Almost two years have passed since the nightmare of October 7th, a date etched in the hearts of every Jew. That day wasn’t just another tragic chapter; it was a seismic event that shook our people to their core. The brutal attack, the murder of innocents in Israeli towns, and the immediate, global denial of our suffering, all of it compounded the trauma. Unlike the Holocaust, whose denial crept in years later, the disbelief this time was instant. Our grief had barely begun when the world began gaslighting us.
From that darkness, something extraordinary happened: a spiritual awakening. A fire ignited in Jewish hearts across the globe. People who had been distant from their heritage, especially among the unaffiliated, suddenly felt the pull of their identity. They began searching for meaning, for truth, for Torah, and AISH was ready.
For years, we invested in our online educational infrastructure, prepared for the moment when Jews would seek answers, and that moment came. I’ve spoken, still speak, to countless Jews hungry for wisdom, desperate to reclaim their roots. What I’ve heard, time and again, is heartbreak over how their Jewish identity had been sidelined for ideologies taught on campuses that ultimately turned them against their people. Now, many are pushing hard in the other direction, coming home to Torah, to Jewish pride, to truth.
We are so deeply grateful for the timely merger with Partners in Torah. It gave us a global platform to meet this thirst for connection, to pair those eager to learn with those eager to teach. It has been nothing short of a miracle.
Yet while we celebrate the spiritual renaissance, we cannot ignore the relentless hatred many young Jews still face, especially on university campuses. I want to express my immense pride in our Chief Communications Officer and Global Spokesperson, Jamie Geller. Just this week, she was again invited to testify at a special Knesset hearing focused on campus antisemitism.
It was a profoundly emotional session. Jamie began by honoring the five Israeli soldiers killed that very day, one of whom was Moshe Shmuel Noll, a soldier in the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, who was also her neighbor. Jamie knows his family well. Her voice trembled as she offered heartfelt condolences to the Noll family, to their community, and to all who were in shock from the loss.
The room was filled with families of hostages, holding up pictures of their loved ones, silently pleading with the world: Don’t forget them. Even now, nearly two years later, we still have precious Jewish souls held captive in Gaza. We pray for their safe return every single day. So many people in the room have become known to us over the past two years because of all the advocacy that AISH has done and the number of times that we have hosted families of hostages at AISH.
Jamie’s words were powerful. She spoke with passion and clarity about what is happening on college campuses. She highlighted AISH’s film, Frontline Warriors, which documents the struggle of Jewish students at Harvard, Columbia, and UCLA. The Knesset had specifically requested clips from our film to use in the hearing. That alone was humbling. Jamie passionately told the story about how Harvard University issued a 999-page subpoena against AISH for daring to expose antisemitism on their campus. They demanded all private correspondence related to the documentary.
This is the world we live in, where Jewish suffering is not only dismissed but punished.
Despite this, Frontline Warriors is having a massive impact internationally. We initially created it for Jews in the Diaspora, but we’re now translating it into Hebrew due to overwhelming demand in Israel. Israelis were already well aware of the terror from Gaza, but many were shocked to learn what was happening to their brothers and sisters on American campuses. The film opened their eyes. Therefore, we will re-release it in Israel, subtitled, because the message must be heard everywhere.
AISH must continue to be a voice for Jewish students. We must continue to stand tall, proud, and unwavering, because the battle in the Diaspora is intensifying. In New York City, a mayoral candidate named Zohran Mamdani is refusing to condemn the phrase “globalize the Intifada.” This is a slogan that glorifies terrorism, that calls for Jewish blood. This man was a leader of “Justice for Palestine” on campus. He has harassed and intimidated Jews. He believes that Israel is an occupation, that the war against Hamas will only bring suffering, and that Israel is an apartheid state. Now he wants to lead the city with the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.
We cannot and will not stand silently. AISH will be in this fight for the safety of our brothers and sisters every step of the way.
- Wisdom means reconnecting our people with Torah, with Jewish learning, with the path to the Almighty. We believe every Jew deserves access to deep and meaningful study. Other religions may simplify for the masses, but we elevate them through learning.
- Love is the AISH feel. It’s the embrace. It’s nonjudgmental, it’s warm, it’s heartfelt. We love every Jew and want every Jew to feel that love.
- Responsibility is action. Opening a seminary? That’s responsibility. Taking a stand on campus? That’s responsibility. Building strong Jewish families and communities? That’s our mission.
I want to encourage every one of you to spread this “AISH feel.” Let it permeate your shuls, your schools, your Shabbat tables. Let it be the atmosphere in your interactions with fellow Jews. Let it be the aura we radiate to the world.
There’s a particular energy among our people, an energy of passion, purpose, and positivity. That is the AISH feel. It’s our love for Hashem. It’s our commitment to learning. It’s our refusal to cower in the face of hatred. We won’t respond with anger or bitterness but with pride. With joy. With strength.
In every conversation I have with our Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Yitzchak Berkovits, this is our focus: How do we spread these values across the Jewish world?
If we do, our children will stand tall on campus. They will not fight because they hate; they will fight because they love. They will love being Jews. They will love their people. They will love the world. They will understand our mission and that we were put here to be a light unto the nations.
We will not be silenced. We will not be broken. We will rise. We will grow. Together with the AISH feel, we will build a stronger, prouder, more vibrant Jewish future.
