man who founds his cause of action upon an immoral or an illegal act.”

The presence of millions of illegal immigrants has numerous impacts on citizens. Their presence generates an economic strain, with public resources such as healthcare, education and social services stretched thin, affecting the quality and availability for citizens who rely on them. Illegal immigrants contribute to job competition, suppressing wages and employment opportunities for low-income citizens. And turning a blind eye to illegal immigration poses challenges to national security for our citizens in matters such as sex trafficking, illegal drug importation and the presence of terrorist elements. 

The Jewish value of compassion certainly supports those fleeing harm and seeking asylum. And consideration must be given to the complexity of how to deal with otherwise-law-abiding multigenerational undocumented residents and their children who have lived in this country for decades. However, jumping the line — like crashing a wedding — to avoid a country’s naturalization process is immoral from a Jewish perspective — and unacceptable to a majority of Americans.

Polls conducted by ABC News, The New York Times/Ipsos and others show that respondents favor deporting all illegal immigrants by decisive majorities, ranging from 55% to 64%. It amounts to a national consensus in favor of enforcing the law. Jewish support for deportation of illegal immigrants should not be invalidated by risible comparisons between the plight of illegal immigrants currently in America, who overwhelmingly came for economic reasons, and Jews fleeing for their lives from the Nazis in the 1930s and ’40s. 

Former President Ronald Reagan said, “A nation that cannot control its borders is not a nation.” And as former President Theodore Roosevelt said, “Order without liberty and liberty without order are equally destructive.” 

Balancing compassion with adherence to the law is essential. Advocating for the deportation of illegal immigrants is not an act of hostility but a traditional Jewish call to preserve justice and the integrity of our legal system. By ensuring that immigration laws are respected, as Jews we honor both our national framework and our spiritual commitment to justice.

Photo credit: Golden Lady Justice, Bruges, Belgium by Manu H, with CC BY 2.0 license on Flicker

Even after four decades, I can still visualize sitting in Professor Richard Levin’s classroom at the University of California when he introduced us to The Merchant of Venice. Clearly, he would have preferred to ignore the editor’s remarks that prefaced our edition. But some of us might read it; clearly, he couldn’t risk allowing the introduction to poison our outlook, whether toward the play or toward Shakespeare himself.

To his credit, Levin tried valiantly to be judicious. “Perhaps the editor intended to present the foundations upon which one can build an appreciation of the play,” he suggested at first. But as he continued, he found less room for magnanimity: “The editor seems to be overlooking a rather critical third dimension to all the major characters.” Finally, he gave up all pretense of diplomacy: “There’s nothing else to say,” he concluded in exasperation. “The man’s a fool.”

Tragically, there are too many among us who approach our sacred texts with the same kind of superficiality that infuriated Professor Levin. Yes, it’s true that the most shallow reading of scripture seems to present King David as an adulterer and a murderer. But there are countless nuanced clues that prove otherwise.

The most notable of these is David’s confession. When confronted by Nathan the prophet, he immediately replied, “I have sinned against G-d.” Since murder and adultery are sins against both G-d and man, had David actually been guilty of these crimes, his confession would have been woefully inadequate.

Rather, our sages explicate the verses to prove how David’s sins were a violation of the spirit, not the letter of the law, based on his well-intentioned but faulty interpretation of what the Almighty expected from him. Why then does scripture present his crimes, subtle though they were, as comparable to adultery and murder? So we can appreciate the gravity of such a towering figure as David committing indiscretions which, for us, would be relatively mild.

And, perhaps more importantly, to teach us that if we want to discover Truth, we need to reject superficial explanations and delve deep beneath the surface to find it.

Another of the most lamentably misunderstood episodes is Jacob’s deception of his father to procure the blessings intended for his brother, Esau. It is their mother, Rebecca, who prods Jacob to reluctantly implement the ruse. Rebecca recognized what her husband did not: Had the wicked and manipulative Esau been allowed to receive those blessings, he would have been empowered to thwart the divine mission of Abraham and his children before it even began.

Here again, there are abundant clues. But the most compelling evidence comes after the fact. Once Isaac discovers the deception, he declares: “I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!” Why wasn’t Isaac furious with Jacob for deceiving him? Because, in that moment, he realized that he had profoundly misjudged Esau, and that Providence had protected him from committing a grievous error. Further proof can be found in the book of Malachi, when G-d proclaims, “I loved Jacob, but Esau I hated.”

The wading through waters of superficiality continues without end. Those who accuse Moses of having anger issues forget–or never knew–the testimony of Scripture that Moses was “the most humble man who ever lived.” His repeated sharp rebukes were intended solely to impress upon the people their duty to remain faithful to G-d, and he was severely punished for the single incident when he went too far.

Similarly, condemning Noah for drunkenness shows a profound lack of empathy: Imagine the depth of his sorrow and guilt he must have felt as the sole survivor of history’s greatest holocaust.

Those who desperately project flaws onto our ancestral heroes are like the worshippers of the ancient Greek pantheon. By elevating human failings such as lust, petulance, and jealousy to the level of godliness, they devalue human virtue and legitimize human vice.

And yet, the cynics and scoffers who labor to tear down the icons of our faith have stumbled across one kernel of truth. Our leaders were not perfect. They struggled mightily to overcome the challenges presented by their own human nature. By doing so, they’ve shown us the way to achieve greatness: Not by projecting our shortcomings onto others, but by recognizing genuine greatness so we can be inspired to discover greatness within ourselves.

Photo credit: Man at sunset, free under Pixabay license

A St. Louis County lawmaker’s illegal immigration legislation would encourage racial profiling and create fear, opponents told a Missouri Senate committee on Monday.

The proposal, by state Sen. David Gregory of Chesterfield, calls for a bounty hunter program in which people will apply to find and detain undocumented immigrants, and a hotline for Missourians to turn in undocumented immigrants for a $1,000 payout.

One person, Rabbi Ze’ev Smason, chairman of the Coalition for Jewish Values of Missouri, spoke in favor of the bill.
“The principles of justice, law and order are foundational to a thriving society,” he said, arguing the bill “aligns with our moral values.”

Neither Gregory’s plan nor a separate piece of legislation by state Sen. Jill Carter, R-Granby, received a vote Monday in the committee.

Carter’s plan would create an interstate compact for border security, giving the governor the power to “negotiate and assist any state in an interstate compact for border security.”

Her plan also creates the crime of “improper entry by an alien” and the offense of “aggravated illegal presence” if the person violates any Missouri law while in the country illegally.

Read the full article on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Photo credit: Caravan of migrants by Martin Leveneur, with CC BY-SA 2.0 license.

A ceasefire agreement has been reached between Israel and Hamas.  The accord’s first stage is to see the phased release of 33 hostages—alive or dead—over a period of 42 days. Israel estimates that 25 of the 33 people on the list of hostages to be returned in the first stage of the ceasefire agreement are alive.

The release of imprisoned Palestinian terrorists is one of several Israeli obligations.  What guidance can we find from the Torah regarding the emerging hostage deal?

One hundred of Israel’s leading rabbinic authorities have publicly declared what almost every Torah scholar who supports IDF service knows: The Halacha (Jewish law) forbids endangering the nation even for the precious mitzvah of redeeming the captives.  The Torah teaches that we “must not ransom captives for more than their value, for tikun olam, the good order of the world” (Talmud).

Why?  If we are willing to pay any price, no matter how exorbitant, to free our loved ones who have been taken hostage, our enemies will only be encouraged to kidnap more Jews in the future.

A precedent of this principle can be learned from the tragic incident of what occurred to a great medieval rabbi.

Meir of Rothenburg was a German rabbi in the 13th century who was acknowledged as the greatest Jewish leader of European Jewry in his time. When Rabbi Meir was at the peak of his stature and importance to the Jewish world, he was kidnapped and imprisoned in a fortress, with an exorbitantly large ransom demanded by his captors.

Though the ransom was raised by his community, Rabbi Meir refused release for fear of encouraging the imprisonment of other rabbis. He ruled on his own abduction in light of Torah law.  For seven years, Rabbi Meir remained a prisoner, until his death in 1293.

Rabbi Meir was imprisoned for financial considerations.  But when the release of hostages carries life-threatening consequences to other Jews and the Jewish nation, the Halacha is even more definitive.  Jewish law states the release of dangerous terrorists is forbidden because they endanger the state’s future and the safety of its citizens.

The Jewish world learned this truth the hard way on October 7, 2023.   In 2011, Israel released 1,027 convicted terrorists in exchange for Gilad Shalit, a soldier who was kidnapped by Hamas six years earlier.  As Rabbi Meir understood, a lopsided deal like the Gilad Shalit exchange was bound to incentivize antisemites to abduct more Jews.

The Shalit exchange led to the strengthening of Hamas and to several deadly attacks and wars.  Among the terrorists released in 2011:  Yahya Sinwar, the now infamous leader of Hamas in Gaza and the mastermind of the October 7 massacre and abduction.  Sinwar was the proximate cause of over 2,000 who have died since October 7 (1,200 that day and over 800 Israeli soldiers since).

According to the Justice Ministry, in the current ceasefire accord, Israel will release 1,904 Palestinian terrorists in just the first stage of the hostage deal:  Among them murderers who killed hundreds of Israelis.

Included in the group of terrorists to be released are Zakaria Zubeidi, who assumed responsibility for the 2002 Beit She’an attack that killed 6 people ; Mohammad Abu Warda, responsible for two 1996 Jerusalem bus bombings that killed 45; and Mahmoud Attalah, convicted of murdering a Palestinian woman from Ramallah who he believed was collaborating with Israel. Attalah was also under indictment for sexually assaulting and raping three female prison guards.

Past and recent history does not raise the question whether some of the soon-to-be released terrorists (to Gaza, Judea and Samaria) will again assault and murder Israelis.  Rather, the question is when, and how manyIsraelis will be attacked, assaulted and murdered.

The release of more than a thousand Hamas murderers and rapists is an old script that always plays out the same in each sequel and remake: The deal will save tens of Jews while those released will murder hundreds if not thousands of Jews.  While we rejoice at the saving of the life of a single Jewish hostage, there is no commandment that justifies risking the lives of the Jewish community.

Have we squandered the lives of our precious soldiers just to restore the status quo of October 6, 2023?   Most importantly, if the war resumes after the end of the cease fire, how many Israeli soldiers will be killed once again conquering the same swaths of Gaza, soon to again be fully booby-trapped and mined?  Why would any soldier want to go back there – our finest youth – to be killed and maimed seizing territory today that we will surrender to the enemy tomorrow. For what?  For what did they die?

Within the past few weeks Steve Witkoff, then President-elect Trump’s Middle East Envoy, sat down with PM Netanyahu to deliver a stark message: “The president has been a great friend of Israel, and now it’s time to be a friend back.”   Doubtless, there are political advantages to the ceasefire deal — on both sides.

But in weighing political ‘reality’ against morality, there is no contest.  Morality should never be sacrificed for political advantage, gain or consideration.   Pressure from US presidents — Democrat or Republican —  should be meaningless if they weaken our core values and interests. That is how independent nations act: they define their interests and do everything to achieve them.

May G-d give Israel’s leaders the wisdom to act responsibly and judiciously, and to find solutions that will ensure the security of the entire people. Despite the immense importance of redeeming captives, it must not come at the expense of the safety of Israel and its citizens.

Let us pray for the destruction of Iran’s nuclear program, the fall of its government, the elimination or total disablement of Hamas and Iran’s proxies, the return of all of Israel’s hostages, and soon see the time when Israel and Jews throughout the world can live in safety and security.

Expanded from an article published in the St. Louis Jewish Light

Rabbi Ze’ev Smason is Chairman of the Missouri chapter of the Coalition for Jewish Values

Photo: Anti-Israel Protest by Ted Eytan, with CC BY-SA (2.0) on  Flickr  

The first 72 hours of the Yom Kippur War in 1973 was the closest Israel has come, Heaven forbid, to destruction. On the most solemn day of the year, Egypt and Syria attacked simultaneously, catching Israel entirely by surprise. Israel’s defensive line on the Egyptian border, thought to be impregnable, fell within two hours. In the north, hundreds of Syrian tanks were rolling down the Golan Heights.

In the days following the Yom Kippur attacks, Israel suffered a number of setbacks and was in desperate need of rearmament. Turning to the U.S. for help, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and other high officials opposed sending Israel assistance lest they agitate the Arabs or their primary military supplier, the Soviet Union. But in one of history’s great ironies, Richard Nixon alone decided that the U.S. must step in to back Israel, and ordered a massive airlift of armaments and combat equipment that played an integral role in the salvation of the Jewish state. The irony? In the years since the release of the Watergate Tapes it has become one of the established facts of the Nixon mythos that the president was a raging antisemite.

How are we to understand Israel’s improbable deliverance? Two traditional Jewish sources guide us: “Behold, the Guardian of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps” (Psalm 121), and “The Almighty has many agents and messengers.” (Talmud).

In a similar vein, there exists the conventional wisdom why Harry Truman recognized the state of Israel in 1948; it was because he once had a Jewish partner in the haberdashery business who came to him in the White House and asked him for this favor. But here’s the real story.

This story, which appears in the historical archives of the Knesset, was told by Rabbi Shlomo Lorenz, a former Knesset member. Rabbi Lorenz once met Harry S Truman, president of the United States. President Truman told Rabbi Lorenz, “You should know that when I agreed to recognize the state of Israel, it went against the advice of my advisors and it was against every political instinct that I have. But I will tell you why I did it…”

Truman told Lorenz, “I was a little boy growing up in the United States and every little boy growing up in the United States dreams of becoming president. That was my dream. I’ll tell you something else. I was a good Christian boy and I learned my Bible. My hero in the Bible was King Cyrus. This Cyrus is the one who let the Jewish people go back to their homeland and build their Temple. I said, ‘If I ever become President of the United States, I want to imitate my hero and if I ever get the opportunity to let the Jewish people go back to their country and rebuild their Temple that is what I am going to do’ And that, he concluded, ‘is why I recognized the state of Israel.’”

How did it happen that Harry Truman — a man who in private denigrated Jews and the Jewish people — came to improbably adopt King Cyrus as his hero and later play a key role in the foundation of the modern state of Israel? “Behold, the Guardian of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps,” and “The Almighty has many agents and messengers.”

The 2024 U.S. presidential election elicited a range of extreme reactions, reflecting deep political divisions and heightened tensions across the nation and within the Jewish community. But a lesson we have learned throughout history is that only God coronates kings and designates leaders. Certainly, we have to do our part; support, lobby and select who we think will best represent us. But at the same time, we know that it’s God who is running the show. Policies and appointments will be made, but ultimately, they come from Above.

Therefore, regardless of the outcome of an election, a Jew regulates his or her emotions. For those pleased with the outcome of the 2024 election, cautiously express gratitude for what you believe will be better than the alternative. But at the same time, realize that we have no idea what’s about to happen. And to others we say, feel disappointment, but don’t become depressed or despondent when things didn’t go your way, because we know that God is in charge.

So therefore, we try to regulate our emotions in the aftermath of the election. Why? “The king’s heart is in the hand of God, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” (Proverbs). The timeless wisdom of our Torah teaches us that like in elections, so too in life: God helps those who help themselves. But then, after doing the best we can, relax and draw upon our faith and emunah (trust in God), because we know that the Almighty is running the world.

Photo: Donald Trump by USDOA, with CC0 1.0 license on Rawpixel

Marc Kornblatt prepared uneasily earlier this year for his daughter, Louisa, to arrive for 10 days with the family. Her homecomings once brought the comfort of movie nights and card games, but this year was different. Marc and his wife, Judith, had moved away from Madison, Wis., to live in Tel Aviv, where they felt a real sense of belonging as Jews. Around the same time, their daughter, attending graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley, came to oppose the existence of Israel as a Jewish state. 

American Jews have long maintained a remarkable relationship with Israel. Over the years, our fervent attachment has produced billions of dollars in ongoing philanthropic assistance, a powerful and effective pro-Israel lobby, tens of thousands of visits annually, a steady stream of aliyah (settlement in Israel), and myriad other examples of contact and support.   Yet these feelings of attachment are changing in some segments of American Jewry, as warmth gives way to indifference, and indifference sometimes leads to downright alienation from Israel.  

A young Jewish man was once asked, “Do you think today’s greatest challenge facing the Jewish people is ignorance or apathy?”  He responded, “I don’t know, and I don’t care!” A growing number of Jews are declaring themselves as religious “Nones.”  These are individuals who self-identify as atheists or agnostics or who indicate that they are disconnected from any formal affiliation with a Jewish religious community or denomination.  In the 1990s, this group could be identified within the single digits. Today, with the Jewish unaffiliated more concentrated among young adults than other age cohorts, an astonishing 35% of Millennials (those born 1981-1996) and Gen Z (those born from 1997- 2012) are identified as “Nones.”

Among American Jews 18-29 years, the following data extracted from a recent Pew Study seems particularly relevant:

• 88% seldom or never go to services

• 47% hold the belief that if you believe in Jesus, you can still be considered Jewish

• 51% report having had a Christmas tree

Feeling that being Jewish is more about culture and ancestry than religion, when asked about essential aspects of being Jewish, more than 40% say having a good sense of humor is essential to their Jewish identity, compared to less than 15% who see Torah observance (‘observing Jewish law’) as indispensable. 

This growing distancing from a meaningful connection to Judaism among younger American Jews has resulted in their drifting apart from Israel. A recent study by the Jewish Identity Project of Reboot documented that on average, young Jews (35 and under) are considerably less attached to Israel, express less caring for Israel, less engaged with Israel, less supportive of Israel and score lower on overall scale of Israel attachment than Jews older than 35.  Young Jewish Millennials and Gen Z increasingly see Israel as an occupying power oppressing Palestinians — a shock to their parents and grandparents, who tend to see it as an essential haven fighting for survival.   

What can we, as parents, educators, rabbis, community leaders and the Jewish community at large do to stem the tide of this alarming trend?

Great impact can be achieved by a concerted effort to help young Jews return to their Jewish roots through an understanding of what being Jewish means.  Every Jew is a descendant of those who stood at Mt. Sinai 3,300 years ago.   When offered the Torah by God, we responded, “We will do and we will hear.”  A truly meaningful connection to Judaism is nurtured and expressed by believing and observing “The Ten Commandments” rather than “The Ten Suggestions.”  The same is true, of course, with the entirety of the Torah.   However, if a Jew looks at the Torah simply as a man-written work, one is free to decide matters of morals, ethics, and how to relate to Israel based upon prevailing societal norms. 

I recently had a conversation with a U.S. congressman.  He told me he was mystified when he saw young Jews wearing T-shirts that read “Jews for Palestine and Gaza” at a sizeable pro-Palestinian rally.  He asked me how to understand his disconcerting experience.  I responded:  “Our rabbis teach that if a tree has beautiful boughs, great height and a statuesque appearance yet has only shallow roots, the slightest wind can topple that tree.  However, a tree with exceptionally deep roots, though of relatively diminutive size and of unremarkable outward appearance, such a tree can withstand hurricane-force winds.”  

A Jew with deep roots — connected to his or her people through the Torah given at Sinai and living an educated, committed Jewish life of mitzvot — will never waver in their love of and commitment to Israel.  King Solomon said in Proverbs (3:18)  “It (the Torah) is a Tree of Life for those who cling to it, and all its supporters are happy.” A tragic 2014 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami took the lives of approximately 230,000 people.  Petra Nemcova, on vacation in Thailand when the tsunami hit, clung with all her might to a tree for eight hours before she was rescued.

Clinging to the Torah with all one’s might ensures Jewish continuity, nurtures a spiritual, intellectual and emotional connection to God and the Jewish people, and nourishes fervent support and affection for Israel, our God-given homeland.

Photo Credit: Jason Tabarias via Flickr

Overwhelming support from the St. Louis Jewish community turned out to be critical to St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell’s victory Tuesday over incumbent Rep. Cori Bush, a two-term progressive and outspoken critic of Israel.

The primary race for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District drew national attention because of Political Action Committees such as AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) investing over $9 million to oppose Bush, who was one of the first to urge a ceasefire in Gaza following the attack by Hamas in Israel on Oct. 7 and also sought to cut aid to Israel.

Locally, however, some credit Bell’s victory to grassroots efforts that unified St. Louis Jews across all denominations and political preferences.

Stacey Newman, who served as a Democratic state representative in Missouri for nine years, joined Bell’s campaign as his Jewish vote coalition director. She worked closely with Rabbi Jeffrey Abraham of Congregation B’nai Amoona and Lisa Baron, a retired attorney and nonprofit director who belongs to Young Israel, to construct a campaign strategy that would fully engage the entire local Jewish community.

“What we all experienced as a result of Oct. 7 changed our world,” said Newman. “I don’t know that anyone had gone after the Jewish vote. We have never been a constituency important to the outcome of an election. We had no roadmap.”

Together, they secured support for Bell from more than 35 St. Louis area rabbis from all levels of Jewish denominations.

“Three weeks after our community was devastated and in pain by the news of Hamas’ horrific massacre in Israel, Prosecuting Attorney Bell announced he was running to represent Missouri District 1 in Washington, D.C.,” wrote the group “St. Louis Rabbis & Cantors for Wesley Bell for Congress” in a letter to the Jewish Light in June. “This district represents a large segment, but not the entirety of the St. Louis metropolitan area and has an impact beyond its boundaries.”

The letter, along with efforts by the local group “St. Louis Votes” to maximize Jewish voter turnout, sparked an unprecedented wave of unity among the Jewish community in St. Louis, with individuals and groups coming together like never before.

Cheryl Adelstein of St. Louis Votes, a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) focused on empowering Jewish St. Louisans, highlighted the impact of their efforts. She noted that according to the St. Louis County Turnout Dashboard, voter turnout in University City, Olivette and a small part of Creve Coeur – each with a relatively large Jewish population — ranged from 40% to 50%.

“As average turnout for a primary is around 20%, we feel that our efforts had a positive impact in mobilizing the Jewish community to get out and vote,” added Adelstein.

“We came together, united across various denominations, recognizing the need to remove an antisemitic individual from Congress,” said Abraham, referring to Bush. “We were able to unite and be part of a greater cause, ensuring that we are represented by someone who genuinely cares about us and wants to understand our issues.”

Rabbi Ze’ev Smason, chairman of Coalition for Jewish Values Missouri and an Orthodox rabbi, said that in his more than three decades in St. Louis, he couldn’t remember an event, excluding an attack on Israel — that brought such disparate segments of the Jewish community together for a common cause.

“Thirty-six rabbis and clergy representing the broadest gamut—from Reform to Orthodox—signed a letter in support of Wesley Bell,” he said. “That was an astounding demonstration of how, when the situation calls for it, we can and should put aside our strongly held legitimate differences to do what’s best for the Jewish people and our community.”

Newman also emphasized the importance of this unity, saying, “Rabbi Smason and I agree on very little policy—he knows my record as a liberal reform activist—but we were able to stand together and work together for a more urgent, necessary cause. His testimony means a lot to me, and that we could work together respectfully without acrimony or mistrust. He understood the assignment and so did I. I saw this same unity throughout the Jewish community and hope we can continue this sense of mutual cooperation because we know there’s more ahead of us.”

Newman also highlighted the extensive national support Bell’s campaign received.

“In addition to overseeing Jewish outreach in St. Louis, I managed close to 200 Jewish volunteers across the country who were campaigning for Bell by making calls to voters in St. Louis. There was a modern Orthodox synagogue in Los Angeles that did a big phone event for Bell last week,” she said. “A synagogue in Skokie, Illinois made calls every Tuesday morning. We had a lady in Cincinnati that made calls almost every day.”

Despite the concerted efforts to rally Jewish voters behind Bell, not all community members were convinced that he was the right choice for St. Louis

Michael Berg, a member of Progressive Jews of St. Louis, an organization that supported Bush, said many area rabbis and mainstream Jewish groups falsely accused her of being antisemitic because of her “unwavering commitment to human lives, including Palestinian lives.” He harshly criticized the influx of AIPAC and other lobbyist monies for “the purpose of smearing Cori Bush’s name and removing this beloved Black congresswoman from office. This has created rifts that will not easily heal.”

Rabbi Michael Rovinsky, director of the Jewish Student Union and an Orthodox rabbi, sees the situation very differently. He says Bell’s campaign truly galvanized the local Jewish community in ways it never came together before.

“It’s sad that it takes a Cori Bush to unite us, but we learned that we are capable of uniting, and now we have to learn to unite without a negative such as Bush’s influence,” he said.

Originally published in the St. Louis Jewish Light

Photo Credit: Michael B. Thomas on Flickr