* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
Last week, I spoke with Phil Rosen, chair of World Jewish Congress (American division) and a Board member of Yeshiva University. He is intimately familiar with the situation of the Jewish people both in Israel and in the United States, and is optimistic about our future.
“I’m not worried, because we have the best youth in the world. The younger generation shows us what our future will look like. Take a look at the role models of young people in the West today. For example, Greta Thunberg. She is a young woman with mixed-up values who has become a symbol without really knowing anything at all, not about climate change nor about terror. Her values are so confused that she is supportive of Hamas. Is this a suitable role model for young people? Now consider the students on campuses who protested for Hamas. These are kids who are so lost. They scream 'Apartheid' and 'Intifada' without knowing what these terms mean, and haven’t been taught to distinguish between good and evil.
In contrast, look at the young people of Israel. First of all, they maintain moral clarity, which is so rare in today’s progressive political environment. If you look at Israeli youth and the Jewish people, in general, you see strength, spirit, connection to their roots, unity, creativity, and mainly — joy. This is a happy generation. I listen to the Israeli playlist, watch young people flocking to the Kotel for Selichot, and observe how they cope with crisis, and it fills me with hope for the future.”
Last week, I saw this trend: Ishay Ribo performed at the "United Palace Theater" in Manhattan, each night in front of about 3,000 young people. In an era of AI-generated words, these young people wanted to dance for hours to Ribo’s ancient-but-new lyrics. I was given the unique opportunity to speak on stage, to interview Ribo in front of the audience, and to talk with some of the young people after the show. They spoke with glowing eyes about making aliyah, about college students discovering and asserting their Jewish identity, and the growth of Jewish pride everywhere.
The star of the show was Matan Angrest. Ribo wanted to dedicate one of his songs to Matan and asked him to choose the song. Matan was a tank driver who was kidnapped by Hamas from his tank in Nahal Oz on October 7. The three other soldiers in his tank were killed. He was almost lynched after losing consciousness and was kidnapped to Gaza. For two years, he was violently interrogated, severely tortured, and often held in isolation. He requested a pair of tefillin, a siddur, and a Tanach from his captors, which they gave him. Matan drew closer to his faith during his captivity.
So here was this hero standing on stage next to Ishay Ribo in front of thousands of young American Jews, and which song did he request from Ribo? Matan chose “Tocho Ratzuf Ahava” — a song about God’s love for us and our love for Him. It is incredible that this is how Matan feels. Ribo started singing this song and Matan joined him, as the audience erupted in applause.
Countless shows and performances have been staged on Broadway, but I’m certain that there has never been a performance like this one before. As Phil Rosen suggested, I looked around at the young people - and saw light and holiness.
