This past Tuesday night, I was both humbled and deeply moved. That doesn’t happen as often as one might think. Usually, I’m caught up in the hundreds of details that go into running Aish, leaving little time to pause and take it all in. But Tuesday night was different. Tuesday night may have been one of the highlights of my ten years at Aish.
The first U.S. showings of our new documentary, Frontline Warriors, took place in Richmond, VA, and Bridgewater, NJ. I attended the New Jersey screening and sat on a panel at the JCC, moderated by Aish Ha’am candidate and one of the film’s producers, Eric Lavitsky. During the discussion, I was asked what prompted Aish to form our own party for the World Zionist Congress elections.
I explained that, post October 7th, I witnessed a profound shift in the next generation. We have seen young Jews fighting a physical war to save their brothers and sisters in Israel. We have seen young Jews fighting a digital war against the flood of antisemitic hate online. We have seen young Jews fighting a campus war against universities that have largely stood by as Jewish students are harassed and attacked. These young Jews needed a home, a movement that represented their fight. That is why we created Aish Ha’am.
Ours is by far the youngest slate running for the World Zionist Congress. And we knew that people needed to see the faces of this next generation of Jewish leaders. That’s why we produced Frontline Warriors, a powerful and raw look at what is happening on campuses today, starring our very own candidates.
After I shared this, Shabbos Kestenbaum spoke beautifully about his lawsuit against Harvard. He has had to change law firms three times because of the immense pressure to settle and make it all go away. But Shabbos refuses to back down. As an alumnus of Yeshiva Aish HaTorah, it was incredible to hear him describe how, whenever he visits Israel, he makes a point of visiting the grave of Rav Noach Weinberg, zt”l.
Then I had the honor of hearing Taylor Shaw speak for the first time. Taylor, a local Rutgers student, has grown closer to her Jewish heritage in recent years. She, too, is a candidate on our Aish Ha’am slate. Taylor spoke with incredible courage about her experiences in student government, how she has been in rooms where eight armed police officers had to protect her from the mobs of antisemites who have been allowed to run rampant at Rutgers. She described sitting in classrooms where professors openly spewed hatred against Jews and how she bravely stood up to them. It is clear that antisemitism is not just present on campus, it is systemic and deeply embedded within academia at every level.
As Taylor finished her remarks, she shared something that struck me. She said that the one thing that troubled her was how much time her activism took away from her personal spiritual growth. Her rabbi told her to see herself as Mordechai, sitting at the gates of Achashverosh’s palace, fighting for the survival of his people.
As I listened, I realized Taylor was exactly right. October 7th has created a movement of Mordechais and Esthers.
Tomorrow, we will read the story of Purim. Every generation has its Haman, rising up to destroy the Jewish people. But in every generation, young Jews like Shabbos and Taylor stand up, risking everything to fight for our nation. And in every generation, the Almighty stands right there beside them.
Sitting next to these heroes, I felt truly humbled. I was sitting in the presence of greatness.
My friends, if you, like me, care deeply about the future of the Jewish people, I urge you—don’t sit this out. Vote for Aish Ha’am by clicking here: aish.com/vote. We must fight for our people with every fiber of our being. We must follow the lead of Shabbos and Taylor.
History has shown us that we will win this battle. Purim has taught us this.
Join Aish Ha’am. Help us fight for the eternity of the Jewish Nation.
