Thrive Global published my new article: “How A Trip To The Moon Makes Everything Clear”

To see ourselves realistically means to see ourselves as parts of a globally interdependent system. It means to see an ideal and holistic picture of mutually influential relationships.

I like listening to astronauts describe their feelings after looking at the Earth from space. What’s interesting is that astronauts are generally quite mechanical, not openly displaying their emotions. But when they travel into space and see the planet as one small nest full of little chicks, then these generally unemotional people express very deep and touching feelings, as they paint a vivid picture of the integral system we share.

“It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.” — Neil Armstrong

“The biggest joy was on the way home. in my cockpit window every two minutes — the Earth, the Moon, the Sun, and a whole 360-degree panorama of the heavens. And that was a powerful, overwhelming experience. And suddenly I realized that the molecules of my body, and the molecules of the spacecraft, the molecules in the body of my partners, were prototyped and manufactured in some ancient generation of stars. And that was an overwhelming sense of oneness, of connectedness. It wasn’t them and us, it was — that’s me, that’s all of it, it’s one thing. And it was accompanied by an ecstasy, a sense of ‘oh my god, wow, yes,’ an insight, an epiphany.”– Edgar Mitchell — In the Shadow of the Moon

Therefore, to see myself realistically means to try and see the planet as one nest that everyone shares as chicks. I then need to be concerned that the nest won’t become unstable or break.

It’s a completely different sensation to the one where we feel “grounded” here on Earth. It’s a different dimension, because you feel it as a place detached, dependent on air. Your nest doesn’t rest on any tree. It’s simply in space. Beyond that globe and its atmospheric layer… nothing.

Humanity needs to grow up and see its true integral form. How much longer can we keep letting ourselves behave like wild children, flexing our pride and power muscles at each other? It’s the worst and most irresponsible form of childishness.

“I really believe that if the political leaders of the world could see their planet from a distance of, let’s say 100,000 miles, their outlook would be fundamentally changed. The all-important border would be invisible, that noisy argument suddenly silenced.” — Michael Collins, Apollo 11

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The Times of Israel published my new article “2019: The Year Anti-Semitism Became as Routine as Breakfast”

Regular reports of anti-Semitic crimes and threats have converged into a foreboding trend characteristic of our times. Whether it heads toward a destructive climax akin to the Holocaust, or a positive shift toward a much better situation for both Jews and the nations of the world, is a question solely of how the Jewish people respond to the rising hatred against them.

Historically, anti-Semitism is a phenomenon that has undergone periods of latency, and then quickly erupts into waves of violence and fear. Over the last few years, we have witnessed a modern surge of anti-Semitism, and today it has become as routine as breakfast. Anti-Semitic crimes and threats have become happenstance events that often don’t even merit news headlines anymore.

As with any problem, what is the point of a constant array of reports about the problem if it is not accompanied with a solution? Since I have found both the root cause of anti-Semitism and its solution in the wisdom of Kabbalah that I’ve been studying for the past 40 years, I feel it as part of my duty to bring its unique explanation to the world so that both Jews and non-Jews can relate to the phenomenon with understanding and awareness, learning exactly what buttons to press in order to reach a solution to anti-Semitism. Also, the solution to anti-Semitism is important not only for Jews, but for all people, as it directly goes hand-in-hand with a much better, happier and comfortable life for everyone.

But before discussing the solution, here is some recent data that my students gathered about the phenomenon in order to show its global-scale proportions:

• In England, an all-time record was once again broken, and in the first half of 2019, 900 anti-Semitic incidents were reported.
• In Canada, the numbers are similar: Only in 2018, 2,000 anti-Semitic events were recorded, and earlier this year in July the Canadian court banned the marking of Judea and Samaria wine as “Made in Israel.”
• Two CNN broadcasters resigned after one of them issued Hitler support messages and the other compared Jews to pigs.
• In Miami a man in his sixties was shot outside the synagogue.
• Human Rights Watch head of human rights organization refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist. The head of the organization is a Jew himself.
• The Jewish and anti-Zionist movement “If Not Now” is trying to influence the younger generation of American Jewry through anti-Israel educational workshops for instructors.
• A Jewish museum in Germany published an exhibition showing the relationship between Jews and money in a negative light. The Jewish community failed to close the anti-Semitic exhibition, and in light of the exhibition’s success, it will be extended.
• The UN condemned Israel for violating women’s rights. Among the voters for the condemnation were China, Russia and Iran.
• The question then becomes, what is the ultimate cause and message embedded within such growing anti-Semitic sentiment?

I speak and write a lot about the role of the Jewish people, which is to unite (“love your neighbor as yourself” [Leviticus 19:18]) and pass unity to the world (to be a “light unto the nations” [Isaiah 42:6]). It is not coincidental that the daily unfolding of anti-Semitic events runs parallel with social division and hatred penetrating developed human societies one day to the next. The more the world suffers from increasing division, the more there is instinctive blame on the Jews for failing to perform their role. That is the root cause of anti-Semitism. I communicate this message regularly upon the foundation of regular bursts of anti-Semitism in order to point the way to the solution: a method of uniting the Jewish people in order for such unity to spread to humanity at large, bridging its growing divisions.

Likewise, since anti-Semitism is an outcome of the nations of the world subconsciously feeling that the Jewish people are failing to perform their role, many non-Jews throughout history have voiced their demand upon the Jews in a way that directly points out the need for the Jewish people to become a beacon for unity to spread to the world.

One example is Vasily Shulgin. Shulgin, a native of Ukraine, was a senior member of the Duma, an elected semi-representative Assembly in Tsarist Russia, before the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. Shulgin proudly declared himself to be anti-Semitic, and in his 1929 book, What We Don’t Like in Them, he analyzed dozens of articles of his hostile perception of the Jews. Shulgin complained that Jews in the 20th century became smart, effective and energetic in exploiting other people’s ideas. But he protests that “this is not an occupation for ‘teachers and prophets,’ not the role of ‘guides of the blind,’ not the role of ‘carriers of the lame.’”[1]

Moreover, if there seems to be a contradiction between hatred of Jews and the desire to see them as a people destined to lead the blind, a metaphor Shulgin uses to refer to humanity, Shulgin reiterates this demand in his book in various ways. If the Jews lead humanity to its destination, then “let them [the Jews] … rise to the height to which they apparently climbed [in antiquity] … and immediately, all nations will rush to their feet … ‘Give us Jewish rule, wise, benevolent, leading us to the Good.’ And every day we will offer for them, for the Jews, the prayers: ‘Bless our guides and our teachers, who lead us to the recognition of Your goodness.[2]’”

It is a wonder that great anti-Semitic ideologues are sensitive to the potential of the Jews, and develop a dual attitude toward Jews: on one hand, hatred for the Jews’ current form in the world, and on the other, recognition of the Jews’ greatness. However, it is greatness in potential. We Jews need to discover for ourselves what it is that makes us great, to realize our potential to unite and pass unity to the world by implementing a method of connection that we once received, and which we are now expected to reawaken and innovate in order to suit our modern times. In tandem with the anti-Semitism growing increasingly fierce every day, we must empower our unity for the sake of the world’s unity. If we do so, then we’ll see an end to anti-Semitism, and not only will it end, but it will invert: all those haters of Jews will become lovers of Jews, and all those thoughts and efforts against the Jews will become thoughts and efforts in support of a people that brings unity, peace, love and happiness to the world through their efforts to unite.

[1] Shulgin, Vasily Vitalyevich, What we don’t like about them … [trans. Michael Brushtein & Chaim Ratz] (St. Petersburg Russia, Horse, 1992), 209.

[2] Shulgin, What we don’t like about them …, 219.
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My new article on KabNET: “Tackling Rising Stress Due to Climate Change”

Global warming is a burning topic. Extreme heat waves, unparalleled in human history, have become a source of rising stress, a problem we no longer perceive from afar but on our own skin.

Heat stress is estimated to cost the global economy $2.4 trillion a year in the next decade, according to the United Nations, but the impact on mental health is no less worrisome. Americans are already among the most stressed people in the world, and today’s global warming is not contributing to alleviating the pressure, particularly among the young generation.

Extreme heat might pose health risks that will not let people work, particularly outdoors, leading to the loss of 80 million jobs worldwide by 2030. These are unflattering projections by the International Labor Organization (ILO) that serve as a reminder that there is no time to wait. Tackling the current state will require new paradigms, a completely new way of thinking since the previous ones have brought us to a precarious reality.

Recent studies reveal that people feeling the heat more are the new generation. At the same time, they are the agents entitled to change the failing world inherited from their parents and grandparents. But there is a problem: a staggering 90% of Generation Z between ages 15 and 21 report the worst mental health of any generation in the US, the highest level of stress, according to the American Psychological Association. The stress is reported to be due to gun violence, political turmoil and personal problems. It is the most vulnerable population in terms of mental well-being, and now a new daunting challenge has been charged to them: to carry on their shoulders the responsibility for the future.

“We need to encourage and support the young generation to grease the wheels of recovery, leading humanity to a state of tranquility and balance on all levels in nature.”

The success of the new generation in flipping the situation will depend on how they start behaving. The older generation—for its reckless quest of new industries and development—is destroying our planet. We need to support the new generation’s efforts to stop this hasty and careless tendency. We need to understand that the world is integral, interdependent and increasingly interconnected. Therefore, every action impacts the whole system: the Earth, the cosmos and ourselves. But even before actions, the greatest power we have is the power of thought.

If we become closer to each other, connected through the power of thought, i.e. positive intentions to benefit one another, we will be able to stop global warming and the planet’s deterioration. However, an individual’s concern and thoughts alone won’t render results. The force that will generate a true and effective change can only be activated collectively.

How can our relations be such a powerful force able to change our environment? The reason is that the human level—the highest and most developed in nature—is precisely where the problem resides. Our egoistic nature—personal gain at the expense of others—is the most harmful and destructive force in nature, negatively affecting nature’s lower levels: inanimate, vegetative and animate. Therefore, the way to restore nature’s balance is to repair our broken connection as humans, the root cause of ecological imbalance.

It is clear that in a world where at least a dozen countries have nuclear capacity, there can be no egoistic solution at the physical level. We just have to change ourselves, our attitude and behavior toward each other, in order to recover our ecosystem’s harmony.

The time for that is now. Therefore, we need to encourage and support the young generation to grease the wheels of recovery, leading humanity to a state of tranquility and balance on all levels in nature.

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My article in Newsmax: “The Cause of Recurring Mass Shootings in America (Part 2)”

Today’s divisive social and political climate in the U.S., a melting pot within a boiling society that erupts in recurring mass shootings, resembles a modern-day version of ancient Babylon 4,000 years ago.
A look at how the crisis was handled at that important period in history will give us the keys for a more harmonious coexistence today.

The ancient Babylonians started out as a united civilization. Eventually, they experienced a growth in their egos. As a result, they began exploiting each other for personal gain and felt increasing social division with its conflicts and hardships.

Troubled by the growing division and hatred in society, a Babylonian sage, Abraham, started promoting his method — a method of connection — which was premised on the idea that by achieving connection among human society, we achieve balance with nature’s own connecting tendency, and thus experience a plethora of positive outcomes: peace, love, happiness, and meaningfulness to name a few. He invited anybody who wanted to learn the ways of nature: how nature is fundamentally a quality of connection, bestowal and love, and how human society could elevate itself above its divisive drives to harmonize with nature.

The people who came to Abraham, he formed into a group.

This group became known as “the Jews,” which means “a united people” (the Hebrew word for “Jew” [Yehudi] comes from the word for “united” [yihudi] [Yaarot Devash, Part 2, Drush no. 2]). That is, the Jews were never a biologically-connected people, but a gathering of people who felt the problems of their civilization’s growing divisions, and that the solution to those problems were in learning and applying the laws of nature’s connectedness to human society.

The rejection of living according to a destructive egoistic paradigm, on one hand, and the attraction to the unifying idea and method that Abraham taught, on the other, eventually accumulated into this group’s attainment of a new, unified perception and sensation of life.

They learned how to not fall to the ego’s demands for self-fulfillment on account of others, and also experienced new elated sensations beyond the pleasures on offer in any other place, resulting from their mutual efforts to unite. Their unity then spread throughout the human consciousness of the time, as seemingly out of nowhere, people started thinking and acting more positively, peacefully, and considerately toward each other.

The sublime state of unity expanding throughout human civilization came and went, as the human ego eventually outgrew the level of unity that the Abraham-led group attained.

However, the immense significance of what this group known as “the Jews” attained — unity above division — remained throughout history, continuing into our era, as a subconscious impression in humanity. In its positive form, this impression is that the Jews have something special that other nations do not have. In its negative form, this impression is that the Jews are somehow responsible for society’s misfortunes. All kinds of reasons are pointed out as to what’s wrong with Jews, from Jews holding too much power in countries they have assimilated into, to Jewish conspiracies, Jewish greediness, and many others. However, the root reason is in what made the Jews “Jews” (i.e. “united”) to begin with: that they once realized a method of connection above human divisive drives, which became the solution to the problems in human civilization, and today they’re expected to do that again.

As human society accumulates more and more suffering and negative impressions toward the realization of its helplessness and desperation — that none of the so-called “solutions” it has to offer, whether it be new policies, laws, weapons, or technologies, will work to society’s lasting benefit — the subconscious demand upon the Jewish people to implement the method of connection they once attained grows.

At this moment it is difficult to relate mass shootings to the role of Jews in the world, but the root of the frustration, hatred and despair that leads to such manifestations is intertwined with the potential that the Jewish people hold to tilt the scales one way or another, to become an example to follow.

Therefore, as soon as we Jews become a force capable of establishing unity above the ego and social division, we will spare the world and ourselves from further suffering, and moreover, will bring about an abundance of happiness, confidence, and harmony in humanity on a whole new level that we have never experienced before. It is my hope that such positive change will happen sooner rather than later.

This article is Part 2 of a series. To read Part 1, Click Here Now.

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My article in Newsmax: “The Cause of Recurring Mass Shootings in America (Part 1)”

Yet again, two deadly mass shootings within hours in Texas and Ohio have shocked America.
At least 31 people are dead and dozens wounded in both incidents, spreading fear, bewilderment and confusion throughout American society.

The same scenario replays over and over, only the locations and names change, fueling a blame game in a bitter political campaign for next year’s presidential race and rekindling the debate on gun control and right-wing extremism.

When will the bloodshed stop?

What Breeds Ongoing Violence in the U.S.?

The violence is the result of increasing egoism, i.e. self-benefit at the expense of others, everywhere in the world, and particularly in American culture.

Humanity looks to the United States for an example of positive, calm and peaceful relations. Such a state will never come about by drafting new laws, but only through a change in the way human nature operates in society: Instead of relating to each other through egoistic lenses, to develop new supportive, encouraging and understanding attitudes to every person. In order to reach that level of positive change, society needs to implement a method of connection that it has yet to realize.

El Paso’s deadly shooting, handled as domestic terrorism, underscored similar extremist views against immigrants, Jews, and other minorities seen in the supremacist acts of violence in a mosque in New Zealand and in the synagogue in Pittsburg and Poway, California, earlier this year. The motive behind the shooting in Dayton, Ohio, is still unclear. The 24-year-old gunman apparently showed radical liberal views and obsession with violence before the attack.

More provocations can be expected not because of Trump’s border wall with Mexico, the toughening of policies on migrants trespassing across the border, or because of the upcoming U.S. presidential elections. America is likely to experience many more similar difficult events as a direct result of major struggles in an increasingly egoistic society unless some action is taken.

Over 250 mass shootings have occurred in the U.S. since the beginning of 2019, and every event has served to increase public concern, but it is short-lived and vanishes as soon as a new item occupies the headlines. If this trend continues, since no one can find a real solution, the bloodshed that Americans will face is bound to become unbearable.

It is true that in America it is easy to purchase firearms, but the trigger finger is the result of the growing egoism in American society. Tension and aggravation accumulate daily until they explode in cruel ways. And when people feel like life is not worth living, their senseless acts reflect the worst that culture has taught them.

What the World Expects From the United States

It comes as no surprise that the U.S. faces so much trouble. American society is closely tied to the world’s opinion, and vice versa. Since World War II, the world has been immensely influenced by the United States. There is an innate expectation upon the highly developed and wealthy USA to enlighten the rest of the world and set a constructive trend for others to follow. If America succeeds, everyone will become fueled with a new kind of positive inspiration, but if it fails, it will need to absorb the blame.

The plethora of contrasts and conflicts that exist in humanity are more pronounced in the U.S. than elsewhere. These opposites exacerbate the differences between Democrats and Republicans, blacks and whites, American-born citizens and immigrants. The super-heated cauldron bubbles and erupts as violent events that shock the world.

The American vision includes two polar extremes: on one hand, the freedom to do whatever one wants, while on the other, the need to refrain from harming others. It is a country where every person is free to express him or herself, but should opt for moderation. It is a country where any person can walk around with a weapon for security, but should never shoot the gun unnecessarily. In practice, however, we do not see the materialization of these ideals outside the text of the Constitution.

As the world groans under the pressure of two conflicting forces — the global force of connection, and the separating power of the ego — we have entered into a state that increasingly resembles ancient Babylon 4,000 years ago prior to its collapse (more on that in Part 2 of this article). But today we cannot pull away from one another in order to calm our egos down. Our only option is to work on our connection, on our unity.

Human society today needs an addition of the unifying positive force that balances the negative power of our ego.

The question is how?

In Part 2 of this article, I will explain the method of connection for a harmonious and peaceful existence: a method devised back in the times of ancient Babylon by Abraham the Patriarch as a tested solution to rise above the growing social division and hatred of that time.

This article is Part 1 of a series.

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Linkedin: “How to Stop Global Warming All At Once”

You don’t have to be a climate scientist or understand that our deteriorating climate conditions will have disastrous ecological consequences. According to the World Economic Forum, ‘Russia’s melting permafrost could have a devastating global effect’.

The danger is not only the emission of carbon dioxide and very rapid global warming, but it’s also releasing gases and other substances that have been frozen for thousands of years, even from the dinosaur era. The melting of the snow in regions where that is not supposed to happen may cause an outbreak of diseases or other phenomena that humanity will have no idea how to deal with.

According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, the imbalance in human relations, which is the highest level of nature, directly causes an imbalance in the lower levels of nature – still, plant world and animal kingdom. The behavior of humans and especially their thoughts violate the balance in nature, and the less balanced our relationships, the more imbalance in nature as a whole.

Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag, wrote in an introduction to his article “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah”:

“All the upper and lower worlds are all included in man, and all the realities in the worlds are but for man only.”

As long as we do not work to balance the relationship and network of thoughts between us, the outlook for the earth, and us as its inhabitants, is very poor. The fires that are joining the floods, hurricanes and earthquakes signal to us that we don’t have much time left to change.

We must begin immediately and without delay, to nurture the most powerful force that exists in us: the power of thought. If we aim our minds and hearts towards better human connection, we will activate a positive force that is deeply rooted in the natural system, and it will bring balance into all levels of nature.

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Jewish Boston published my article: “Tisha B’Av, Rising Above the Straits“

We Jews, the bearers of the tenet “love your neighbor as yourself,” must rise to the challenge, put down our internal disputes and unite above them.

We have just entered the period of time called “Bein ha-Metzarim” (“Between the Straits”), which begins on the 17th of Tammuz and ends on the 9th of Av (Tisha B’Av), during which we commemorate the destruction of the First and Second Temples. This special time could never be more pertinent than now. The ruin of the temples, in fact, symbolize the shattering of our human relations—a true reason for mourning—but we can also find joy in the situation if we recognize it as an opportunity to rebuild ties of unity between us.

Repairing the current political divide in America, especially during the already exacerbating campaign climate of the 2020 election, has nothing to do with Trump, specific members of Congress, or either side of the political spectrum. The problem is much wider and deeper. The divisions are between American Jewry and the Israeli nation, between Muslims and Jews, and within U.S. society as a whole. The myriad aggravations signal an urgent imperative for change in human relations that Jews must initiate and lead by rising above all the divisions that separate us.

Why must Jews lead the charge? It is because the Jewish people possess precisely what America and the world desperately needs: the key for a cohesive and harmonious existence. Jewish unity must now be our first priority. It is the historical purpose of Jews to demonstrate unity within their ranks as a model of corrected social relations for others to follow.

We became a nation at the foot of Mount Sinai only when each person present accepted the condition of being “as one man with one heart.” In the centuries that followed, Jews practiced principles of connection enabling them to rise above their differences for the creation of ideal social cohesion and unprecedented human development. It was only during the long exile that followed the ruin of the Second Temple that this unity was forgotten.

Therefore, why should we mourn the destructions of Tisha B’Av at this particular time?It is because, since the 16th century when the great Kabbalist, the Ari (Rav Isaac Luria), declared the opening of the process of correction for all humanity, our negligence in repairing the shattering perpetuates the destruction. By delaying this process we block the building of the Third Temple, meaning the correction of the shattering in our connections. Our state of shattered connection is what’s truly considered the ruin of the Temples, a state in which we have lost consciousness of ourselves as a single entity.

Thus, there is both great joy in our opportunity for correction that the shattering brings us while, on the other hand, there is sorrow over our fragmentation under the forces constantly emerging to damage our connection. Our state is a manifestation of the principle that, in spirituality, we always encounter two opposites in the same place in order to advance.

Now is the time to be proactive. We Jews, the bearers of the tenet “love your neighbor as yourself,” must rise to the challenge, put down our internal disputes, and unite above them. As King Solomon stated: “Hate stirs strife, and love covers all crimes” (Proverbs, 10:12). This is the true and positive call to action that we should take from this special period of reflection. It is the one act that will guarantee our safety and happiness in America and wherever we live.
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The Times of Israel published my new article “Unity as a Panacea, But What Unity Are We Talking About?”

The deep divisions within Israel, America, and basically every society in the world are the subject of in-depth study in both academia and the media, but the most effective way to repair the breakage is itself also a source of intense dispute. This dispute is one which I will clarify. As a Kabbalist and researcher I publish in dozens of different publications on social networks on a daily basis. My message is constant: unity is the solution to all problems. Egoistic human nature divides and distances us from one another and is the root cause of all problems and predicaments we experience every day.

One of the recurring questions that is sent to me asks what unity am I talking about? What connection do I call for? Is it for the reunification of the souls? Is it unification between men and women, or political and/or religious alliances?

My answer is simple, set, and it derives from the ancient sources of the wisdom of Kabbalah. The unity I speak about is a unity not meant to fix anyone or change anyone’s perception, mind or heart. All we need to repair is the connection between us, the way we relate to one another. We have to rise above all our myriad opposite attributes, characteristics and viewpoints and unite as one. As our sages rightly wrote: “Love will cover all transgressions.”

Achieving this level of connection is precisely the role of the Jews in the world. We must join between two layers, like the meat between slices of bread in a sandwich: “All transgressions” is the bottom layer, and “will be covered with love” is the top layer. The correct connection between those two layers will make a very tasty meal. Both sweetness and a little bit of salty spice are necessary to balance the flavors when love and hate are revealed. Nothing in life can exist without its opposite, like how the plus requires a minus in physics.

Although the people of Israel should be the first to pave the way to such a “tasty” existence, all humanity, every person on earth, ultimately has the destiny to attain this approach to fulfillment in life. According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, Jews are obliged to experience this unity first by learning how to connect above differences, above hatred and rejection. To discover existence “in the middle line” means, on one hand, that you might want to reject the other, while on the other hand, you learn how to embrace the other person in spite of all. On one side, I am right. On the other side, the other person is right. Since everything is in the eye of the beholder, we are all right, and justice lies above us. This is the love that covers everything.

Even further, we must not destroy evil, conceal the differences, or uproot the undergrowth. We need only realize that they are the foundation over which we have to add the good, the spice that gives complex new flavors to the relationship. Therefore, I see no hater or enemy in anyone, but instead full partners in unity.

The way to travel this golden path is taught by the wisdom of Kabbalah. Because the clock is ticking and our troubles are increasing, we must hurry to rise above the egoistic force within us that seeks to draw everything to its own advantage, to rise above the gathering storm clouds into a wide and open dimension, to rise from this world into a spiritual, complete and eternal world. The entire Torah encompasses this: unity and love cover schism and hatred.
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The Times of Israel published my new article “Unity Is Our Only Shield against Anti-Semitism”

Campuses in the US and UK, once places for the enlightenment and ideological progress of society, have descended into epicenters of vicious anti-Semitism and anti-Israeli sentiment, two sides of the same coin. They have become hotbeds of fundamentalist political agendas sponsored by special interest groups. A recent visit by a group of my students to Oxford University in England confirmed this perception. The Jewish professors they spoke with anxiously await retirement due to the hostile atmosphere and threats against them. Conditions will only worsen unless we Jews take this situation into our own hands and unite.

As part of a research project about anti-Semitism, some of my students conducted a series of interviews with scholars and professors in the UK who have faced anti-Semitism in academia. According to their testimonials (which will be compiled into a documentary to be aired later this year), they have been victims of threats and harassment for being Jewish or for supporting Israel, a country constantly under attack on both American and European college campuses.

Jew-hatred dressed as so-called “legitimate criticism” of Israel and its policies, singles out the Jewish state for harsh accusations of “apartheid” and “genocide.” “Israel Apartheid Week” claims to be mushrooming this year into 200 events held across 30 countries on five continents. And where are the events’ preferred venues? Indeed, they are in the very college campuses where the seeds of anti-Semitism are being methodically planted and harvested.

Recently, an officer of a student minority group at Bristol University in the UK, whose role is to combat prejudice on campus, told a Jewish student to “be like Israel and cease to exist.” This is no isolated case of bigotry against Jews. In the beginning of the year, hundreds of students voted against allowing the creation of a Jewish Society at Essex University after a member of the British university’s Amnesty International group urged students to reject it arguing that the initiative was not “politically neutral.” This reflects the tendency shown in a 2017 survey of 485 Jewish students in England: two-thirds of the survey’s respondents reported being targeted on campus because of their Jewishness.

In the last few years, millions of dollars have been injected into universities around the world to advance anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish agendas, all sponsored by foreign governments and organizations whose aim is to advance their anti-Semitic rhetoric and agendas. While faculties are permissive, under the guise of pluralism, even Jewish academics jump on the bandwagon to actively support and promote these causes, as paradoxical as it may seem. By way of illustration, last year, the American Association of University Professors issued a statement attacking Israel for banning professors who are active members of the BDS movement against the Jewish state.

What Can Be Done About Such a Highly-Funded and Methodical Approach to Anti-Semitism and Israel Delegitimization?

As I explained in my recent article, “If you were donating to combat anti-Semitism, where would you donate?” any effort to confront the growing plague of Jew-hatred and demonization of Israel with costly campaigns will be useless, as witnessed by the fact that they have borne no fruit up until now.

We Jews are a nation conceived in order to bring connection and unity to the world. When we fail to carry out our vocation, our ancient sages tell us that the nations instinctively feel that there is no justification for our presence here on Earth, and unmerciful anti-Semitism unfolds and spreads in every field in which Jews are engaged. It is written in The Book of Zohar that when we do not carry out our mission, “Woe unto them [Jews], for with these actions they bring about the existence of poverty, ruin, and robbery, looting, killing and destructions in the world” (Tikkuney Zohar, 30).

In other words, our only shield is our unity. As it is written, “The prime defense against calamity is love and unity. When there are love, unity, and friendship between each other in Israel, no calamity can come over them” (Maor Vashemesh).

Before the ruin of the Temple, our forefathers developed a unique method of connection. They did not suppress one another’s characteristics, nor did they exploit one another. Each used their individual skills for the common good, thereby creating a society that both supported everyone’s personal fulfillment while strengthening the social fabric that kept it together.

In order for us to unite today, we need not suppress or downplay our differences. What is required from us is simply to rise above the differences that separate us. Today, that same simple-yet-effective method of connection that our forefathers perfected and committed to sharing with the nations is imperative for the survival of our society. The world is telling us that it is time to return to our roots and reignite our mutual responsibility, putting into practice the principle of “love your neighbor as yourself.” By doing so, true peace and tranquility will prevail on campuses and in every walk of life.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What does it mean to be Jewish in the 21st century?“

There is indeed a lot of confusion regarding what it means to be Jewish, where Jews come from, and what is the true identity of the Jewish people. Most Jews themselves would be unable to tell you where they originated, why Arabs are also considered as Semites, and why there are Jews in such places as India, Pakistan and Africa.

Today, it’s customary that if your mother is Jewish, then you’re Jewish. However, this wasn’t always the case. At one time in history, Jewishness was passed down through the father.

In our world, Jews are considered to be a group of people who went into exile 2,000 years ago from ancient Babylon. Due to the dispersion of the Jewish people around the world, they have no culture, language, country or center of their own. Moreover, if you say that the Jews’ country is Israel, then note that the State of Israel has only been around for the last 70 years, and many Jews also disagree with Israel being their country. Therefore, if you ask both Jews and non-Jews who Jews are, you will hear no two same opinions.

The Jewish people are a strange phenomenon in humanity. They are like a stone in humanity’s shoe, something that increasingly presses for a solution. Also, the topic of Jewish identity is never raised in a serious widespread manner because it would awaken many problems among the Jews living in different countries and cultures. Therefore, it is a global-scale problem, and raising it means to ignite a massive flame around the world. Arabs everywhere would immediately leap onto the opportunity to deal with it, disagreeing with the definitions of Jews being the sons of Abraham. They also disagree with Jews and Muslims being brothers, as is written in the Torah, which describes Jews and Arabs coming from a single father. Another problem is that there are many conflicts in definitions of Jews in Christianity, and therefore, it also isn’t raised from that perspective.

The general atmosphere surrounding such a question is: Why raise the question about Jewish identity if it would create many more problems than we already experience in our world? So people from all nations, religions and cultures, including Jews themselves, generally don’t touch it. Specifically in our time, it is best not to awaken such a question.

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