Here are some statements I heard this week in Toronto:
"Since the attack on October 7, we've been reciting the Kiddush blessings every Shabbat."
"After Simchat Torah, I visited Israel for the first time in my life, and I'm 30. I came to volunteer. I'm coming back in the summer, and bringing friends."
"After October 7, I started learning Hebrew online, and also coming every week to a Torah class at the synagogue."
"For the first time on campus, I'm wearing a Star of David necklace, despite hostile reactions. I've never been so moved by something."
On the surface, what does the first part of each sentence have to do with the second? If Hamas slaughtered, burned, and kidnapped Israelis in the Gaza periphery, does someone in Toronto start learning Hebrew and making Kiddush?
The answer is yes. This global phenomenon is called "October 8 Jews," the Jews who woke up the day after. Their hearts were opened and they suddenly understood that they are part of a bigger story — a battle over consciousness and faith, over identity.
And the spiritual affects the material: Canadian Jews have already donated more than 150 million dollars to settlements in the north and south, to first-responder units and to resilience projects. Thank you.
The young student who took me to the airport is contemplating making Aliyah for the first time in her life. She can't explain why, but suddenly she sees her future in Israel.
I returned with many thoughts and ideas, but in the first stage, it's crucial that Israelis recognize this phenomenon, and act on it. This is a historic opportunity for millions of Jews in the diaspora who might be lost, but who could also return home. "Together we will win" – that includes them, too.
The main headline in the local newspapers when I landed in Canada was "Trump: We don't need Canada." Well, without getting into US-Canada politics, we definitely need Canada, especially Canadian Jews.
I’d like to extend a big thank you to the Shaarei Shomayim community headed by Rabbi Sam Taylor and the Weinberger family, to Mizrachi Canada and Rabbi Elan Mazer, Rabbi Dr. Seth Grauer, Israeli emissaries Rabbi Aviad and Hodaya Pituchey-Chotam (and the children!), as well as to Rabbi Yisrael Landa and Rabbi Shimon Binstock from Chabad of Toronto. Thanks to you, I met more than a thousand brothers and sisters, who gave me tremendous strength.
May we hear good news.
